Nikon Z 85mm f1.8 S Lens REVIEW | LASER SHARP, But… 

Jared you know you love Nikon most of all. Your return to Nikon is inevitable. It is your destiny.

Time for a I shoot primes shirt?

I love, love, love this lens!! I'm glad you still have Nikon in your heart!! =)

The cool thing about the new Z mount and Z lenses is that you don't really need to step down a 1.8 lens to 2.8 to get a sharp image. 1.8 is already pretty sharp. Most lenses at 1.2 and 1.4 you have to step down to get the sharpness you need. 85 1.8 Z is already sharp at its max aperture. The price is also pretty good. I am getting one.

'But it's a one point eight' I knew this before get into this video

Own this lens; love it - image quality, sharpness, focusing speed, and handling - Excellent

I’m just about to pull the trigger on a Z6. Sooooooo close . I have the d810 , 500 and 850 . The 35 f/1.8 and 85,1.8 are the first S lenses I’ll get . I have tons of f mount glass that I’ll adapt first . Love the Nikon “look” .

I picked up the new 85 mm f1.8S and I am blown away on how sharp it is. Compared to the 85mm F1.8g adapted in my Z6 the 85mm G lens @f2.8 gets almost as sharp as the new 85mm f1.8S @f1.8. that's insane. The eye AF works a lot faster. I really like it. I would say it's as sharp as the Sigma 105mm f1.4. I recommend it.

When I shoot families, portraits, events, it's my go to lens. The Z6 is also an amazing video camera. However I still rely on my D750 for weddings for which that two card slot I've not been able to let go, and the lickity fast C-AF for wildlife. Good video Jared.

It's hilarious that you have to disclose that you use nikon for video. People do get that triggered that you use sony for stills now. Brand loyalty destroying photography by the second.

I started with the z 50mm but since i got my z 85 f1.8S i use it 90% of the time. My favorite portrait lens

Jared you are wrong :D ... i know you love 1.2 glas but for the actual Z cameras the 1.8 fits perfectly and $2500 glas would not make sense for it. In the end of 2020 Nikon will deliver their first pro Z Bodys + pro lenses ...that's a good plan from Nikon. Canon delivered a consumer RF cameras + pro RF lenses ---> that's stupid :D

This is the best 85mm I ever used, better than the F mount 85mm 1.4, it is near flawless and priced competitively. These 1.8 Z primes are amazing, and with limited focus breathing. The dual motor is fast, and as a bonus it is a blast on the z50. Attention, Sony Northrup, sorry to inform you full frame lenses work perfectly on crop bodies. So far I have the 14-30 4 24-70 2.8 50 1.8 and 85 1.8 and all of those are the best in their class. These are perfect for hybrid cameras, and now that Nikon has RAW video they are leading in video. Nikon is back to creating the best lenses on the market, so far all the new z lenses perform incredible.

Hi Jared. On your Z's and A7s/A9s are you finding that the sensor is getting dusty and requires frequent cleaning (like before every use)?

The lens snob finally found time to review this lens.. Well I bought it before the review and it's an awesome portrait lens of course, but not as amazing and versatile as the 50mm S F/1.8 I don't think anyway I haven't used it enough to fully say though.

Is this a good lens for a Nikon Z50

Maybe people wouldn't call you a shill if you didn't forcibly remind us all the time that you're using Sony and their superior lineup in a goddamn lens review.

"I love, I love, I love…. I love Nikon blabla bla bla but I shoot sony… " Translation : please Nikon lovers watch my channel, buy my Fro presets!"

I am sick and tired of all of this gear obsession and am finding it all rather dull, why do you feel you have to justify what you’re using? I’ve always said I don’t care what gear anyone uses because it’s what you can do with it that really matters (nudge nudge wink 😉) Personally, I think it’s not badly priced considering the age of the old Nikon glass and if you compare it to let’s say a Sony FE 85mm it’s not much more but still considerably cheaper than 1.4. I think that Nikon will produce 1.2Z glass rather than 1.4

I used 3 of the new S lenses for Z mount. I find all 3 to be better than their F mount equivalents.

If you're not careful you'll convince yourself to switch back to the Z system :) I just bought this lens and it is superb on my Z6s.

I think the reason Nikon chose to do 1.8 versions first, is they are what the average (enthusiast) will use and they aren't absurdly expensive in most cases (although the 50 1.8 S is a bit higher-priced than I'd like--I feel sometimes it's more like a $399 lens but considering a 50 1.8G is still around $200, maybe $599 isn't too far off--just 2x the price but the optics are better comparatively). That being said, I think many pros will just adapt their 1.4's to their Z cameras (or just wait to upgrade to Z when Nikon does start releasing fast 1.4's). Nikon is just trying to catch up to everyone else (mainly Sony) in the prime lens dept, and since they had to basically re-design all the Z lenses, this takes time, so they wanted to create the lens that they knew most people would buy. To me, as an enthusiast, who doesn't really get a return on investment, the 1.8's offer great value/quality at a price point I can manage. To me, the little extra bokeh or gains you get from going to a 1.4 isn't justifiable financially (for my needs). This being said, my Z 85 1.8 has become my new favorite portrait lens, and sadly, I've been using it way more than my adapted Tamron 70-200 2.8 G2 lens (which I'm thinking about selling now because I've been shooting strictly with the 85 for the past few months now and love the results, not to mention the size and weight). (One big issue for me with the 70-200 is shooting verticals because Nikon didn't have enough foresight into creating a proper grip w/ controls for the Z6/Z7 bodies... which is a huge fail on their part). My hope is the "rumored" z6s/z7s have this option when released (as I would greatly upgrade my Z6 to a new Z6 body if it supported a vertical grip with controls). But shooting with the 85, this isn't as much of a concern because it's so small and light. I just find it difficult to use proper technique when shooting vertically with my 70-200 on the Z without a vertical grip. Can be done, but not as pleasant because of the size and weight of a 70-200 lens.

I'll wait till the 1.2 comes out, then decide: either the 1.2 or a second hand 1.8 :)

“LASER SHARP BUT...” Jeez.

Looking at your gig photo settings I wish I could shoot at more gigs with good lighting, so many local venues don't seem to care at all about lights so I'm at setting like 6400 ISO f2.8 1/160. And still bumping them up in post Noisey and blurry great!

Come on back to Nikon Jared, me and the rest of the Nikon shooters believe in you. I can never leave my D850.

I adapt the 85 f/1.8 on my Z6 and love it. I am waiting to pick up some native glass

sony is making nikon do this (coming out with 1.8s only) bc nikon is sonys itch.... they are all sony cameras .... change my mind

If this is the S-Line, imagine the G-Line how it'll be. I'll hold off until then.

Love this lens. Gorgeous images.

I love your stuff Jared and Crew, but that was a little like watching someone struggling for possession of their own mind whilst being possessed by Jason Lanier :)

When the f1.2 or f1.4 Z mount lenses will be released, this will cost half, because that is the real price. Same for the other f1.8 Z lenses that cost double.

But. Ugly

Jared, what are your thoughts on the D780 for filmmakers? Stick with the Z series?

The Z series cameras are great. We just need more lenses.

I been shooting Nikon for many years, loyal based here. Or maybe just a lot invested in F mount glass. I use different 3rd party lenses and a a few Zeiss lenses. My 135mm app sonnar,which is very close to the otis line have always been in my bag paired with my D850 and it gives amazing results. I have bought a Z 7ii and my first z lens is this 85/ 1.8. I have to say it ranks up there towards the Zeiss wide open and today was the first day in a long, long time I never had the Zeiss in my bag. Really liking this lens

Jared, how do you feel about Nikon after firmware updates making AF pretty great now?

Am i the only one who thinks jared is simply hating nikon coz he is now biased to sony?

Hey Jered please suggest me between Nikon Zf and Canon R6ii.

You'll go back to nikon for the same reason I didn't switch to Sony. They are shit! Hahahaha

The noise banding on the z6 was horrible glad they fixed it on the z6ii

2020 Its time for ultimate SONY lens kit

I LOVE this lens! I've got the 24-72.8, 105 and 50 MC 2.8, and assortment of f Mount lenses but I find that I use the 85 more than any other

So the question is this or the 50mm f1.8 S??? Can't decide!

Good stuff Fro! Thanks for your knowledge and Happy New year to you! As always please make the Fro Pack 1 and 2 for Capture Pro One 20 please!

I prefer also Z prime lenses but still using 85 1.4 F mount for portraits. I haven’t tried this lens but I guess it might be like 50 1.8 Z which is fabulous. Love your Nikon lens review....you will surely come back to Nikon completely! I believe I deserve some answers to my comments, I watch each and every video and follow you on IG!

I'm shooting with adapted lenses like 70-200 FL E, Sigma Art 35, 85 and many others and they are incredibly fast and sharp

Jared in a shirt that fits. Never thought I'd see the day.

Premium lens made in China... ehhh

I have no doubt you took Sony money. You did a lot of Sony marketing while doing a review of an excellent lens.

Please Sony, can I go back to Nikon, will Nikon have me back?

Not sure i like these click bait video titles..

You have to admit the image quality of Nikon Z6 and S mount are ridiculously very good

"What is it good for," absolutely nothing....*sponsored by Sony* but we still shoot video with Z 6, (security blanket for Nikon users).

Man you don’t need to be that apologetic to Nikon. Your previous video was clear enough and you stated your reasons very respectfully. That should be enough. Great review btw.

Nikon image quality is something Sony still cant match.

Jared always uses that Rock photo he took back in like 2000😁 I've never seen him at a show, festival or anything NorCal, SoCal, Vegas. Get back in the trenches Jared. You used to shoot skaters bro.

Super cheap feeling lens hood that doesn't feel that cheap feeling? Hahaha

I have chance to try this badass lens and I really like it 😊 the "but" is really small but... But I like the sharpness and bokeh :O ... Just asking, did you have upgraded for RAW video?

what field monitor did you use to record your screen?

Happy new year 🎊🎆 amigo!

...the happiness you have in this video is like on the Tamron's for Sony...😕

you are editing the pictures horribly

Thx for your review...and to be honest, great that you have degraded your bash-everything-but-Sony-mode. It was a bit too much in the last videos. Welcome back 😉

15min review on a lens and not mentioning that it is sealed. Instead complaining 10 times It’s only 1.8 and expensive. It’s a pro lens.

Nikon will be dropping a 50mm f1.2 and a 85mm f1.2 this year

Why does Jared never talk about MTF charts?

Old Jared: “my opinion is this lens sucks ass and here’s some very logical reasons why I think it is on a technical scale. That’s why I shoot with two brands of cameras to get the best results because I can afford it.” Broke ass photogs that have to be brand loyal: “WAAAAHHH BUT WAAAAHHH WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO US!?” New Jared: “I love all cameras and their results even if they take garbage shots please stop saying I’m brand loyal!” Everyone bitched so much that he got soft. Let him bash on your shit with his opinions he was entertaining and brought up some interesting things to consider when choosing a product. His channel shouldn’t be all about validating your affordable purchase.

Great video 👍 sure it's a decent lens.

Lens hoods are outrageously priced.

Hope that nikon will make mirrorles camera with d5 made in japan build quality... Sony does not have made in japan quality model i belive people would not mind a thousand $ higher price for that long life quallity

Made in ChiNazi?! No way! Getaway from any made in China products and stand with HK! Hope all Camera manufacturers move to other countries in Asia such as Vietnam or Thailand rather than China. Of course made in Japan feels the best!

Nikon is pure Japanese Sony is sort of Japanese & American company y its important bcs Nikon is part own by one of the biggest conglomerate in the world.. Hehehe Mitsubishi both r historically very important for Japan its image & technical development of the country. Sony is just on opportunistic course.. Hehehe whatever brings cash. Sony lost battle with Samsung & others in TV long ago, than tried in cellphones again lost battle than Hollywood movies music real estate... Hehehe I think u guess where I'm going with it.. I don't think they will ever commit itself to expenses of establishing international service net the canikon has it. Sony has at present technological might in photo area but no production facilities. I don't bet on Sony future but being sure can count on nikon products & support even sometimes with some quirks. Competition is good.. Hehehe

I have a z50 and i am beginner. What lens do you recommend for portraits? Also what lens do you recommend for indoor basketball and lastly what lens do you recommend for outdoor American football. Please help. Thank you. Love the channel.

I have it since a few months and the 35, 50 and 85 1.8 are awesome. No matter if on the Z6 or Z7.

Can you just review the lens as is? I was looking for pros and cons of this lens and all I hear is - it's not 1.4! No other cons? Why fuss with 1.4 or 1.2? I know you need 1.4 as a pro, but its a lens review of a 85 1.8

I had z 85 mm. And ef version 85. 1.8 . 85mm 1.8 g lens is very good. But z 85mm is incredible . I can use 1.8 aperture and it is not soft. İt is sharp

This review was a good one, glad you didn't bash Nikon too too hard here haha. Considering this lens soon

To and FRO on the fence re Sony & Nikon , I have to laugh, I guess if I were you YouTubing, I'd also try and exploit both camera brands and keep playing one off against the other and if necessary I'll contradict myself if it keeps me in both camps! Because like many of your followers, I'm confused too, therefore I have to give you a thumbs down for this video. I suppose you are in a position where you are able to shoot both brands. Good luck Fro.

Nikon has made these new lenses ,and made so they will sell . A 1.4 would double the coast, it would be much bigger. Hats off to nikon for keeping the size and price down.Thumbs down to Sony , the lenses are too expensive and they weigh a ton,yes they are good ,but if you can't afford to buy them what good are they!

I love the primes pn the Z6! Ihave the 50mm f1,8 butt im not shure i want no buy the 24 and the 85...:\ what do you think? 24 mm 50mm and 85mm. Are they good for only 3 lensen in the Bag? The 24-70 2,8. VR i have for the D4 is too big for the Z6:/

Hey Jared, one question please...As a Fuji X-System landscape and product photographer, I am strongly contemplating moving into FF, with either a Nikon Z7 or a Sony a7Rlll. Two questions please...Does the Nikon Z (S Mount) System have a good Macro lens on par with the supposedly stellar Sony 90 f/2.8 G OSS Macro? (Though I'd put my Fujinon XF80 f/2.8 Macro against any macro in terms of image sharpness!) And, have you experienced a "sensor Dust" issue with any of your Sony bodies? Thank you sir! Steve

Just because a lens has a wider maximum aperture doesn't automatically make it "better glass." I don't believe you'll find a better 85 than the 85/1.8S. That's right, I said it.

can you please review the Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S and share the Raw file?

Native Z primes are the way to go. As you said: they feel solid, are silent and weather sealed. Why get a Z camera if you're you are going to keep using the old F lenses with the adapter? I own a Z85mm 1.8 / S, I love it ! ! . What would be the difference/advantage if it was a f/1.4?

Happy New Decade everyone! Can you believe it that Santa did not leave either a Z6 or Z7 under the tree! He also failed to leave a 2020 Land Rover Defender in my driveway! I guess I'm going to have to keep building points on my USAA Visa.

Compared to the Tamron the price is just 100$ off. Clearly the Tamron has VR , this do not (the Z6 and the Z7 have in body stabilization).

I have 24 1.8S and 50 1.8S. I tried 85 1.8S and I don't wanna buy it, it's ok, but nothing special for me. Waiting for 70-200

nikon 85mm 1.8g with ftz adapter vs nikon 85 mm 1.8s which one is better ? camera body:Z6 ii

if you are shooting concerts or nightlife photos, edit them in Capture one or something other than lightroom...lightroom renders the artificial light at high iso horribly and and more often you'll see harsh blown out lights.. espcially with blues and magentas...

85mm 1.8G Vs 85mm 1.8S Please rate both lenses out of 10 for photo and video? Because as per some reviews older version i.e 85mm 1.8G focuses faster than the newer S lens. S lens is more smoother

After learning a lot from you i have already used my D3400 enough since last 2 years. want to upgrade the body now. which one do you recommend, Sir.? BTW, I am an event photographer and a stock photography contributor

Good evening sir I want to buy a sigma f2.8 macro lens for my nikon z6ii please tell me about its auto focus thanks

I almost always leave my FTZ adapter attached to my old 50mm 1.4 in the bag, seems like I use the big zooms on a DSLR still as its more comfortable to hold but this one is nice use

Thanks for the review. Lot's of good information. I appreciate your "act" and all the information. Good job! 😎👋📸

But--I want 1.2

You know Nikon is the best, they just falling behind a little bit for now, you will be back one day😆

I own a 85mm 1.8G, Im used with it with no VR on my D600 and paid full price for it, and it always surprises me with its sharpness, colors etc. Now coupled with the in camera Vr from the Z6 or Z7 why would I need 2/3 stop from the future 1.4Z if the 1.8Z is already so expensive ?? I'll take the adapter, thank you.

The whole section at 3:55 about not wanting to use the FTZ adapter....this is my problem with the reviews. I have zero problems with the FTZ adapter, it feels just like shooting native lenses to me. And they allow us to use the old lenses with giant pieces of glass, versus the weird new software-corrected tiny mirrorless lenses which work really well, but lack some of the character of the giant glass lenses of yesteryear. Just my 2 cents, it feels like the FTZ lens discussion is really excessive.

I think it makes sense launching the 1.8 lenses first, because when the 1.4 and 1.2 ones come out, there will be people who will be like "this piece of glass is so nice, I'm gonna buy it".