Overview

The Nikon 85mm f1.8D is a classic portrait lens designed for use with Nikon FX and DX-format DSLR cameras. It has been on the market for over two decades, but it remains a popular choice for many photographers due to its excellent image quality, fast maximum aperture, and affordable price point.

Build Quality

The Nikon 85mm f1.8D is constructed with a metal lens barrel and features a durable plastic focus ring. It has a solid feel to it and is built to last. The lens is also lightweight, weighing in at just 380g, making it easy to carry around.

Optical Performance

The lens is designed with seven elements in six groups, including one aspherical element. This design helps to produce sharp, detailed images with excellent contrast and minimal distortion. The lens also features Nikon’s Super Integrated Coating, which helps to reduce lens flare and ghosting while improving color accuracy and contrast.

The fast maximum aperture of f/1.8 allows for excellent low-light performance, and it produces a shallow depth of field that is ideal for portrait photography. The lens produces beautiful bokeh, with smooth, creamy out-of-focus areas that really help to isolate the subject.

Autofocus

The autofocus performance of the Nikon 85mm f1.8D is fast and accurate, thanks to its fast and quiet internal focusing system. The lens also features a manual focus override, which allows you to make fine adjustments to the focus even when using autofocus.

Drawbacks

One major drawback of this lens is that it lacks an internal motor, which means that autofocus is reliant on the camera body’s autofocus motor. This can result in slower and noisier autofocus performance on entry-level cameras that lack an autofocus motor.

Another downside of this lens is that it lacks image stabilization. While this may not be a big issue for photographers shooting with fast shutter speeds, it can be a challenge when shooting in low light conditions where a camera shake can be an issue.

Conclusion

The Nikon 85mm f1.8D is an excellent lens for portrait photography, producing sharp, detailed images with beautiful bokeh. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of newer lenses, it remains a popular choice for many photographers due to its affordable price, solid build quality, and excellent optical performance. If you’re looking for a fast, affordable portrait lens for your Nikon DSLR, the Nikon 85mm f1.8D is definitely worth considering.