85mm F2 Nikkor-P or Canon 85mm f1.9

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nasmformyzombie

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I'm looking to buy a cheaper but fast portrait lens. I like the look of many vintage Leica and Canon lenses. Does anyone have experiences to share re: 85mm F2 Nikkor-P or Canon 85mm f1.9?
 
nasmformyzombie said:
I'm looking to buy a cheaper but fast portrait lens. I like the look of many vintage Leica and Canon lenses. Does anyone have experiences to share re: 85mm F2 Nikkor-P or Canon 85mm f1.9?
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Yes, get the Nikkor. Also, Raid did a comparative test once, you probably find it when you search in the LTM forum.

Roland.
 
Gandy suggests that the Nikkor is the best choice from Japanese lenses of the era (save for the Canon 85/1.8). I haven't compared mine to any other, but I can tell you that the results are superb: it's my favourite lens, period.
 

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OK, let me elaborate:

There is a Canon 85/2, 85/1.9, 85/1.8 and 100/2. The 85/1.9 and 85/2 are optically practically indistinguishable. The 85/2 only comes in chrome (heavy). The 85/1.9 comes in chrome (100-200 US) and in black (KEH has one for US 399 at the moment). The 85/1.8 is a re-design and together with the 100/2 one of the best short teles ever built for LTM. Both 85/1.8 and 100/2 usually run for US 400 or more.

The Nikkor 85/2 comes in chrome (US 200-300) and in black (US 500-800), but optically is the same. The black one is much lighter. The Nikkor is a Sonnar variant.

There is also a Nikkor 105/2.5 which has even better OOF behavior than the 85/2 but is bigger and heavier. It only comes in black.

I use fast short teles not for speed but OOF behavior. And, IMO, the Nikkor's is better than the Canon 85/{2,1.9}.

My Nikkor 85/2 is also my favorite lens, period 🙂. Here is an example photo:

121611458-L.jpg


Roland.
 
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Wayne R. Scott said:
If 85mm, f2.0 and cheap are the buy words; then why not a Russian J-9?

Wayne
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thats what I was thinking. I got one a few weeks ago and am completely happy with it. I wonder how it compares to canons and nikons, though.
 
nasmformyzombie said:
Roland, is there not also a Canon RF 85mm f1.5 as well?
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Yes, there is in different variants (all chrome, chrome and black, etc.). There is also a Nikkor 85/1.5 (worth a fortune),
and the Leitz Summarex (85/1.5). Big, heavy lenses, I have never tried one. But even on the M3 I have a hard
enough time to focus an 85/2 for close-up portraits, so - even in my worst times of GAS - I stayed away from 85/1.5 😎

Roland.

PS: what camera do you want to use with the lens ?
 
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Roland, was it you who posted the online DOF calculator? I was simultaneously shocked & relieved at the calculations for the 85mm at f2.0. Shocked at the few millimetres of DOF there are at 2 metres, let alone closer. Relieved - great excuse for more than half of an attempt at candids at a party, f2.0 of course, being abstract fuzz. Did them before seeing the calculator. Don’t quite know how Merciful got that beautiful shot in post #5, but I will back off next time. My equipment (same lens, in chrome) doesn’t give me a ticket to his (or your) ballpark.
I’m using an M2 with a nice bright patch - just ask Dave (dscang). Should I look for a beater M3, or a magnifier? (Either one would go with a lot more practice.) Back in the summer, afternoon sunlight, I managed to get half a dozen good close shots at f2.0. Not so easy at a lower EV, notwithstanding Leica’s rep for being good to focus by the light of electric bulbs.
Love the Nikkor, will post some day, your posts and Merciful's show what anyone needs to know.

Guy

http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
 
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Yes, Guy, see also here:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34185

If your M2 is well adjusted you will be fine, an eye piece magnifier will help, though. It's a bit a question of technique, IMO,
I do not adjust the lens to a moving object, I preset the focus to what I think is good, and then
I focus by moving my body with the camera pre-set. Still I get 1 out of 3 shots wrong at close focus.

It's counter-intuitive I find: easier to believe that a Noctilux is hard to focus, because there is so much glass.
But the tiny 90/2.8 Tele Elmarit is just as difficult ....

Looking forward to your posts,

Roland.
 
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Roland, I'll be buying either an M3 (15% probability) or an M6 .72 mag (75% probability) or an M6 .85 mag (10% probability). I would lean more towards the M6 .85 but would like to use a 35mm focal length lens eventually. Can anyone comment on the .85 mag with 35mm focal length lens?
 
These are all great cameras ....

Check with Rafael or Peter, for instance. I hear only good things about the .85 M6. With the magnifier on my .72 M6
(1.25 * .72 = .9) I can just about see the 35mm framelines, but I do not wear glasses.

Since you use M bodies you should consider the classic 90/2 Summicron as well (around US 400-450). Not the sharpest lens wide open
(the Nikkor and Elmarit beat it at f2.8) but the smoothest OOF behavior you have ever seen. Better than my 85/2 Zonnar.
Cannt wait to get my Summicron back from DAG.

And to help your GAS a little, this is how the 85/2 black Nikkor looks on the M6 (on the right):

84654149-L.jpg


Best,

Roland.
 
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