Is there a lens that will make me a better photographer?

Lenses

Margaret Sinarath with Wehmann Models Minneapolis MUA Angela Morris shot with the Nikon D610 and Nikkor 85mm 1.8G at f/9.

1967-68 Nikkor 50mm Manual focus 1.4 lens. iPhone 5c in low light

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 manual focus on Nikon D7000

Portrait client Lindsay, 35mm 1.8 and Nikon D7000, f/5.6

I was recently asked, "Is there a lens that will make me a better photographer?" and the answer is... No. The only thing that will make you a better photographer is taking photos. Lots and lots of photos. I've shot just under 3 terabits of data this year. It's so many photos that I chuckle a little to myself. But the advice will stay the same... get out there and shoot. 

You also don't need to attend a workshop... In fact I will tell you to save your money and spend it on a faster lens that will give you a sharp and concise image. Image sensor size won't give you a better result*, but better glass certainly will. 

My "go to" lens however is the Nikkor 85mm 1.8G. It's really a great option for portraiture and gives you just the right amount of distance between you and your subject for them to be comfortable if you're not capturing a pro. The compression ratio is marginal at best. I love how clean this lens is. If you're unable to go with the 1.4 or "fast lens" I highly recommend picking up a 1.8. Prime or fixed lenses will ALWAYS give you a sharper image. Primes are my favorite, leading with the 85mm 1.8G and the 35mm 1.8G. The 35mm 1.8G will give you some compression issues that will need to be adjusted for in post, if you're shooting RAW you're most likely adjusting for that already. 

I was recently gifted a manual Nikkor 50mm 1.4 and I cannot wait to get that into a low light situation. The lower the f stop the more light you allow into your camera and therefore onto your sensor but shooting at low f stops WILL give you a very narrow margin of focus. Lots of bokeh... If you are shooting with a manual lens you're already aware of how tricky it is to shoot at f/1.4. Some of the "old" lenses are the sharpest... they really don't make them like they used to. My gifted lens according to the serial number was produced between January of 1967-68 and the image quality is spectacular. Get your hands on one of these if you're confident in your manual focus skills and you'll fall in love just like I did. 

The difference between the 1.8 and 1.4 is the 1.4 is an extra two-thirds of a stop which brings with it a narrower depth of field and lenses tend to be sharper when they are stopped down. at f/1.8 the f/1.4 lens is stopped down two-thirds of a stop where the 1/8 lens is wide open. The 1.4 lets more light into the camera. Also there are more blades on the 1.4 lens giving you a nicer bokeh. 

So, if you're shooting with a kit lens that is a f/3.5 or f/5.6 you won't be able to capture the same sharpness that a f/1.8 or f/1.4 can and only primes will open that wide. I'm not a fan of zooming anything. Unless it's a telescope.

Speaking of f stops... any lens that you're shooting portraiture with should be at f/5.6 or higher. Focus on the eye (one of them) and the rest of your face will be focused correctly without making your subject look weird. 

*better result referring to the sharpness captured in lens.