Nikkor 85mm f1.8D AF-D Lens
The Nikkor 85mm f1.8D AF-D lens has become my single favorite prime lens for overall photography. The 85mm is very useful for portrait photography and close-ups of people. If you're taking candids or people giving some kind of presentation or program, it's useful for filming people at a distance of about twelve feet. These are just two of the many applications of the 85mm.
The Lens
The 85mm f1.8D AF-D has extreme sharpness and contrast and is one of Nikon's finest lens. The f1.8 aperature speed helps in indoor low-light situations and it is a compact, light lens that fits well in any camera bag or pouch. It uses the HN-23 screw-on hood and 62mm filter accessories.
It has the same visual perspective that you would have if you're concentrating on the matter in front of you. In other words, if you were casually observing some action in front of you, you'll have the same angle of view and perspective as an 85mm lens. You can use this knowledge to your advantage as we'll see below.
People
The 85mm takes excellent photos of people.
Here's an example of the clarity of a photo taken
of Miss USA 1998, Shawnae Jebbia.
It has adequate depth of field to take both portraits and close-ups.
It was taken about ten feet away, and it reflects what you would have seen
from that distance.
If you wish, you can use a wider aperature to throw the background out of focus.
If it is lit fairly brightly, you'll get a nice background, as is shown in
this photo with
Miss Great Britian 1998, Leilani Dowding.
Telephoto Scenes
You can also use the 85mm to zero in on the subject matter,
crop and eliminate undesired elements from the scene.
This lets you communicate the key subject matter to your audience.
These
trees in New Hampshire
were perhaps 300 yards away,
but the lens does a beautiful job of avoiding the unsightly interstate highway,
which is just out of view below this scene.
Low Light
The f1.8 is excellent for night photography, or for indoor photos with ambient light.
Here we have the lights of Waikiki
twinkling off in the distance.
Astrophotography
The sharpness and the f1.8 speed mades the 85mm a logical choice for wide field astrophotography. Here we have a 30 second shot of Comet Hale-Bopp taken without the benefit of a clock drive.
since June 9, 1997
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