Nikon AF S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G Fixed Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Love this lens. Ive been pining for one of these from some time. I rented it for a shoot in New York for a week and bought it because I didnt want to be without it. Its plastic so you wont be hammering nails but its a great lens to have i your tool kit. I got this primarily for portrait use, as it was made for but its something nice to pull out of the bag for other uses. Ive shot a few frames with it ringside at a boxing match but found it shined with those in-between round, corner shots. Attached are a few samples of my photos with it. If you are into portraiture, buy this lens. If you have a crop sensor camera, your field of view will be 127.5mm so keep that in mind if youre shooting in a small space. If that is the case, I recommend either a 50mm f1.8. I heard the 60mm f2.8D is good but I have yet to shoot with it.

Show more

Ill admit, the price of this lens compared to the 85mm 1.4 made it immensely more appealing. I tried out a friends 1.4 and it performed amazingly, as expected; however this 1.8 comes remarkably close and will not disappoint you. Ive only been using it for a day now and did a few test shots on my Nikon D750 as well as my D3200 (I know its an FX lens but it still performed amazingly on my DX too). The bokeh is very smooth and can be achieved almost effortlessly. If youre looking for a prime portrait lens you will not be disappointed. Heres a photo of my daughter I quickly snapped as a test shot. Ill update more when I do a session with this lens.

Show more

Could not be more pleased with this glass. All my lenses are Nikkor: albeit most are AF-D types. Using primarily on a D7100. Highly recommended for the more experienced photographer who can obtain outstanding results on their carry-all cameras. Also, perfect for the beginner looking for great sharpness right from the start of their photographic journeys. No lens tuning required on mine whatsoever. Colors are rendered perfectly. Great purchase for the budget minded as well. Thanks Nikon, your reputation glows with this guy.

Show more

I find it pretty much impossible to photograph any moving object with this lens and the D500 because the focus motors in this lens are horribly slow. Poor autofocus will cause many images with moving subjects to be out of focus and therefore look terrible. When you do nail focus, the images look amazing and the bokeh is very nice as well, but this lens is better suited to stationary portrait subjects than anything moving. I also have the Sony 85mm f/1.8 and that lens is sharp and has very fast AF, so I dont know why Nikon dropped the ball on this one. The only way I can get this lens to work for me is to pre focus at a certain distance and then shoot moving subjects at 10 frames per second so when I shoot 30 shots, I get one with tack sharp focus...

Show more

Pictures are impressively sharp. Although on cropped sensor body the working distance required is a little bit more for indoors but that is fine with me as I bought this targeting to upgrade to full frame this year. For people targeting to use it on cropped sensor bodies, its pretty good for outdoor but indoor will be a challenge. In case you want to use this indoor, consider 50mm 1.4 which comes around the same price and gives you better working distance indoors. Have not compared with other prime lenses as this is my first one but quite satisfied with the focus speed. Bokeh is very soft and pleasing. Build quality is good plastic. Overall a wonderful lens for a good gear. Update (15th April 2015; after almost 2.5 Years now): Pretty late, but believe better late than never. Had upgraded to D800E and trinity of 14-24, 24-70, 70-200 including 105... But in all of my collection, this little monster is the one which I love most. For indoors, I generally shoot with 24-70 as it gives me a good indoor range but as soon as I get a chance I mount this lens to get awesome portraits and mug shots. The amount of light that this little daemon can capture is amazing. Beautiful bokeh and awesome clarity. Though would love to upgrade to 1.4 but almost thrice the cost would better invest in a battery grip, extra flash and light meter first. Recommendation: Awesome lens for indoors; be prepared to get a few steps back; amazing low light performance...

Show more

I just purchased this lens and got it tested right away. Love it soon as I took the first shot. Very sharp, good contrast, lightweight, fast glass at a reasonable price. A good addition to my 20mm 1.8G and 50mm 1.8G. Regrettably sold my 35mm 1.8G. I like using prime lenses. They lighter, cheaper (1.4 is an exception) and sharper that most pro zoom lenses. Photography is a hobby and I would not want to spend a lot for pro zooms that is why I settled on the next best thing. I use an old Nikon 35-70 f2.8D and the Nikon 80-200 f2.8D instead. Now that I have the 85mm prime I do not need to haul my 80-200. I might be able to sell it in the future. I could use it as well with my new Panasonic G85 with my Metabones adapter for travel portraiture. This lens and the 20mm is all I need with my D610. Took some snapshots soon as it arrived today. Not bad results for test shots. I am really impressed with this lens.

Show more

I have a Nikon D3400 and was using a kit lens for the longest time...my pictures sucked and I wasnt getting any better, though, so after reading SO many good reviews of this lens I decided to rip off the bandaid and go big (for me, person with almost no DSLR experience). Im so glad I did. Not just because it takes phenomenal pictures -- obviously, as all the other reviews state, it is -- but it transformed how I take pictures. Due to the cost and quality, I wanted to use this lens as much as possible and I really did! My pictures have improved tremendously in a short period of time, and now when I use my 50mm prime lens or even my kit lens, the pictures are just BETTER. Because Im practicing more, and Im *enjoying* taking my friends out for portrait shoots! Im so glad I bought this lens!

Show more

Love this lens. So sharp, bokeh is extraordinary. Get it, you wont regret it. I shoot on a d7000 which is a cropped sensor, so it runs at about 110mm rather than 85mm, still works great, I stand about 6 foot from the subject it works great.

Show more

This is hands down my favorite lens for portraits. It gives such a beautiful background blur. I have the 35 and 50 as well but this is always the one I am excited to use because of the blur. I just wish I could get more opportunities to use it; its only drawback is that its so zoomed in that it cant really be used in indoor settings or tight spaces. You need lots of room to be able to back up to get everything you want in the photo.

Show more

I enjoy taking portraits. This lens is perfect on my Nikon D3100. It produces beautiful bokeh, and operates with a comfortable distance between me and my subject. Not 15 away like with a 200m, nor 3 away like with a 50mm. Its just right. Facial features do not appear distorted, focus is adequately fast and is amazingly clear. Depth of field can be incredibly small. Its easy to take a close-up with your subjects eyes in tack sharp focus, but with their ears blurred. It does a great job taking pictures in the shade or indoors with available light. Honestly, since I bought this lens a month ago, I havent bothered mounting any of my other lenses. Im having too much fun. I couldnt be happier.

Show more