Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

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Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005LE75
• Item model number: B00005LE75
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 22, 2002

Product Description

Manufacturer Description
Lens-making is an art--Nikon artisans craft Nikkor optics from the finest materials, taking pride in adding their intellect and technique to bring the world's finest lenses to life. They push the leading edge of lens-making in their effort to provide the "glass" that makes the world's greatest pictures.

AF Nikkor lenses work with Nikon SLRs for optimal performance, even the very latest. The Nikon 85mm f1.8D AF Nikkor is a compact and portable medium telephoto lens ideal for indoor or outdoor portraits. An excellent choice for your first telephoto lens, it features subtle blurring of background for beautifully natural and evocative portraits, Rear Focusing system for fast and smooth optical performance, and weighs 13.2 ounces.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating ensures exceptional performance
To enhance the performance of its optical lens elements, Nikon employs an exclusive multilayer lens coating that helps reduce ghost and flare to a negligible level. Nikon Super Integrated Coating achieves a number of objectives, including minimized reflection in the wider wavelength range and superior color balance and reproduction. Nikon Super Integrated Coating is especially effective for lenses with a large number of elements, like our Zoom-Nikkors. Also, Nikon's multilayer coating process is tailored to the design of each particular lens. The number of coatings applied to each lens element is carefully calculated to match the lens type and glass used, and also to assure the uniform color balance that characterizes Nikkor lenses. This results in lenses that meet much higher standards than the rest of the industry.

Rear Focusing
With Nikon's Rear Focusing (RF) system, all the lens elements are divided into specific lens groups, with only the rear lens group moving for focusing. This makes autofocusing operation smoother and faster.

Distance information
D-type and G-type Nikkors relay subject-to-camera distance information to AF Nikon camera bodies. This then makes possible advances like 3D Matrix Metering and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash. Note: D-type and G-type Nikkors provide distance information to the following cameras: Auto exposure; F6, F5, F100, F90X, F80, F75, F70, F65, F60, F55, F50, Pronea S, Pronea 600i, D2 series, D1 series, D100, and D70s/D70. Flash control; F6, F5, F100, F90X, F80, F75, F70, D2 series, D1 series, D100, and D70s/D70 cameras.

What's in the Box:
Lens, 62mm snap-on front lens cap, rear lens cap LF-1, screw-in hood HN-23.

Product Description
85mm lens for Nikon SLR cameras

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent compact moderate telephoto lens, July 30, 2005

By	John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you don't need the speed or can't afford the expensive 85mm f1.4 Nikkor lens or both, then this lens may be the right one for you. It took Nikon a while to produce a superb compact 85mm lens, but this time they finally got it right. Without a doubt, this is a fine portrait lens for photographing head-and-shoulder portraits (The only lens which is optically better is Nikon's legendary 105mm f2.5 Nikkor lens, and its close optical twin, the 105mm f2.8 Micro Nikkor.). Since the 105mm f2.5 Nikkor lens doesn't have an autofocus version, then this might be the perfect moderate telephoto lens for owners of Nikon autofocus SLR cameras. Regardless, this lens has a well-earned reputation for excellent contrast and resolution.

57 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very under-rated, April 18, 2006

By	D. Barrack "RunningHappy" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have a D200 and while all the hype is around the 18-200 and others, this is one awesome lens for portraits and other closer up type photos. I read a few things that I had to research and thought I'd pass on my experience:

- How is this with a D200? (ans: great. fast auto-focus. no compatibility issues)
- Do you really get crisp photos and cool bokeh? (ans: absolutely)
- Is 1.8 ok or do you need 1.4? (ans: I don't have a 1.4 but the 1.8 is so competent for the price and I get the crispness and shallow DOF I was looking for)
- Is the shooting distance for an 85mm acceptable or do you need a 55mm so you can be closer to the subject? (ans: I really like the shooting distance for the 85mm. I really would not less distance between me and the subject)

Enjoy!

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An oustanding portrait lens for both film and DSLR, November 21, 2006

By	M. Garrett "since1968" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A exceptional portrait lens for both digital and film, the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D is usably sharp wide open and tack sharp by the time you stop down even just a bit. Relatively small and very light, it feels just right in my hand. Steve McCurry is one of my favorite photographers and I was happy to discover that many of his great shots were taken with this lens.

Also, if you shoot on a manual focus body like the F3, you'll like the solid but smooth feel of the focus ring.

The 85mm comes with a metal, screw-on hood. My preference is the plastic bayonet mounts, but I find that I don't need the hood that often since this lens doesn't tend to flare.

Two minor complaints about this lens: first, the bokeh is not exceptional. That's OK; I'm not a bokeh hound. But when I see the creamy out of focus specular highlights that the 85mm f/1.4 produces, sometimes I dream about spending the extra money.

Second, I wish it were AF-S. But even without AF-S, it focuses faster than you'd expect.

Finally, the construction is solid. I've used it heavily for two years in deserts, jungles, and glaciers (ok, and in less glamorous places like around the apartment) and it still looks brand new.

In short, my favorite lens. Absolutely worth every penny.