Nikon Porn - 85mm 1.4G - Finally a prime that makes me forget the Canon 85mm 1.2L

[quazimoto]

I dont think there has been another lens that has caused such a stir amongst Nikon shooters in a while. The 85mm 1.4G has done so since people can't grasp why this lens is costing the extra $$$$. I think I ended up paying a whole $500 more for the G over the D and rightfully so.

My experiences with the D were basically a lens that is optically great, very sharp wide open, amazing bokeh, average autofocus in terms of accuracy however the lens does have bad CA and it can't track moving objects for the life of it.

I've waited a while for a prime I felt could rival the 50mm 1.2L and 85mm 1.2L I used to have when I was shooting with Canon. I can now say first hand the 85mm 1.4G from Nikon is everything a photog could want and more. The focus on the lens is smooth and most importantly it can easily focus on moving objects even when the light is crap.

For all those wondering if the G is worth that extra money the answer is a big yes.

[JAYMEZ]

Awesome! Was looking for a new lens !

[syeve]

beautiful! Congrats!

[Mitsu3000gt]

Definitely a great lens and easily worth the premium if its a workhorse. Bjorn mentioned it's one of the best lenses he has ever tested. It's a step ahead of both the Nikon 85 AF-D and the Canon 85 1.2 for sure.

Do you wish it had VR? Just curious.

[AccentAE86]

The 85L is still king in terms of image quality, but it's autofocus is so painfully slow. I had one and it was terrible for anything but stationary objects/people. How is the focusing speed on the 85G?

[taemo]

great shots.. shows what the lense can do

out of curiosity, how is it better than the 85mm 1.2L?
what are the major differences betweel D and G?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by taemo
great shots.. shows what the lense can do

out of curiosity, how is it better than the 85mm 1.2L?
what are the major differences betweel D and G?

VS the 85 L, faster focusing and slightly better optically, at least according to the people I've talked to who own both. I imagine with such wide aperture lenses there is going to be a little bit of sample variation anyways. Both lenses are top notch, you can't really go wrong - the Nikon is just a newer design. I doubt anyone could tell a difference between the two without some serious back to back comparisons.

Major difference between the D an G, the G is slightly better optically, has AF-S, and has Nanocoating. A major upgrade to some, a meaningless upgrade to others - depends on the usage. With a pro body the AF-D focused pretty fast too.

[quazimoto]

The optical quality between the D and G is quite similar. I can feel a slight edge on the G though.

The performance of the zoom is WAY better than the D though. Even on a D3x or D3s I found the D always had issues tracking moving subjects which well would limit the lens' usefullness in my eyes.

Oddly sorry the 85mm 1.2L is no longer king I would say. I loved that lens to pieces when I shot with Canon. The two are very similar opitcally with the exception one is slightly faster obviously and at the same time the 85mm 1.2L is slow which is it's only problem.

I'll need to edit a few ceremony shots I did at a wedding wide open at F1.4. The bokeh is just so nice and it's nice to be able to easily pull this kind of thing off at a wedding.

[quazimoto]

This was shot wide open as a basically a test shot right into the sun. I always had issues on my 85 1.4D doing this. I figure a $50,000 horse would make a good subject.

[Mitsu3000gt]

If it wasn't worth $50k would it still get to wear that sweet coat?

[quazimoto]

LOL I honestly dont know. There are horses there worth plenty more. This one is just a rather timid poser. His big brother is the horse I really want to buy. I just start thinking of the glass I could buy instead of that horse and well ya it's a hard decision. When your Fiancee is into horses it makes for an expensive life. This will be the first year though where I physically re-coup some money on them.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Sounds like you're doing well then if you are paying off some of the awesome lenses you've been buying. Are you interested in the new 35mm as well?

The picture looks great considering it was shot at 1.4 into the sun, the AF-D was sometimes criticized for it's performance in those situations but that is clearly a non issue with the G.

[quazimoto]

I'm not entirely sure on the 35mm yet. I'd love to try it out first. The focal length seems very ideal though. Shooting into the sun there is a VAST improvement. I think the focus was kind of tricky for that shot just due to where the horses head was with respect to the gate.

This year was all about lens investment from my side though. The 200mm F2 was really a multipurpose lens for me though. I needed something I could use to shoot with a teleconverter attached for doing equestrian photos while at the same time wanting it for weddings.

Having my car broken into earlier this year though didn't make life easy as I had two lenses and a camera body stolen and it took a while to get the claims to go through.

The 85mm wasn't that bad for me as I just sold my old one for $900. I think new they are still going for $1100 or something which considering I paid $1649 for the G the difference isn't that much I wouldn't think.

[quazimoto]

I think after finally getting the opportunity to use it at a wedding it'll definitely be one of these lenses that more and more serious photographers will pickup. First time I've really felt somewhat comfortable during a ceremony using a prime this wide open.

The focusing in AF-C mode is extremely impressive compared to the old version and is where you will notice the most difference. I was able to get mine for $1649 I think. Which when you consider they are selling the D for $1100 or something like that it's not so bad. The lens does tend to make a little noise though which for a SWM lens is a tad annoying to me. When I spoke with the guys at NPS they were assuring me it was just the amount of glass moving in such a small lens.


Now I just can't wait to use it at the Palliser Hotel come November

[taemo]

thanks for the explanation guys, from what you guys are saying and those shots.. seems like it was worth the investment

[mboldt]

Do want! Nice shots quazi!
Next purchase for sure!

[quazimoto]

Thanks

So far the accuracy and consistency of the lens are just what I was hoping for which is what is so important in my world.