I recently got the 85 1.8 S and I am very pleased with it. I shot one session with it for a client 2 days ago hours after getting it. The feel of the silky smooth damped wide focusing ring is very comfortable to manual focus. The first shots with it were for a client and everyone was pleased.
A few hours ago I met with my actor friend Anastasia who wanted to borrow a camera to shoot a video of an actors master class. I set up my D7000 with its lit lens and showed her how to using in auto mode for video. While she was reading the read display I snapped a photo of her across the small Georgian Cafe table. The sun was down and it was pretty dark so went down to 1/20 hand held, ISO400 f/2.2. the one shot was a keeper. It caught her unaware of being photographed. I prefer relaxed faces for portraits and not big grins. a few minutes later snapped one using bounce flash in TTL BL mode at f4.o, 1/100 85mm and iso 80.
I highly recommend this lens, the only fast 85 that is equally sharp at the corners as the center. I have test a friend's 85 1.8 S against all my fast short telephoto primes and knew it was good, when stopping by a camera stores to ask when the 85 S would be in stock. I was heading to the studio and had no intent to buy a lens, just to find out when their first shipment would arrive. The salesgirl said, it just came in 2 hours ago and nothing has been unpacked.I bought it immediately. Here, with the 20% VAT it was right at $1,000.
#1 No flash, slow shutter, dim cafe only ambient light
#2 BL flash
A few hours ago I met with my actor friend Anastasia who wanted to borrow a camera to shoot a video of an actors master class. I set up my D7000 with its lit lens and showed her how to using in auto mode for video. While she was reading the read display I snapped a photo of her across the small Georgian Cafe table. The sun was down and it was pretty dark so went down to 1/20 hand held, ISO400 f/2.2. the one shot was a keeper. It caught her unaware of being photographed. I prefer relaxed faces for portraits and not big grins. a few minutes later snapped one using bounce flash in TTL BL mode at f4.o, 1/100 85mm and iso 80.
I highly recommend this lens, the only fast 85 that is equally sharp at the corners as the center. I have test a friend's 85 1.8 S against all my fast short telephoto primes and knew it was good, when stopping by a camera stores to ask when the 85 S would be in stock. I was heading to the studio and had no intent to buy a lens, just to find out when their first shipment would arrive. The salesgirl said, it just came in 2 hours ago and nothing has been unpacked.I bought it immediately. Here, with the 20% VAT it was right at $1,000.
#1 No flash, slow shutter, dim cafe only ambient light
#2 BL flash