These are the best Leica lenses for portrait photography, chosen for how they deliver flattering separation, neutral color, graceful highlight roll-off, and confident handling across modern SL/L bodies and the classic M, R, and S platforms. Portraits are about shape and tone: focal lengths that compress features elegantly, apertures that give depth without nervous edges, coatings that keep speculars calm, and mechanics—fast AF or silky manual throws—that make tiny focus trims repeatable at wide apertures. On SL, anchor with the Summilux-SL 50mm f/1.4 ASPH for flagship bokeh and skin tone polish, and the APO-Summicron-SL 75mm and 90mm f/2 ASPH for exquisitely smooth blur with near-zero axial CA and fast, silent AF; add the APO-Summicron-SL 135mm f/2 when long, elegant compression is the brief, and keep the APO-Macro-Elmarit-SL 100mm f/2.8 for beauty and detail—flat-field acuity with creamy backgrounds at working distances that leave room for flags and reflectors. M shooters have timeless portrait gems: the Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH as the everyday shallow-depth normal, the Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH for cinematic isolation and luminous speculars, the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH (FLE) for environmental portraits with controlled edges, the Summilux-M 75mm f/1.4 for velvety, classic falloff, and the APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2 ASPH for surgical sharpness and refined bokeh from a compact tube; the Thambar-M 90mm f/2.2 adds vintage soft-focus glow with a removable center spot when you want romantic halation. For adaptable character on SL, Leica R glass is a goldmine: Summilux-R 80mm f/1.4 is the cult portrait lens—painterly falloff, gentle contrast, and beautiful color—while the Elmarit-R 90mm f/2.8 brings light, travel-friendly compression; step longer with the APO-Telyt-R 180mm f/2.8 or f/3.4 for outdoor headshots and fashion with refined, color-clean blur. Medium-format S users get sumptuous separation and leaf-shutter control: Summarit-S 70mm f/2.5 (CS) as the normal with graceful transitions, APO-Macro-Summarit-S 120mm f/2.5 (CS) for beauty and accessories with studio-clean detail, and APO-Elmar-S 180mm f/3.5 (CS) for long, elegant compression with high-speed sync outdoors. Image priorities across Leica portrait picks are consistent: round aperture shapes at working stops for smooth highlights, controlled spherical aberration for creamy transitions (not double lines), minimal longitudinal CA so backlit hair and jewelry don’t fringe, and coatings that protect contrast in window light and golden hour; SL2/SL2-S IBIS steadies adapted M/R lenses, while CS leaf shutters in S glass make balancing sun and strobe effortless. Technique finishes the look—pose subjects away from busy backgrounds to give bokeh room to breathe, start headshots at f/1.2–f/2.8 (or f/2–f/4 for three-quarter views), focus on the eye closest to camera and use eye-detect AF (SL) or magnified EVF/peaking for M/R; add a slim diffusion filter when you want gentler speculars, and standardize front diameters with step-up rings for fast swaps of CPL/ND/diffusion. The practical kit recipe is simple: on SL, pair 50/1.4 Lux SL with APO-Summicron-SL 75/90 (add 135 APO for distance) and the 100 Macro for beauty; on M, run 50 Lux (or 50 Noctilux for maximal separation) plus 75 Lux and 90 APO for a compact portrait trio; on R-to-SL, build around 80/1.4 Lux R with 90/2.8 and 180 APO for outdoor elegance; on S, choose 70/2.5 (CS) + 120/2.5 (CS) + 180/3.5 (CS) for studio and location polish. Whether you’re crafting luminous headshots in window light, editorial three-quarter looks on location, soft-glow romance at dusk, or studio beauty with precise skin texture, the best Leica portrait lenses deliver separation, tonality, and ergonomic confidence that make faces look expensive, dimensional, and intentionally lit straight out of camera.