You mentioned the 105mm. That, and the 85mm, have been the most popular ¡°portrait¡± lenses in terms of the most pleasing results. I¡¯ve also known of people who use the 50mm and some even say they use the 80-200. If, as you say, you ¡°need to have some distance¡± between you and the subject, maybe you should look at the 80-200. But back to the 85 vs 105, when I got mine may years ago, the 105mm f2.5 AI-s was reported to have been one of the sharpest lenses Nikon ever made (up to that time). My personal opinion is to go with the 105, but I¡¯m biased as I already have one and bought it for not just that reason but that it was a more natural field of view for everything else I do.
