Canon 85mm f/1.5 LTM vs Nikkor 85mm f/2.0

[hrryxgg]

has anyone used both of these lenses and have opinions on which is more interesting and easy to use?



canon 85mm f/1.5 LTM vs nikkor 85mm f.2 LTM



thank you!

 

[Timmyjoe]

Have not used the Canon, but I love the Nikkor 8.5cm f2 in LTM and Nikon S mount. Beautiful portrait lens, love the way it handles skin tones and face contours.

Best,
-Tim

 

[raid]

Brian has the Canon 85/1.5.
i have a Nikon 85/2 ltm.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The Nikkor is a Sonnar based lens, the Canon is a double-Gauss with the same 1-3-2-1 Seven Elements in 4 group design as the Simlar 5cm F1.5.

The Nikkor is much lighter, smaller, and easier to use. You are giving up just less than 1 stop.

The Canon 85/1.5 - about 2000 made, and expect to pay a lot more than the Nikkor. The Nikkor can be found for under $400. The Canon has skyrocketed in recent years.

I also ended up selling my Canon. These days- expect to pay $2000 or more. If you can grab one for under $1000, get it. I'll be posting how I spent the money next week sometime.

Nikkor 8.5cm F2, very low light.

ISO 10,000 1/90th, F2. On the M Monochrom.

 

[hrryxgg]

curious why you sold the canon -- too big, heavy, harder to use?

thanks!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

They are selling for that much more than they used to, and there are other lenses -like a 1932 5cm F1.5 Sonnar from the first 100 made, first week produced- that I wanted more.

 

[raid]

I sold my Canon and ordered a CV 50/1. It is reasonable to sell off stuff to buy new stuff. It assists the family budget by not spending new sums of money on new lenses without selling old lenses if I have other lenses that can take its place, sort of. I have been using the Canon 85/1.5 very rarely, while I love using the Summilux 75mm 1.4 I kept the Lux.

 

[dexdog]

I have a number of Canon, Nikon and CZJ 85mm lenses in LTM, including the Canon 85/1.5, 85/1.8, 85/1.9 and 85/2, Nikon 85/2 and CZJ 85/2. In general the 85/1.5 is just so heavy that it does not balance well on any camera body. A unique look wide open, but prone to flare and low contrast. The performance improves a lot, i.e., the image looks a lot more "normal", as you stop it down. By f2.8 it performs about as well as the lenses on my list. I have a preference for the rendering of the Sonnar design, so I generally go for the CZJ or Nikon, although it is a toss-up with the Canon 85/1.8 which is just a gorgeous lens, and a Gauss design, I think

 

[dexdog]

I kinda think of the wide-open rendering of the 85/1.5 as analogous to that of the Canon 35/1.5. I will post some pics soon from the 85mm.

 

[oldwino]

I had a Nikkor 85/2 in black. It was a great lens, sharp wide open, nice weight. But I decided that 85 isn't a very useful focal length for me, so I sold it.
Later, I had second thoughts, and purchased a chrome version. Much heavier, and this copy was not sharp at f2. Ended up selling it too.
Now I've got a tiny little Elmar 90/4 that I can use whenever the "tele" thing hits me...which isn't very often.

 

[dexdog]

Canon 85/1.5 wide open. Camera is Sony A7iii. Focus point is on the bird's eye, distance is 3 meters

At f2

 

[dexdog]

Canon 85/1.5 at f2.8

at f4

 

[dexdog]

The house across the street, about 30 meters, f1.5. Point of focus is stop sign.

At f4


This lens is easy to use on a mirrorless camera like the Sony, but would be difficult (you know, the B-word) to get a sharp focus wide open on a RF camera.

 

[raid]

I have a number of Canon, Nikon and CZJ 85mm lenses in LTM, including the Canon 85/1.5, 85/1.8, 85/1.9 and 85/2, Nikon 85/2 and CZJ 85/2. In general the 85/1.5 is just so heavy that it does not balance well on any camera body. A unique look wide open, but prone to flare and low contrast. The performance improves a lot, i.e., the image looks a lot more "normal", as you stop it down. By f2.8 it performs about as well as the lenses on my list. I have a preference for the rendering of the Sonnar design, so I generally go for the CZJ or Nikon, although it is a toss-up with the Canon 85/1.8 which is just a gorgeous lens, and a Gauss design, I think

Didn't you send me your Canon 85/1.8 many years ago for some lens testing?
Canon 85/1.8 at 2.0:

At 8.0:

 

[dexdog]

And yes, the lens does vignette a little bit at f1.5, but is almost gone by f2

 

[dexdog]

Raid wrote "Didn't you send me your Canon 85/1.8 many years ago for some lens testing?"

Yep.

Raid that was a long time ago, given that your daughters are now college age!

 

[raid]

Raid wrote "Didn't you send me your Canon 85/1.8 many years ago for some lens testing?"

Yep.

Those were "golden times"! It was a lot of fun.

 

[raid]

Raid that was a long time ago, given that your daughters are now college age!

I still recall such details. I then owned a Canon 85/1.9, and I used it also in the testing.

Canon 85/1.9 wide open (most likely with Fuji Reala 100)

At 4.0:

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Nikkor 8.5cm F2, wide-open.

On the M Monochrom.







I have Four of these, two in LTM (one is from 1949), one in S-Mount, and one in Contax mount. They are all sharp.

On the Nikon S3.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Canon 85/1.5, wide-open on the M9.





This lens is very good, and used to be under-rated. Not any more, they are selling for as much as a Nikkor 8.5cm F1.5 these days.