Which of These Affordable 85mm Lenses Is the Best?

Wide-aperture 85mm lenses are some of the most popular out there, a fact the seemingly never-ending arms race between manufacturers for the most bokeh-licious portrait lens can attest to. Not all of us want to spend over $2,000 on such a lens, though, and there are plenty of options that still offer good image quality at much more affordable prices. This excellent video comparison takes a look at two such options. 

Coming to you from Tom Calton this great video review compares the Tokina 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M and Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 STM II. At $399 each, both of these lenses significantly undercut first-party f/1.2 and f/1.4 options. And while those may also possess somewhat better image quality or autofocus performance, if you are shopping purely from an aperture standpoint, it is important to remember that the difference between f/1.8 and f/1.4 is less than a stop. When it comes to depth of field and bokeh, if you are pixel-peeping, sure, you will notice the difference, but for all practical purposes, you are likely to be perfectly happy with the smaller aperture. On top of that, f/1.8 versions tend to be much smaller and lighter in addition to being far cheaper, so it is well worth considering if you would be better served by one instead of a flagship portrait lens. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Calton. 

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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10 Comments

Pretty good review of the 85 mm 1.8. But the reviewer failed to mention one key issue. The Tokina is only being sold for the Sony mount. While the Viltrox is sold on numerous other mounts including Canon RF and Fuji.

It's tough to really say which is better since they are both great in different areas. I own both and I can confidently say that the Viltrox is a little bit sharper. However, the Autofocus on the Tokina is much faster and more consistent. My Viltrox 85mm frequently misses when using eye autofocus. It's also much slower than Tokina's autofocus. So it's really a toss up on which to chose. Overall, both are great and highly capable of taking excellent images. This shot is with the Viltrox 85mm (Fuji).

Curious, exif shows this was taken with a Sony a6000 + 50 f1.8 OSS.

Let me fix that, for some reason Capture One always applies this when exporting in batch. I'm not sure if it's some sort of preset or default. I will find the RAW and re-upload it.

Here's a shot from Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 v1 (Fuji). I had to resize it in Photoshop. This one has the correct EXIF information.

Just an fyi...your Fuji camera is adding GPS location to your files. If that was your intent, ignore. If not, be wary.

Thank you for the warning. That is greatly appreciated!

Leica owners in the 60s and 70s got gorgeous images with 90mm 2.0 and 2.8

The quest for 1.4 or larger is fueled by this idea that an aggressive out-focus bkgrnd will somehow make a shot

It's a crutch, not a tool

The background blur between f1.4 and f2 is hard to discern. Even back then, background blur had value/appeal.

One moment please...

* cough *

LEICA SUMMILUX 35mm f/1.4 - 1960-1995
LEICA NOCTILUX-M 50mm f/1 - 1976-2008
LEICA NOCTILUX 50mm f/1.2 - 1966-1975
LEICA SUMMILUX 50mm f/1.4 - 1961-2004

* cough *

May I suggest buying a Helios 40-2 85 1.5 instead? Awesome bokeh, way more character, same price range.