85mm focal length debate! 1.8G or 1.4D?

babowc

So, I was looking to get an 85mm prime to accompany my prime lens line up!
I've covered the 24, 35, and 50mm in 1.4G and the 85mm would be used primarily as a portrait lens in available light.

I tossed up the idea between two lenses: 85mm 1.8G and the 1.4D.

Besides the obvious like AF-S and max aperture, what would you all recommend?
I was hoping to get the 1.4G but it seems like it's a bit out of my budget right now.

Any recommendations, comments or inputs would be great!

If it matters, they'll be used on a D800/700.

angevin1

babowc wrote: »

So, I was looking to get an 85mm prime to accompany my prime lens line up!
I've covered the 24, 35, and 50mm in 1.4G and the 85mm would be used primarily as a portrait lens in available light.

I tossed up the idea between two lenses: 85mm 1.8G and the 1.4D.

Besides the obvious like AF-S and max aperture, what would you all recommend?
I was hoping to get the 1.4G but it seems like it's a bit out of my budget right now.

Any recommendations, comments or inputs would be great!

If it matters, they'll be used on a D800/700.

There are other lenses that will make your day as well as the ones you mention. One that comes to mind is the Sigma 100 f/2.8 Macro (about $330 used). It is so blindingly Sharp many folks say it's too sharp. I understand the concept behind large aperture, but I rarely found a place to regularly use below f/2.8. especially in portrait work. Many folks prefer the compressed look for portraits, such as using a 70-200 nearer the 200 end @ 8 to 10 ft. from subject. If you get the chance, rent a lens or two and give yourself some experience with them.

You can always save money by going Manual Focus. Nikon has an Older 100mm f/2.5 that is cheap and can be regularly found for about $300. I love primes. And I use them quite regularly.

babowc

I actually own both the 70-200 vr2 and 105vr and I do love how the 70-200 renders at a near distance at the 200mm end, but both lenses were too large and cumbersome to carry around for something casual.
I wanted to stick with primes, because the f2.8 zooms are just too bulky.

angevin1

babowc wrote: »

I actually own both the 70-200 vr2 and 105vr and I do love how the 70-200 renders at a near distance at the 200mm end, but both lenses were too large and cumbersome to carry around for something casual.
I wanted to stick with primes, because the f2.8 zooms are just too bulky.

Ahh! Gotcha! I hadn't thought of portraits being casual. Well then the two I mentioned the Sigma 100 f/2.8 and the Older Nikon f/2.5 would be in your range. As well as the older MF nikkor 85 f/1.4.
What is wrong with the 105? "EDIT" I see you mention it being too large and cumbersome. Hmm...

babowc

I'm a whiner..
It's so bulky! I tried out the 85 1.4D and I think it was about half or maybe even third of the 105vr's size!
I love taking my camera everywhere I go and I'd love to look as inconspicuous as I can, haha.

I have used the 105 when I needed close focus distance/reach without the bulk of the 70-200, but I can't see myself carrying either of those on a stroll around the park.

angevin1

babowc wrote: »

I'm a whiner..
It's so bulky! I tried out the 85 1.4D and I think it was about half or maybe even third of the 105vr's size!
I love taking my camera everywhere I go and I'd love to look as inconspicuous as I can, haha.

I have used the 105 when I needed close focus distance/reach without the bulk of the 70-200, but I can't see myself carrying either of those on a stroll around the park.

Then buy an older 105 f/2.5 it's light and small and MF. Or that 100 f/2.8 Sigma I mentioned both are light. the 105 is rather tiny with a built in Hood that slides out when needed.

Qarik

the 1.4 is one of nikons "best lens ever made" type of lens. I would get that

babowc

Qarik wrote: »

the 1.4 is one of nikons "best lens ever made" type of lens. I would get that

Are you referring to the 1.4D or 1.4G?

Qarik

I have the D and it is great. the G is reviewed marginally better. they both share the same aperture blade design which gives it the lovely bokeh that it is known for

Icebear

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is one of the best values in the whole lens world IMO. I'm a big believer in Nikkor glass, but if Sigma makes a lens that's as good for less money, I'm there. If you have $$$ to burn, buy the 1.4 Nikkor. If not, buy the Sigma. A lot of people on this forum swear by Sigma.

angevin1

No to be forgotten is the OP wanted 'lighter' lens to putz around with~

troopers

I have the 85 1.4G on the D800 and absolutely love it...for portraiture, nothing beats it.

Mike, I see you have the 24, 35 and 50. With 85, I think you'll find little use of the 50, so I suggest you sell it and fund the 85 with the proceeds. While your at it, sell the 35 as well...your 24 on the D800 will do just fine.

babowc

troopers wrote: »

I have the 85 1.4G on the D800 and absolutely love it...for portraiture, nothing beats it.

Mike, I see you have the 24, 35 and 50. With 85, I think you'll find little use of the 50, so I suggest you sell it and fund the 85 with the proceeds. While your at it, sell the 35 as well...your 24 on the D800 will do just fine.

Sometimes I find the 24 to be too wide, which is where I grab the 35.
I keep the 50 around to have a small, light, and fast lens.

I have heard that 24/50 35/85 primes are ideal together.

I think I can fund the 85G if I sold my 35 1.4G, but it's hard to let go!

Matthew Saville

Hands-down get the 85 1.8 AFS-G. It is by far the best 85mm prime option of ANYTHING in the Nikon mount, when considering not just sharpness but all options such as price, weight, focus speed and accuracy, etc...

Honestly the more I shoot with AFS-G lenses, the more I can't stand to go back to AF-D lenses. I've shot extensively with every 85mm Nikon has ever made, as well as the Sigma 85 1.4 and heck I've even shot with the Canon 85's...

The Nikon 85 1.8 AFS-G is such a winner for a couple of reasons. FIRST, it's AFS-G which is way more precise and reliable in low-light compared to AF-D. And with the likes of the D800, you're really going to need that last little hair of accuracy to get optimal sharpness out of all 36 megapixels. SECOND, the 85 1.8 AFS-G has snappier focusing than the 85 1.4 AFS-G, because there is less glass to move back and forth. The lens isnt much smaller than the 85 1.4 though, so what you're getting is slightly more powerful AF overall. The 85 1.4 AFS-G, although it is insanely accurate even in pitch-black conditions, is kinda sluggish when it comes to overall focusing speed. There are Youtube videos demonstrating the difference in AF speed between the 1.4 G and the 1.4 D, look 'em up...

So basically this boils down to a more well-rounded lens. If you're just an absolute DOF junkie though, and you decide you can't live without f/1.4, then I'd actually recommend the Sigma 85 1.4 EX instead of the Nikon 85 1.4 D... The Sigma has gorgeous bokeh, insane sharpness even wide open, and about the same AF accuracy / speed as both of the Nikon 85 1.4's... (Meaning, not the best but still amazing.)

Good luck deciding! Personally, I love 85mm so much that I'm probably going to own both eventually. The 85 1.8 AFS-G, and the Sigma 85 1.4 EX...

=Matt=

babowc

Thanks for all the inputs guys!
I have been fiddling with the 1.8G of my friend's and I like it, so far!
Since I can't purchase the 1.4G without selling other gear, I will have to pass on it. I haven't any real experience with the 1.8G yet, but I'm hoping to put it to use this weekend!
I'm going to borrow a 1.4D and I'll post back when I make a decision!

babowc

I tested out the 1.8G yesterday and I have to say, it's quite a lens!
I was looking for sharpness at max aperture, and from what I saw in-camera, so far so good!

I'll post up some personal comparisons of 1.8G and 1.4D before the end of this week!

1.8G






I did adjust sharpening in LR for one of the above, but I can't tell..

f1.8, ISO100 for all three.
These were PP'ed for color/exposure correction.
In-camera sharpening set to 6 on the D800.

*Yes, I need to find another angle for her.. her poses are all-pretty-similar*

EphTwoEight

At 1.8 that is very impressive. I'm seriously thinking this is what my 800 is craving. That 70-200 is just letting me down time and time again, yet my 50mm is tack sharp.

I always read that for portraits 105-135 is ideal. But those above look fantastic!

babowc

Yeah, I thought it was pretty stellar performance for wide-open..
I will be getting the 1.4D in a day or two to test, I'll report back!

My 70-200 VRII is a whole-nother story.. it helps me make beautiful images, but it's too big and heavy.

Qarik

babowc wrote: »

Yeah, I thought it was pretty stellar performance for wide-open..
I will be getting the 1.4D in a day or two to test, I'll report back!

My 70-200 VRII is a whole-nother story.. it helps me make beautiful images, but it's too big and heavy.

if you can..please pick some different kinds of backgrounds and check the bokeh wide open on both lenses..I'd be interested in seeing the differences!

babowc

I've been using the 1.4D for a couple of days now.. I haven't had much time to get some *real* results, but from what I've tested.. 1.8G is definitely sharper all-over at f1.8 than the 1.4D, in my simple tests of a corkboard shoot, mounted on a tripod.

I'll be headed out to shoot again, on this Saturday, so I'll report back as soon as I get some real data!

1.4D does, in fact, focus much slower than the 1.8G

Matthew Saville

babowc wrote: »

I've been using the 1.4D for a couple of days now.. I haven't had much time to get some *real* results, but from what I've tested.. 1.8G is definitely sharper all-over at f1.8 than the 1.4D, in my simple tests of a corkboard shoot, mounted on a tripod.

I'll be headed out to shoot again, on this Saturday, so I'll report back as soon as I get some real data!

1.4D does, in fact, focus much slower than the 1.8G

When doing tripoded wall tests, be sure to double check the AF calibration wide open before judging results. Those fast primes will *seem* to still be in focus but will be slightly soft, when in fact they can still achieve insane sharpness wide open with a slight AF microadjustment...


:-)


=Matt=

angevin1

babowc wrote: »

My 70-200 VRII is a whole-nother story.. it helps me make beautiful images, but it's too big and heavy.

You are a guy, right?:D

angevin1

Qarik wrote: »

if you can..please pick some different kinds of backgrounds and check the bokeh wide open on both lenses..I'd be interested in seeing the differences!

And leave the EXIF data intact too please~

babowc

Definitely will try the AF microadjustment!
I think FlickR gets rid of the EXIF data? and I like smaller lenses, what can I say!

It'd be unfair comparison if I tested the two lenses on different bodies, right?

angevin1

babowc wrote: »

Definitely will try the AF microadjustment!
I think FlickR gets rid of the EXIF data? and I like smaller lenses, what can I say!

It'd be unfair comparison if I tested the two lenses on different bodies, right?

Not really as long as they're FX versus DX/FX. Daniel (Qarik) is just a bokeh-whore~:D

ziggy53

babowc wrote: »

... It'd be unfair comparison if I tested the two lenses on different bodies, right?

If you mean between your D700 and D800 bodies, it would be best to choose a single body for testing since these 2 bodies are so very different in terms of gross pixel count and AA filter, as well as image processor and demosaic algorithm.

babowc

It's been awhile, but I finally came to a conclusion on the lens!

The 85 1.8G was a great performer wide open up until f11 or so. It was plenty sharp wide open in the center, and progressively got better and seemed to reach it's peak around f5.6~8.
The 85 1.4D was also a great performer wide open (1.4) and performed about the same at f1.8. The 1.4D is also plenty sharp in the center @ 1.4D and progressively reaches peak sharpness around f5.6~8.

From what I tested, the 1.8G did seem slightly quicker to lock focus, but for portraiture, I don't think it really matters.
When using AF-C, the 1.8G far outperformed the motor driven 1.4D.
For AF accuracy, straight out of the box, both performed well and I didn't have any focus issues.

Despite my terrible first experience with the 85mm 1.4D (probably due to my lacking), I was torn between it and the 1.8G, but this time it reassured me that it produces beautiful images (or do I?:D)

I loved the lightweight 1.8G and the bayonet hood, but overall, I chose the 1.4D due to it's magical bokeh at just about any aperture.
I did notice that the 1.4D was less "contrasty", than the 1.8G, but it wasn't a big-enough issue to tip the scales.

Hopefully, I'll have a budget to test the 1.4G in the future, but for now, I'm very satisfied with the 1.4D!
I'll post up a few images I took with the two and my "testing" for sharpness!

Matthew Saville

babowc wrote: »

It's been awhile, but I finally came to a conclusion on the lens!

The 85 1.8G was a great performer wide open up until f11 or so. It was plenty sharp wide open in the center, and progressively got better and seemed to reach it's peak around f5.6~8.
The 85 1.4D was also a great performer wide open (1.4) and performed about the same at f1.8. The 1.4D is also plenty sharp in the center @ 1.4D and progressively reaches peak sharpness around f5.6~8.

From what I tested, the 1.8G did seem slightly quicker to lock focus, but for portraiture, I don't think it really matters.
When using AF-C, the 1.8G far outperformed the motor driven 1.4D.
For AF accuracy, straight out of the box, both performed well and I didn't have any focus issues.

Despite my terrible first experience with the 85mm 1.4D (probably due to my lacking), I was torn between it and the 1.8G, but this time it reassured me that it produces beautiful images (or do I?:D)

I loved the lightweight 1.8G and the bayonet hood, but overall, I chose the 1.4D due to it's magical bokeh at just about any aperture.
I did notice that the 1.4D was less "contrasty", than the 1.8G, but it wasn't a big-enough issue to tip the scales.

Hopefully, I'll have a budget to test the 1.4G in the future, but for now, I'm very satisfied with the 1.4D!
I'll post up a few images I took with the two and my "testing" for sharpness!

Mostly, what switching from the 1.4 D to the 1.4 G will gain you is, that clear crispness of contrast and color, and the increased focus accuracy roughly on par with the 1.8 G.

Personally, I'd love to own both the 1.8 G and the 1.4 G. I may actually buy the Sigma 1.4 EX even, since I hear that one is the king of all when it comes to bokeh. (Aside from the Canon 85 1.2 L...)

I'm interested in seeing a sample or two from your tests that convinced you the bokeh was so much more desirable on the 1.4 than the 1.8. I love bokeh !

=Matt=