These are the best Voigtländer lenses for portrait photography when you want flattering compression, creamy yet controlled bokeh, exquisite micro-contrast, and long, silky manual-focus throws for headshots, beauty, lifestyle, and environmental sets—and here’s what to look for as you buy: prioritize APO-Lanthar designs for near-zero LoCA on hair highlights and jewelry, Nokton/Ultron primes for speed and character in low light, de-clickable apertures on E/Z versions for cine exposure, modest focus breathing if you film, generous working distance for flags and hair lights, and compact metal barrels with clear scales and hard stops; pair unstabilized glass with bodies that have strong IBIS or use a monopod/rail, and standardize step-ups (to 77/82/95 mm) so one slim VND and a mild diffusion (⅛–¼) cover the set. Full-frame portrait heroes: APO-Lanthar 110mm ƒ2.5 Macro 1:1 (beauty/product king with velvet bokeh and precise long-throw focus), APO-Lanthar 65mm ƒ2 Macro 1:2 (short-tele bridge that stays surgical on specular fabrics), APO-Lanthar 50mm ƒ2 and 35mm ƒ2 (reference normals with neutral color and crisp micro-contrast for editorial and catalog), and 90mm ƒ2.8 APO-Skopar (compact tele with clean, disciplined rendering for events/backstage). Speed/character for mood: Nokton 50mm ƒ1.0 (dreamy falloff for cinematic portraits), Nokton 40mm ƒ1.2 (buttery “do-it-all” normal that flatters faces), Nokton 35mm ƒ1.2 (ambient night portraits with graceful bokeh), and Ultron 75mm ƒ1.9 (light, fast tele with elegant rolloff). Environmental/wide portrait tools: Nokton 21mm ƒ1.4 (context-rich scenes at blue hour), Ultron 28mm ƒ2/ƒ1.5 and Color-Skopar 21mm ƒ3.5 (compact wides with disciplined geometry); for stylized ultra-wide looks, Heliar 15mm ƒ4.5 brings gorgeous sunstars and clean lines. Legacy/grail options worth adapting: APO-Lanthar 125mm ƒ2.5 1:1 (coveted beauty/tele with sublime mechanics) and APO-Lanthar 90mm ƒ3.5 1:2 (elegant compact tele—add a diopter for closer work); VM versions adapt beautifully with rigid mounts, while native E/Z add declick switches and EXIF + auto magnify. APS-C/open-gate users can run the same lenses for compact rigs (e.g., 75 ≈ 112-eq, 35 ≈ ~52-eq) with instant gimbal balance and consistent color. Practical buyer tips: build a two- or three-prime spine—“Beauty/Product”: 110/2.5 + 65/2 (+ 50/2 APO) for immaculate fidelity; “Speed Editorial”: 35/1.2 + 50/1.0 + 75/1.9 for mood and glow; “Travel Portrait”: 21/1.4 + 40/1.2 + 90/2.8 for location sets—then standardize fronts, add 0.8 focus gears if you pull, keep black/white flags for cheekbone control, and rely on IBIS or a monopod for longer sessions. Portrait-shooting tips: expose for skin and protect speculars, work near wide open and stop 1/3–2/3 stop for eyelash-crisp eyes with smooth falloff, keep shutters ~1/200–1/250s for posed sets (1/400–1/800s for kids/pets), manage background distance (1–3 m) for clean bokeh, add negative fill to carve jawlines, and watch wall color casts; for beauty and jewelry, cross-polarize (linear gels on lights + CPL on lens) with the 110/2.5 or 65/2, and rotate back slightly to keep sparkle; for video, lock a 180° shutter with a good VND, enable IBIS but disable stabilization on sticks to avoid micro-jitter, set peaking/magnification and mark distances—the long Voigtländer throws reward precise pulls; whether you’re crafting glossy studio beauty, golden-hour lifestyle, editorial character studies, or cinematic night portraits, the best Voigtländer portrait choices combine APO discipline or Nokton character with compact, cine-friendly mechanics—so skin looks luminous, eyes pop, and your images feel intentional and refined straight out of camera.