{"id":11167,"date":"2012-06-27T22:57:07","date_gmt":"2012-06-28T02:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=11167"},"modified":"2017-12-11T18:03:30","modified_gmt":"2017-12-11T22:03:30","slug":"review-nikon-af-s-85mm-f1-8g-lens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/review-nikon-af-s-85mm-f1-8g-lens\/","title":{"rendered":"review: Nikon AF-S 85mm f\/1.8G lens"},"content":{"rendered":"

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review: Nikon AF-S 85mm f\/1.8G lens<\/h1>\n

At the same time that I photographed Anelisa for the review of the Nikon 28mm f\/1.8 AF-S lens<\/a>, I had the brand-new Nikon AF-S 85mm f\/1.8G lens<\/a>\u00a0(B&H<\/a> \/ Amazon<\/a><\/em>) on my other camera body. For every place that I photographed Anelisa with the 28mm f\/1.8 lens, I also shot similar images with the 85mm f\/1.8 lens. In a way, these two lenses complement each other, if you like working with a dual prime lens setup. A nice wide-angle view with the one lens, while the 85mm is a sweet portrait lens.<\/p>\n

Wanting to show off the shallow depth-of-field, I shot at f\/1.8 or f\/2.0 throughout this photo session.<\/p>\n

I have to remark that in terms of the bokeh alone, this new f\/1.8G lens is a superb upgrade to the previous f\/1.8D version. The D series lens had harsh bokeh. The G series lens has smoother bokeh. In fact, doing various test shots in my garden the next day, I couldn’t distinguish between the bokeh of the Nikon 85mm f\/1.4G<\/a>\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>)\u00a0and the new f\/1.8G lens. Couple that with the quiet autofocus\u00a0and\u00a0that this new lens is very sharp wide open, the\u00a0Nikon 85mm f\/1.8G<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(affiliate<\/em>)\u00a0is an excellent choice for the more budget-minded photographer.<\/p>\n

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This fast prime lens from Nikon delivers superb image quality. Nikon’s Super Integrated Coating (SIC) is a multi-layer lens coating that improves light transmission, provides better color consistency, and minimizes ghost and flare to a negligible level.\u00a0From the various images I shot, the lens is sharp, and it wasn’t easy to get flare. So that is well controlled. As can be expected from any optic, used wide-open, the contrast is reduced, and you will have to adjust for that in post-processing.<\/p>\n

Nikon\u2019s Silent Wave Motor (SWM) delivers fast and quiet autofocus. Even better, the length of the lens isn’t altered as with focusing. The lens responded fast in auto-focusing on my Nikon D4 camera.<\/p>\n

This lens has 7 rounded blades of the lens diaphragm which is intended to smoothly render the out-of-focus areas. In other words, the bokeh is smooth and pleasant. (As an aside,\u00a0shallow depth-of-field is not<\/strong> the same thing as bokeh<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

All the images shown here were shot using just the available light.<\/p>\n

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