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Archive 2014 · What are the best 85's?

  
 
Lee Saxon
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · What are the best 85's?


I'm looking for a manual focus (or effectively manual focus-able, at least) ~70-90mm. Which ones do you think are the best and what is their "look"? How do you the ones you have experience with compare? This is for an A7, so it can be any flange depth, but assume I can't afford an APO-Summicron ASPH.

I posted this down-thread, but to make it more visible: Does anyone have comparative experience with the FD 85/1.2L vs EF 85/1.2L ?

Edited on May 22, 2014 at 04:17 PM · View previous versions



May 16, 2014 at 07:21 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · What are the best 85's?


What speed are you looking for?

My favorite 85 alt lens is the CY 85/2.8 Sonnar. Super sharp, nice bokeh and brilliant color and contrast. Small too.



May 16, 2014 at 07:42 PM
rattymouse
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · What are the best 85's?


Jman13 wrote:
What speed are you looking for?

My favorite 85 alt lens is the CY 85/2.8 Sonnar. Super sharp, nice bokeh and brilliant color and contrast. Small too.


This can't be emphasized enough. Those 85 f/1.4's are pretty large and heavy. Even going to f/2 drops the size dramatically. Due to the longer focal length, you still get quite a lot of bokeh at f/2 and f/2.8.

I'm amazed how how small and light my Nikkor 85mm f/2 lens is. I'd love to try this Zeiss f/2.8 lens. It must be a dream lens.




May 16, 2014 at 07:45 PM
rico
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · What are the best 85's?


I agree about the S85/2.8 C/Y: great rendering and handling.

For a slighter older look, consider the post-war Leitz Elmar 90 in its various forms: mounts (LTM & M), aperture rings (click-stops or not), diaphragm (10 or 15 blades), barrels (collapsible, rigid), formulae (4 or 3 elements), and varying cosmetics. All of these are single coated, built like tanks, and quite inexpensive. There are so many around that you can always find one in the condition of your choice.



May 16, 2014 at 08:33 PM
Alexluu627
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · What are the best 85's?


I use my canon 85mm 1.2 and it seems to do a damn better job on my sony then canon for iq. I would have to say though the size defeats the purpose if you're trying to go with a small system haha.


May 16, 2014 at 08:45 PM
RustyBug
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · What are the best 85's?


The CY 85/2.8 Sonnar gets my vote (I really "need" to get one someday) too. Right now, I'm using the Elmarit 90/2.8 ... a different rendering / drawing style from the CY.


May 16, 2014 at 09:05 PM
Lee Saxon
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · What are the best 85's?


Jman13 wrote:
What speed are you looking for?


Alexluu627 wrote:
I use my canon 85mm 1.2...though the size defeats the purpose if you're trying to go with a small system haha.


This is a good question. I'm not using the A7 because I need small (in fact, I have fat hands and I wish it was bigger), I'm using it for the short flange (lens adaptablity). So any speed, any size and weight, is up for grabs.



May 16, 2014 at 09:15 PM
Lee Saxon
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · What are the best 85's?


RustyBug wrote:
Right now, I'm using the Elmarit 90/2.8 ... a different rendering / drawing style from the CY.


How so? What are the characteristics of each?



May 16, 2014 at 09:15 PM
Jman13
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · What are the best 85's?


Lee Saxon wrote:
This is a good question. I'm not using the A7 because I need small (in fact, I have fat hands and I wish it was bigger), I'm using it for the short flange (lens adaptablity). So any speed, any size and weight, is up for grabs.

The Sonnar is awesome for small. For speed, it's really hard to beat the Rokinon 85/1.4. Cheap and great optically with stellar bokeh.



May 16, 2014 at 09:28 PM
RustyBug
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · What are the best 85's?


Others can probably describe better, but here's how I see the diff's.

Zeissy @ contrasty & 3D-ishness.
Leica @ lovely and smoother tonal transitions

Of the two, I'd call the Leica the "portrait" lens and the Zeiss a short tele, even though they are the (close enough) same focal length.

I also have my M645 80/4 macro and Tamron 90/2.5 macro (which is likely why I've not gotten the Sonnar). If you like the Zeissy 3D-ish pop look, the 85/2.8 Sonnar is one that I've seen deliver time and again (in the right hands, of course).



May 16, 2014 at 10:15 PM
wayne seltzer
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · What are the best 85's?


Contax N 85/1.4 is my favorite 85mm. Really smooth bokeh and sharp even wide open.


May 16, 2014 at 10:21 PM
RustyBug
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · What are the best 85's?


+1 @ Wayne ... the Sonnar just comes in at a price point closer to mortals than the Contax N 85/1.4, but you do get 2 more stops, so that of course comes at a premium.


May 16, 2014 at 10:28 PM
wayne seltzer
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · What are the best 85's?


RustyBug wrote:
+1 @ Wayne ... the Sonnar just comes in at a price point closer to mortals than the Contax N 85/1.4, but you do get 2 more stops, so that of course comes at a premium.

Yes N 85 is expensive and hard to find. There is also ZA 85/1.4 too. Or you can wait till end of year for the Otus 85/1.4!!!! Drool!!!



May 16, 2014 at 10:37 PM
Steve Spencer
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · What are the best 85's?


If you don't care about small, do you want the shallow depth of field of the faster lenses? There are a lot of very good lenses in this range. Almost every manufacturer makes at least one very good one. Here are some options:

Priced under $1,000 (not worrying about size)

Canon - nFD 85 f/1.2L (or FD 85 f/1.2 ASPH) - I have never owned it but really like the samples. It isn't that large for an f/1.2 lens (especially the nFD). I like the sharpness wide open and the look of the portraits.

Zeiss - Contax/Yashica mount or ZE/ZF mount 85 f/1.4 - I have never owned these lenses. I love the samples for these stopped down and at mid range distances. Wide open it seems to have a lot of glow and it doesn't seem as strong at close distance. It does have focus shift as well. Another interesting lens that I have seen for sale, but never even seen samples from is the Contarex 85 f/2. The lens looks cool and is a great size for the A7, and I has some clear fans, but as I said I have never even seen samples from it.

Leica - Leica R or Leica M 90 f/2 (non-Asph) - I have owned the Leica R 90 and it was one of my favourite lenses. It is very sharp stopped down and very nice for portraits wide open. I think of it as a classic Mandler design. It is not a small lens. In R mount it is not hard to find for less than $1,000, but you probably won't find it for that price in M mount. So you will have to trade bulk for price. With a lot of patience you may find a Leica M 90 elmarit-M for this price as well. It is an excellent lens all around and it quite small. I had the R version of this lens and liked it very much. I wished it had a wider max aperture, but that would be my only complaint. It was great from wide open both close and far.

Olympus OM 90 f/2 Macro - I have owned this one either, but have always admired it from a far. As a macro lens it should be great close up and it seems great at a distance as well. It does have CA in the bokeh, but all the lenses above do to one extent or another. It may have more, but I am not sure of that.

Pentax - 77 f/1.8 Limited - This seems to be a very nice and small lens. Pentax users seem to revere it. Looks great both stopped down and at a distance. It shouldn't have focus shift as it has a floating element. Like the others it does have bokeh CA.

Nikon - 85 f/1.4 AIS - I don't know a lot about this lens other than the obvious. It is at the lower end of this price range. You might even be able to get one for less than $500.

Minolta - 85mm f/1.4 AF - This is an A mount lens and should work with the LAE4 on the A7. It looks to be an excellent lens and a good deal. For me I prefer manual focus, so I wouldn't choose it, but if AF was something that you wanted this would be a very interesting and cost effective choice.

Voigtlander - M mount and F mount and EF mount 75 f/1.8 - I don't know much about this lens. It seems to be like among some Leica M shooters for it relatively wide aperture and fairly reasonable price. I really haven't even seen any samples from it.

Under $2000

Canon - EF 85 f/1.2L - It would be fully useable with a metabone III adapter, but I can't see the point. It is very large and not a lot if any better than the nFD and costs twice as much. Others point of view may differ, however.

Zeiss - Sony/Zeiss ZA 85 f/1.4 - This lens looks very nice from the samples and may make a lot of sense on an A7 with the LAE4 adapter. I probably wouldn't get it because I prefer manual focus, but it looks to be quite sharp even wide open. You might get the Contax N 85 f/1.4 under $2,000 as well and that looks like a fabulous lens, but I think you would have to search to find one at that price.

Leica - Leica R 80 f/1.4 - I have always liked the samples from this lens and particularly the bokeh. It has a glow wide open and really until about f/2.8, but it is blisteringly sharp stopped down. Another classic Mandler design. If you wanted smaller the Leica M 75 & 90 Summarits come in this price range and actually are very nice lenses or so they seem to me from the samples.

Pentax - A Series 85 f/1.4 A* - This manual focus lens is a gem. It is pretty sharp even from wide open and very sharp stopped down. It is quite small for an f/1.4 lens. It does seem to have some CA both in the focus plane and out of it.

Nikon - 85 f/1.4 G - This is their new AF lens and many people seem to really like it. I don't know much about it.

Under $500 (and typically smaller)

Canon - FD 85 f/1.8 - Frankly a lens I find pretty boring, but it is inexpensive and a pretty wide aperture for the price. Some really like it however.

Zeiss - Contax/Yashica mount 85 f/2.8 or Contax G 90 f/2.8 - both are similar designs with 5 elements and 4 groups and have similar MTF charts. They may not be identical optically but are close. The C/Y should be a lot easier to focus, but the Contax G is smaller. I have never owned either, but I do very much like the samples from this lens. There is also the ZM 85 f/4 in this price range which is a totally different design, but would be nice and small and likely a strong performer for landscape type shots.

Leica - Leica R 90 f/2.8 vII - This is a very strong lens and as I said above it was a great performer from wide open both close and far. It think it is a great deal at this price. it would not be small on an A7, however. In M mount there is also the 90 tele-elmarit in this price range. It is nice and small and a pretty good performer, but not in the league of the elmarit-M or the R elmarit vII.

Olympus OM - 85 f/2 - This is a quite small and decent lens. It has a floating element so should perform pretty well up close and far away. I am not a huge fan of the bokeh from the samples I have seen, but I have never owned the lens so others will likely know better.

Pentax - K mount (or M42 mount) 85 f/1.8 - This is a very nice lens and very well respected in Pentax circles. It looks to be a little soft wide open, but nicely sharp stopped down. It does have some CA, but a very nice lens in this group.

Nikon - 85 f/1.8 or f/2 Ai or AiS - These are very nice Nikkors and do a very competent job from what I have seen. I am sure others know a lot more about them than me.

Minolta - MC Rokkor 85 f/1.7, MD Rokkor 85 f/1.7, and MD 85 f/2. I think the MC Rokkor has beautiful bokeh and would make a wonderful portrait lens. The MD 85 f/2 would perhaps make a better all around lens and is smaller. All have the characteristic Minolta colours. In M mount there is all the 90 f/4 lens built for the CL and CLE, they are reputed to be quite good, but obviously a pretty narrower max aperture.

Konica - in M Mount there is the 90 f/2.8 which has a decent reputation, but I have never seen any samples from it.

Voigtlander - VM 90 f/3.5 APO, SL & SLII 90 f/3.5 APO - These are very nice and quite small lenses that are very strong both close up (the SLII comes with a close up lens that gets you to 1:1.8) and far away. I just got this lens for its strong overall performance and its small size. The M mount and SLR mount versions are very different shapes. The SLR mounts are quite short and have a bigger diameter, whereas the M mount is quite long and very skinny. Obviously does not have a very wide max aperture, but excellent otherwise. There is also the M mount 75 f/2.5 which is a very small and seemingly decent performing lens. I haven't seen many samples with it, however.

Samyang/Rokinon/Bower 85mm f/1.4 - Certainly the fastest lens in this price range. Quite nice bokeh. Build quality might be less than optimal. A very nice portrait lens, but IMO only average if that stopped down at a distance.

Edited on May 17, 2014 at 11:14 AM · View previous versions



May 17, 2014 at 09:18 AM
RustyBug
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · What are the best 85's?


Nice ^

tagrb




May 17, 2014 at 09:26 AM
artur5
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · What are the best 85's?


I have no direct experience with them, but the FA and KA versions of the Pentax 85/1.4, which are optically different, seem to be very highly regarded, ( much more so than the Pentax FA Limited 77/1.8)


May 17, 2014 at 10:41 AM
Ed Sawyer
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · What are the best 85's?


Consider the 75/1.5 Zeiss Biotar if you want a really unique look.


May 17, 2014 at 11:46 AM
redisburning
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · What are the best 85's?


my picks are the OM90 macro and E55 90mm Summicron-R

the a7r makes any lens without ray angle problems look good, so pick the one that has the OoF rendering you like best.



May 17, 2014 at 11:52 AM
v_deakin
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · What are the best 85's?


"Another interesting lens that I have seen for sale, but never even seen samples from is the Contarex 85 f/2. The lens looks cool and is a great size for the A7, and I has some clear fans, but as I said I have never even seen samples from it."
I'm one of those clear fans, and I've spent many an hour on Flickr, which has plenty of samples - some from the 85/2 somehow attached to Canon and Nikon FF's, matching it against the grands in close FL from Kinoptik, Angenieux and Dallmeyer. I also compared it to more recent Zeiss siblings like the 100/2 Planar and the ZM Sonnar 85/2. To my eyes it has the best of each and then some, it's soft and sharp at the same time, devoid of any harshness, and it has that rarest, shall I say 'multi-plane', 3D - most 3D lenses separate the front focal plane from the rest of the picture, all the other focal planes kind of jumbled together. In this one you see the total perspective going into the depth of the picture.
Again, IMHO, and one is entitled to one poetic waxing per forum entry.



May 17, 2014 at 12:28 PM
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · What are the best 85's?


Then again, the Sigma 85 may be worthy of consideration.


May 17, 2014 at 03:02 PM
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