85 1.4 Choices

[wesstl]

I've decided I "need" an 85mm 1.4. For those who've tried the various models what are the big differences in image quality and which do you recommend: Nikon AIS, 1.4D, 1.4G? Sigma? Or go super cheap and get the Samyang/Rokinon? I would say my priorities are performance at 1.4 and bokeh. Thanks

[richardHaw]

these are my observations from playing around with these lenses for a short time.

85mm f/1.4 Ai-S: probably the sharpest of the lot from Nikon. optically excellent but manual focus only. CA is ugly but rendering is special.

85mm f/1.4 AF-D: not too different from the Ai-S. some people say that the Ai-S is sharper,though. AF is pretty fast but not 100% accurate. CA is ugly.

85mm f/1.4 AF-G: the best that i have tried. sharp and well controlled CA. AF can be faster but is more accurate than AF-D. expensive.

85mm f/1.4 Zeiss (black lens w silver ring): not too different from the Nikkor AF-D as far as I can tell. nothing special unlike the AF-G.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4: output is similar to the AF-D, nothing special.

Samyang: no input. but for that price, i would rather get a Sigma or Ai-S (which is a legendary lens in it's days).

long story short, the 85mm f/1.4G is the best that i have tried so far. i was shopping for an 85mm f/1.4 as well so i tried these lenses to see which one should i buy. I can tell you that the 85mm f/1.4D is still a pretty good lens, the rendering is really something. some people actually prefer the "pop" that they get from this over the newer G lens. you cannot go wrong with the 85mm f/1.4 Ai-S, that thing will last forever.

i settled with what i have (85mm f/2 Ai-S) because it is so small and not intimidating. for my intended use, they would roughly perform the same anyways when shot at f/4-f5.6 since they should all perform at their peak at that aperture.

[Harald]

Hi,

i own the 85mm Samyang now for quite a time: It was and is the only Non-Nikkor here.... Tested it against the 85mm 1.8g and no: Just a bit sharper (1.8 vs. 1.4!) but the bokeh of the Samyang is... bokehlicious... I got my perfect copy used for 180€. No Brainer.

Harald

[Erik Lund]

The 85mm AFS is one of the sharpest Nikkors, Af is rather slow similar to the rest of the 1.4 AFS lenses,,,

CA and other abrasions can be fixed in the Raw converter.

Very nice lens

If you need to shoot IR then go for the Ais

[richardHaw]

i have a portrait where i looked really good. it was shot with the 85 1.4G. it has magic glass that will make people look good

[the solitaire]

Magic glass or no, I tried the 85mm f1,4 AF-S G lens and found it's rendering pretty amazing but too clean for my liking.

I own the 85mm f1,4 AF-D which to me was the most sensible choice. It gives me the rendering I am looking for. Not as sharp along the edges but plenty sharp in the center wide open, and it sharpens up nicely past f2 with a sweet spot probably around f2,4

The Ai-S lens did appear sharper when I tried it. I do however believe that some of that perceived sharpness is because the Ai-S has less veiling flare wide open then the AF-D version.

I tried the Sigma and it renders nice, but I prefer the rendering of the AF-D lens. Can not quite put my finger on the "why" but it might be this "pop" referred to. Something the AF-D lens certainly produces.

I have not tried the Zeiss or Samyang offerings yet. One lens I am interested in however, also in this range, is the Meyer Optik Goerlitz 85mm f1,5 Figmentum. It sells at a Zeiss like price point (999 Euros) but offers quite a unique rendering. I was able to try one in a local shop but so far have not managed to gather the funds to purchase.

[Erik Lund]

I never really noticed any difference between the AF-D and AFS except the slower AFS due to the by design more accurate focus

[Airy]

I share the view that the 85/1.4 G may look "too clean". I'd say "transparent". Bokeh is top notch, so outside the studio when you cannot control the background such easily, it might be the optimal choice.
I've never seen it sold 2nd hand, or nearly, probably the conjunction of 1° low number of copies sold, and 2° initial customers' satisfaction.
In addition : visible but acceptable coma (not smeary, you'll get slender gracious butterflies), acceptable LoCA.
I guess the latest redesigned Zeiss 85/1.4 might be a challenger to the Nikkor, but beware of the price.
But do you really need f/1.4 ? if not, there might be nice macro lenses offering an alternative (Tamron & al.)

[armando_m]

I've tried the AFD and AFS versions

AFS is amazing , if you are looking for "performance" wide open and bokeh, this would be my choice, rented it for a weekend, absolutelly no problems, a bit to big and more on the heavy side.
AFD is close behind, AF was not as accurate as I would like it, sold it as I had a number of shots where I got disappointed due to missed focus

I'm lousy doing manual focus, so I wouldn't consider any of the manual focus versions , specially if you want to shoot at f1.4

anyway ... today I own and frequently use the 85 F/1.8G AFS, it is very good and has kept from wanting to have the f1.4 versions

[wesstl]

I'm lousy doing manual focus, so I wouldn't consider any of the manual focus versions , specially if you want to shoot at f1.4

anyway ... today I own and frequently use the 85 F/1.8G AFS, it is very good and has kept from wanting to have the f1.4 versions

The 1.8G might be an option. It's a bargain compared to the 1.4 How's the bokeh and rendering? I might also look for the MF f/2 for the small size.

Thanks all for the info.

[rosko]

Do not forget the helios 85mm f/1.5 (75mm f/1.5 biotar ' copy) with its amazing bokeh.

But, yes, it is a manual focus...

Never mind, it's on my wish list !

[Akira]

If f1.4 is not absolutely necessary, the latest TAMRON 85/1.8 would be worth trying.  It also has a vibration reduction in the lens.

[Airy]

Good point. Analogously, the performance of the 45/1.8 wide open, which is fully useful, makes me forget about the compromise f/1.4 setting offered by others...

[simsurace]

I have only ever used/owned the 85/1.4 AF-D. It is a very nice lens, the drawing style is a bit more old-school with slightly subdued colors, there is not a lot of falloff (I think the AF-S has more), the OOF areas are incredibly smooth.

The lens is not bitingly sharp wide open though, if you want/need that you should look elsewhere. Also, sharpness drops off quite a lot towards the edges. I find that f/2 is a nice aperture to use on this lens.

The screwdriver AF takes a bit of practice and should probably be fine-tuned. Less importantly, the lens is quite beautifully made in my opinion, it just looks great and wants to be used. One has to be careful not to touch the front element, it is advisable to use the hood.

The biggest drawback is the big amount of LoCA in high-contrast situations. You have to stop down to about f/2.4-2.8 to bring it under control. If you like to shoot images with OOF stuff in front of the subject, the magenta aberrations may annoy you. The green ones behind the subject are less intrusive, particularly if the background is composed of natural stuff (leaves etc). A black&white rendering gets rid of the LoCA, the lens draws very nicely in B&W.

Overall, and considering the low prices at which this lens sometimes sells on the second-hand market, I can warmly recommend it.

One example wide open: I just love how the background melts away. For available-light shots at a dinner party with friends, isolating different people and juxtaposing with others, catching the atmosphere around the table, there is hardly a better lens. And it is sharp enough for these purposes, you just have to nail the focus.

[David H. Hartman]

I'm lousy doing manual focus, so I wouldn't consider any of the manual focus versions , specially if you want to shoot at f1.4

I found with a 50/1.2 AIS that I was better at focusing than maintaining that focus. If I was free standing at about 2m (6.5') I'd miss the focus nearlly 100% of the time. This was due to body movement and the very shallow DoF at 2m and f/1.2. If I was leaning on a counter, door frame or sitting in a chair the number of in focus shots rose significantly. I can't stand still enough to nail the focus at short distance and very large apertures.

This was on a D300 and D300s. I feel my D800 is a little harder to focus manually on the stock focus screen.

Best,

Dave