The sweet spot with this lens is at f/5.6 in regards to sharpness. I frequently shoot with it at wider apertures than f/5.6 though and it’s a very small concern for me, as there’s plenty of sharpness at the widest apertures. Chromatic Aberration While a maximum aperture of f/1.8 is respectable, we wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few photographers feeling a littledisappointed that this offering doesn’t go down to f/1.4, as in Nikon’s pro-level AF-S 85mm f/1.4G F-mount lens for DSLRs . However, being able to achieve such a wide aperture also typically means a big increase in size and weight, andthe reality is that lenses with apertures of f/1.4 can be pretty unwieldy if you’re not working in asuper-controlled environment. Plus, if you’re dealing with subjects that are moving – even by just a fraction – then it can be easy for your focus to slip. This is why, if you’re feeling disappointed by the f/1.8 maximum aperture, we’d urge you tolook beyond that to judge this piece of glass for what it is. I tested the AF acuracy of my lens sample with the LensAlign lens calibration tool and it turned out to be a little off, as seen from the sample crop from the LensAlign test: NIKON D700 + 85mm f/1.8 @ 85mm, ISO 200, 1/200, f/1.8 If your lens hasn't been AI updated, it only really wants to work on Nikons made before 1977, or used on an adapter on the Z series of mirrorless cameras. You don't need to update it for use on a Z adaptper.

When used on a DX camera, it gives angles of view similar to what a 129mm lens gives when used on an FX or 35mm camera. With its straight 6-bladed diaphragm, it should beget bright 6-pointed sunstars on bright points of light. On the D800 at 36 MP, the 85mm f/1.8 AF-D and 85mm f/1.4 G are slightly softer at the largest apertures. The Nikon Z 85 1.8 has no distortion, with or without Auto Distortion Control ON or OFF (> SHOOTING> Auto Distortion Control > ON (at least in Z7 and Z6)). But I would like to see a wide aperture 85mm Nikon in the future that focuses as fast as the 70-200 f/2.8. That lens is one of the fastest focusing lenses on the market, but it’s really big, heavy and has a smaller maximum aperture. Bokeh

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If you want the sharpest possible 85mm lens for your Z camera, this is it. You can save money with an F-mount AF-S 85mm f/1.8 and use the FTZ adapter, which also works very well. Both axial and lateral chromatic aberrations are extremely negligible. In-camera correction is automatically applied for the latter but it’s really not necessary, and color fringing is pretty much unnoticeable when processing RAW files with corrections disabled. The newest upper-end digital Nikons are fully compatible, and even have this lens programmed into their firmware! The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 is the most complex and highest-performance 85mm f/1.8 lens ever from Nikon. It's also the biggest, heaviest and most expensive 85mm f/1.8 ever from Nikon; this lens is designed for outstanding optical performance rather than compact size and weight. Bokeh, the feel, character or quality of out-of-focus areas as opposed to how far out of focus they are, is excellent, as it usually is with 85mm lenses.

This is a swell lens. It's the same as every other Nikon manual-focus lens, which means perfect focus feel and easy-to-set apertures. With those caveats, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G is ultra-sharp edge-to-edge at every aperture, especially on the 36 MP Nikon D800. That being said, the bokeh of the 85mm 1.8 Nikon is great in its own right and the lens is way cheaper. Cons The "M/A" position means autofocus. It's called "M/A" because you also can focus manually simply by grabbing the focus ring in this position. If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 67mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting.When shooting into the light, Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat does the business in keeping ghosting and flare under control, helping to maintain clarity and contrast. Vignetting is quite noticeable when shooting wide-open but automatic in-camera correction is available and it’s nice to have the choice of whether to use the fix or not, as vignetting can add to creative expression for a variety of compositions. Late 1980s ~ early 1990s AF cameras like the N90s, N70 and F4 will focus just fine. You'll have Program and Shutter-priority modes, but lose Manual and Aperture-priority since you have no way to set the aperture on the camera or on the lens. The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column.

So where does this put the new Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S, and does it even have a place among such a vast selection of lenses? To me, the whole point of going with Nikon mirrorless is the Z mount advantage, as well as to go lighter and smaller. While some of the above lenses are exceptional, they all need to be paired with an FTZ adapter, which makes the combo larger, less reliable (mostly due to AF differences between native vs adapted lenses) and overall less convenient to use. NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S @ 85mm, ISO 64, 1/1000, f/8.0 Lens sharpness has nothing to do with picture sharpness; every lens made in the past 100 years is more than sharp enough to make super-sharp pictures if you know what you're doing. The only limitation to picture sharpness is your skill as a photographer. It's the least talented who spend the most time worrying about lens sharpness and blame crummy pictures on their equipment rather than themselves. Skilled photographers make great images with whatever camera is in their hands; I've made some of my best images of all time with an irreparably broken camera! Most pixels are thrown away before you see them, but camera makers don't want you to know that. There is some slight spherochromatism, which can cause color fringes on things that aren't in perfect focus. Spherochromatism is a completely different aberration in a different dimension than lateral color fringes.Despite the bigger size and bulkier lens barrel, as I have already mentioned, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G is actually 30 grams lighter than its predecessor and almost twice lighter than the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G! It balances really well with any DX camera and it feels just right in terms of size, weight and focal length on professional DSLRs like Nikon D3s as well. NIKON D800 + 85mm f/1.8 @ 85mm, ISO 200, 1/2500, f/4.0 I hope I shed some light on this lens and I hope this Nikon 85mm 1.8 G review has given you enough information to make an informed decision as to whether it would be a good lens to add to your bag. See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details on your camera. Read down the "AF, AF-D (screw)" column for this lens. But if distortion is an issue for you for whatever reason the minimal distortion of this lens is further correctable by enabling the lens profile in Lightroom. Flare Go ahead and use your standard rotating polarizer and grad filters. You're not going to have any vignetting with any 67mm filter.