 |
|
|
rk-d
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 26, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 109
|
|
Review Date: Mar 2, 2009
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,025.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Exceptional sharpness at 1.4, but with an organic, film quality. Bokeh is the best I've ever seen. Construction is indisputably pro. Colors are beautifully natural. Comes with a full metal hood.
|
|
Cons:
|
Still AF-D, VR would be nice to have, CA is a major flaw, Hood is screw on type. Expensive, given lack of modern technology.
|
|
|
This is one the best lenses I've ever owned. It has been described as "smooth yet sharp" and this is the best description I've heard. The bokeh is the definition of creamy smooth, yet the focus point will be absolutely pin sharp. When combined with the beautifully natural colors and contrast, the overall image is very film like in presence. The images from this lens have a very distinctive organic quality that I can pick out every time, so if you don't like a lens to have a personality - this may not be the lens for you.
It's not perfect, though. Wide open CA is among the worst I've experienced in high end glass. The lack of AF-S is annoying - focus acquisition is slow and noisy. The nature of shooting a wide open 1.4 at 85mm makes it tricky in locking a reliable focus - a problem exacerbated on DX cameras. VR would be a nice solution to help when your focus plane is a matter of millimeters.
The construction is old school - it has that awesome crinkly finish that Nikon no longer uses and a nicely engraved, metal front lens surround and filter thread. The included hood is a nice metal piece, but is a screw in type which can be annoying.
When it comes down to it, despite it's real flaws, this is a legendary piece of glass and well worth owning. Highly recommended.
|
|
 Mar 2, 2009
|
|
mendis
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 30, 2005
Location: Singapore
Posts: 1467
|
|
Review Date: Feb 23, 2009
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Sharp at f1.4 Bokeh is beautiful. Handy and fast
|
|
Cons:
|
a little exp
|
|
|
I fell in love with this lens the moment I put in on my camera. The handling and feel of the lens is wonderful. The image at f1.4 was quite magical; colours and contrast are excellent.
|
|
|
Feb 23, 2009
|
|
mholdef
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 25, 2005
Location: France
Posts: 1013
|
|
Review Date: Nov 29, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Color, bokeh, sharp even wide open, construction, lightweight
|
|
Cons:
|
Autofocus is reasonably fast but faster would be welcome, screw-in hood
|
|
I bought this lens for portraits in combination with my D700.
I've been very pleased with the image quality which exceeded my expectations at least wide open at f/1.4.
You can see some of my first images in the galery below, most having been taken wide open.
http://www.pbase.com/mholdef/other_portraits
Mark
|
|
|
Nov 29, 2008
|
|
tudor8king
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 28, 2008
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Aug 28, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
I bought this lens yesterday, and have used it on my D300 today. It is expensive, but it is worth every penny.A truly amazing lens.
|
|
Cons:
|
None
|
|
|
Beautiful images, extremely sharp, gorgeous colours.
|
|
|
Aug 28, 2008
|
|
Avi B
Offline
Image Upload: On
Registered: Dec 7, 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 6753
|
|
Review Date: Jul 13, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Good build quality. Great bokeh. Really sharp wide open. Fast focus.
|
|
Cons:
|
The attached hood is hard to put on and can't be reversed on the ring. Focus motor is not AFS so it's noisy if you want to be as quiet as possible.
|
|
Great portrait lens. The bokeh is just so creamy. This is Nikon's dream cream machine  I never bothered with the f/1.8 version, jumping straight to this one. I'm glad I did. It could use a AF-S update for those times when you want to be silent.
|
|
|
Jul 13, 2008
|
|
Edwingoh
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: China
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 27, 2008
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $830.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
AF is very fast..Sharpness and Bokeh is nice...Very Sharp at F1.4
|
|
Cons:
|
None
|
|
|
I am a Canon Fans...But Nikon D3 is so attractive...so i buy D3 to try. And the Result is very nice...Even better than Canon one. AF85mm F1.4D is my first nikon lens. I also have the Canon EF 85mm F1.2. The feel between this 2 lens is different. Both of them are good. Sharpness of Nikkor at Wide open is very good. The bokeh is very nice. AF speed is fast enough when use with D3...should be very fast...faster than i use Canon 1Dmk2 or 5D with 85mm F1.2...the Quality of the pics is amazing...i like this lens so much. Nice Prime Lens.
|
|
|
May 27, 2008
|
|
Andrej Korenc
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 15, 2007
Location: Slovenia
Posts: 23
|
|
Review Date: Aug 15, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Sharpness wide open, bokeh, build quality ...
|
|
Cons:
|
Lame screw-on hood, massive purple fringing, price (considering it is not a SWM motor driven lens)
|
|
|
Definetely one of the sharpest lenses I own, great, beautiful bokeh, really well built, balances great on a D200+grip body. I acquired a deeper metal screw-on lens hood, because the added one is just unusefull on a DX body. It is a shame the lens lacks a SWM focusing motor, so it's kinda slow and noisy on a D200/80 body. Highly recommended lens for everybody shooting in low light or portrait/wedding photography, a must have!
|
|
|
Aug 15, 2007
|
|
Brandon Mizar
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 5, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 1552
|
|
Review Date: May 4, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $850.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Its sharp as a tack, focuses fast on my D2Xs and takes amazing portraits.
|
|
Cons:
|
Goofy screw on hood
|
|
|
I shoot primarily weddings and this lens is amazing. I have yet to find a better piece of glass for shooting portraits. I will never get rid of this lens. Works awesome on my F5 and my D2Xs. Well worth the money I spent on this.
|
|
|
May 4, 2007
|
|
Don Olson
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 24, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 484
|
|
Review Date: Apr 11, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Build, feel, sharpness, quality, contrast, sharpness, focusing, weight not an issue, subject isolation, sharpness. All of the attributes one would expect out of a lens of this quality. Did I mention sharpness through out it's range?
|
|
Cons:
|
None, You ARE getting what you pay for.
|
|
|
Is this lens worth the price over the 1.8 that is almost as good? If you aren't satisfied with "almost as good" and want a no holds bared prime lens in this focal length then yes.
Since getting this lens in Dec. it stays on the the camera and I do everything with it I can. It is for me a joy to use but took a bit of learning to use it well and I am still and always learning.
Not one regret what so ever.
|
|
|
Apr 11, 2007
|
|
Bullhead
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 19, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2
|
|
Review Date: Jan 21, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Absolutely incredible portrait lens, produces images unlike any other in my opinion,another legendary Nikon lens. Expensive yes but oh,the quality is astounding, can't recommend this lens enough for portrait shooters and wedding photographers.
|
|
Cons:
|
Price,but is that really a negative for a lens of this quality ? I don't think so, magnificent.
|
|
|
My all time favorite prime lens ! For portraits I defy anyone to find a better lens, the cream machine is king,end of story !
|
|
|
Jan 21, 2007
|
|
old shooter
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 18, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 54
|
|
Review Date: Jan 9, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Sharp & fast
|
|
Cons:
|
none
|
|
|
I don't shoot macro; this lens was purchased solely for the purpose of shooting a indoor sport where flash is prohibited. A f2.8 lens simply wasn't fast enough. This lens did a beautiful, beautiful job for me. It focused quickly, had a reasonable depth-of-field (given the application), and was very sharp even wide open. After close to a 1000 takes with it, I'd never consider giving it up. To me, it was worth the price. We also own Canon equipment, and we've tried their 85mm/f1.4. It won't even come close to this lens (but didn't cost near so much either).
|
|
|
Jan 9, 2007
|
|
AdrianBoliston
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 29, 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Dec 31, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
This lens is built to last! It is all metal and has an excellent screw in metal hood which I much prefer to the plastic bayonet hoods which fall off the lens!
|
|
Cons:
|
It's quite heavy
|
|
|
This lens has a narrow angle of view on my d70s, and I have to work a bit on composition. The clarity and contrast is excellent and the focus very precise.
|
|
|
Dec 31, 2006
|
|
w2hef
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Mar 14, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 614
|
|
Review Date: Sep 17, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,024.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Great 1.4 DOF
Fantastic build quality
Huge 77mm lens
Sharp as a tack
|
|
Cons:
|
A little pricey
|
|
|
Just a fantastic lens. Sharp even at wide open. I would recommend this lens to anyone. It can be used on my d200, f100 and with an adaptor in AV mode even my EOS Full Frame cameras. The effect it has on your pictures with it's fantastic bokeh is unbelievable.
|
|
|
Sep 17, 2006
|
|
WaldenL
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 3, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 483
|
|
Review Date: Jul 4, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Sharpness, bokeh, Low-light-usage
|
|
Cons:
|
Focal-length (on Digital), screw on hood
|
|
|
Absolutely incredible lens. One of the best Nikon has ever made. If you're looking for something that is fast and tack-sharp this is for you. However, watch the focal length. Just like any other lens, on digital it's a 1.5x crop, so this lens is really a 127.5mm. If that's the length you're looking for, get this lens. However, in my case I'm glad I rented it since it's not really a length I need as it overlaps my other lenses.
In short, if you want a 127.5mm 1.4 lens, this is the one to get!
|
|
|
Jul 4, 2006
|
|
patotts
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jul 8, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 335
|
|
Review Date: Nov 8, 2005
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,050.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
sharpness, bokeh, handling/built
|
|
Cons:
|
85/1.4 sort of lost it's place in a DX/DSLR world, most of the time it is just too long. AF could be faster
|
|
|
Overall, I consider this to be one of Nikon's finest performers. It is a big lens, but not as massive as e.g. Canon's 85/1.2 L, and it is 2/3 of that price as well.
Bottomline: when I was shooting film I loved this glass, my fav available light/portrait lens bar none, but now with DX/DSLR it make much less sense, and unfortunately the 50/1.4D is not up to the quality of this lens.
Be sure to try/rent this lens before buying to ensure that 85mm is what you want in a Nikon digital world. If it is, or if you are still shooting film, you'll love this lens!
|
|
|
Nov 8, 2005
|
|
LarryFRCGP
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 4, 2005
Location: China
Posts: 5
|
|
Review Date: Oct 7, 2005
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Solid feel, professional finish, reference-standard sharpness for a portrait lens
|
|
Cons:
|
price
|
|
|
Never know a lens can be that sharp. I'll say it gives microscopic resolving power at f/5.6-8. Works equally well on my F5 and D2X. Best for wedding/function candid shots.
|
|
|
Oct 7, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reviews
|
Views
|
Date of last review
|
|
45
|
128217
|
Apr 23, 2013
|
|
|
Recommended By
|
Average Price
|
|
98% of reviewers
|
$1,018.00
|
|
|
Build Quality Rating
|
Price Rating
|
Overall Rating
|
|
9.81
|
8.89
|
9.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
