85mm 1.8G worth it?

[Johnbeard]

I currently own a 50mm 1.8G and I'm thinking about the 85mm version. I shoot portraits and I am wondering how much the 85mm could benefit portrait photography versus my 50mm.
BTW using DX body.

 

[PaulWog]

Yes it is worth it.

 

[Johnbeard]

Yes it is worth it.

How can it benefit portraiture over the 50mm though?
Other than distortion...

 

[jaomul]

If you need to ask why it would benefit you then you probably don't need it.

What does the 50 not do that you want? What do you want from the 85mm?

I had an 85 for full frame and used it on crop also,it's very nice but you need to be far away with a crop for portrait.
What other lenses are you using?

 

[jcdeboever]

Yes it is worth it.

How can it benefit portraiture over the 50mm though?
Other than distortion...

IMO, 85mm is good for head and shoulders. 50mm is good for upper body. I think the 85 compressions the facial features (flattens) a little more in my limited experience. With Nikon, I think the 85mm is sharper as well.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Johnbeard]

If you need to ask why it would benefit you then you probably don't need it.

What does the 50 not do that you want? What do you want from the 85mm?

I had an 85 for full frame and used it on crop also,it's very nice but you need to be far away with a crop for portrait.
What other lenses are you using?

I'm looking to get more significant shallow DoF and a longer lens to be farther from the subject.

 

[Braineack]

Yes it is worth it.

How can it benefit portraiture over the 50mm though?
Other than distortion...

cause the 50mm sucks?

 

[tirediron]

Rent/borrow one and try it. My 85 is the most used lens in my kit. IMO, it has a very different look than a 50mm lens, at least in the way I use it.

 

[Johnbeard]

Yes it is worth it.

How can it benefit portraiture over the 50mm though?
Other than distortion...

cause the 50mm sucks?

Why do you say that? Just curious. Is it sarcasm? Haha.

 

[goodguy]

Is the 85mm 1.8G worth it ?

I believe you got all the answers you need but I will repeat the important ones
If you dont know if the 85mm is going to help you then you probably dont need it.
50mm is not a portrait lens, especially not on full frame, yes its good for half body or full body but its pretty bad on head shots.
85mm is focal range pretty standard and classic for portrait that alone tells you its a good lens for this task.
Nikon 85mm 1.8G is considered to be one of the sharpest lenses in Nikon lens line, as far as I know its only second to the Nikon 85mm 1.4G which is almost 4 times more expensive.

BTW did you consider 70-200mm 2.8 which many portrait photographers (including me) use this lens for portraiture ?

 

[Johnbeard]

Is the 85mm 1.8G worth it ?

I believe you got all the answers you need but I will repeat the important ones
If you dont know if the 85mm is going to help you then you probably dont need it.
50mm is not a portrait lens, especially not on full frame, yes its good for half body or full body but its pretty bad on head shots.
85mm is focal range pretty standard and classic for portrait that alone tells you its a good lens for this task.
Nikon 85mm 1.8G is considered to be one of the sharpest lenses in Nikon lens line, as far as I know its only second to the Nikon 85mm 1.4G which is almost 4 times more expensive.

BTW did you consider 70-200mm 2.8 which many portrait photographers (including me) use this lens for portraiture ?

I wish I could afford the 70-200 right now haha.

 

[goodguy]

Is the 85mm 1.8G worth it ?

I believe you got all the answers you need but I will repeat the important ones
If you dont know if the 85mm is going to help you then you probably dont need it.
50mm is not a portrait lens, especially not on full frame, yes its good for half body or full body but its pretty bad on head shots.
85mm is focal range pretty standard and classic for portrait that alone tells you its a good lens for this task.
Nikon 85mm 1.8G is considered to be one of the sharpest lenses in Nikon lens line, as far as I know its only second to the Nikon 85mm 1.4G which is almost 4 times more expensive.

BTW did you consider 70-200mm 2.8 which many portrait photographers (including me) use this lens for portraiture ?

I wish I could afford the 70-200 right now haha.

Here is a little idea for an option, I am not recommending this specific lens but in general this lens model is the lens I use and used its an insanely good deal comparing to the Nikon version which is much more expensive and just as good.

(NEW other) TAMRON SP 70-200mm F2.8 Di VC USD A009 (70-200 mm F/2.8) Nikon*Offer

These Tamron lenses are super sharp, build like a tank and has a very effective VC.

 

[hamlet]

Is the 85mm 1.8G worth it ?

I believe you got all the answers you need but I will repeat the important ones
If you dont know if the 85mm is going to help you then you probably dont need it.
50mm is not a portrait lens, especially not on full frame, yes its good for half body or full body but its pretty bad on head shots.
85mm is focal range pretty standard and classic for portrait that alone tells you its a good lens for this task.
Nikon 85mm 1.8G is considered to be one of the sharpest lenses in Nikon lens line, as far as I know its only second to the Nikon 85mm 1.4G which is almost 4 times more expensive.

BTW did you consider 70-200mm 2.8 which many portrait photographers (including me) use this lens for portraiture ?

I wish I could afford the 70-200 right now haha.

Dont worry about the 70-200 for now, the 85mm 1.8g is one of nikons best affordable primes. Here are pictures to see taken with the 85mm: Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[hir0]

the 85 f/1.8 is a great lens. it's tack sharp and light. It will compress the background really well, a bit more compared to the 50. There will be some chromatic aberrations but they are easily removed in post.

 

[jaomul]

The reason I asked about what other lenses you have is to see if you have anything around 85mm so you can ser what you get.

The 85mm is very nice. I would like one, but I have a tamron 90mm macro lens. While this is not a portrait lens, I find that I rarely want to be this long for a portrait, and when I do the macro fits the bill nicely. The 85 no doubt would be a bit better, but I can't have everything