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I bought this for quick portraits and great blur and man it's fantastic. The f/1.8 is tact sharp and at great alternative to the much pricier f/1.4 option ($1500). The performance between the 2 lens is marginal. If you're getting paid as a pro photographer then you may get the f/1.4 but for the rest of us (I gather 95% of us), this f/1.8 is a great alternative. If you google around the web for the reviews, you will find this f/1.8 AF-S be a close second to the f/1.4 with what I would summarize as F/1.4 lens having 2-5% improvement in the picture quality when it comes to better light and better blur. I'll save the $1000 and still produce great quality pictures with this F/1.8.
1. Super light weight
2. Fast focus
3. Tact sharp
4. Awesome low light performance
5. Great bokeh
Below is a summary of how I use all of my lens today and I hope it will help you find what you are looking for if you have similar needs as mine:
* AF-S 50mm f/1.4: Great for infants and walk-around lens on the street. I use this lens most of the time for infant pictures because 1) I don't want to use flash when infants have their eyes open even if I have a softbox/umbrella. 2) lightweight 3) low light performance at f/1.4. I also uses this when I'm out of the house because it's not in-you-face when you pull it out of you bag so people won't notice you. This lens also makes me move around a bit to be more creative vs. just zoom in and out. 50mm lens makes me think more about the shots.
* AF-S 60mm f/2.8 micro: Great macro lens: I use this for very close up shots. I can get as close to less than an inch away even though the minimum focal length isn't listed as being 1 inch away. You will want good lighting since flash will be useless when you are this close to the subject. I take photos of baby lips, eyes, face, hands and feet, & other objects such as jewelry * watches. Basically any fairly stationary subjects that I want to highlight the details and intentional imperfections/wrinkles, etc. I sometimes wonder if I should use this all the time instead of my 50mm but I find the 50mm better at non-macro shots because it focus faster and lets in 4 times more light.
* AF-S 85mm f/1.8 : I use this most of the time for adult portraits and it has very good low light performance as well. I choose this over the f/1.4 version because the other reviews I've read on the web did not justify the extra $1000 spend for marginal performance improvement and unless I am getting paid to take pictures all the time, I don't see the need to pay the extra cost for the f/1.4. This lens also makes me move around a bit to be more creative vs. just zoom in and out.
* AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8: I use this when I just don't know what kind of pictures I could be taking and need to have zoom & I don't have to move around as much. While I don't take landscape pictures (24mm) often, I will use this for a large group outing, birthday parties when I may need to get a wide shot of a lot of people in a room and be able to have a little bit of zoom capability and not have to walk up so close to the people's face. This allows me to get some candid shots when needed. It's fairly heavy at 2 lbs and huge when you put on the hood so I almost never use this lens when I'm on the street because it attracts a lot of unwanted attention. I wouldn't want this hanging on my neck or shoulders for a long period of time.
* AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 vr2 : This is one of my favorite lens only because I can use it for portraits as well (with some lighting support) and I can get really good candid shots since I can be much farther away 10-20ft from my subjects and able to get a nice picture. I do have to crop at times to get rid of the cluttered background but with the D600 camera, I have enough megapixel details to crop my pictures when needed. This is obviously a monster lens so I avoid taking it for street photos even though I've had some nice pictures and experiences on the street but it's so big... I've had people stopping me asking me if I'm a paparazzi and which celebrity I am stalking..... haha. It's almost over 3 lbs so I definitely wouldn't want this hanging on my neck or shoulders for a long period of time.
* AF-S 70-200mm f/4: this is also a great lens and a fantastic alternative to the 2.8 version. At over $1000 less, this is a bargin and great lens if you're taking photos at good lighting conditions (outdoor, have flash or good indoor lighting). Otherwise it may be problematic for you at F/4.
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Customers say
Customers praise this portrait lens for its beautiful background blur and creamy, dreamy bokeh effects. The lens performs flawlessly as a classic portrait lens, with quick focusing capabilities even in low light. They appreciate its professional quality, with one customer noting it's perfect for portraits at f/5.6, and find it offers good value for money. The lens delivers sharp results, with one customer highlighting its ability to get close-in shots from farther away.
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289 customers mention sharpness, 281 positive, 8 negative
...it's fully workable at F/1.8, sharp!, sharp enough to take a d800 to the "limit" without ghosts or unwanted flares. excelent color rendition.!,...Read more
...This lens is also very sharp with lots of contrast wide open at f1.8 with no sherical aberration (haze) and minimal chromatic aberration, at a much...Read more
clear, crisp lens that offers a superior portrait every time. I waited 2 years to purchase this lens and it was worth the $Read more
I realized on my first photo how super sharp this lens is. I am not sure why but I think this is sharper than my 50mm 1.4....Read more
285 customers mention lens quality, 272 positive, 13 negative
...In conclusion, this is a great lens - I've gotten some awesome pictures out of it, many of which would have been impossible with a smaller aperture,...Read more
Awesome lens, I used to shoot with Nikon 85mm 1.8D for many years and loved it, This newer G version lens is lighter and yes it's fouses a bit...Read more
...Excellent lens. If you have a D version and like it, keep it. If you are looking for an 85mm autofocusing lens, this is the one to buy.Read more
This is an amazing lens and makes me feel like I have a new camera. It came quickly and I have absolutely loved it. Good quality pictures!Read more
169 customers mention bokeh, 158 positive, 11 negative
...Focus is silent, fast, and spot on with my D7000 - Beautiful bokeh - 99% of the $1500 85mm 1.4G for 1/3 of the price. -...Read more
Insanely good image quality and bokeh. I was on the fence if I needed an 85mm for portrait work on my DX-format Nikon, but I'm so glad I bought this.Read more
...tack sharp in the center of the frame , even wide open - beautiful and smooth bokeh - feels more solid than it actually looks -...Read more
...It's a wonderful lens. Makes beautiful crisp images. Nice bokeh. Fast auto focus. I hardly even notice there isn't a physical aperture ring....Read more
128 customers mention value for money, 121 positive, 7 negative
My favorite lens so far . Unbelievable performance for such a great price . I'm sure the 1.4 g is luscious but the cost is too high ....Read more
What a great lens and what a great value! It's super sharp, light and it's an ideal portrait lens on my Nikon D810....Read more
...It is worth every penny. I would say go get it, you won't regret it....Read more
Sharp, good micro-contrast, smooth out of focus areas... all for a reasonable price....Read more
123 customers mention portrait performance, 123 positive, 0 negative
...I have so far found it to be a great portrait lens. It is neither to heavy or too big to leave on the camera a the default lens....Read more
Super lens, I know people always say that is great for portraits and is true, but I use it 90% for coverage my weddings all the time, not just...Read more
Best portrait lens I own. I've shot many portrait sessions with this lens and get pro results. The DOF is excellent and the sharpness is terrific....Read more
...My go to lens was my f1.8 50mm. This is even better. Perfect portrait lens. You don't have to get in someones face to get that nice soft focus....Read more
109 customers mention focus speed, 87 positive, 22 negative
This is a sharp, fast, and versatile lens capable of getting great shots when your subject is either very small, very detailed, or sufficiently far...Read more
...thinking on portrait pictures, and it's amazing, well constructed, fast focus, dependable in low light conditions,bigger and heavier than the 50mm...Read more
Excellent image; a little warmish. VERY sharp, even at f1.8. Fast focusing. But... VERY lightweight. Doesn't feel "professional"....Read more
...great price Cons: - slow focus - corner softness at wide apertures, goes away at about f4.0 (on DX bodies) -...Read more
100 customers mention depth of field, 75 positive, 25 negative
I'm a fashion photographer and I absolutely love this lens. Great depth of field and great AF. It is a must have in the bag of every photographer....Read more
No distortion. Fast aperture. Good autofocus speed (but it`s not a speed daemon, yepp). Good focusing ring, has override in auto....Read more
...I had a lot of focusing issues. I believe it had been used!Read more
...So far I love it. The depth to field is awesome. I would recommend it.Read more
78 customers mention performance, 71 positive, 7 negative
...It is SUPER quiet, works well.. still feeling out how it does with focusing, but so far I really like it!Read more
...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.Read more
This lense works great. It creates beautiful boka and is easy to use. It makes very sharp images in lower light.Read more
I bought on used and it works perfectly. No signs it was even ever used. Photos are beautiful!Read more
Great Lens with Beautiful Bokeh
I was looking at the 85mm lens. I was torn between the 85mm f/1.8G lens and the 85mm f/3.5G Micro lens. While I enjoy taking macro/micro shots, I wanted a lens that was sharp and had good bokeh. I also wanted to use the lens for general photography. I was spoiled using my 40mm f/2.8G micro lens as it does a great job with both micro and general photography. I decided on the 85mm f/1.8G lens. I haven't looked back. This 85mm f/1.8 is a sharp lens with beautiful bokeh. I use this lens with my Nikon D7000 which equates to a focal length of 127.5mm. It took awhile to get used to the distance or focal length. I usually have to take a step or two back to get the object/subject to focus. I currently use the lens for florals and garden pictures. The pictures are sharp from f/1.8 through f/16. The bokeh is beautiful at f/1.8 through f/2.8. Creamy is the word that comes to mind. I've been really happy with the results from this lens. I've posted some pictures in the gallery. There's a few florals (e.g. daylilies) and I also took some pictures of the packaging for this lens. I'll be back to post any updates and additional pictures. ** Update 07/12/12 ** I've had the chance to use this lens over several days taking pictures for a VBS event at my church. This lens does an amazing job with portraits. I set my D7k to Aperture and f/4. The bokeh is beautiful. I like how my focused subject appears to pop out of my pictures. Love this prime lens even at 128mm (DX). I've figured out how far (distance) I need to stand away from my subjects. My pictures are very sharp! Great lens! ** Update 08/09/12 ** This has been my "go to" lens for the last several weeks. I'm using this lens for taking candid shots and portraits of people. I mentioned before that I have to take a step or two back when I compose my pictures. I love doing this as I don't appear to be intrusive with my camera. Sometimes folks don't even notice I'm taking their pictures. I've been using this lens in low light and haven't been disappointed. I love the results I'm getting. ** Update 09/02/12 ** This lens is now on my camera full time. It has become my favorite fixed prime lens (over my 50mm, 40mm, and my 35mm). I'm still getting great results whether photographing inside or outside. My images are always coming out sharp with lovely bokeh. ** Update 09/23/12 ** I used this lens for a class photo shoot using my D7000. Set my aperture around f/4 and f/5.6. I was extremely pleased with the end results. Pictures were sharp. I'm having a blast with this lens! ** Update 11/10/12 ** I'm now a proud owner of the Nikon D600 full frame DSLR camera. I mounted this 85mm lens and what a beautiful combination. Now I know what other reviewers mean when they say it's a fantastic portrait lens. It truly is! I'm getting beautiful results and it's great to be able to use this lens as a true 85mm. ** Update 10/02/13 ** I had another opportunity to use this lens for another class photo shoot, but this time with my D600 camera. The portraits came out beautifully. Sharp pictures with lovely bokeh at f/4. No surprise that this lens and my D600...a great combination. One of the students peered at the back of my camera to see what the pictures looked like. Her comment: "Wow...the pictures are clear!"
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- zoeyReviewed in Australia on August 25, 2019
Very good for Portraits and Products Photography
Color: BlackVerified Purchase -
Pascual lopez AlbaReviewed in Sweden on May 3, 2023
Bra varan snabb leverans och kommunikation ok
Color: BlackVerified Purchase
