Nikon 85mm f2 ais

[Richard Griffith]

I have had 2 of these lenses over the last 10 years, neither of which did I feel were particularly sharp. I love the focal length and have seen a mint one for sale which I am very tempted to get.
What I'm wondering is have I just been unlucky with the 2 lenses I have had, or is this lens known to be a little soft and maybe not one of Nikon's best, particularly c/w the 105mm f2.5?

Richard

 

[jonmanjiro]

Unlucky perhaps? I had a very late s/n Ai-S 85mm f2 that was extremely sharp, even wide open.

 

[Godfrey]

The one I had was superb, although not quite up to the 105/2.5 or the earlier 85/1.8. The latter is what I have now .. One of my special favorite Nikkors.

 

[Ken Ford]

Mine is plenty sharp, but a little flat - especially compared to my 105/2.5.

 

[Richard Griffith]

Thanks guys for your quick replies, that's all I need to convince me! I'll give it a go again

 

[Don Parsons]

THe 85 1.8 I had was a great lens. The f2 supposedly isn't as sharp.

 

[raid]

I have very few Nikon SLR lenses, and I do not have the 85/2. I have it as a RF lens. Is it the same optically as in SLR? I am more impressed with the Nikon 105/2.5 which I have both as RF and and SLR lenses.

 

[Ken Ford]

Lots of sample variation in the older 85/1.8 in my experience, though - I had two that sucked, and one that was great.

 

[Doug Smith]

I have both the 85mm f2 ai and 105 2.5 ai. The 85 is perfectly usable and sharp enough when stopped down. However the 105 has a lot more snap and sharpness and rightfully considered one of the best lenses Nikon ever produced.

 

[rbsinto]

I have both the 85 f2 AI and the 105 2.5 AI (which were two of a four-lens package that I won at a bankruptcy auction a zillion years ago) and while the 85 is a nice fast lens, I've always preferred the 105, just because it has a bit more reach.
The 85 is sharp enough even wide open, but for me it is simply too short to be long, and too long to be short.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Tough to compete with the 105 f/2.5 and the 85 f/1.8.

 

[Noserider]

It's a good but not great lens, especially compared with the other 85's and the 105's in Nikon's line-up. I've had 3 copies and sold 2, I kept one since I really do like the very small size and low weight. To me, the optical design is closer to the Olympus 85mm f/2 rather than the 85mm 1.8 that it replaced. But I'd say that the Olympus is a better lens.

 

[Noserider]

Oh see more one my comments as RidingWaves at http://www.apug.org/forums/archive/index.php/t-75971.html

 

[Gumby]

Unlucky perhaps? I had a very late s/n Ai-S 85mm f2 that was extremely sharp, even wide open.

Mine too, especially when using higher shutter speeds and/or a tripod!

 

[kshapero]

I have read many conflicting comments on this lens. For me it has rivaled the famed Nikkor 105/2.5 lens for sharpness.

 

[Vics]

The one I had was superb, although not quite up to the 105/2.5 or the earlier 85/1.8. The latter is what I have now .. One of my special favorite Nikkors.

Plus one for the Nikkor-H 85/1.8. I like mine a lot!

 

[jonasv]

I have read many conflicting comments on this lens. For me it has rivaled the famed Nikkor 105/2.5 lens for sharpness.

Ditto.
My 85/2 even outdid both 105/2.5s that I had.

 

[Highway 61]

Unlucky perhaps? I had a very late s/n Ai-S 85mm f2 that was extremely sharp, even wide open.

Same here. At some point I discovered that some "specialists" often favored the old Nikkor-H-C 85/1.8 over the 85/2 AI-S which was said to be deceptive, so I wanted to make sure, but my personal experiences told me just the contrary.

So I kept my cherished 85/2 AI-S eventually and sold off the two old 85/1.8 that I had bought, and without the least hesitation.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I have very few Nikon SLR lenses, and I do not have the 85/2. I have it as a RF lens. Is it the same optically as in SLR?

No.........

 

[dof]

I had a copy of this lens, and while I loved the focal length, I too just didn't find the quality of the lens to be up to the standard of the 105mm F2.5. It's a tough measure to be sure. Since the two were so closely related, I decided to keep the 105 and ultimately sold the 85. I miss it just a little though, I must admit.