{"id":65605,"date":"2025-01-26T16:55:07","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T15:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=65605"},"modified":"2025-01-30T10:30:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T09:30:27","slug":"comparison-which-85mm-f1-8-nikon-z-or-sony-fe-or-maybe-viltrox-or-ttartisan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/comparison-which-85mm-f1-8-nikon-z-or-sony-fe-or-maybe-viltrox-or-ttartisan\/","title":{"rendered":"Comparison: Which 85mm f1.8? Nikon Z or Sony FE? Or Maybe Viltrox, or TTArtisan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2014Nikon, 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.<\/p>\n

\"camera-icon2\"I tested the lenses on a 46 Mp<\/a> Nikon Z7ii<\/a> (Sample images were taken with a Nikon Zf<\/a> , Nikon Z6<\/a>, and Sony A7 III<\/a>)
\n\"\"You can see this review as\u00a0a\u00a0YouTube\u00a0video\u00a0here<\/a>!
\n\"\"Sample images in high resolution here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Sample Images<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"NIKKOR
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 85\/1.8 S | f\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"SONY\"
Nikon A7 III | Sony FE 85\/1.8 | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Nikon Z6 | Viltrox 85\/1.8 II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"TTArtisan
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan AF 75\/2 | f\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"NIKKOR
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 85\/1.8 S | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"SONY\"
Sony A7 III | Sony FE 85\/1.8 | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

\"NIKKOR
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 85\/1.8 S | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"SONY\"
Sony A7 III | Sony FE 85\/1.8 | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Nikon Z6 | Viltrox 85\/1.8 II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"NIKKOR
Nikon Zf | Nikkor Z 85\/1.8 S | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"TTArtisan
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan AF 75\/2 | f\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"TTArtisan
Nikon Zf | TTArtisan AF 75\/2 | f\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Viltrox
Nikon Z6 | Viltrox 85\/1.8 II | f\/1.8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most of the sample images in this review and many more can be found in higher resolution here.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"Specifications\"
Specifications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Buy new (Affiliate links):<\/strong>
\nNikon Z 85mm f\/1.8 S (Amazon)<\/a> $797
\nSony FE 85mm f\/1.8 (Amazon)\u00a0<\/a> $598
\nViltrox 85mm f\/1.8 Mark II (Amazon)<\/a> $399, Viltrox Store<\/a> $399
\nTTArtisan AF 75mm f\/2 (Amazon)<\/a>\u00a0 $199, TTArtisan Store<\/a> $178<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Disclosure<\/span><\/h2>\n

Viltrox kindly provided the Viltrox 85mm lens for test and review purposes. TTArtisan kindly provided the 75mm lens for test and review purposes. My friend corahool.photography<\/a> loaned the Sony lens and our reader Wolfgang kindly loaned the Nikon lens. Without their help this comparison wouldn’t be possible. All the Sony Sample images are also taken by corahool.photography<\/a>, you can see more of his work on Instagram by clicking on the link<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Handling<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Left to right: Nikon Z 85\/1.8 S, Viltrox 85\/1.8 II, Sony FE 86\/1.8, TTArtisan 75\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm f\/1.8 S<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Nikkor lens feels very well-built and tightly assembled. The barrel is made of durable plastic. It features an A-M switch for auto and manual focus, along with a large focusing ring that can be customized to control various functions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Sony FE 85mm f\/1.8<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sony lens is also well-built but doesn’t feel as robust as the Nikkor, giving a slightly more plasticky impression. It includes a control button, a relatively small focusing ring, and an MF-AF switch for manual and auto focus. This was the only lens that didn’t have Nikon Z mount. To use it on the Nikon Z cameras, I used a Megadap ETZ21 Pro<\/a> Sony E to Nikon Z Autofocus adapter.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Viltrox 85mm f\/1.8 II<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Viltrox is the largest lens in this group, both in diameter and weight. Its metal construction gives it a solid, well-built feel. However, it does not include any additional control points beyond its large focusing ring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"TTArtisan AF 75mm f\/2<\/strong><\/p>\n

The TTArtisan is the smallest and lightest lens of the four, though it feels dense for its size due to its all-metal construction. Uniquely, it features an aperture ring that allows manual aperture adjustments in 1\/3-stop increments, with an ‘A’ position for automatic aperture control from the camera. The increments and the A position clicks very gently, a little too gently, as you can change the setting or push it from the A position unintentionally with the slightest touch of the ring.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All the lenses feature a metal mount plate with electronic contacts. The Viltrox lens includes a USB-C port on the mounting plate for future firmware updates, while the TTArtisan lens has a USB-C port on the rear lens cap, which doubles as a firmware update dock. Firmware updates for Nikon and Sony lenses can be performed directly through the camera.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Left to right: Nikon Z 85\/1.8 S, Viltrox 85\/1.8 II, Sony FE 86\/1.8, TTArtisan 75\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All four lenses come with front and rear caps, as well as a lens hood. The Nikon lens has the most robust and generously sized hood, while the TTArtisan’s hood is the most basic and flimsy.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Left to right: Nikon Z 85\/1.8 S, Viltrox 85\/1.8 II, Sony FE 86\/1.8, TTArtisan 75\/2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

None of the lenses include image stabilization. All four lenses are autofocus, utilizing stepper motors, except for the Sony lens, which features a linear motor. In a test of 26\u201328 images taken alternately from 1 meter to infinity using autofocus, all the lenses performed accurately, except for the Sony lens, which missed focus twice\u2014approximately 7% of the time. The autofocus speed was similar across the lenses, although the Nikon focused slightly faster than the others. I found the Sony somewhat disappointing, as its linear motor did not provide any noticeable advantage in AF speed compared to the rest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Optical Features<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sony FE 85\/1.8<\/strong><\/td>\nTTArtisan 75\/2<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nikkor Z 85\/1.8<\/strong><\/td>\nViltrox 85\/1.8 II<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"\"<\/td>\n\"\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Sharpness (Infinity)<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the infinity sharpness test, we look at three areas of the image, centre, mid-frame, and corner, see highlighted areas in the image below! Furthermore, as the 75mm is wider than the other three lenses and I took all the images from the same spot, the midframe and corner crop of it does not match the other ones.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Infinily Sharpness Points of Inspection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n