- Hey everybody, this is Roberto Blake of robertoblake.com
helping you create something awesome today.
So today, I'm gonna be reviewing
the 85 millimeter f/1.8 lens from Nikon,
and I actually thought this lens was amazing.
So I actually rented this lens for a couple of days
from Lumoid so I could play with it
and decide whether or not I want to commit
to buying one in the near future.
I'm looking at some lens upgrades here on the channel
both for my own personal photography,
but also for some film project stuff that I have coming up,
and I really was wondering whether or not this 85 millimeter
lens is worth it or not.
For me, I think that it really is,
but I wanted to give you guys a full review
so you can make your own decision about that.
This lens is great in low light situations,
both for DSLR video and for photography
and there are a couple of reasons why.
For one thing, the 85 millimeter focal length
is really ideal for shooting portraits
but also for getting candid street photography.
So if you're doing video documentary stuff,
this could be a really good lens.
Even if you don't have the zoom flexibility,
that's okay creatively from the perspective
of a documentary filmmaker, in my opinion.
It really just depends on what you're trying to do.
And in low light situations,
I think that this has some fantastic capabilities for you,
and you can still get some amazing shots at a distance.
So, I think that the 85 millimeter focal length
is really good for that and I was impressed
with the quality of images and video
that I was able to get
without having to get dead on a subject
or in the middle of the action while it's going on.
So I really like that.
One of the other features of this particular lens from Nikon
is it does have both manual/auto
as well as full manual focus, so that's great.
The focusing distance, at a minimum, is .8 meters.
This means that the closest you can be to a subject
and focus accurately is gonna be about maybe 2.2 feet.
So, this could be good for a lot of reasons
as well as, this could be a negative.
The good thing about that is that in situations
where you're doing portrait photography,
working with models, you can create enough distance
so that they don't feel really anxious about the camera,
especially if it's somebody new or somebody young.
And so, there's not that level of intensity.
This can allow them to relax better
and you can get some better shots
in terms of facial expressions,
and it's just gonna feel more natural.
So this is great.
It's also great for candids
when you're working in the real world,
working an event, or doing street photography.
So that's one thing to really think about
with this lens, and whether it's for you or not.
In terms of things that you're
gonna have to be concerned about is:
This lens is a little weighty,
but build quality is somewhere between metal and plastic.
So, it's solid build quality.
I really wouldn't want to get hit in the head with this,
but I don't think it's gonna do permanent damage if I am.
So, that's kind of how I'm rating the build quality on this.
It does have this silent wave motor,
and for me for the autofocusing it wasn't that loud.
So I do appreciate that.
You will too, if you're someone who's doing DSLR video,
and doing film, or you're shooting at an event.
So that's something to consider.
The focus ring does go both ways.
So, that's nice.
It does have a minimum aperture of F/16,
so, you will be able to shoot "Sunny 16,"
but that's the extent of it.
Its widest aperture in this particular lens of course
is f/1.8, so that's it's maximum.
So it's between f/1.8 and f/16.
Those are your options in terms of the aperture.
This did great no matter what situation
I put it in for the most part,
and I am really pleased with the results.
Whether it was shooting in low light situations,
whether it was shooting DSLR video,
I had no problems with it.
And the focusing on this was actually really fast,
and I found it to be pretty accurate,
as long as I was keeping the minimum focus distance in mind.
So, again, you have to worry
about that minimum focus distance; this is not a macro lens.
The bokeh on this was pretty sweet.
Creamy is the word that comes to mind.
So the quality of the depth of field blur was beautiful
and I love how it came out in my shots,
both when doing DSLR video and when doing photography.
This worked out really well for me,
and I'm happy with the results that I got.
This does come with a lens hood,
and it does go both ways on there,
so you can make this a little smaller if you need to.
And again, the weight and heft is okay.
The build quality is, again, solid.
In this case, we've got a filter on here.
It's a UV filter from Tiffen that helps protect the lens.
And the thing I like about Lumoid is,
they send that with most of the stuff that you get
so that you have a better chance
of not scratching the glass.
So, I like that.
This lens retails at under $500, it's about 400 bucks,
and I think that's a solid price
for the quality that you're getting.
If you have a 35 millimeter and you were thinking
of investing in another prime lens,
while there's a lot of versatility in the 50 millimeter,
the 85 millimeter is a bigger gap between the two,
and you'll get different types of shots from it.
So if you're really focused on
possibly doing portraits and candid,
I would really consider getting this.
Even though it's twice the price of the fifty millimeter,
in most cases I would say that it's worthwhile.
If you have the 50 millimeter and you don't have a 35,
I'd also say that just getting
the extra distance out of this,
whether you're on a crop body or a full frame,
is definitely worthwhile and it's a good overall investment.
In this price range, I really don't think
that there's actually a better
overall lens to add to your kit.
If you spend a few more dollars, sure,
you'd get something in the zoom range from an off-brand
for maybe $500 or $600, $700, in the f/2.8 range,
but, if low light is a real concern for you,
and you want to be able to go to f/1.8,
and, if you really wanted
to be able to go the distance,
if you will, with 85 millimeter,
then, again, this is a great option for you,
and I'm really pleased with what
it was able to produce for me.
The only negatives that I could say about this lens are,
the front weight does make it a little awkward
just depending on what your body type is
and how you're used to holding a camera,
but no more so than any professional
glass that you'll be using, in fact they're a lot heavier.
Like when I borrowed my friend's 24 to 70,
that was a monster.
That was a lot of ungainly front weight to deal with,
and I had to reposition my body accordingly.
You'll have less of a hard time with this.
So, if you're somebody who's a smaller-bodied person,
smaller-framed person, then,
this might be a really good lens
for you to get used to the idea
of using something that's a little heavier
than the "Nifty Fifty," or the 85 millimeter,
or your kit lens.
Overall, the image quality that this produces
is far superior to the kit lens,
and superior to the kit zoom lenses,
like the 50 to 200.
So, I would say that if you're looking for
something that can provide great subject isolation,
beautiful bokeh, and can handle low light situations,
that the 85 millimeter F/1.8
is one of the best lenses you could put in your bag today,
and I would highly recommend it.
I've also done a video that covers
really my top five reasons real quick of
why I think everybody should have
some kind of 85 millimeter lens.
So make sure you're also checking that on the channel.
Again, I haven't committed to buying this yet,
but I probably will in the next few months
when I make my final decision on what I'm gonna buy.
I'm gonna be reviewing a few more lenses
here on the channel for you guys,
as I make up my decision
on what's gonna be in my camera bag this year.
But, if you wanna try this before you buy it
or any other lenses, you can go ahead and rent them
from our friends over at Lumoid.
There's a link up here in the info card,
probably one in the description below as well.
Again, they're not sponsoring this video,
but I did use them to rent this lens for a few days
so that I could share it with you guys,
and so I could play with it for myself.
Anyway, I hope you guys found this video informative.
If you still have questions,
leave those in the comment section.
I'll try to answer as many of them as I can.
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As always, you guys, thanks so very much for watching,
and don't forget, create something awesome today,
with whatever lens you have.