Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S Mirrorless Camera Lens JMA301DA

Nikon's long awaited 85/1.8 prime for the Z-series is finally shipping and I'm happy to report it's been worth the wait. Design and build are as expected based on the existing f/1.8 series primes, which is to say relatively light and compact in a decent, if unremarkable, composite casing. AF is fast and accurate and the lens balances very nicely on my Z7. Image quality, as hoped, excels. The lens is tack sharp wide open right across frame. On testing, I can detect a very slight bump in sharpness at f/2.8 in the extreme corners on a planar subject (brick wall). But this is only detectable by making painstaking comparisons at the pixel level. You would never notice it in real world shooting. Simply choose your aperture, focus on any part of the frame at any distance and prepare to be amazed. It's all here. Biting (but not clinical) sharpness from wide open. Exquisite detail at the plane of focus. Beautiful creamy background blur. Smooth transitions. And exceptional colour purity, which is probably down to the remarkable lack of colour fringing, even on out-of-focus highlights. It all adds up to 'that look' which only the best short telephoto lenses have: that beguiling combination of sharp details and glowing highlights against a soft wash of colour, all balanced in perfect harmony. The lens is just as well behaved on stopping down. Depth of field simply increases, untroubled as far as I can tell by any significant focus shift or field curvature, just as you expect and just as you want. No unpleasant surprises. Complaints? If pushed, I would say it doesn't focus quite as close I would like but, in fairness, that's true of every 85mm prime I've ever used. It's just how it is. Some will say it should have been f/1.4. Not me. Not when it's half the size and weight of those 'hero' lenses. Not when the rendering is this good. I pair mine with the equally exceptional 14-30/4 zoom, which on my Z7 makes for a fantastic two lens kit for travel and backpacking. Highly recommended.

This lens is capable of amazing results. As it is a fast lens, the bokeh is very buttery and the subject will be razor sharp. Learn to use the lens, and you will be able to reap the amazing reward's. Be patient and the results will be astonishing

This must be the ideal portrait lens. Near-perfect optical performance, light and fast to focus. Well-timed too to make the best of the new features of the V3.00 firmware release for Z6 and Z7 bodies. It's exactly what it says it is and you couldn't ask for more!

just received at the unbelievable price and delivered on time to me personally

A great prime lens, for a reasonable price (compared to the zoom lenses). I like the f1.8 aperture, which makes this such a fast lens. I’ve had great results using it indoors for candid portraits.

This lens is bitingly sharp. Colour and contrast are excellent, chromatic aberration is negligible. It is excellent for portraits and as a mid range lens for general photography. I was not disappointed with it.

An outstanding optical performance coupled to a fast and accurate focus. The case for the Nikon Z cameras is made by their new lenses, and this is one compelling argument. Love it.

I am really happy with this lens, it has upped the quality of my portrait photography. Feels good quality as you would expect from a Nikon Lena.

Insane sharpness and image. Must buy lens. Focal length is great for portraits. Tight in indoors. Minimum focus distance is terrible. Sharpness and details throughout the image from centre to corner is great. Excellent smooth bokeh. Dust magnet focus ring. Boring design. Good colour (accurate but not punchy) and contrast. Better than 50mm f1.8 for portraits. Not versatile like 50mm 1.8 due to focal length. No regrets in choosing 85 over 50. Will buy a 35mm 1.8/1.4 for indoor and wider shots in future. Uploaded sample 1 is jpeg straight out of camera, sample 2 is lightroom edited, sample 3 is same image cropped. Took on Nikon Z5 at f1.8

Got this beast of a lens on the Black Friday sales from Amazon direct as an authorised Nikon seller with Australian warranty (something I'm very careful about). 25% cheaper than my local camera shop and the best part (apart from obvious savings) - next day delivery!! Was told by the camera shop that I could pre-order for the premium price with no ETA...

Yes, this is rather expensive for an 85/1.8, but: a)it's a genuine Nikon b)it's pretty compact and solid. Handles really nicely with the FC. c)AF is blazingly fast d)at least for my usage (portraiture) - this lens is borderline too sharp - even wide open. I don't recall having to dial back on texture in Lightroom as much with any of my other lenses.

Essa lente é muito boa , as fotos estão maravilhosas ! O vendedor foi muito rápido e o produto chegou perfeito

Últimamente trabajo solo con este objetivo me parece espectacular. Se nota la calidad y nivel pro, el autofoco no falla casi , 98% dispara en el enfocado. A lo mejor antes de comprar un objetivo tan caro hay que probar algo más porque es muy específico para los objetivos de trabajo concretos. Si sabes para que lo necesitas va a cumplir tus expectativas 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽