One-and-a-half years after the faster – and significantly more expensive – Nikon AF-S 85mm 1.4G, this Nikon AF-S 85mm 1.8G had been released. Two thirds of a stop slower, about half the weight and less than a third of the price – but with very similar imaging characteristics. At the end of the DSLR era this was a very popular lens and Nikon made a whole lot of them, but is it still an interesting option today? Let’s try to find out in this review.
When released in 2008, the Nikon AF-S 50mm 1.4G was the first fast prime lens updated to the AF-S standard, adding an in-lens AF-S ring motor and ditching the aperture ring. Already back in the day this wasn’t exactly considered a high performance lens, so where does it stand today? Let’s find out in this review.
If you’re looking for an affordable short telephoto and portrait lens, an 85mm f/1.8 lens is an excellent choice. But which one should you pick—Nikon, Sony, or perhaps the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8? While all three lenses share the 85mm focal length, we’ll also consider the TTArtisan 75mm f/2, which is close enough to serve as a potential alternative. Let’s compare these lenses side by side to help you decide which one is the best fit for your needs.
I tested the lenses on a 46 Mp Nikon Z7ii (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf , Nikon Z6, and Sony A7 III)
You can see this review as a YouTube video here!
Sample images in high resolution here.
Continue reading Comparison: Which 85mm f1.8? Nikon Z or Sony FE? Or Maybe Viltrox, or TTArtisan?
Released in 2000, the Nikon AF 14mm 2.8D is still the widest auto focus prime lens sold under the Nikon brand to this day. As some of the recent Z-mount lenses, this is also a rebranded Tamron lens though. The existing reviews didn’t paint a clear picture, so I decided to have a closer look at it myself.
So far I have only been talking about color-negative film here, so this Kodak Ektachrome 100 was actually the first slide film I exposed. If you don’t know what the differences between color-negative and slide film are, you can have a look here first.
Processing (E-6) and scanning (Noritsu) was done at urbanfilmlab in Germany. Pictures you see in this article are from one roll of Ektachrome 100 and a sixth of a roll of 5294 E100.
Continue reading Analogue Adventures – Part 38: Kodak Ektachrome 100 / 5294