Nikon Z 85mm 1.8 S

The Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S performs on a very high level, delivering very high resolution across the whole frame straight from the maximum aperture. Background blur is very soft and smooth with evenly filled highlights without visible outlining. Bokeh fringing is on a typical level for this lens class. CAs are very well controlled and no issue at all. Distortion is fairly low natively, even though a tad higher than it used to be on the F-mount lens that was available for the last decade. Vignetting is moderate at large apertures and no issue at medim apertures and beyond. Software correction can take care of it completely, if required. The build quality of the lens is on a very high level. There are some plastic parts on the lens body, but most of it is made from aluminum and feels sturdy and solid. Controls on the lens are reduced to a minimum, just the AF/M switch and the focus ring. The latter works electronically though with variable speed and can be customized to control a (small) selection of other functions. Thanks to a stepping motor, autofocus is very fast and silent. Performing on such a high level, the lens easily deserves our "Highly Recommended" badge.

At the time of writing, the Nikkor 85mm lens is the longest native focal length available for full-frame Nikon Z cameras. Intended as a portrait lens, it’s compatible with the Z 7 and Z 6 full-frame cameras, but it is also compatible with the newly-announced APS-C Z 50 camera (where the effective focal length would be 127.5mm). It joins the other f/1.8 prime lenses which have also been announced for the Z mount, including the 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8 which were available from launch.

The Nikon Z 85m f/1.8 S is an outstanding 85mm lens in every respect.

Nikon's first 85mm prime lens for their full-frame mirrorless Z cameras performs very well with regard to contrast, resolution, Bokeh, focus reliability, color aberrations, and coma. It produces sharp and contrasty images that are an excellent fit for the 45MP Z7 sensor. Plus it is hardened well against the elements and its focus ring can be assigned different tasks like exposure compensation or aperture setting. On the downside the extreme corners are a bit soft at infinity and stay so unless you stop down by a fair amount. Its magnification in close-up situations of 1:7.2 is not as good as Nikon's other Z lenses so far, I wish the barrel could have been a bit shorter, plus the lens pouch is flimsy - although these are all minor issues. As most modern F-mount lenses work well on a Z body via the FTZ adapter, Nikon's new lens is also not without alternatives. But its overall performance justifies the price and deserves a Highly Recommended!