This Cheap 85mm Prime Lens Is Good Enough for Real Work

A fast 85mm prime this cheap can change how your portraits and travel images look, especially if you want shallow depth of field without spending on a first-party lens. Here's a look at this fantastic option.

Coming to you from Andrei Dima, this practical video looks at the AstrHori 85mm f/1.8 II lens as a refreshed budget portrait option on modern mirrorless bodies. Dima walks through the new all-metal build, the smoother aperture and focus rings, and the addition of a USB Type-C port for firmware updates, which matters if autofocus behavior gets refined later. You see the AF/MF switch and a customizable function button in use, so you can judge whether the control layout makes sense in your own shooting. He also points out the lack of weather-sealing at the mount, which is a key detail if you often work outdoors in uncertain conditions. 

From there, the video moves into autofocus and image quality, and this is where the lens starts to look more serious than the price suggests. Dima shows stills where autofocus keeps up well in busy scenes, with only a few missed frames. He also tests continuous AF in video, noting that tracking is smooth and free of obvious pulsing, while pointing out that focus breathing is visible if you rack focus a lot. 

Key Specs

• Focal length: 85mm

• Maximum aperture: f/1.8

• Minimum aperture: f/16

• Lens mounts: Leica L, Nikon Z, Sony E

• Format coverage: full frame

• Minimum focus distance: 2.6' / 80 cm

• Optical design: 10 elements in 7 groups

• Aperture blades: 11

• Focus type: autofocus

• Image stabilization: none

• Filter size: 72 mm front thread

• Dimensions: 72 x 96 mm (diameter x length)

Later in the video, Dima talks about how this lens fits into a crowded 85mm space where many people shrug and say they have seen it all before. He leans into the idea that not every market has access to the same brands, so a capable budget AF 85mm can matter a lot if you cannot easily get other options. You also get a look at how the close focusing distance works for tighter portraits and detail shots, including how sharpness and contrast change as you stop down from f/1.8 to more conservative apertures. Dima spends time on the character of the background blur and how the transition from in focus to out of focus looks. You also get hints of how the lens handles strong light sources, sunstars, and flare. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Dima.