Nikkor portrait lens advice

macvisual

macvisual

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Peter
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Ok, on the verge of buying a portrait lens for my D810, recently sold a few spare lenses so my max (portrait lens) budget is around £900 ish. I fancy a prime lens but could (?) be swayed to something zoom wise........hmmm not sure (?).

I'm very close to buying a Nikkor 135mm f2 DC lens but want to put a shout out to youse guys n' gals here for your thoughts/advice/knowledge please. I don't own or have access to a studio, it will be used mainly for outdoor use or maybe double up for landscape stuff.

I presently own these prime lenses;
20mm f1.8G -- 28mm f2.8D -- 60mm f2.8D Micro

Regards;
Pete
 
How close do you want to get to your subject? Portraits as in? Head, torso up or environmental?

I would've thought you'd know which fl you favour by now? Judging by your sold stuff.
 
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Head and shoulders stuff, and could double up for landscapes/tight building exteriors.

What about the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 or the slightly cheaper f4...?...and if so, which version is the one to go for please?

Thanks.
 
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70-200 2.8 will be a better portrait lens , but for headshots with specific compositions, the F4 could be better as it does not focus breathe and with a lesser CFD, it can create some nice bokeh. I had the 70-200 F4 and now the Tamron F2.8. I will choose the 2.8 any day for portrait. Also have 85 1.8g which is my fav portrait lens. The Samyang 135 F2 is a brilliant portrait lens, but it is manual only.
 
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When I had nikon I could never see past the 85mm f/1.8g. It was just so good. A long way under your budget though.
 
Had a 70-200 2.8 and it's a very good lens and versatile too, last one I had was very sharp at 2.8 and got some belters with that. I am a fan of primes though and the 85 1.8 I have is excellent. The dc range though has something that is magical. It really depends what length would suit you best.
 
macvisual said:
Yes thanks Phil, seems a lot of the portrait images on that dedicated thread are not pin sharp, don't know why ?
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I agree, I was surprised at how soft they were. Maybe they've been processed that way, or maybe the lens hasn't been adjusted properly I dunno. The 135mm is a lovely lens when sharp though.

My favourite lens is the 70-200mm f2.8 VRII, it has a je ne sais quoi imo. I've heard that it focus breathes but I haven't noticed it, but then I haven't got anything to measure it against. Do I care if it does? Nope, not one bit ;) After all if it's 135mm at close range rather than 200mm then I'm not bothered, 135mm is a lovely portrait length :lol:
 
I'm thinking a 70-200mm would be more versatile for my needs after reading the replies above (thanks), what kind of money does the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR II go for...?...I'm guessing it's outta my league money wise, much difference in the VR Mk1 which is probably cheaper...?

Was thinking bout the Nikkor 85mm f1.4G but it not long enough focal length wise for me. I've got a free pass to a local race circuit so a 70-200mm would probably tick all boxes for portraits/landscape/and a little sports photography.

Decisions decisions. . . . .
 
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VR1 - £6-700 so probably inside your budget. VR2 is quite a bit more but you might just get one used for £900 if you're lucky?
 
youve also got the 105 and 135mm DC lenses. very nice portrait lenses and within budget.
 
macvisual said:
I'm thinking a 70-200mm would be more versatile for my needs after reading the replies above (thanks), what kind of money does the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR II go for...?...I'm guessing it's outta my league money wise, much difference in the VR Mk1 which is probably cheaper...?
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You can pick a lightly used one up at your budget, Peter. There are a couple on eBay now with BIN prices around your budget.
 
My suggestion would be the Nikkor 105mm f2 DC, it can be used to give a range of soft focus effects when the DC ring is used for introducing spherical aberration and when set to zero it is a very sharp lens. To me there is something about the drawing/perspective effect of the 105mm focal length that seems just right for portrait photography.

I no longer use Nikon as I started to get trouble with my wrists, I now use Fuji who don't, and aren't likely to, have a 70 (105)mm lens but if I could afford it my next purchase would be a Fuji M adaptor and the Leica Summarit 75mm f2.4 to get close to the 105mm focal length.

I also owned the 80-200 f2.8 Af-s zoom but I found it unwieldy for portrait use and a lot of portrait subjects seem to find it intimidating.
 
@macvisual Peter, are you planning to use this for posed or candid portraits? Both the 70-200 and the 80-400 are big lenses.. As a pure portrait lens the 80mm 1.4 is one of the all time greats. I absolutely loved mine back in the day. Never really got on with the 80-400. It's a lump of a lens and just didn't suit my shooting style at the time.

EDIT: That should have read 85mm 1.4.
 
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By many accounts the 1.8g is better than the 1.4 anyway
 
Earley Man said:
My suggestion would be the Nikkor 105mm f2 DC, it can be used to give a range of soft focus effects when the DC ring is used for introducing spherical aberration and when set to zero it is a very sharp lens. To me there is something about the drawing/perspective effect of the 105mm focal length that seems just right for portrait photography.

There's a Nikkor 105mm Macro lens, I'm guessing it's not the macro lens your talking about?

Thanks for your input, appreciated.
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frod said:
By many accounts the 1.8g is better than the 1.4 anyway
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Generally the f1.8 is sharper wide open, and even sharper at f1.8 than the f1.4 stopped down to f1.8 too :eek: I have seen some reviews that say that the gap narrows and even swings into the f1.4's favour with high res cameras such as the D810, apparently the f1.4 has better resolving power.
https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-85mm-f1-8g/5

In the 85mm arena I'd be seriously tempted by the Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art, looks a really lovely lens.
 
snerkler said:
Generally the f1.8 is sharper wide open, and even sharper at f1.8 than the f1.4 stopped down to f1.8 too :eek: I have seen some reviews that say that the gap narrows and even swings into the f1.4's favour with high res cameras such as the D810, apparently the f1.4 has better resolving power.
https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-85mm-f1-8g/5

In the 85mm arena I'd be seriously tempted by the Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art, looks a really lovely lens.
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Are you comparing to the 1.4 G lens or 1.4 AF-D IF?
 
70-200 is SO heavy. I have just hired a VR1 for my sins for a hockey match tomorrow. Much as I love the image quality and the way it makes portraits pop, I would need to get my geriatric 50 yr ars@ down to the gym to lift these for long!
 
MIKEROPHONICS said:
70-200 is SO heavy. I have just hired a VR1 for my sins for a hockey match tomorrow. Much as I love the image quality and the way it makes portraits pop, I would need to get my geriatric 50 yr ars@ down to the gym to lift these for long!
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Agreed, I recently did some head shots for my wife's work and the 70-200mm soon gets heavy if you're taking a lot of shots in a row without putting it down, which is why I've just bought a used 85mm f1.8.

That being said I will still use my 70-200 VRII as it's pretty special.
 
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Is this Rookies re-incarnated? ;)
You just sold a very capable portrait lens.
FWIW, I wouldn't part with my 135mm DC.
 
GHP said:
Is this Rookies re-incarnated? ;)
You just sold a very capable portrait lens.
FWIW, I wouldn't part with my 135mm DC.
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Lol, that thought went through my head too.
 
macvisual said:
Heads spinning....... 85/105/135/180 ?
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85mm is probably a bit more versatile for portraits, I'd say. It's often easier to move towards the subject than it is to move away when space is tight. I haven't used the 135mm DC myself but I've heard it's also a stunner.
 
snerkler said:
Generally the f1.8 is sharper wide open, and even sharper at f1.8 than the f1.4 stopped down to f1.8 too :eek: I have seen some reviews that say that the gap narrows and even swings into the f1.4's favour with high res cameras such as the D810, apparently the f1.4 has better resolving power.
https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-85mm-f1-8g/5

In the 85mm arena I'd be seriously tempted by the Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art, looks a really lovely lens.
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Thought Sigma haven't released a 85mm ART yet?
 
Must admit, even though my 135 is the go to for my portraits, I think I will get an 85mm for those times when space is tight.
I have a Samyang 85, but want A/F.
I will seriously consider the Sigma 1.4 though, if and when I do get one.
 
Personally I wouldn't part with my 85mm. I mostly use the 85mm 1.8 d version and still find it excellent. For me, ultimate sharpness is not a deal breaker for a portrait lens, considering that I don't make large portrait prints provided it is sharp enough (but then I just do photography as a hobby). As a 135mm alternative, the Samyang 135mm f2 has unbelievable resolution for the price, but lacks autofocus. That might be an issue for portraits but not landscape.
 
@macvisual Peter, another really interesting and innovative portrait lens has just been released in the UK: Laowa 105mm F2 (T3.2) STF (Smooth Trans Focus). It's MF only but I'd love to try it.

STF stands for Smooth Trans Focus, in reference to its special optical system, which is intended to deliver smooth transitions between crisp in-focus areas and creamy defocused background or foreground areas. This unique manual focus only lens has an integrated apodisation filter that provides superior bokeh rendering and crystal sharp images. Full frame compatible lens featuring 11 elements in 8 groups with a 14 blade aperture* and a minimum focus distance of just 0.9M. All metal alloy construction housing multi-coated glass elements throughout. At a focal length of 105mm and with the inherent softly diffused bokeh, this lens is perfect for portraiture.

http://www.ukdigital.co.uk/laowa-105mm-f2-stf-lens-nikon.html

AX9A1048-1024x727.jpg


Image credit: http://www.venuslens.net
 
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