85 mm vs 135 mm: which should you choose?
85 mm is the all-round portrait lens and works indoors and out. 135 mm is tighter, needs more room, and gives the simplest background for headshots and outdoor portraits. On a full-frame camera, 85 mm sees 23.9° across and covers 1.3 × 0.8 m at 3 m. 135 mm sees 15.2° and covers 0.8 × 0.5 m. From the same spot, 135 mm makes everything 1.59x bigger.
How 85 mm and 135 mm frame the same scene
Which one to choose
- Pick 85 mm if you shoot indoors or in mixed places. With 135 mm, a full body needs about 7.5 m (25 ft), which few rooms have.
- Pick 135 mm for outdoor portraits, events and stages, where you want a tight frame from far away.
- From the same spot, 135 mm makes the subject 1.59x bigger. Step back to keep the same framing, and the background looks bigger and closer, with less of it behind the person.
- 135 mm primes are bigger and heavier, and fast ones usually cost more. A 70-200 mm zoom covers both lengths, at the cost of size and weight.
To see 85 mm and 135 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.
85 mm and 135 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 | ||||
| 85 mm | 85 mm | 23.9° | 1.3 × 0.8 m | 4.7 m (15 ft) |
| 135 mm | 135 mm | 15.2° | 0.8 × 0.5 m | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
| APS-C 1.5x | ||||
| 85 mm | 128 mm | 16.1° | 0.8 × 0.6 m | 7.1 m (23 ft) |
| 135 mm | 202 mm | 10.2° | 0.5 × 0.4 m | 11.2 m (37 ft) |
| Canon APS-C 1.6x | ||||
| 85 mm | 136 mm | 15.1° | 0.8 × 0.5 m | 7.6 m (25 ft) |
| 135 mm | 216 mm | 9.5° | 0.5 × 0.3 m | 12.0 m (39 ft) |
| Micro Four Thirds 2x | ||||
| 85 mm | 170 mm | 11.6° | 0.6 × 0.5 m | 9.8 m (32 ft) |
| 135 mm | 270 mm | 7.3° | 0.4 × 0.3 m | 15.6 m (51 ft) |
Questions
Should I get a 85 mm or a 135 mm lens?
85 mm is the all-round portrait lens and works indoors and out. 135 mm is tighter, needs more room, and gives the simplest background for headshots and outdoor portraits. On full frame, 85 mm covers 1.3 × 0.8 m at 3 m and 135 mm covers 0.8 × 0.5 m. Compare both over a photo in the free lens comparison tool.
How far do I stand for a full-body portrait with 85 mm or 135 mm?
On full frame, with the camera held vertically, about 4.7 m (15 ft) with 85 mm and 7.5 m (25 ft) with 135 mm. That fits a 1.8 m person in 90% of the frame height. On 1.5x APS-C, about 7.1 m (23 ft) and 11.2 m (37 ft).
What do 85 mm and 135 mm frame like on APS-C?
On a 1.5x APS-C camera, 85 mm frames like 128 mm on full frame and 135 mm like 202 mm. On Canon APS-C (1.6x), like 136 mm and 216 mm. For the full-frame look on 1.5x APS-C, use about 56 mm and 90 mm.