Web Reviews: The New Nikon 85 1.8G

bluenoser

Banned

Eye-level

Banned
500 bones is a whole lot of chili for a plastic lens...I think I would rather spend a couple hundred extra and get the highly regarded 85/1.4 Ais which I guarantee you will smoke that lens and still be functioning 50 years from now.
 
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bluenoser

Banned
Hi Jeff.

500 bones is a whole lot of chili for a plastic lens...

Yes and no - it's all relative I suppose. If it's as good as they say I think it's a decent bargain. I find the new $1,300 24-120 priced far too high for an excellent but still plastic lens! :) The 85 1.8G is still WAAAAAAY less expensive that the $1,800 Nikon 85 1.4G!


I think I would rather spend a couple hundred extra and get the highly regarded 85/1.4 Ais which I guarantee you will smoke that lens ....

You're old school Jeff! lol! I went with the 85 1.4D and am very (very :)) pleased with it!

.... and still be functioning 50 years from now.

Yes but the question is will YOU still be functioning in 50 years?! LOL!
 
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Phillydog1958

Senior Member
Hi Jeff.



Yes and no - it's all relative I suppose. If it's as good as they say I think it's a decent bargain. I find the new $1,300 24-120 priced far too high for an excellent but still plastic lens! :) The 85 1.8G is still WAAAAAAY less expensive that the $1,800 Nikon 85 1.4G!




You're old school Jeff! lol! I went with the 85 1.4D and am very (very :)) pleased with it!



Yes but the question is will YOU still be functioning in 50 years?! LOL!

Now that's funny ;) I will be fertilizer.
 
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Eye-level

Banned
How much did you pay for your 85/1.4D? I'm still in the market for a 85 and have been studying them all here lately...and talk about old school I have even been looking at Kevin Cameras Contarex 85/2.0 lenses that are converted to F mount...Talk about Sonnar glow the only problem with them though is you get one fixed F stop and they are frigging way high dollar...but they are reputed to be the finest lenses ever made.
 

bluenoser

Banned
How much did you pay for your 85/1.4D? I'm still in the market for a 85 and have been studying them all here lately...

I got a great deal on one from Fred Miranda last year - $820 - absolute mint condition, boxes, manuals, hood, everything - looked like it just came out of the store. Best of all the seller ended up living about a 10 minute drive from my house! :)

So for $820 - I thought that was a good investment relative to the other 85s out there at the time. You can also get the still excellent 85 1.8D used on Fred Miranda for no more than $300 (I've seen some go for $250 to $280 as well). Personally, I think that's the best deal out there for an 85mm right now. I also have the 85 1.8D and it is a deadly SHARP lens with faster AF than the 85 1.8G version.

Anyway, lots of options for 85s in the Nikon lineup.
 

Eye-level

Banned
Yeah I've been leaning towards the 85 1.8D...poverty sucks what can I say? :)

I was once sold on the 85/1.8 K series lens but it is only 6 bladed and I am getting further and further away from the old stuff (it sure would be pretty on the F2 though and it matches my 105 K series)...I've even been thinking about selling most of my manual old school crap and upgrading my D5000 even though it is an excellent unit...
 

Dr Daniels

Senior Member
I had the 85mm f/1.8D, and it gives great results. The bokeh is nothing short of outstanding.
Then I got the 85mm f/1.4D, and that lens raises the bar to the absolute of magnificent. This is really the pinnacle of Nikkor's optic at the service of photographic beauty. The construction of this lens is solid, and feels like it could last forever.

Then, because I think I'm a snob, but also because I somehow manage to get a little bit of income out of this whole photography thing, I sold the D to get the new G. The differences on photos are noticeable, but it is not fundamental. Still Nikkor managed to improve what was already something out of this world, and out of reasonable people's budget. Sharpness when opened at f/1.4 is quite improved. The manual focus override, and the smooth operation of the focus ring is for me the main improvement from the D version.
However, the f/1.4G has a plastic barrel like the f/1.8. The 1.4G wear a gold ring, which normally indicated the presence of an ED glass, but that lens has no ED element. It has the Nano Crystal coating though.

Long story short: with the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D, you have no reasons to make bad photographs!
 

gqtuazon

Gear Head
Some reviews are starting to trickle in about the 85 1.8G lens that Nikon recently announced. By all accounts it looks like Nikon really has a winner on its hands!

Along with the newest 50 1.8G and the 35 1.8G, Nikon has a very nice line up of reasonably priced, high performing, fast prime lenses.

This has been a long awaited lens for Nikon camera users who can't use Nikon D or Ai(s) lenses due to the lack of AF motor in their camera body. I think it is reasonable and should make a lot of people happy. We now have the option to get either the f1.4G or f1.8G.

Based on my experience, the newer lenses appear much sharper than the older optical lenses that Nikon makes.
 

Eye-level

Banned
I've never used a 85/1.4 Ais but many folks say it is just as good if not better than any of the newer 85s except for the fact it is a bit softer wide open. The advantage is that at 2.8 through 16 the Ais doesn't really lose anything and is razor sharp. The D is reported to better than the Ais wide open and just as good to about 5.6 where it's performance starts to fall off. The G is reported to be about the same as the D maybe a little bit better. That is from pretty reputable sources. If there ever was an exception for the older lenses holding their own or punching harder than the new lenses the 85/1.4 Ais would probably be the one I would guess...

Another note on the old vs the new it is said that the 28/2.8 Ais is better than anything save for the 28/1.4 AF which was running about $5000 a year or so ago...

Sorry guys someone has to champion the old lenses...hahahaha :)

You guys are starting to make me jones for an autofocus version of the 1.4 now when I'm on a 1.8 budget dang it!
 
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bobmielke

New member
I have the 85mm F/3.5 VRII Micro. I shoot flowers with bugs and raindrops on them. It will last long enough for me, being a lightweight plastic lens. It gets mounted on a tripod so speed means little to me. As far as bokeh is concerned how many National Geographic photos have you seen with the background blurred out? :)
 
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Mister

New member
Why not go for a different OPTION?

I just sold my Nikon 1.8D and I was in between this new 1.8G lens and the 1.4D. I really, really have been wanting a 1.4 for a long time. I ended up purchasing the manual focus Rokinon 85mm 1.4. There is no way i would spend $900 on a USED 1.4D, and i am glad i skipped the new 1.8G, this new lens is very very good but i am very sure that those lenses will not last for many many years, This Rokinon blows away the new Nikon 1.8G, exept in the AF department.

From what i have seen, the Bokeh from this Rokinon is slightly better and more buttery than the Nikon 1.4D and the lens is darn sharp at 1.4 already. I have been blown away by this Rokinon as well as alot of other people that have gotten this lens for their D3, D700, it is extremely well constructed and the performance is unbelievable. I Have a D7000 and it works perfectly on it as well. I am so glad i found this jewel of a lens. Everytime i look at the price differences, i have to check to make sure that i am not dreaming, i have to splash water on my face. I would never pay $800 or more for a Nikon Manual Focus either. I got my Rokinon for only $299. This is not a cheap lens at all.
 
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amonamarth

Senior Member
Oh boy, am I glad you mentioned this Rokinon lens! I've been taking a look at it and was about to post a thread to see if other users had had good experience with it on a D7000.
Thanks!

1) By the pricing I see you got the manual focus lens. How do you focus while looking through viewfinder, using focus indicator?
2) Have you or someone you know tried the one with the focus chip?
 
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Mister

New member
I have the one with the chip and it works perfectly fine on my D7000. Please note that whether or not that lens has a chip, it is still a manual focus lens. Rokinon does not have any AF lenses.

What I have found is that, if I am under good light where I can actually see the subject clearly, then I don't even bother looking at the focus indicator dot too much. I just simply use my eagle eye and instinct and shoot when I know it's in focus. I find it very distracting to try to focus by just simply keep staring at the dumb focus confirmation dot. A good photographer does not do that. Again, I mainly use this lens for creativity shots, so I usually don't go over 2.8. In really low light is when I would use or take a look at the focus indicator dot more.

This lens is awesome!!
 
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Jon

Senior Member
I don't want to turn this into a Rokinon 85 1.4 thread but anybody posted here any pix using this lens? I'm really interested in getting this lens. Is Rokinon same company as Samyang, Vivitar, Walimex, Bower or Pro-Optic? Thanks.
 

Mister

New member
It is a free country man! By the way, any one looking into getting the Nikon 1.8G they wont be sorry, once the lens comes out of course. I was waiting and waiting for it, it has really really good LENS, is just cheaply made, that's the main reason why i skipped it. Some people just simply would never use manual focus, this Nikon is the lens to get instead. I was fortunate to run across the Rokinon. Personally i am not a greety person, why not share something good with everyone else??

I have a few photo samples on the link bellow taken with the Rokinon, they are just walk around photos most taken at f1.4 the lens is super sharp at 1.4 and not to mention the Bokeh. This lens is really easy to use and i recommend it to anyone. It is just another option of a lens, that is all.
Flickr: Mister M2012's Photostream
 

Mister

New member
It is a free country man! By the way, any one looking into getting the Nikon 1.8G they wont be sorry, once the lens comes out of course. I was waiting and waiting for it, it has really really good LENS, is just cheaply made, that's the main reason why i skipped it. Some people just simply would never use manual focus, this Nikon is the lens to get instead. I was fortunate to run across the Rokinon. Personally i am not a greety person, why not share something good with everyone else??

I have a few photo samples on the link bellow taken with the Rokinon, they are just walk around photos most taken at f1.4 the lens is super sharp at 1.4 and not to mention the Bokeh. This lens is really easy to use and i recommend it to anyone. It is just another option of a lens, that is all.
Flickr: Mister M2012's Photostream
 

amonamarth

Senior Member
I have the one with the chip and it works perfectly fine on my D7000. Please note that whether or not that lens has a chip, it is still a manual focus lens. Rokinon does not have any AF lenses.

What I have found is that, if I am under good light where I can actually see the subject clearly, then I don't even bother looking at the focus indicator dot too much. I just simply use my eagle eye and instinct and shoot when I know it's in focus. I find it very distracting to try to focus by just simply keep staring at the dumb focus confirmation dot. A good photographer does not do that. Again, I mainly use this lens for creativity shots, so I usually don't go over 2.8. In really low light is when I would use or take a look at the focus indicator dot more.

This lens is awesome!!

Aha, I see! so it's still a manual focus, all the chip does is confirming focus through the focus indicator on viewfinder?
 

Mister

New member
No, what the chip also does is it gives you the option to simply change the apperture on the camera dials, as well as the shutter speeds also, i believe, not sure about that one, i haven't mess around with that yet. In another words, you dont have to change those settings from the lens itself by rotating the apperture ring on the lens.
there are tons of reviews on this lens, you can also check reviews from Amazon.

You can check some walk around photos from this Rokinon lens at: www.[U]flickr.com/photos/mistermejia

[/U]
 
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