hello all, i had some questions about the nikkor 85mm 1.8 AFD lens in terms of sharpness. is this lens any better or worse than the 1.4 version? it is half the price, but that aside, has anyone had any problems or comments or concerns about the 1.8 over the 1.4? i need a lens that is fast and SHARP. the half-stop doesn't bother me at all, but the quality of the optics and sharpness does mean a great deal to me. this is going to be used for candid street photos and another thing is that the 1.8 is quite a bit smaller. any comments would be greatly appreciated!

than

-- Dave S. (dws69880@cmsu2.cmsu.edu), March 05, 2002

Answers

Dave, the 1.8 is an improvement optically over the older f/2. And since a 1.8 is easier to design than a 1.4, that's where I would put my money. I wouldn't have confidence that the 1.4 could be sharper, except maybe at 1.8 or f/2. By f/4 or so, I would expect the 1.8 to take the lead. By 5.6 or f/8, I doubt there would be any practical difference.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), March 05, 2002.

The lens is superb from f2.8 on down-even at the minimum focus. I use mine extensively at its close range of 3 feet and f2.8 to f4.0 with great results. It is one of the best Nikon lenses I have ever owned in the 25 years At f1.8, the lens is noticeably lower in contrast and doesn't resolve as much detail as it does at f2.8. I have no experience with the 1.4, but many of Nikon's fast primes (except the ED glass ones)do not perform that great wide open.

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), March 09, 2002.

This is one of the stars of Nikon's lineup. One of the other IMHO is the 35/2 AF. With these two, you've got a great kit.

-- Phil Stiles (stiles@metrocast.net), March 10, 2002.

"the quality of the optics and sharpness does mean a great deal to me"

Chasseur d'Images the high quality French photo magazine known for the validity of its tests, rates this lens a five-star, one of very few lenses meriting that rating. I think only two Nikkors get the rating, and a few Leica lenses and some others. A handful, in any case.

I own the lens. It deserves that high rating. You will have no cause for regret about quality of optics. None at all.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), March 14, 2002.