Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 Review (2024)
The 85mm lens is my go to portrait lens, and has been for ten years. It’s an easy focal length to work with – flattering, but I’m not a mile away for full body photos. While I’ve switched to a 50mm for a lot of my family and newborn work, my senior, couples, and maternity sessions are all photographed on 85mm lenses.
I obsessively read reviews on all the gear I’m interested in, and the Nikon 85mm 1.2z was no exception. It’s not a cheap lens, by any stretch – it’s 3-4x as expensive as the Nikon 855 1.8z, and twice as expensive as the Nikon 85mm 1.4G (which can be used on mirrorless Nikon bodies with the FTZ adapter).
Most reviews cover the technical specs – distortion, shape of bokeh, weight, etc. Which is great! But I need real world reviews, with real world images. Does it have sun flares? Is it fun to use? Will it wear your arm out after a full day? Is it romatic and dreamy? Clinical?
This review won’t cover many of the technical aspects of these lenses, but it will give you a real world review of what it’s like to use these 85 mm lenses when photographing family, senior, and portrait sessions! When I was searching, I needed a comparison of the Nikon Z 85mm 1.2 versus the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8 in real world conditions, something hopefully this review does.
Nikon Z 85mm 1.8s Pros and Cons
When I first picked up my Nikon z6ii camera body, it was an easy decision to get the Nikon 85mm 1.8s lens to go with it. Relatively inexpensive, it’s incredibly fast focusing, sharp, and lightweight.
I used this lens on a majority of my family sessions, all my senior and portrait work, and weddings (when working with other photographers). I rarely missed focus, could crop like crazy thanks to the super sharp images, and was super happy with the size (both weight and diameter).
It did feel a bit…eh in terms of character. The colors SOOC were fine, but the super sharp images felt a bit clinical. My favorite lens ever is the Nikon 28mm 1.4 (SEE LINK HERE!!!!), which has loads of character – crazy flares, sometimes a bit soft focusing, tons of vignetting, and the perfect amount of edge distortion. The 85 mm 1.8s was super sharp, always focused, and was…fine.
Pros:
- Super fast focusing
- Sharp
- Lightweight
- Inexpensive
- Small
- Fits well on the Nikon z6ii body
Cons:
- Stops at 1.8
- Not fun or exciting to use
This lens has basically everything, right? It’s sharp, it’s cheap, it’s small, it does the job.
While everything I photographed with it was lovely, and insanely sharp, I was missing the 1.4 aperture. I read review after review, with all of them concluding “if you’re willing to spend $2K+ for a little extra light, then I guess…”
I waffled on the decision for at least a year. Yes, I used the 85mm focal length all the time, but did I REALLY need 1.2 through 1.7?
I’m here to tell you: absolutely.
Nikon Z 85mm 1.2s Pros and Cons
The Nikon 85mm 1.2s is BEAUTIFUL. It’s expensive and huge, but dang, it looks good at 1.2 (and beyond!).
One of my favorite portrait lenses is the Nikon 105mm 1.4. Gorgeous bokeh, incredible separation. But 105mm is a hard focal length for me to use, especially when trying to get full body portraits. I feel like I’m a mile away from my client!
The 85mm 1.2s lens is a great compromise. It doesn’t quite have the smooth, painterly bokeh of the 105mm 1.4, but it has all the features I love in the 105mm, but in an easier to use focal length. It’s great for up close portraits, as well as full body photos of an entire family.
Size
This is not a small lens, but it’s also not the worst one to carry for long sessions. I used this on a couple wedding days, and didn’t notice the weight (unlike with my 70-200mm lens).
Where I really noticed its size is in the diameter of the front glass. The width of the 85 1.8s lens is 67mm, where the 85mm 1.2s is 82mm (same as 105mm 1.4). That’s only a little over a half an inch, but that can be intimidating for your client to look into! Most adults are fine with it, but I do find it can be a lot for little kids, especially kids who haven’t been photographed with a camera before.
It’s somewhat big to hold, but again, I haven’t been bothered by the size. I do prefer the shape of the Nikon 50 1.2s – same weight, but narrower and longer – but the 85 1.2 is still easy to carry around during a family session.
Sharpness
The sharpness on this lens is out of this world, and in a beautiful way. I’m a school photographer, and used this lens for school portraits last fall. Shooting it at 5.6 aperture, I ended up with gorgeous, almost life-like images, especially when printed at 8×10.
It is just a *hair* soft at 1.2, so I usually shoot at 1.3 or above. But “soft” in this case is relative, and you can easily shoot this lens at 1.2 and have beautiful images!
Character
While I don’t think the Nikon Z lenses are as fun and exciting as the Nikon E-series lenses (28mm 1.4, 105mm 1.4), their 1.2s series is moving in the right direction. The E series lenses tend to have more exciting (for me) flare, with more rainbows than general haze. The Z series lenses trend more towards glowy haze, with the 85mm 1.2 handling it better than the 85 1.8.
The only downside (which is only a downside for me), is that there isn’t much vignetting with this lens. In my opinion, the distortion on this lens is flattering in most situations (as it is on most Nikon lenses), so I always turn lens correction OFF when editing in Lightroom.
Pros:
- Outrageously sharp
- Fast focusing (maybe not as quick as 1.8s)
- Dreamy bokeh
- Flattering distortion
Cons:
- Bigger and heavier than 1.8s
- Larger front lens than 85mm 1.4G (can be intimdating)
- Price
- Not much vignetting
Would I recommend buying the Nikon 85mm 1.2s?
If you have the money to spend on the Nikon 85mm 1.2s, I would recommend buying it. It really is a beautiful portrait lens, and works incredibly well on the Nikon mirrorless camera bodies.
If you’re on the fence, or 85mm isn’t your go to focal length, the Nikon 85mm 1.8s is a fantastic lens, at a fraction of the cost.
Where To Buy
Price check on Amazon:
Nikon 85mm f/1.8 S (affiliate link)
Nikon 85mm f/1.2 S (affiliate link)
Nikon Z 85mm 1.8s Sample Images
Nikon Z 85mm 1.2s Sample Images
Additional Gear Reviews
Wondering about what other Nikon lenses I love? My Nikon 28mm 1.4E is my ride or die, pry out of my cold, dead hands lens.