My Sigma 85mm prime lens is a staple in my camera bag and is the main lens that I use for all of my outdoor photoshoots. Over the years, I have come to view 85mm as a great focal length for a variety of different photography niches. Even though there are some photography niches where the 85mm focal length will fall short in, or maybe doesn’t work as a main lens, it is a great supplementary focal length to carry with you.
A while ago, I wrote a blog post reviewing the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART prime lens where I talked about the specifications of that specific lens. However, I’d like to focus this blog post specifically on 85mm as a focal length across different niches of photography.
Note that I’ll only be covering niches that I have mainly experimented with using the 85mm lens just so I can provide my most accurate opinion based on experience.
Landscape & Travel Photography
You might think that 85mm is too close of a focal length to attempt travel and landscape photography. If you want to focus on capturing as much of a vast landscape in a photo as you can, then you’ll be better off choosing a wide angle lens (my go-to is 24mm).
However, the 85mm focal length can be used to capture details of landscapes, and sometimes wide-angle photos if you have enough space.
The photos below were taken with the Sigma 85mm lens from the Griffith Observatory, which provided plenty of space to capture this beautiful sunset of the Los Angeles skyline.
In more photos below taken at Venice Beach, the 85mm is wide enough to capture what I wanted to get in the photo (waves crashing on the rocks and the Venice Beach Pier extending to the ocean), but shooting wider would have made the scenery even look more expansive.
Just as a note, I usually photograph 85mm at eye-level rather than trying to capture an up-angle by crouching down - that can result in too much ground for a landscape photo.
Street Photography
When I first started street photography, I would only use the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens and shoot wide at around 24mm. As I have learned more about photography, the 85mm has become my favorite lens to use.
Using a prime lens that takes much closer shots than what I was used to challenged me to think carefully about composition rather than shooting wide and cropping the photo in post.
With an 85mm lens, you can zone in on subjects or details of your environment rather than simply capturing wide cityscapes with high-rise buildings.
Portrait Photography
I started using the 85mm Sigma lens more consistently when I started shooting portraits of actors and models. After experimenting with different focal lengths, 85mm struck me as the sweet spot. Whether you’re capturing headshots or full body photos, you can get great compositions of your model with the 85mm with minimal distortion.
One thing to note is that you’ll want to have enough space in your location in order to capture full body and close-up photos. One of the benefits of being an outdoor photographer is that I usually have plenty of space to move around in the location I’m shooting at.
Another benefit of the 85mm lens is that with the minimum focus distance: you can get close enough to a model to give them direction, but not be so close that it’s intimidating for those who are less comfortable being on camera.
The photos below were taken on the Sigma 85mm lens for Erla Garcia of Bounty Models LA.
Lifestyle Photography
A lot of the points I mentioned in portrait photography can also apply for lifestyle photography when working with models, as well. For me, lifestyle photography incorporates a lot more movement and interaction with the outdoor environment or props compared to portraits.
Wider angles will usually do a better job capturing action with the environment, but you can still use 85mm as long as you think carefully about the shoot and composition.
When working with wearable products like headphones or watches in the photoshoots below, you can get close-up photos of models without the distortion I mentioned earlier.
Product Photography
I recently started experimenting with product photography using the Sigma 85mm lens and I have been impressed with the composition it has provided for smaller products like watches. A macro lens or a lens with a longer focal length would be best for capturing specific details without having to crop, but the 85mm on a full frame camera does the job pretty well.
Final Thoughts
The Sigma 85mm lens wasn’t the first lens that I bought, but it has easily become the lens that I use the most. Of course there will be situations where 85mm won’t be sufficient for certain types of photography (like photographing small hotel rooms), but it’s always beneficial to try and diversify your camera bag with different focal length options.
The 85mm is a great starting point and will be useful for different niches that you might want to break into.
If you’re a photographer, let me know what your favorite focal length to use is.
Thanks for reading and until next time.
Feel free to explore travel photography on my website:
Relaxing Sunset Street Photography In Tokyo Japan
The Griffith Observatory Los Angeles: Sunset Travel Destination Highlight
Golden Hour Street Photography in Berlin Germany
Relaxing Sunset Street Photography in London
For outdoor lifestyle photoshoots, you can see some behind-the-scenes blog posts:
Outdoor Lifestyle Product Photography for Watch Brands
Luxury Watch Outdoor Lifestyle Photoshoot at Venice Beach, Los Angeles
Sunset City Lifestyle Photoshoot in Downtown Los Angeles
Creative Commercial Beach Campaign Photography in Santa Monica
