Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D: A Classic Portrait Lens

Nikon 85mm 1.8 af d – The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D, a lens that has earned its place as a classic among photographers, embodies a timeless combination of affordability, versatility, and image quality. Introduced in 1996, this lens quickly became a favorite for portrait photographers and continues to be a popular choice for a variety of photographic genres.

Its sharp rendering, creamy bokeh, and fast aperture make it ideal for capturing subjects with a captivating depth and detail. The “AF-D” designation indicates the lens’s autofocus capabilities and its ability to communicate with Nikon’s D-series cameras, allowing for precise autofocus and aperture control.

Overview of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Lens

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens, a staple in the world of photography, is a classic portrait lens renowned for its sharpness, affordability, and versatility. It is a prime lens, meaning it has a fixed focal length, and is known for its ability to produce stunning portraits with a shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh.

Key Features of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Lens

This lens boasts a range of features that contribute to its popularity.

• Focal Length:85mm. This focal length is considered ideal for portrait photography, as it provides a flattering perspective that minimizes distortion and emphasizes the subject’s features.
• Maximum Aperture:f/1.8. This wide maximum aperture allows for shallow depth of field, isolating the subject from the background and creating a pleasing blur effect (bokeh). It also enables photographers to shoot in low-light conditions with faster shutter speeds, reducing the risk of camera shake.

• Optical Design:The lens consists of 6 elements in 5 groups. This relatively simple design, combined with high-quality glass, contributes to its sharpness and excellent image quality.
• Autofocus:The lens features a screw-drive autofocus system, which is known for its smooth and quiet operation. This system is compatible with Nikon cameras that have a built-in autofocus motor.
• Manual Focus Override:The lens allows for manual focus override, enabling photographers to fine-tune focus manually if desired.
• Diaphragm Blades:The lens has 7 diaphragm blades, which create a nearly circular aperture when stopped down. This helps to produce pleasing bokeh with a smooth, even transition.

The Significance of the “AF-D” Designation, Nikon 85mm 1.8 af d

The “AF-D” designation indicates that the lens is an autofocus lens with a “D” type aperture control system. This system allows the camera’s metering system to communicate with the lens, providing more accurate exposure readings, particularly in low-light conditions.

History of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Lens

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens was first introduced in 1996. It replaced the earlier Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF lens, offering improvements in autofocus speed and overall image quality. This lens has remained a popular choice for photographers due to its exceptional value for its price and its ability to produce high-quality images.

Image Quality and Performance

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is renowned for its exceptional image quality, offering a balance of sharpness, contrast, and pleasing color rendition. Its performance is often praised, particularly when considering its affordable price point. This section delves into the lens’s image characteristics, exploring its performance at various apertures and showcasing examples of its strengths and weaknesses.

Image Sharpness

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens exhibits excellent sharpness, particularly when stopped down to f/2.8 or smaller. At wider apertures, especially wide open at f/1.8, the lens may exhibit some softness in the corners, a common characteristic of fast aperture lenses.

However, this softness is generally considered acceptable and can be easily corrected in post-processing. As the aperture is stopped down, the lens’s sharpness improves significantly, achieving peak performance around f/5.6 to f/8. At these apertures, the lens produces images with remarkable detail and clarity across the entire frame.

The lens’s sharpness can be attributed to its optical design, which includes six elements in five groups. This design incorporates a single aspherical element, which helps to minimize distortion and improve image sharpness.

Contrast and Color Rendition

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is known for its high contrast and vibrant color rendition. This lens produces images with a pleasing depth and richness, enhancing the overall impact of photographs. The lens’s ability to render colors accurately and vividly is particularly notable in portrait photography.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is a classic choice for portrait photographers, known for its sharp rendering and beautiful bokeh. Its wide aperture allows for shallow depth of field, isolating subjects from the background and creating a sense of depth.

While this lens excels in capturing human subjects, it also finds its niche in still life photography, where its ability to render detail and texture is equally impressive. The timeless design of this lens is reminiscent of another iconic object, the Hamilton 992B pocket watch , which embodies precision engineering and classic elegance.

Both the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens and the Hamilton 992B pocket watch represent a commitment to quality and enduring design, making them prized possessions for photographers and collectors alike.

It captures skin tones beautifully, with a natural and flattering rendition.

Performance at Different Apertures

• Wide Open (f/1.8):While the lens exhibits some softness in the corners at this aperture, it still delivers excellent results for portrait photography, especially when utilizing the shallow depth of field for background blur. The lens’s bokeh (background blur) is smooth and pleasing, with a slightly swirly effect that adds to the artistic appeal of images.

• Stopped Down (f/2.8 to f/5.6):As the aperture is stopped down, the lens’s sharpness increases dramatically. This aperture range is ideal for capturing landscapes, architecture, and other subjects where sharpness and detail are crucial. The lens’s contrast and color rendition remain excellent throughout this range.

• Stopped Down Further (f/8 to f/16):At these smaller apertures, the lens achieves its peak sharpness. However, diffraction starts to become noticeable, leading to a slight decrease in image quality. This is a common phenomenon with all lenses at very small apertures.

Examples of Photographs Taken with the Lens

“The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is a true workhorse for portrait photography. Its shallow depth of field allows for beautiful background blur, while its sharpness and color rendition capture the subject’s details with stunning accuracy. It’s a lens that consistently delivers professional-quality results.”

[Photographer’s Name]

“I love using this lens for street photography. It’s compact and discreet, and its fast aperture allows me to capture candid moments with ease. The lens’s sharpness and contrast help to create vibrant and impactful images.”

[Photographer’s Name]

Bokeh and Depth of Field

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is renowned for its exceptional bokeh, a quality that adds a captivating aesthetic to images by blurring out-of-focus areas. This lens excels in creating pleasing and smooth bokeh, contributing to its popularity among portrait photographers.

Bokeh Characteristics

The lens’s bokeh characteristics are largely influenced by its aperture blades and optical design. The seven aperture blades create a nearly circular aperture opening, which contributes to the smooth and pleasing bokeh rendering. The lens’s optical design also plays a role in minimizing onion rings and other artifacts that can degrade bokeh quality.

Depth of Field and Subject Isolation

The depth of field, the area in focus, is determined by the lens’s focal length, aperture, and distance to the subject. The 85mm focal length of this lens naturally creates a shallow depth of field, especially when shooting wide open at f/1.8.

This characteristic is highly advantageous for portrait photography, as it effectively isolates the subject from the background, creating a sense of depth and dimensionality.

The depth of field at f/1.8 is extremely shallow, allowing for significant subject isolation. This is particularly evident when photographing subjects close-up, as the background becomes beautifully blurred, drawing attention to the subject.

Examples of Bokeh

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens produces smooth and pleasing bokeh, particularly when shooting at wider apertures. This is evident in photographs of subjects with busy backgrounds, where the lens effectively separates the subject from the background, resulting in a dreamy and artistic aesthetic.

For example, consider a portrait of a person against a backdrop of a bustling city street. With the lens wide open at f/1.8, the background is transformed into a soft and colorful blur, while the subject remains sharp and in focus.

This effect draws the viewer’s attention to the subject, enhancing the portrait’s impact and artistic appeal.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens, a classic for its sharpness and affordability, is a popular choice for portrait photographers. Its wide aperture allows for shallow depth of field, isolating subjects and creating a pleasing bokeh effect. But the choice of camera body can significantly impact the overall image quality.

For Sony users, the sony a6400 vs a6700 debate is a common one, with the a6700 offering faster autofocus and better image stabilization, which can be crucial for capturing sharp images at the lens’s wider apertures. Ultimately, the right camera body for the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D depends on the individual photographer’s needs and shooting style.

Autofocus and Handling

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is known for its reliable autofocus performance and comfortable handling, making it a popular choice among photographers of various skill levels.

Autofocus Speed and Accuracy

The autofocus system of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is driven by a silent wave motor (SWM), which provides fast and accurate autofocus performance. The SWM technology ensures quiet operation, making it ideal for shooting in sensitive environments where silence is paramount.

The autofocus speed of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is generally considered to be fast and reliable, especially when compared to other lenses in its price range.

While the lens’s autofocus speed is impressive, its accuracy can be affected by factors such as lighting conditions and the subject’s contrast. In low-light situations, the autofocus system may struggle to acquire focus, resulting in missed shots or inaccurate focus.

Build Quality, Weight, and Handling

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is constructed with a robust metal barrel and a durable plastic lens mount. The lens’s weight, approximately 350 grams, provides a sense of solidity and stability in the hand, contributing to a comfortable shooting experience.

The lens’s size and weight are well-balanced, making it easy to handle and maneuver, even for extended shooting sessions.

Comparison of Autofocus Performance with Other Nikon Lenses

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens’s autofocus performance compares favorably to other Nikon lenses in its class. While newer lenses, such as the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G, offer faster and more accurate autofocus, the AF-D version remains a viable option for photographers seeking a balance between performance and affordability.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is a great choice for photographers who value affordability without compromising on autofocus performance.

Applications and Uses: Nikon 85mm 1.8 Af D

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is a versatile tool that excels in a variety of photographic genres, making it a popular choice for both professional and amateur photographers. Its combination of fast aperture, sharp image quality, and compact size makes it suitable for capturing a wide range of subjects, from portraits to street scenes.

Portraiture

The 85mm focal length is widely considered ideal for portrait photography, offering a flattering perspective that minimizes distortion and emphasizes the subject’s features. The lens’s wide aperture of f/1.8 allows for shallow depth of field, effectively blurring the background and isolating the subject.

This creates a pleasing bokeh effect, drawing attention to the subject and enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the image.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D is a classic lens known for its sharpness and pleasing bokeh, often favored by portrait photographers. Its fixed aperture design allows for precise control over depth of field, isolating subjects against blurred backgrounds. For those seeking a wider perspective, the Leica R 35mm Summicron-V2 offers a different aesthetic, capturing more of the scene with its wider field of view.

Both lenses excel in their respective focal lengths, catering to different photographic styles and subject matter.

The 85mm focal length is often referred to as the “portrait lens” due to its ability to capture subjects with a flattering perspective and create pleasing bokeh.

• Shallow Depth of Field:The wide aperture of f/1.8 allows for shallow depth of field, which blurs the background and isolates the subject, creating a pleasing bokeh effect. This is particularly useful for portrait photography, where the focus is on the subject’s face and expressions.

• Sharpness and Detail:The lens produces sharp images with excellent detail, capturing fine features and textures of the subject’s face. This is crucial for creating high-quality portraits that showcase the subject’s beauty and individuality.
• Natural Skin Tones:The lens’s color rendition is known for its accuracy, producing natural skin tones that are true to life. This is essential for creating portraits that look authentic and flattering.

Street Photography

The 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is also a popular choice for street photography, offering a balance of reach and perspective that allows for capturing candid moments in urban environments. Its fast aperture enables shooting in low-light conditions, while its relatively compact size makes it discreet and less intrusive.

• Discrete Shooting:The lens’s compact size and relatively quiet autofocus make it less noticeable, allowing photographers to capture candid moments without drawing attention to themselves. This is particularly important for street photography, where capturing authentic and spontaneous interactions is essential.
• Reach and Perspective:The 85mm focal length provides a good balance of reach and perspective, allowing photographers to capture both close-up details and wider scenes. This versatility makes the lens suitable for a variety of street photography situations, from capturing portraits of individuals to documenting bustling street scenes.

  The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D is a classic portrait lens, known for its creamy bokeh and sharp rendering. Its Nikon F mount, however, limits its compatibility with Canon EOS cameras. To bridge this gap, photographers often turn to adapters, such as the Nikon F to EF Pro adapter vs standard.

  These adapters allow for seamless integration of the 85mm f/1.8 AF-D on Canon bodies, offering a wider range of creative possibilities and enhancing its versatility for a variety of photographic endeavors.

• Low-Light Performance:The wide aperture of f/1.8 allows for shooting in low-light conditions without needing a flash. This is particularly beneficial for street photography, where flash can be intrusive and disruptive.

Low-Light Shooting

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is well-suited for low-light photography, thanks to its wide aperture, which allows for faster shutter speeds and lower ISO settings. This results in sharper images with less noise, even in dimly lit environments. The lens’s fast autofocus also helps to ensure accurate focusing in challenging lighting conditions.

• Wide Aperture:The f/1.8 aperture allows for capturing more light, enabling photographers to use faster shutter speeds and lower ISO settings in low-light conditions. This reduces the risk of camera shake and minimizes noise in the image.
• Fast Autofocus:The lens’s fast autofocus system helps to ensure accurate focusing in low-light conditions, even when shooting moving subjects. This is essential for capturing sharp images in challenging lighting environments.
• Sharpness and Detail:Even in low-light conditions, the lens produces sharp images with excellent detail, minimizing noise and preserving image quality.

Comparisons and Alternatives

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens has been a popular choice for portrait photographers for many years, but it is not the only option available. There are many other excellent 85mm lenses on the market, both from Nikon and other manufacturers.

This section will compare the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens to other popular 85mm lenses, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses and their suitability for different photographic needs.

Comparison with Other Nikon 85mm Lenses

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is often compared to other Nikon 85mm lenses, such as the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G, the Nikon 85mm f/1.8G, and the Nikon 85mm f/1.4E ED. The following table summarizes the key features and specifications of these lenses:

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is the most affordable option, but it lacks the advanced features of the newer lenses. The Nikon 85mm f/1.4 AF-S G and Nikon 85mm f/1.4E ED lenses offer superior image quality, faster autofocus, and a wider maximum aperture, but they are also significantly more expensive.

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8G lens strikes a balance between price and performance, offering a good compromise for many photographers.

Comparison with Other Manufacturers’ 85mm Lenses

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens is also often compared to 85mm lenses from other manufacturers, such as Canon, Sony, and Sigma. These lenses often offer similar features and performance to the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens, but they may have different strengths and weaknesses.For example, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM lens is a popular choice for Canon users, offering similar image quality and performance to the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens at a comparable price.

However, the Canon lens has a slightly faster autofocus system and a slightly wider maximum aperture.The Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 lens is a popular choice for Sony mirrorless cameras, offering excellent image quality and performance at a competitive price. However, the Sony lens is slightly heavier than the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens.The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens is a high-performance lens that offers excellent image quality and fast autofocus.

However, it is significantly more expensive than the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens.

Strengths and Weaknesses

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens has several strengths, including its affordable price, sharp image quality, and classic rendering. However, it also has some weaknesses, such as its slow autofocus, lack of image stabilization, and older design.

• Strengths:
• Affordable price
• Sharp image quality
• Classic rendering
• Lightweight and compact
• Weaknesses:
• Slow autofocus
• Lack of image stabilization
• Older design
• Limited availability of new units

Conclusion

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of classic optical design. Its sharp image quality, pleasing bokeh, and user-friendly handling make it a compelling choice for a wide range of photographic applications. While it may lack some of the modern features found in newer lenses, its strengths in image quality and affordability remain highly relevant in today’s market.

Assessment of the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Lens

The lens exhibits excellent sharpness throughout its aperture range, particularly at wider apertures. Its smooth bokeh, characterized by a pleasing swirl, enhances subject isolation and adds a touch of artistic flair to portraits. The autofocus system, though not as fast as modern lenses, is reliable and precise for most shooting scenarios.

The lens’s compact size and lightweight design contribute to its portability and ease of use.

Value for Photographers

The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D lens offers an exceptional value proposition for photographers seeking a high-quality, affordable lens. Its combination of sharp optics, attractive bokeh, and user-friendly handling makes it an excellent choice for portraiture, street photography, and general photography.

The lens’s longevity and continued relevance in the market are a testament to its enduring quality.

Recommendations for Potential Buyers

Photographers seeking a classic portrait lens with excellent image quality and a budget-friendly price point will find the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D a compelling option. Its sharp optics, smooth bokeh, and reliable autofocus make it a versatile tool for a variety of shooting scenarios.

While the lens may not be as fast or feature-rich as newer models, its performance and value for money remain highly competitive.

Final Summary



The Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-D remains a compelling choice for photographers seeking a versatile and affordable lens that delivers exceptional image quality. Its sharp optics, beautiful bokeh, and fast aperture make it a reliable tool for capturing stunning portraits, evocative street scenes, and captivating low-light images.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, this lens is a testament to Nikon’s legacy of crafting high-performance optics that stand the test of time.