The engine's answer
Best lens for portraits, under €3,000
Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR
100% match
The APS-C bokeh monster
Why it wins here
The Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR takes this question at €1,050 — €1,950 under the €3,000 ceiling — with a 100% match against 65 current lenses. For portraits the engine leans on bokeh and max aperture: it scores 94/100 and f/1.2, where the pool averages 71/100 and f/3. At 445 g it is lighter than the average lens here (633 g). No prime-or-zoom preference was required, so the whole pool of 65 was in play.
The dimensions where it beats the rest of the field by the most, for this question specifically.
- Use
- Budget
What's good
- f/1.2 rendering that embarrasses full-frame kits
- Rebuilt with sealing and 11 blades
What to watch
- AF is fine, not sporty
- Hood adds real bulk
What came close — and what each gave up
- Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art98%GM rendering without the GM invoiceThe Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art (98% match) weighs 185 g more (630 g against 445 g). Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS98%The portrait hammerThe Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS (98% match) costs €1,250 more (€2,300 against €1,050). Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
- Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR91%The modern Fuji standard primeThe Fujifilm XF 33mm f/1.4 R LM WR (91% match) trails on bokeh — 84/100 against 94/100. Check price: B&H Photo Adorama MPB (used) eBay (used)
Questions this answer raises
- Is the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR within a €3,000 budget?
- Yes. At €1,050 it leaves €1,950 of the ceiling unspent; the Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art costs €1,100 and the Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS costs €2,300.
- How good is the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR for portraits?
- On the use question it scores 100%, 50 points above the average of the 65 lenses ranked. Its strongest numbers for this use are bokeh (94/100) and max aperture (f/1.2).
- What comes closest to the Fujifilm XF 56mm f/1.2 R WR for portraits?
- The Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art at 98%, then the Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS at 98%. The section above names the measure each one lost on.
Change an assumption
This page answers one photographer's question. Yours is not that question — adjust the subject, the format or the budget and watch the whole field re-rank.
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