The Nikon 85mm f1.8G AF-S has a very simple design with no ED glass, Nano-coating, or even any aspherical elements, and I have read that because of that it lacks colour saturation and contrast, compared to, say, the Nikon 70-200mm 2.8G AF-S VR. My question is, can post-processing in Adobe Photoshop/Raw compensate for those deficiencies to the point that it produces identical results to a pro lens (with all the above-mentioned technologies), or are those optical deficiencies so lossy that one can never match the performance of a pro lens by simply post-processing the Raw files? I am only talking about the saturation and contrast of the images.
Nikon 85mm f1.8G AF-S contrast and saturation
- Thread starter anoutsos
- Start date
BF Hammer
Senior Member
I never have used the 85mm f/1.8G, but I have a 70-200mm f/2.8G VR. The older version from the mid-2000's. It is a great lens with no deficiencies in contrast and saturation. I have used older 1990's glass like a Tamron 90mm f/2.5 SP and that was rather poor on a digital sensor. Contrast was poor and always had to be compensated for. But in addition the lack of back-side glass coating caused the silicon sensor in the camera body to reflect on the back of the lens glass. It was visible as magenta-green artifacts with certain lighting angles.
That said, the most current Tamron 90mm f/2.8 has good image quality with none of the older generation lens problems. That said, look for a used Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 and you can have a great lens for $800 or sometimes less. Competitive with something like a new Tamron 90mm.
That said, the most current Tamron 90mm f/2.8 has good image quality with none of the older generation lens problems. That said, look for a used Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 and you can have a great lens for $800 or sometimes less. Competitive with something like a new Tamron 90mm.