A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S Lens

85mm is the classic focal length of choice for portrait photography, and in the past few years, we have seen an influx of high-quality f/1.8 variants that are significantly more affordable than their f/1.4 and f/1.2 cousins. This excellent video review takes a look at one such lens, the Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S.

Coming to you from Christopher Frost Photography, this great video review takes a look at the Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens. The 85mm f/1.8 S comes with a variety of features, including:

  • Two extra-low dispersion elements for reduced chromatic aberrations and increased clarity
  • Nano Crystal Coat and Super Integrated Coating for reduced surface and internal reflections and reduced flares and ghosting
  • Multi-focus system with two separate AF drive units for faster autofocus with increased accuracy and low noise, suitable for both photo and video work
  • Full-time manual focus override
  • Customizable Control Ring
  • Electromagnetic aperture mechanism for increased exposure stability
  • Dust- and moisture-resistant design
  • Nine rounded aperture blades for smoother bokeh

Altogether, the 85mm f/1.8 S looks to be a quality professional portrait lens that offers a reasonable maximum aperture and good performance at an affordable price. Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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4 Comments

"The 85mm f/1.8 S comes with a variety of features, including:

Customizable Control Ring"

Er, no it doesn't have a customizable control ring and the video even mentions that fact...

Yes it does.
The "focus ring" is customizable. I have mine set to aperture control.
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-lenses/nik...

I’m pretty sure that a 1.8 lens will let in nearer 2/3 of the light that a 1.4 lens would, not 1/3 as stated.

Not exactly. A stop is a halving of light, then a 2/3 stop decrease (from f/1.4 to f/1.8) would correspond to a decrease of approximately 2^(2/3) = 1.587, or about 37% less light.