Nikon 85mm Lens Comparison (AF-D vs. AIS vs. ZF)

[calvin_lee]

I was a little bored today, so I did a lens comparison test. This was not a

scientific test, so take it for whatever it's worth. The lenses were the Nikon

85mm f/1.8 AF-D, Nikon 85mm f/2 AIS, & Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZF, all tripod mounted

on my D80. The point of focus was the knot in the wood.

 

The Zeiss lens appears to have the most contrast & appears to have a slight

edge in sharpness. The AIS lens appears to have a slightly warmer tone. These

100% crops were straight out of the camera and have not been sharpened or

levels adjusted post capture. If you play with each image in Photoshop, you can

basically get the contrast in all 3 images to be about the same. But this is

how they would be straight out of the camera. One interesting thing to note is

that the AF-D lens seems to be just a bit shy of 85mm. Or the other 2 lenses

are possibly a tad longer than 85mm.

 

http://members.cox.net/leecw/Nikon_85mm_Comparison.jpg

[lex_jenkins]

Your results with the 85/2 AI-S Nikkor pretty much match my own. It's not razor sharp around f/2.8, but it suits my purposes for a portrait lens and the bokeh is very pleasant. I like it on my FM2N because it's lighter and more compact than my 105/2.5 AI Nikkor.

 

The Zeiss appears to be an excellent lens.

 

The 85/1.8 AF-D Nikkor seems a bit flat in your test, but I suppose that could be tweaked.

[michael_bradtke]

Calvin

 

Cool test.Just because I am curios. What was the cost difference between the three?

 

Michael

[lex_jenkins]

The 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Nikkor and Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 ZF are available new for around $400 and $1,000 respectively.

 

I paid something like $125 or $150 for a used 85mm f/2 AI-S Nikkor in excellent condition. Well worth it, altho' it might be even less expensive now.

[charles_miller]

Now I know why I sold my 85mm f1.8 AF lens years ago. In my opinion, my 85mm f1.8 HC is better optically above f2.8, and my 90mm V/C f3.5 lens is optically much better above f4. If I truly needed a fast 85mm lens, I would go with the Nikon 85mm f1.4 AFD and get a stunning lens plus autofocus and advanced metering.

 

Just my opinion.

[harvey_edelstein1]

It would have been interesting to see you add the Nikkor 85mm f1.4 to the test. Its closer to the Zeiss then the others.

[mawz]

It's too bad you didn't have the 85/1.4 AF-D and 85 f1.8 K or H.C for the test. You tested the two worst Nikkor 85's against a Zeiss product.

 

There's no good reason to pay $100+ for a 85/2 AI-S unless you absolutely must have matrix metering on an FA or F4. The 85/1.8 in AI'd form is a similar cost and a distinctly better performer (Only exceeded by the two f1.4's and the Micro-P.C)

[gan_esh]

I personally think the Nikkor 85mm 1.4 AF-D is the best portrait lens ever, and I've used many, from Zeiss to Leica to Canon's f1.2.

 

Too bad the crop factor on my D2x has limited my use of this gem. I guess I'll be getting a FX body soon.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

I agree with Gan - the Nikkor 85/1.8 is an excellent portrait lens.