The original XF 56mm f/1.2 from 2014 was one of the lenses that made people switch to Fuji. It had that creamy look portrait shooters wanted, in a system that was otherwise small and light. The Fujifilm XF 56mm F1.2 R WR, launched in September 2022 at $999, is the full redesign: sharper, closer-focusing and now weather resistant.

On an APS-C body, 56mm gives the field of view of an 85mm lens on full frame. Classic portrait framing, with enough distance from your subject to keep things relaxed.

A zoom that opens to f/2 at 35mm and stays at f/2.8 all the way to 150mm sounds like something you’d build out of several lenses. The Samyang AF 35-150mm F2-2.8 FE, from South Korea’s Samyang (now LK Samyang), does it in one. It launched in April 2023 at $1,399 for Sony E-mount, with an L-Mount version following later.

For wedding and portrait photographers, that range is magic. 35mm for the getting-ready shots, 50mm and 85mm for portraits, 135mm and 150mm for the ceremony. All at apertures that blur backgrounds and handle low light.

Chinese lens makers spent the last five years going from “cheap alternative” to “serious option”. The Viltrox AF 75mm F1.2 Pro is one of the lenses that made that case. It’s an f/1.2 portrait lens for APS-C cameras with fast-enough autofocus, weather sealing and image quality that holds its own against brand-name glass costing two or three times as much.

On an APS-C body, 75mm gives the field of view of about a 112mm lens on full frame. That’s a classic head-and-shoulders portrait length, with enough distance between you and your subject to keep things relaxed.