The Nikon Nikkor 85mm F/1.8 G AF-S also excels at head and shoulder portraiture. When mounted on a DX-format D-SLR, the AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G has a field of view equivalent to what a 127mm lens would produce on an FX body. Fast f/1.8, compact FX-format prime (fixed focal length) medium telephoto lens; AF-S SWM (Silent Wave Motor) Pre-CES: Nikon has launched the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 G, an updated version of its popular moderate telephoto prime lens. The AF-S version of the lens is a completely new optical design and features a built-in focusing motor to allow it to autofocus on all Nikon DSLRs. The lens features an internal focus design and 7 rounded aperture blades. It can focus down to a distance of 80cm (2.6ft The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G is an excellent lens and an excellent value, making it easy to call our Editors' Choice. Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G 4.0 Editors' Choice See It $359.00 The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G is a wonderful lens, and so is the original 85/1.8D. If you intend to use this new lens on one of Nikon's cheaper DSLRs that lacks its own AF motor, get this 85/1.8 G lens. If you want instant manual-focus override, get this lens or the 85/1.4 AFS-G. . All Tests Canon EOS APS-C Canon EOS full F. Nikon DX APS-C Nikon FX full F. Nikon 1 CX Sony Alpha APS-C Sony Alpha full F. Micro-Four-Thirds Four-Thirds Pentax K Pentax Q Samsung NX Fujifilm X Leica M DSLR Reviews PZ Rating System Lens Test FAQ Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/ G FX - Review / Test Report Lens Reviews - Nikon / Nikkor full format Article Index Introduction Analysis Sample Images & Verdict Page 1 of 3 Review by Markus Stamm, published February 2012 Introduction Nikon continues to update its range of affordable fast primes with the new Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/ G. While the existing screw driven AF-D lens was not a bad performer, Nikon's decision to remove the screw drive from its entry-level DX cameras made the lens a rather unattractive choice for the majority of their customers. Consequently, the new model now offers a silent wave AF drive, which makes it compatible with the complete range of current Nikon DSLRs. Even though the largest pressure to update the lens may have come from DX customers, a 85mm prime traditionally is a classic portrait focal length on full frame cameras. So, in this review, we'll have a look at how the lens performs on our current FX test camera, the Nikon D3x. The build quality of the lens is very decent thanks to an outer barrel made out of high quality plastics. It's the same material used on most recently released consumer primes, in fact the lens looks and feels like a scaled up variant of an AF-S 50mm. The rubberized focus ring is nicely damped and operates smoothly. We're glad to report that the focus unit follows the focus ring immediately and without any delay, even when changing the focus direction. Thanks to an IF inner focus design the length remains constant regardless of the focus setting and the front element does not rotate. Using a polarizer is therefore no problem. The lens features a Silent Wave ultrasonic drive allowing for a near-silent autofocus and manual override at all times. The AF speed is quite fast for a portrait prime, but still slower than the high-end f/ professional zooms. The AF-S 85 is a G-type lens and thus does not offer an aperture ring. Specifications Optical construction9 elements in 9 groups Number of aperture blades7 rounded min. focus m max. magnification ratio 18 Dimensions80 x 73 mm Weight350 g Filter size67 mm non-rotating HoodNikon HB-62, barrel-shaped bayonet mount, supplied Other featuresLens provides distance D information to the camera, Silent Wave AF motor NEXT PAGE Digital Camera World Verdict Small, fast and sharp, this lens costs less than a third of the price of Nikon’s AF-S 85mm f/ lens. If you can live without the extra two-thirds of an f/stop of the faster lens, the f/ is much better value and is still capable of delivering attractive bokeh, along with excellent sharpness. All in all, it’s the Nikon portrait and still life lens for the masses. Pros +Compact and lightweight+Solid build quality+Impressive performance Cons -Slower than an f/ prime-No optical stabilization-Not extensively weather-sealed Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test. There’s a lot to be said for compact lenses that don’t take up too much room in your kit bag. This Nikon AF-S 85mm f/ fits the bill perfectly, weighing in at just 350g. That’s little more than half the weight of Nikon’s faster AF-S 85mm f/ lens, which itself is very compact and lightweight for an 85mm prime with such a fast aperture. Unlike the f/ lens, however, the f/ is refreshingly inexpensive for an own-brand Nikon lens, at less than a third of the price of its more The best Nikon portrait lenses The best camera for portraitsSpecificationsMount Nikon F FX Full-frame Yes Autofocus Yes Stabilisation No Lens construction 9 elements in 9 groups Angle of view degrees Diaphragm blades 7 Minimum aperture f/16 Minimum focusing distance Maximum magnification ratio Filter size 67mm Dimensions 80x73mm Weight 350gKey featuresSimple but effective, this lens has a total of nine elements in its optical path, with not a single aspherical or ED Extra-low Dispersion element in sight. Autofocus is courtesy of a fast, ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system, which comes with the usual focus distance scale and manual override facility. There’s an M/A M’ focus mode selection switch on the barrel, offering choices of autofocus with priority given to manual override, or fully manual focusing. The minimum focus distance of is pretty typical for an 85mm prime lens, enabling a maximum magnification factor of More unusual for this class of lens is that the aperture diaphragm is based on seven blades rather than nine. This raises the risk of the aperture not being so well-rounded when you stop down. Build quality is good, complete with a rubber weather-seal on the mounting impressive sharpness across most of the frame, apart from in the extreme corners at the widest aperture. Bokeh is impressively smooth for an f/ lens and, despite only having seven diaphragm blades, points of light remain fairly well-rounded when stopping down a resultsWe run a range of lab tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms where available, then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations. We use Imatest SFR spatial frequency response charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing chromatic aberration. SharpnessImage credit FutureThe little Nikon really punches above its weight for sharpness, which is generally excellent and still very good at the widest aperture of f/ apart from in the extreme corners of the image frame. FringingImage credit FutureBoth lateral and axial chromatic aberrations are minimal, the latter helped by the fairly modest aperture rating. Distortion a slight touch of pincushion distortion but it’s generally hard to spot and easily fast and sharp, this lens costs less than a third of the price of Nikon’s AF-S 85mm f/ lens. If you can live without the extra two-thirds of an f/stop of the faster lens, the f/ is much better value and is still capable of delivering attractive bokeh, along with excellent sharpness. All in all, it’s the Nikon portrait and still life lens for the more• Best camera lenses to get • Best Canon lenses • Best Nikon lenses • Best Sony lenses Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited accessEnjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 *Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription Join now for unlimited accessTry first month for just £1 / $1 / €1 Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide. Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/ G FX - Review / Test Report Lens Reviews - Nikon / Nikkor full format Page 1 of 3 Review by Markus Stamm, published August 2021 Introduction 85mm is a focal length very popular for portrait photography. Typically, very fast lenses are used for that purpose f/ or even faster, because they have a reputation of offering the smoothest bokeh and the most appropriate skin tone rendering. Unfortunately, those lenses are usually fairly big, heavy and most of all expensive. Luckily, there are alternatives, both in terms of lenses and also, what to shoot with a moderate tele prime. Not everyone needs a special portrait lens some maybe don't even shoot portraits at all. With the AF-S 85/ G, Nikon offers such a more affordable and budget-friendly alternative for mainstream clients and purposes. The lens offers most of the technical standards of the late F mount era, especially a silent-wave AF drive, which makes it compatible with the complete range of current Nikon DSLRs. In this review we take a look at how the lens performs on our 45 MP review camera, the Nikon D850. We also reviewed the lens on the Nikon D3x back in 2012, so if you're interested in how the lens performs on a lower resolution FX body, please have a look here. For obvious reasons, parts of the earlier review have been reused here. The build quality of the lens is very decent thanks to an outer barrel made out of high quality plastics. It's the same material used on most recently released consumer primes, in fact the lens looks and feels like a scaled up variant of an AF-S 50mm. The rubberized focus ring is nicely damped and operates smoothly. We're glad to report that the focus unit follows the focus ring immediately and without any delay, even when changing the focus direction. Thanks to an IF inner focus design the length remains constant regardless of the focus setting and the front element does not rotate. Using a polarizer is therefore no problem. The lens features a Silent Wave ultrasonic drive allowing for a near-silent autofocus and manual override at all times. The AF speed is quite fast for a portrait prime, but still slower than the high-end f/ professional zooms. The AF-S 85 is a G-type lens and thus does not offer an aperture ring. Specifications Optical construction9 elements in 9 groups Number of aperture blades7 rounded min. focus m max. magnification ratio 18 Dimensions80 x 73 mm Weight350 g Filter size67 mm non-rotating HoodNikon HB-62, barrel-shaped bayonet mount, supplied Other featuresLens provides distance D information to the camera, Silent Wave AF motor

af nikkor 85mm f 1.8 g