50 mm vs 85 mm: which should you choose?
50 mm is the more flexible lens: half-body and full-body portraits, small rooms and everyday photos. 85 mm is the classic portrait lens: head and shoulders, flattering faces and a simple background. On a full-frame camera, 50 mm sees 39.6° across and covers 2.2 × 1.4 m at 3 m. 85 mm sees 23.9° and covers 1.3 × 0.8 m. From the same spot, 85 mm makes everything 1.7x bigger.
How 50 mm and 85 mm frame the same scene
Which one to choose
- Pick 85 mm if you mostly shoot portraits and have room to step back. A full-body portrait needs about 4.7 m (15 ft) between you and the person.
- Pick 50 mm if you shoot indoors or want one lens for people and everything else. A full body fits at about 2.8 m (9.1 ft).
- 85 mm keeps you farther from the face, so noses and chins keep their proportions. Its narrower view shows a smaller patch of background, which looks calmer.
- Both come as affordable f/1.8 lenses in most systems. The 85 mm ones are bigger and usually cost more.
To see 50 mm and 85 mm on your own scene before you buy either, Prospekt (Lens Simulator: Prospekt on the App Store) turns your iPhone into a viewfinder for your camera body: pick the body, switch between the two focal lengths, and the screen frames what each lens would. iPhone app, $3.99 once, no subscription.
50 mm and 85 mm on each sensor size
The same two lenses on different cameras. A smaller sensor frames tighter, so each lens covers less and you stand farther back. Coverage is with the camera held horizontally. The distance fits a 1.8 m person in 90% of the frame height, with the camera held vertically.
| Focal length | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal angle | Covers at 3 m | Distance to fit 1.8 m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full frame 1x | ||||
| 50 mm | 50 mm | 39.6° | 2.2 × 1.4 m | 2.8 m (9.1 ft) |
| 85 mm | 85 mm | 23.9° | 1.3 × 0.8 m | 4.7 m (15 ft) |
| APS-C 1.5x | ||||
| 50 mm | 75 mm | 27.0° | 1.4 × 1.0 m | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
| 85 mm | 128 mm | 16.1° | 0.8 × 0.6 m | 7.1 m (23 ft) |
| Canon APS-C 1.6x | ||||
| 50 mm | 80 mm | 25.4° | 1.4 × 0.9 m | 4.4 m (15 ft) |
| 85 mm | 136 mm | 15.1° | 0.8 × 0.5 m | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| Micro Four Thirds 2x | ||||
| 50 mm | 100 mm | 19.6° | 1.0 × 0.8 m | 5.8 m (19 ft) |
| 85 mm | 170 mm | 11.6° | 0.6 × 0.5 m | 9.8 m (32 ft) |
Questions
Should I get a 50 mm or a 85 mm lens?
50 mm is the more flexible lens: half-body and full-body portraits, small rooms and everyday photos. 85 mm is the classic portrait lens: head and shoulders, flattering faces and a simple background. On full frame, 50 mm covers 2.2 × 1.4 m at 3 m and 85 mm covers 1.3 × 0.8 m. Compare both over a photo in the free lens comparison tool.
How far do I stand for a full-body portrait with 50 mm or 85 mm?
On full frame, with the camera held vertically, about 2.8 m (9.1 ft) with 50 mm and 4.7 m (15 ft) with 85 mm. That fits a 1.8 m person in 90% of the frame height. On 1.5x APS-C, about 4.2 m (14 ft) and 7.1 m (23 ft).
What do 50 mm and 85 mm frame like on APS-C?
On a 1.5x APS-C camera, 50 mm frames like 75 mm on full frame and 85 mm like 128 mm. On Canon APS-C (1.6x), like 80 mm and 136 mm. For the full-frame look on 1.5x APS-C, use about 33 mm and 56 mm.