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<blockquote data-quote="lokatz" data-source="post: 636459" data-attributes="member: 43924">Hi CoolMystery,&nbsp; For nice-looking portraits, you want something called a nice bokeh, which is the ability of a lens to get a sharp subject (the daughter) while getting a pleasantly not-that-sharp looking background.&nbsp; Zoom lenses, like your 18-55 and 55-300, often don't do a great job here.&nbsp; Fixed-length lenses, often called prime lenses, do a better job, especially if they have a wider aperture (= a smaller f/... number - the smaller, the better).&nbsp; The 35mm may be ok but is not a perfect choice.&nbsp; 85mm is a good length for a portrait lens, but only for a full-frame camera.&nbsp; Your D5300 is not a full-frame but a so-called APS-C or crop camera, so on your camera, something like a 50mm lens would be ideal.&nbsp; If you want great portrait shots, I would use a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, which is about $200. For a significantly higher price (about $450) but also an even nicer bokeh, you could get a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens.&nbsp; Alternatively, you could look for a used Sigma EX 1.4/50 mm DG HSM, which is probably quite a bit cheaper but at least as good as the more expensive Nikon.If you don't want to buy anything, use your 35mm but shoot from a bit of a distance and crop the resulting image, rather than getting close for the shot, because the resulting picture will probably look better.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="lokatz, post: 636459, member: 43924"] Hi CoolMystery, For nice-looking portraits, you want something called a nice bokeh, which is the ability of a lens to get a sharp subject (the daughter) while getting a pleasantly not-that-sharp looking background. Zoom lenses, like your 18-55 and 55-300, often don't do a great job here. Fixed-length lenses, often called prime lenses, do a better job, especially if they have a wider aperture (= a smaller f/... number - the smaller, the better). The 35mm may be ok but is not a perfect choice. 85mm is a good length for a portrait lens, but only for a full-frame camera. Your D5300 is not a full-frame but a so-called APS-C or crop camera, so on your camera, something like a 50mm lens would be ideal. If you want great portrait shots, I would use a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens, which is about $200. For a significantly higher price (about $450) but also an even nicer bokeh, you could get a Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens. Alternatively, you could look for a used Sigma EX 1.4/50 mm DG HSM, which is probably quite a bit cheaper but at least as good as the more expensive Nikon. If you don't want to buy anything, use your 35mm but shoot from a bit of a distance and crop the resulting image, rather than getting close for the shot, because the resulting picture will probably look better. [/QUOTE]

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