Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S

£709/$797 Exceptional for an f/1.8 lens

When it comes to fast primes, f/1.8 lenses are often seen as poor relations to their f/1.4 and f/1.2 counterparts. Naturally, you can’t get such a tight depth of field, or quite as quick shutter speeds under low lighting, but that’s not the whole story.

This lens has a high-quality optical path that includes two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and Nano Crystal Coat. As with other Nikon 85mm lenses on test, there are no aspherical elements but this can be a bonus for bokeh. Up-market build quality includes weather-seals and AF is courtesy of a quick yet virtually silent stepping motor. The electronically coupled control ring enables highprecision manual focusing and can also be used for adjusting the likes of aperture and exposure compensation.

Performance

Sharpness across the entire frame is spectacular even when shooting wide-open, as is contrast. Meanwhile, bokeh is gorgeous and noticeably smoother than from Nikon’s faster AF-S 85mm f/1.4g, with better rounded defocused points of light.

N-photo verdict