Best Portrait Canon RF Lenses for under $1500

In this article we go over the best portrait lens in 2023 specifically for a Canon RF under $1500

7/24/20235 min read

person holding black camera lens
person holding black camera lens
a close up of a camera on a tripod
a close up of a camera on a tripod

When most people hear Canon RF and Portrait the first thing that comes to mind is the 85mm lens. While that might be the best option I'm here to expand your horizon. Enjoy.

What is the best Portrait Canon RF Lens for under $1500

I present the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM to you. The main thing that won this camera the best on this list is the versatility of this lens, but wait, there's more. Read about it bellow.

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 IS USM

$1299 (At the date the article was posted)

The first lens on this list is not the 85mm, but rather the RF 24-105 IS USM, this is a great option, one of my favorites. Some people see the F/4 and say I'm out, but this lens can take some serious pictures. This lens weighs 1.5 lbs. This really is the most versatile RF lens, from wide portraits to close-ups. It's rather compact and doesn't weigh too much. As Canon themselves said, "A highly versatile zoom lens offering photographers and filmmakers an ideal balance between performance, portability, and image quality." Very well said. -https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/stories/best-lenses-for-portrait-photography/

a camera lens sitting on top of a black cloth
a camera lens sitting on top of a black cloth

Buy the Canon RF 24-105mm here:

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Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM

$499 (At the date the article was posted)

Okay so the F/4 of the 24/105 didn't please you. The beloved 85mm presents an astounding f/2 giving you that desired blurry background, and for under half the price of the 24-105mm. It also beats the 24-105mm in weight too, coming in at 1.1 lbs. The 85mm is overall a great option and on Canon's Website they rated the lens as the Best Canon prime lens for low-light portraits. The reason for this is the lens' 5 Stop Hybrid Image Stabilization.

person holding black camera lens
person holding black camera lens

Buy the Canon RF 85mm f/2 STM here:

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Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM

$1099 (At the date that the article was posted)

The 100mm thrives in close-ups but can also make a great portrait lens. It has that crisp f/2.8 for a perfectly blurry background separating your subject from the rest of the picture. This lens weighs 1.6 lbs, so it's the heaviest on the list but for a good reason. This camera has an SA or Spherical Aberration control ring allowing it to adjust to the background of your image. Just like the 85mm, this lens comes equipped with 5 Stop Hybrid Image Stabilization. Canon ranked this lens as, "Best Canon portrait lens for details."

Buy the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM here:

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Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Lens

$399 (At the date the article was posted)

Now I know that if you clicked on this article your budget is probably somewhere around $1500 but if you buy the 85mm and wanted a macro lens for your portraits, this is a great budget option. This camera features a f/1.8 and weighs 0.6 lbs making it the lightest lens on this list, and having the lowest aperture. The 35mm also has a minimum focus length of 0.5 feet. On Canon's Website, they rated this lens as, "Best Wide-Angle Canon Lens." The crazy thing is that this is also a macro lens meaning that it can focus really close to small items, so this camera can be used for close-up and wide-angle portraits. With that being said, you compare the 35mm lens to something like the 100mm, this lens weighs less and costs less than half the price of the 100mm, and the 35 doubles as a wide-angle lens. Really the biggest downside of the lens is that it is a STM and the 100mm is a USM, which is the cause for the price being twice as high.

Buy the Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM here:

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Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 IS L USM

$1399

The 14-35mm probably isn't what you think of when you hear portrait but you can definitely take some great pictures with it. If you didn't like the STM of the 35mm and wanted a USM portrait lens and do not need the low aperture of the 35mm then this might be the one. This lens is perfect for close-up, wide-angle shots. Just like the other 35mm lens, this lens has a minimum focus distance of 8 in. That's a 2-in difference from the 35mm lens. Just like all the other RF lenses the 14-35mm has 5 Stop Hybrid Image Stabilization.

Buy the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 IS L USM here:

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Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM

$1499

This is another different option. I personally like using this lens for distance portraits where I can't be right in front of my subject. For example, I was taking senior pictures and wanted the person to go across a good size creek. Something like the 35mm would have been too wide. Same with the 100mm. That's where this lens comes into play. With this lens, I was able to get two separate pictures of my subject, the first by herself and the second the subject and her reflection in the water all thanks to this 70-200. The ultimate distance portrait lens. This lens features the 5 Stop Hybrid Image Stabilization just like the other lenses but when paired up with a Canon R5 or R6 you get 7.5 levels of IS where as you only get 7 with the other lenses. This camera also features an Air-sphere coating helping to reduce lens flare and ghosting providing a clean and clear picture; perfect for portraits. This camera is the lightest 70-200mm ever made by Canon weighing 1.53 lbs.

You can buy the Canon RF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM here:

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Conclusion

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