Looking for the perfect Nikon portrait lens

[Alan Edward Klein]

Question to Nikonians: Given the choice of getting one of the following lenses:
80mm f/2
100mm f/2.8
105mm f/2.5
or 135mm f/2.8
Which one do you consider best-suited for portraiture, and why?

Ralph Here;s a good on line app to determine portrait and other distance angles to lenses and which is best. Click one of the six boxes in the middle left for your purpose, and it will show the distance to the camera and the actual photo coverage areas.
https://www.pointsinfocus.com/tools/depth-of-field-and-equivalent-lens-calculator/#{%22c%22:[{%22f%22:13,%22av%22:%2216%22,%22fl%22:105,%22d%22:2042,%22cm%22:%220%22,%22sf%22:%221%22}],%22m%22:0}

 

[grant.goodes]

I had the 180, a bit big and heavy for me. But the DC lenses (135 & 105) are superb.

Exactly my experience (minus the 135/DC, which I've never tried). For the Nikkor 180/2.8, I own the AiS and AF-D versions. The AF-D is noticeably more compact, and of course is AF and focuses a foot closer, so a little better experience, however it is IF (Internal Focusing which the MF lenses are not) and thus has some artifacts a close focus, and also (I believe) loses focal-length as you focus closer. In the end I purchased the (rare) Voigtländer 18/4 APO-Lanthar and it has kicked my Nikkor 180's to the shelf. The APO-Lanthar is barely bigger than my 105/2.5, and focuses down to 1:4. It'a a much more useable 180mm lens for my style of shooting.