Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8g

£427/$477 Compact, lightweight and affordable

There’s a lot to be said for compact lenses that don’t take up too much room in your kit bag. This one fits the bill perfectly, weighing in at just 350g. That’s less than half the weight of the Samyang MF lens on test.

It’s also refreshingly inexpensive for an own-brand Nikon lens. Even so, it has a high-quality optical path based on nine elements, although there are no aspherical or ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements.

Build quality is good, complete with a rubber weather-seal on the mounting plate and a fast, ring-type ultrasonic autofocus system. However, it’s the only lens in the group with seven diaphragm blades, rather than the much more usual nine that you tend to find in 85mm primes.

Performance

This lens boasts impressive sharpness across most of the frame, apart from in the extreme corners at very wide apertures. Bokeh is impressively smooth and, despite only having seven diaphragm blades, points of light remain fairly well-rounded when stopping down a little.

N-photo verdict