85mm - Advice

[HeldInTheMoment]

Hey All,

Time for a new lens, the 85mm! Just cannot decide between the following:

Nikon 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART

...or other

THOUGHTS?

 

[Vtec44]

I'm a big fan of OEM lenses mainly because of consistent quality control and resale value.

 

[Derrel]

How much money do you want to spend? The 85mm 1.8 G-series is very sharp. The older 85mm f/1.4 AF-D Nikkor is a pretty bokeh lens...better than the Sigma, and less money, but it will be a used lens. The Sigma 85/1.4 does have a following these days. I dunno...depends on what you want to use the lens for; for general use, landscapes, events, nature, the 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G lens from Nikon is impressively sharp. I have one...it's bitingly crisp, but it lacks the dreamy, pretty, delicate lens rendering of the now-old 1.4 AF-D model from the 1990's.

Honest to gosh...I have an aversion to Sigma lenses...every Sigma I have bought for the last 20 years has let me down...crapped out, functioned weirdly when new-generation Nikon cameras came out...and I bought their HIGH-end HSM, EX-series models...their high-priced stuff...now....no...no more Sigmas for me.

The Nikkor 85/1.8 G was one of the very-best performers of all the lenses DxO Mark tested on the D800...about as sharp as any prime lens in the $129 to $4,000 price category. It has very high sharpness and contrast, and is amazingly good almost wide-open. It is probably the very-best lens under $1,400,

 

[jcdeboever]

I had the Nikon 85 1.8 g, it was a very nice lens. The macro version is nice too. I had the same experience as Derrel with Sigma. I helped a lady at a botanical gardens with her Sigma 85 art, it was focusing way, way, left in the viewfinder and I proved it to her. She ended up sending it back and bought one of the Nikkor's instead and she was thrilled with it. Poor lady was like me, thought it was her issue that her images were not in focus. You may get a good copy but I wouldn't hold my breath. Ever wonder why you don't see many older, used Sigma lenses?

 

[Gary A.]

For what it’s worth ... I’ve had a couple Sigma Canon lenses a long time ago, around 2005. A 20mm f/1.8 (I think) and the Bigma (50-500). Both lenses were close to par with my Canon L lenses. This may speak more about Canon than Sigma.

 

[shadowlands]

The Nikon 85mm 1.8G is honestly awesome.

 

[Designer]

THOUGHTS?

Get a used, clean copy of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm 1.8G

 

[adamhiram]

The Nikon 85mm 1.8G is honestly awesome.

Agreed - at more than 3x the price, I just couldn't justify the f/1.4 that wasn't rated much better by most reviewers. But it is an extra 2/3 stop, and focus charts do show a slight bump in sharpness.

For what it's worth, here's a review Matt Granger did of the f/1.4 vs. f/1.8 that was pretty useful.


And here is a review of all of the wider aperture 85mm lenses by Tony and Chelsea Northrup that is a bit more recent.

 

[paigew]

I have two sigma art lenses (canon), the 35 and 50. They are both very sharp and have fast focus. I love them!

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[Nwcid]

I could not justify the 1.4 either. I however went with the Tamron 85mm 1.8 and have been very happy with it. Like most people though I have not tried it against another lens side by side. However, it does blow away my Nikon 50mm 1.8. I am shooting it with the D850.

 

[Derrel]

Thoughts?

One thing to think about is how large and intimidating the lens might or might or might not happen to be. Did you see in the Northrup video how ridiculously HUGE the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART lens is? It is huge! It is so massive that the video commentary has a (negative) comment about its size. The Sigma 85mm ART lens is the largest lens of all the lenses tested...even larger than the Nikkor 105mm f/1.4, which is itself a sizable lens!

I mention size because an 85mm lens is a short telephoto, and if often used from fairly close distances to people. Many people tend to feel uncomfortable when a large lens is pointed in their direction...both subjects, and people at events, and on the street. A BIG lens gives off a negative "vibe" to many regular, everyday people. Models and friends and family of photo enthusiasts are often somewhat innured to big lenses being pointed in their direction; at carnivals, fairs, parks, on the beach, or on the street, pointing a BIG, FAT, LONG lens at people can draw some very unfavorable attention to the photographer.

I noticed this several decades ago; at one time, Nikon's 85mm f/2 Ai or Ai-S was about the same, exact size and diameter as their 35mm f/2 Ai-S OR their 50mm f/1.4 Ai-S....all three lenses, 35,50,and 85 were very,very close in size. Then, at the same time, the 1980's, their 85mm f/1.4 was much larger; bigger around, and somewhat longer too, as I recall. I remember the negative attention it drew. Shooting with Nikon's TINY 85mm f/2 lenses drew basically no attention from people; the 85/2 manual focus lenses were SMALL. Very compact.

The Northrup video focused on "sharpness" and chromatic aberration,and focusing performance, in an in-studio test. But one thought is this: a smaller, more-discreet lens can give better pictures. Many people do _not_ welcome a large-diameter, long, big lens being pointed at them. Something to think about if the 85mm lens will be used for people work.

 

[Solarflare]

The Nikon 85mm 1.8G is honestly awesome.

Meh, not really. Its quite decent, actually, but next to my other lenses I frankly wouldnt ever use it.

I dont really get the extreme popularity of 85mm anyway. I find 105mm more to my liking.

 

[adamhiram]

I dont really get the extreme popularity of 85mm anyway. I find 105mm more to my liking.

I assume because it still gives a reasonable working distance and doesn't require too much space to shoot. I have about 20' of space to work with, and to shoot a headshot at 85mm on a crop sensor (127.5mm equivalent field of view), I am already 7-8' away from the subject and standing in the doorway. I like 85mm because I think it's more flattering than 50mm for a tight shot, but any longer and I would need to knock down a wall.

 

[Barb King]

I adore my Nikkon 85mm 1.8G. I use it with the D810, and it takes gorgeous photos, with one of the highest 'keeper' rates of all my prime lenses. It's very sharp, and the colors and bokeh are beautiful. If you like the 85mm focal length, I would highly recommend.

 

[shadowlands]

I love my 85mm 1.8D. It's my favorite lens!