NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens

"The lens makes the image, not the camera." - Steve

I am sure I am not even close to the first person to say this or similar, but I do believe in it. Actually the real saying would be, "It's the photographer that makes a great image, not the camera" However, this blog section is all about gear. Not technique, so we'll get into that somewhere else.

This is just as true today as it was 50 years ago. Back in the film days, a camera did nothing to change the image quality (IQ) at all. It literally just got out of the way by opening the shutter and letting the light (the light that comes through the lens) expose the film. The camera body offered other things and controls to determine how that would happen, but in the simplest sense, it really had little to no impact on IQ. The film did play a role in IQ though as well. Different types of film, brands, speeds even the temperature of the film could effect the IQ. Today the image sensor has replaced film and, unlike film can't be changed. The sensors job is to collect the light that falls on it. If you shoot RAW, that should be all it does. In JPEG capture, the internal software evaluates that light and makes it into an image file. A RAW file is NOT an image file, it is a file of information. Anyway, I didn't start this to tell you that. I am getting off topic. The simple idea here is, if you put a lousy lens on a great camera, you will get a lousy image. But, put a great lens on a lousy camera and you very well could get a great image.

Simply put, Lenses are important!

This brings us to today's discussion: The NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S lens

Why a prime lens?

For those that are not aware, a prime lens is one that has a fixed focal length. As opposed to a zoom lens that has a variable focal length. Is simple terms, a zoom can make things bigger or smaller, a prime just is what it is. In this case, 85mm. So why not just get a zoom that covers 85, like the 70 to 200? Well, even though modern manufacturing has closed the gap, a prime lens yields better IQ. It is sharper and has better contrast and better bokeh (the quality of the blurry background).

Why an 85mm?

The 85 has always been considered a portrait lens, if not THE portrait lens. It has an ideal length that can capture 3/4 length to head and shoulder with little distortion. It has a flattering look, if you will. We have always used zoom lenses primarily at J and S Photography. Modern zooms, especially the high end ones, are a great compromise between IQ and convenience. For our 505 brand, I wanted to up our game and make images that were a cut above that. Also, I have always wanted an 85mm lens! For most of Nikon's life, the pro 85mm was an 85mm 1.4. Recently, Nikon release this, the 85mm 1.2. I was immediately drawn to it. Without seeing it or the images it produced, I knew I wanted this lens. And I knew it would be phenomenal.

I started dropping hints to Jen about it. This was not a small purchase since the lens was close to $3000. I had to get her on board and convince her that this was an important addition to out collection. Before I was ready to drop the money on it, Nikon release the NIKKOR Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena. This was a big deal. "Plena" was a new designation Nikon was using for the best of the best. This was one of the greatest lenses ever to be assembled by Nikon. And being that there was not a huge difference in the focal range and the prices being similar, it didn't seem to make any sense to have both of these lenses. I had to pick one. So, I did what I always do when faced with these types of decisions... I went into OCD mode.

The 85mm vs 135mm

I read everything I could find. Watched every video. Compared ever spec. The consensus was, they were BOTH awesome pieces of glass. Well now what? Since I am a member of Nikon professional services, I am able to borrow gear from Nikon to evaluate, but the 85 wasn't available. So I just bought it and borrowed the 135. I had 10 days to make a decision on these lenses. So I tried them out in real life situations here in the studio. The short answer is... They were both AWESOME!

 Ultimately I have to say that the 135 did produce a prettier image. But, the conditions had to be right to get that image. They needed to be outdoor images, our studio is too small to get the type of bokeh the lens was capable of and you really wanted a background that was going to make the most out of that effect and a backdrop wasn't it. I decided on the 85 mainly because it would be more useful to me given the type of photography I was doing and the size of our studio. The 135 was just too long for the studio. The only thing you could do inside was headshots with it. The 85 could do headshots and 3/4 length shots inside. So I chose it for it's versatility. It also is no slouch in the IQ department. The pictures from that lens are jaw droppingly beautiful. But, I would give the 135 a slight edge in the IQ department.

As far as which lens should you choose? I think it's a personal question. There is no right or wrong answer here. They are both very, very good lenses. It comes down to which one you are going to get the most use out of.