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HANDS ON: Remarkably
compact and lightweight; only slightly larger
than the 50mm f/1.8. At 3/8 inch, the easy-gripping,
ribbed and rubberized focusing ring is wider than
average for this size lens. Slightly underdamped
manual focus action is loose but smooth. Bright,
legible barrel markings include footage (yellow)
and metric (white) focusing scales, a depth-of-field
scale for f/11 and f/16, and an infrared focusing
mark. As per Nikon's norm, the ribbed aperture
ring locks at minimum aperture for program and
shutter-priority AE modes. In addition to ribbed
focus and diaphragm rings, two grooves run laterally
from front to back on each side of the attractive
matte-black lens barrel, improving overall grip.
IN THE LAB:
SQF performance was uniformly excellent, with
virtually no field curvature, and minimal barrel
distortion (0.45 percent). Exposure at film
plane was extremely accurate, with very slight
corner fall-off (1/5 stop) at maximum aperture.
Close focus distance was 1:9 at 32 ½ inches
(almost 4 inches closer than Nikon specifications),
with excellent close-focus sharpness at all
apertures. Optimum performance was at f/5.6.
IN THE FIELD:
Test slides were very sharp and contrasty at
every aperture, with corner vignetting eliminated
by f/4. Flare was well controlled at all apertures.
Autofocus action was extremely fast with about
average noise levels.
CONCLUSION:
Nonrotating front filter ring suits this lens
to circular polarizers, macro ringlights, and
other front-mounting accessories. With the 3-foot
close-focus distance and f/1.8 maximum aperture,
the lens is a natural for tight, selective-focus
portraits. Minimum aperture of f/16 may prove
a limitation for situations requiring maximum
depth-of-field. Overall, an excellent, even
brilliant, optic.
SPECIFICATIONS: 85mm
(85.57mm tested), f/1.8 (f/1.79 tested), 6 elements
in 6 groups.
- View
angle: Diag: 28 degrees.
- Min
aperture: f/16. Focusing turns 90 ¼ clockwise;
min focus 2 ft, 9 7/16 in.
- Weight:
13 15/16 oz.
- Filter
size: 62mm.
- Mount
available: Nikon AF. Included lenshood.
- List
price: $505; street price, $359.95
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