Does anyone have experience pairing either the 85mm 1.8G or 1.4G to a film body? I'm really splitting hairs deciding which to keep for my N80.
In 2026 the price difference is small enough to not really be a deciding factor. They are both plenty sharp. The build of both seems basically perfect to me.
I have seen very impressive work done with the 1.4G and to me it has noticeably nicer colors and bokeh. However, I guess it may be spoiled for film cameras because of focus shift: several reviews (philipreeve, kasson, others) show at min focus distance the focal plane moves ~7 mm away when stopped down to f/2, f/2.8, f/4.0. In a headshot where you target the eyes, the capture will be focused inside the head. The effect is too small for me to see with DOF preview through the viewfinder, so I have no way to correct for it on film. Maybe I am overblowing this. I can't find many discussions about it.
I shoot street and travel pictures, always going out with only 1 camera + 1 lens, trying out longer focal lengths and more compression. Since the 1.8G is significantly smaller, lighter, faster-focusing and has a definitively irrelevant amount of focus shift it might be the sensible choice, the 1.4G's very beautiful rendering notwithstanding.
Thoughts, experience, sample pictures would be really appreciated!
I find lenses the size/weight of the 85 f/1.4G unpleasant on the N80. I've even got one with its little battery grip and it's still just not a great fit with fatter/heavier 1.4G's (24 and 35 in my case). So I'd keep the 1.8 if it's just for an N80.
No personal experience with those lenses but I've been asking myself the same question for some time, because I don't really have a fast portrait lens for F-mount.
I was kind of ruling out the 1.4G because of the focus shift. For me it's either the 1.8G or the 1.4D. The 1.8G is quite a bit sharper, but I don't think it matters too much on film and the 1.4D has the advantage that I could also use it on the F2 or F301 occasionally, not just the F65 and D700.
Another aspect to this for me: I actually enjoy apertures between f2.5 to f3.5 more for tighter portraits and 0.80m minimum focus distance can be a bit limiting sometimes. So I'm also wondering if a 90mm or 105mm macro lens would be the better option. The faster aperture is nice for wider shots though (full body etc).
fjablo wrote:
So I'm also wondering if a 90mm or 105mm macro lens would be the better option. The faster aperture is nice for wider shots though (full body etc).
You need a Zeiss ZF.2 100/2 Makro-Planar
Since it's an MF lens, though, it's better to use it on a Z than on an SLR.
fjablo wrote:
No personal experience with those lenses but I've been asking myself the same question for some time, because I don't really have a fast portrait lens for F-mount.
I was kind of ruling out the 1.4G because of the focus shift. For me it's either the 1.8G or the 1.4D. The 1.8G is quite a bit sharper, but I don't think it matters too much on film and the 1.4D has the advantage that I could also use it on the F2 or F301 occasionally, not just the F65 and D700.
Another aspect to this for me: I actually enjoy apertures between f2.5 to f3.5 more for tighter portraits and 0.80m minimum focus distance can be a bit limiting sometimes. So I'm also wondering if a 90mm or 105mm macro lens would be the better option. The faster aperture is nice for wider shots though (full body etc). ...Show more →
Definitely check out the 75-150 f/3.5. Better MFD than the 85's, great wide open look, flexible range, etc. The 105 f/2.5's are all great as well. I've got a couple of older NIKKOR-P 105's that just nudge the 75-150 out for portraits specifically, but only just. If you can live with manual focus and a lens design that's prone to zoom creep, the utility of the 75-150 can't really be overstated.
You may want to consider the polycarbonate 85mm f1.8 afd. It's a good lens, good bokeh, light weight, and it uses your camera's screw drive to focus instead of a builtin lens motor. Also, I would be extremely suspicious of claims of focus shift by a lens on a film camera body. I don't believe it's a thing. If you want af & incredible bokeh - the 85mm f1.4 afd is the ticket.
