From now on, I will try to have hands-on posts on all (ok, most) new Nikon products. They will be part of the new buying guide section that will combine the current price watch section. I will include also other reviews that are worth reading. First on the list is the new Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G lens which was announced over a month ago.
The 85mm f/1.4 lens has a huge front element
The new 85mm f/1.4 lens attached to a D700
The new 85mm f/1.4 lens with and without the hood on:
This is how the size of the new AF-S 85mm f/1.4 lens compares to the AF-S 50mm f/1.4 and AF-S 24mm f/1.4 lenses - it is slightly shorter and thicker than the new 24mm lens. The weight of the new 85mm is almost identical to the 24mm f/1.4 and it weights almost three times more than the AF-S 50mm f/1.4 lens:
Light falloff (vignetting)
Wide open, you can see light falloff in the corners that almost completely disappears at around f/5.6. The following shots of a white wall were taken at f/1.4, f/2.0, f/2.8, f/4.0 and f/5.6 - the last one is a real world example taken at f/1.4 - you can hardly see the light falloff, especially in a larger resolution (I kept images small in size on purpose in order to demonstrate the light falloff/vignetting):
f/1.4 + f/2:
f/2.8 + f/4:
f/5.6 and a real world example @ f/1.4:
All pictures were taken with a Nikon D700. Except the product shots above, all photos were not post-processed in any way. I wanted to show the images the way they came out of the camera. I used Lightroom 3 to convert and resize the original NEF to JPG files. Most of the pictures were taken wide open at f/1.4 (with the hood on).
Portraiture
The Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G is a classic portrait lens. When shooting wide open, you can completely isolate the background and emphasis on the main subject. Keep in mind that at f/1.4 the DOF is razor thin, for example: when shooting 10ft away from the subject, the DOF is about a 4 1/2 inches. Use a single AF point and make sure you focus on the eyes. In bright daylight you may need a ND filter if you want to take full advantage of the wide open aperture. The three pictures of the life size Chinese warriors statues were taken at bright sunlight (f/1.4, ISO 200, 1/5000- 1/6400 shutter speed) and I still had room to go, since the D700 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/8000. Here are few snapshots (all at f/1.4):
Low light
With wide open aperture of f/1.4, this lens is perfect for low light photography. All of the photos below were taken wide open with a D700 at ISO ranging from 1600-3200:
Bokeh
The Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G (aka "the Cream Machine") lens creates a nice bokeh that has almost turned to a standard for all other Nikon lenses. You can often see photographers comparing other lenses to the blur created by the old Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 and I am sure the new version will continue this tradition.
Sharpness
This lens is as sharp as it can get - some may argue that the Nikkor 200mm f/2.0 (recently refreshed) is the sharpest lens in Nikon's line-up, but the 85 f/1.4 is definitely up there (the first photo was taken again @ f/1.4 - this is basically "the worst case scenario" in terms of sharpness):
100% center crop from the above image (yes, that snake was in my backyard):
Another sample @ f/2.8:
and the 100% crop:
Test charts
I got a lens test chart from eBay and here are the results - those will be much more interesting once I get data from other lenses, since I will be using the same test chart and I will be able to do comparisons. Larger jpg files of the test charts are available on flickr. The cropped area is above the center (expect better sharpness in the center of the frame) :
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/1.4
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/1.8
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/2
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/2.8
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/4
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/5.6
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/8
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/11
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G test chart @ f/16
Extreme lighting conditions
Here are some examples of flaring and ghosting when shooting directly at an intense light source. The newly implemented Nano coating on this lens definitely helps and with some post-processing all those images will be usable:
Focusing
Focusing is fast due to the new Silent Wave Motor (SWM). On few occasions, in low light situations, I had to manually override the focus but this would be the case with any Nikon lens.
Close ups
The Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G lens cannot really be used for close ups, since the minimum focus distance is 3ft (0.85m) even though I was able to get a close focus to an object at 34in. (snapshot also @ f/1.4):
Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G close up
Other Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G lens info
- Main features:
- Nano coating (N)
- Manual/Autofocus mode switch (M/A)
- Internal focus (IF)
- Integrated Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM), which means this lens can be used with Nikon DSLR bodies that do not have AF motor (Nikon D40 for example)
- Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC)
- Distance window
- Rounded 9-blade diaphragm
- 77mm filter size
- 10 elements in 9 groups
- Minimum aperture is f/16
- Angle of view in full frame: 28°30'
- Reproduction Ratio: 0.12x
- Product number 2195
- Weight: 23.3 oz (660 g)
- Dimensions: 3.4 x 3.3 in. (86.2 × 84 mm)
- As most of today's Nikkor lenses, the 85mm f/1.4 comes with a LF-1 rear lens cap, 77mm front cap, HB-55 bayonet lens hood and CL-1118 semi soft lens case
- The Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G lens currently sells for the list price of $1,699.95. I expect this lens to be back ordered for few months due to high demand.
- Product brochure
- Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G lens on Nikon Imaging
- The old Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF lens is removed from Nikon's website and it is not included in their latest lens catalog. Prices will probably drop even further on eBay once the new version becomes freely available in stores
- The Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF lens is still listed on Nikon's website - it will be interesting to see if this lens will be replaced as well in the future.
- MTF and lens design comparison between the old and new 85mm f/1.4 versions (old|new):
Related media
Nikon 85mm f/1.4G vs. Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF comparison:
This is the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.4G lens group pool on flickr:
Next hands-on will be for the Nikkor 55-300 f/4.5-5.6G ED DX lens and will probably be online next weekend. The new buying guide should be online soon.
Disclosure: the reviewed product(s) were loaned from B&H who is an affiliate sponsor of NikonRumors.com.
Related posts:
82 Comments
Sweet, Nikonrumors now has it’s own reviews! Now all we need are reviews on rumored products!
The idea is to post those asap after a lens is released – I was a bit late on this one even though I got is few weeks ago, the shots at Miami Beach were taken almost a month ago. I will be faster next time, this is all new to me.
go to Ken rockwell, he is the only one who doesnt need lens to put a review on.
He is pure genius. Really.
Thanks for the hard-work!!!
Looks like the pros are obvious!! What you don’t like about this lens? maybe there isn’t?
thanks again!
What I don’t like is the difficulty when focusing (AF) in low light, but this is not specific to this lens and that’s about it. I obviously have many more things I do not like about the next lens (55-300 DX), but the 85mm 1.4 is as good as it gets. I am just thinking that I could have done some comparisons with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII @ 85mm.
“I had to manually overwrite the focus”
manually *override*.
Anyways, great hands-on. This lens, I drool over.
Fixed, I will be actually surprised if this is my only spelling mistake
One day I will hire somebody to proofread my posts, I promise.
Hi Peter,
Usually how many months or weeks before the actual release of Nikon product they send you one for your review? You are doing such a wonderful job in every Nikon rumors and just humanely sane that Nikon send one copy of every product they plan to release.
Actually I do not have any direct communication with Nikon and they don’t send me anything. Once I got an email from Nikon Canada clarifying on one of my posts and that’s all.
I’ve been following you for two years now and you do a wonderful job! You certainly knows when to post Rumors and certainly keep your reader up in their toes. This is really hard to swallow. Nikon should really recognize how valuable NikonRumors is and send you some of their new toys. Come on Nikon, give some freebie or giveaways so NikonRumors can also share.
thanks, this is my first review after all – it can only get better
two thumbs up from here !
According to the video from youtube. Would you say the new G version is slower than the D version mounted on a camera with the torque of a product like the d700/d300s?
Thanks for all the work Admin.
I Actualy sold by 50mm f/1.4 af-s in favour of a 50mm af-d f/1.8, de af-s focusssed from infinity to close in 1.2 seconds, the af-d does the same in 0,2 seconds..
Anybody have a direct comparison of the 24-120mm vs 28-300mm?
Ken Dickwell says IQ of both the same. Can anybody confirm? Is weather proofing and AF speed on both lenses the same?
I will have a comparison between those two lenses in about two weeks – I already have the 28-300 in my hands, but I am still missing the 24-120.
Ken Rockwell has reviews for both up now, and a basic comparison of them on his Updates / New Today page. Glad I got the 28-300.
Why do you take what Ken Rockwell says seriously, when even he states (if you politely ask *any* questions to him via email) that nothing on his site *should* be taken seriously?
I’ll be hanging out here more often than I thought!
NikonRumors = THE BEST site ever!!!
Thank you soooo much! Really appreciate everything you’ve done so far!
Thanks, I think the time is right (after Photokina) to expand a little bit beyond rumors.
Just make sure to stay focused on rumors. Reviews will come from many other people as well.
Great review btw!
thnx admin, great job with this site! still looking for the 85 1.4 AIS.
Such a comprehensive hands on review on AFS85mm f1.4G Nikkor lens. Would you do another one for Nikon D3100 as well? I can’t wait to see that!
I haven’t think about that – there are so many variables when testing a camera, it will be a very long review. I may try it in the future.
If you do venture into the world of camera reviews, you might want to do it in bite-sized pieces. Start with just basic features like buttons, menus, dials, etc. Move on to stills using just A and P modes. Maybe eventually move into more advanced features. Video would be a separate review.
If you break it down into multiple steps and only complete a few, you’ll still have provided valuable info without burying yourself. It might simply take you a month to do a full review, which is no biggie, and we’d get the pieces as you completed them.
And just to state the obvious, even if you never take on anything else on this site, you’re doing us a great service. Thanks.
Great review, thanks NR admin!
Hey NR guy,
I have been visiting nikonrumors for a long time now and visit the site multiple times a day to check for updates, read comments etc. I just wanted to say thanks for a really great review. For a first review I found it as good as the best reviews out there. Please keep your reviews coming and keep it as a main part of nikonrumors as it would be extremely helpful to be able to refer back here on new and old products (the 85 f1.4 wont be so new one day) when im thinking of purchasing something new. Also consider a youtube channel? I know I also find myself visiting digitalrevs youtube channel for any new reviews pretty much daily. I know I’d like to watch you take each lens or body out for a spin and give your thoughts on it, (i find the digitalrev style much more interesting and more enjoyable to watch than the gordan lang style of reviewing) and you could refer back to nikonrumors for youre more in depth review of each item.
You said
In this online DOF calculator, a D700 with an 85mm lens wide open shooting an object 10 feet away claims about 4 inches of DOF.
So who is right? What math could I use to figure it out?
actually 4 inches is correct – my number is suppose to be in feet
Not for nuthin’, but the bokeh on that lens is hideous. It REALLY sucks. They have really screwed that lens up. The overall image quality may look decent stopped down a bit, but who buys an 85mm f1.4 optic to use stopped down? Nikon really blew it on this lens. Stick with the older optic if you want a Nikkor.
It’s ironic (sad, really) that the Korean Samyang company can make an 85mm f1.4 lens for less than $300 that blows this lens out of the water. Sure, the Nikkor has AF and whatnot, but you can keep it.
They havent screwed up anything. Do a comparison between the 85G and any other 85, including the old 85 Nikkor, and you’ll see exactly how wrong you are about this. I already did, and between the 85G and Canon.
Nikon 85G bokeh is second to none.
From what I’ve seen the bokeh on this lens is not impressive, and these are from the many samples and hands on around the web.
It struggles mightily with busy backgrounds, you can see it above on the closeup grass shots.
But I must add the bokeh looks better than the old D version
Sun-dappled foliage is the *true* litmus test of bokeh. A comprehensive review of bokeh has to include this.
I’ve seen bokeh lens tests that had, to be kind, a very favorable background.
That grass shot is a nightmare scenario for any lens, try that with 85D or Canon, and you’ll be complaining that they have poor bokeh too. I know, I used all of these lenses.
I’m telling you, do the comparison like I did, 85G against any 85D and Canon 85 1.2, and you’ll see that 85G’s bokeh is excellent, it really is as good as anything else out there.
>>That grass shot is a nightmare scenario for any lens, try that with 85D or Canon, and you’ll be complaining that they have poor bokeh too. I know, I used all of these lenses.<<
Yeah? Well take a look at the Samyang in said test. Blows both the Nikon AND the Canon out of the water. No contest.
You can keep the new 85mm f1.4 Nikkor. Nikon has royally blown it. I'll take the Samyang, thank you.
I love it when someone who’s probably never even touched the 85G trash talks it….and the Samyang can’t hold their value at all, so have fun trying to resell
>>I love it when someone who’s probably never even touched the 85G trash talks it….<>….and the Samyang can’t hold their value at all, so have fun trying to resell<<
I don't buy lenses to resell them. I buy them to use them. That's why I still have my non-AI 135mm f2.0 Nikkor that I bought back in the 70s. Ever see the bokeh on that?
The new 85mm f1.4 Nikkor bokeh sucks, plain and simple.
Liking it, Admin.
Great job, this site just keeps on getting better and better! Now I can’t wait for that 55-300DX review..I’ve preordered that lens, and you’re saying you have many complains about it. Makes me nervous but would see.
Well the 55-300 is quite an inexpensive consumer lens. So of course it’s not going to match the quality of any PRO lenses like this one (85mm 1.4G) which goes for over 4 times the cost.
It’s a great focal range for someone new to photography to learn to use.
cheers!
Hi Admin,
Expanding ‘Rumours’ in this way has made it almost a ‘one stop’ shop. Firstly visit it to get reliable info on what’s coming, then, after it arrives, come back and get a good accurate review of the item.
Thanks for all the effort you put into this site.
Yo Admin. Great stuff and looking forward for more reviews.
One of the best sites on the web just got better. Thank you.
The thing I liked a lot about your review was that you had a set of photographs for each section instead of just a whole bunch at the end of the review. It makes photographs actually relevant and not just look like an appendix.
This is too much work for you Admin!
Admin, thanks for the review! Great job!
One question I have to ask. Are you sure that focusing was spot on with the test chart shot? F16 looks better than f5.6, that shouldn’t be the case if you nail the focus with a fast first class lens. And f1.4 should look better than it does.
Also, it may be a good idea to show at least two crops, the dead centre and a corner, for better evaluation of the respective qualities.
Again, thanks for taking the time.
after I initially set the focus, I did not touch it for the other shots- I just changed the aperture
Better than crazy Ken’s review of this lens. Good job!
Great idea to do these reviews and really great site !!! Thanks a lot for the all the good work ! I also can’t wait for the 55-300 review. I know it will feel plastic like the 55-200 but if it’s sharp betwen 200 and 300, at least sharper than my 70-300 Sigma (that *really* shouldn’t be difficult
) then it’ll be a good deal for non-pro like me who just want to have a light equipment for hiking >1000m in the mountains.. 
Thanks a lot and long live Nikon Rumours !
Cheers,
Christophe.
Congratulations guys for your hard work. You are the best, keep up the good work. It’s great pleasure to read your valuable posts on this site.
Thanks for your efforts, Vali
Thanks Peter for a nice review! What I especially like are the sample photos supporting the written text. They are very informative and actually useful, not like other reviews where the photos are of dull irrelevant subjects showing nothing. Some of the pics are quite nice too, hard to believe that there were no PP on them (seems you nailed the white balance and the slight underexposure makes the colors pop).
P.S.: For the test freaks out there, I suggest you show the corner performance too (in the body of the review), though the test chart you used isn’t especially suited for this, but a crop of one of the corners should do. (On the other hand, you could run into difficulties when testing ultra wide angle lenses)
Thanks, I was using auto WB on all pics. Next time I may do two sets of test chart – one for the center sharpness and one for the corners. Didn’t think about that this time.
Just a general comment:
I want to thank ‘us’ for keeping this a clean site
with no crappy and unsupportive comments like with other rumor-sites
where they had to stop the direct comment-possibility because of foul language,
racism and other childish behavior
It seems Nikon people are a bit more serious and/or professional.
That at least will keep a normal and lively dialogue possible.
Hard work appreciated. Cheers.
I’l like to see nefs converted with viewnx or capturenx. I’m interested to see how images look after they remove lateral CA and axial CA on Neutral picture control.
Good review.
Just a minor point : how did you focus on the test chart?
I suppose that if you autofocus in the center of the frame and you crop another part, then you’re just testing how shallow the DOF is.
If you manually focused via live-view on the cropped part, then, please forget my post!
I manually focused on the center – I know this test is not very scientific, there is always a margin of error. The point is that I will attempt to do the same with any other future lenses – the actual test may not be accurate, but when comparing crops at the same aperture, the results should ne meaningful.
I’m not very impressed with the sharpness @ 1.4. Did you double check the focus with live view and manual focusing?
where do u live?
Reviews are a welcome addition, Peter. Nice job. Sharpness looks terrific all the way out to the corners, although I’d like to see more bokeh comparisons since this is largely a portrait lens. Vignetting seems a bit much.
Thanks Peter,
very interesting and personal review.
I like your pics too, the one with the VW van is very beautiful!
Hoping that you will succeed keeping this pace on this site… Must be very time consuming, unless it has become your main income generator
Great work realy
Thanks for taking time to put together this review. I have owned the lens for 2 weeks and it has me blown away – and it has become my walk around lens.
One side note – who is the idiot who coined the name ‘cream machine’? And why did all of you follow it like lemmings? The one and only cream machine is the 200/2. Even the 105 and 135DC are more creamier than any of the 85′s.
great shots!
can you please comment is it much better then Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF lens
It’s definitely better than the 1.8 lens. That being said, the 1.8 is 3-4 times cheaper. At that point the 1.8 is quite a formidable lens, just a 1/3 stop less light. Bokeh is less buttery but quite decent.
thanks for info, yes i thought considering price difference – performance
Nice Review! Go on with that!
Greetz!
Excellent! Great job, NR Admin! Add this kind of high-quality content to NR more often, and your traffic (and your ad rates) could really explode! Also, the new white background and serifed typeface really suits this type of editorial content–it looks very “magazine-ey.” Congrats!
I forgot: excellent photo illustrations as well!!!
Nice addition to the site [NR] admin.
There’s no doubt the AF-S 85mm f/1.4G is a fantastic lens but is it worth almost double the price of the AF 85mm f/1.4 ?, or five times as much as the AF 85mm f/1.8 ?
I guess you have to decide yourself wether it’s worth it or not…for me it’s not.
How does it compare to the Zeiss 85 1.4? I’d imagine that the Zeiss has less corner fall off, but apart from that….?
I haven’t played with the Zeiss version of 85mm.
Can you please do a Bokeh test with the 85 1.8D and new 85 1.4G would really like to see photos set next to each other. We know you can make this happen! The power is in your hands..
Nice work, thanks (look like Ken is out of job !)
I’ve been saying for years that the AF-S 105mm f/2.8 VR micro was the SHARPEST lens in the world, or maybe I have a “good-bad-one” who is better than it should be !
I’m glad Nikon did not put a VR on that 85mm f/1.4, even on my 105mm I never use the VR.
I only find the VR usefull for +200mm teleobjectifs.
I got to see one in person, its a pretty sweet piece of glass.
I doesnt look like the new 85 has an aperture ring. My current 85 does, and I like that. It enables me to use it on my old Nikon EM whicg has an aperture priority only (except for the 1/90 manual setting).
This is evolving into one of the most interesting & informative photo sites on the net. Although I’m not remotely looking to upgrade my 2006 equipment anytime soon, I browse these pages regularly to stay in touch.
Well done!
you did a nice job leaving out “subjectivity” in this review. it’s thorough and gives plenty of examples!
The IQ from these new lenses is evident! My quibble is that they just look so cheapo! The molded plastic ridge and none of the usual identifying marks around the front element give the appearance of inexpensive. The shiny plastic gold used in far too many places on the new stuff is just way tacky and cheap, cheap, cheap looking!
I know it’s the IQ from the lens that’s important but still….
Great review, informative, and helpful. Thank you
Thanks NRadmin for taking the time to do this review, I appreciate it a whole lot
!
Nice to see your take on this lense. Thanks!