Nikon 85mm 1.8 handheld on dx

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#kye

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Hi everyone,

Was looking for some advice. I have recently purchased the Nikon 85 1.8g. The reason I bought the lens was for portraits on my full frame camera but to double up on my crop sensor camera to be used more discreetly in street photography due to the increase equivalent in focal length.

However, I am struggling to get any sharp photos on my d7000. Admittedly probably due also to my own hand holding ability as I don't have as steady a hand as I would like! I mean none of the photo is sharp even using any shutter speed of over 250 and stopping down the aperture. I've tried all combinations and have admitted defeat in my hand holding ability.

My question is, as nice as this lens can be on fx, has anyone else had problems on dx handheld?

I am now considering selling the lens and purchasing the 105mm macro which has the advantage of VR. I will obviously lose the 1.8 advantage. How is this lens for portraits and street photography on both dx and fx? The macro capability could also be a bonus to add to my kit.

I would of loved the 70-200 2.8 but after renting this a couple of times I suffered with the weight for an all day shoot.

Any other suggestions for a lens that can give me a bit of extra reach?

Thanks in advance!
 
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I have tested on a solid surface and the results do improve although not to what I would hope. Which is why I came to the conclusion that I am causing too much camera shake handheld.

Its really disappointing as I was sure this lens would tick all the boxes in terms of good portraits and also using on my crop sensor for times I need a bit more reach.

Ps. I don't think its a camera issue as other lenses are working fine on it.
 
for street photography why do you need the f/1.8 advantage? Just because you can use f/1.8 doesn't mean that no other apertures are available....and using the lens stopped down a little may solve your issues.


At 1/250 at 85 mm you're unlikely to see camera shake, standard wisdom is reciprocal of focal length is fast enough to avoid shake, although I prefer double that.
 
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Damianmkv you're photos are very sharp compared to my results on d7000!
 
I just thought the 1.8 advantage would be good for my kit if in low light conditions. I have tried stopping the lens down with no joy.

Any reviews on the 105?
 
one of the photos you're unhappy with would be good. It may help understand the issue
 
It's not so much camera shake, it will be body movement.
Due to the limited dof if you lock focus then sway slightly when pressing the shutter, you get out of focus shots
I had the issue with my 50mm and thought it was camera shake due to my hands moving etc, but it wasn't.
Once I was aware of it, I was able to hold my breath and ensure my body didn't move as I pressed the shutter, and the problem disappeared.
 
minnnt I have of course looked at reviews online.

I was hoping someone on here could give me a personal view on swapping the 85 for the 105 based on my requirements.

Bobsyeruncle, thanks for letting me know I'm not alone! I just wish I could nail my technique.
 
I will post some samples when back at the desk. Thank you for all your replies so far!
 
As @minnnt says, fine tune the lens if necessary ( it was with mine ). It truly is an awesome combination and one that I really miss with m43
 
Fine tune the lens! My d7000 was miles out! Was common problem with em
 
I had the 85mm f1.8g on my D750, AF was miles out an needing adjusting to +18, was lovely and sharp when it hit focus but missed a lot (even on a tripod taking a test chart) so returned it as faulty. Still in two minds whether to get another. Love the lens, just I don't get the opportunity to take portraits and have other lenses to take other stuff.
 
1. Check the Af fine tune and see if it needs adjustments. I recently did mine and it is a super sharp.

2. If you have unsteady hands test the lens with 1/500 sec or higher with high ISO to see if the problem lies with your technique or a lens issue.

3. If you are still not satisfied, check out the new Tamron. It has VC
 
Sorry @#kye to hear of your problems, but

I've been dreaming of getting one of these 85mm 1.8 for a long time. There's one "used/mint" for half new price advertised locally and I'm really tempted to take a look.

Just wondered if I missing something .... five great images above, all taken with D7000s, if I'm not mistaken, a Nikon DX with AF motor built in. I wouldn't buy a lens without trying it on first, but is it going to -in theory- produce the same results on my D5300? Do all Nikon 85mm f/1.8 's have AF-S?

Also, one day I may go FX, what's different results should I expect to get -on say a D750- with this same lens?
 
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d00d said:
Sorry @#kye to hear of your problems, but

I've been dreaming of getting one of these 85mm 1.8 for a long time. There's one "used/mint" for half new price advertised locally and I'm really tempted to take a look.

Just wondered if I missing something .... five great images above, all taken with D7000s, if I'm not mistaken, a Nikon DX with AF motor built in. I wouldn't buy a lens without trying it on first, but is it going to -in theory- produce the same results on my D5300? Do all Nikon 85mm f/1.8 's have AF-S?

Also, one day I may go FX, what's different results should I expect to get -on say a D750- with this same lens?
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I don't believe that the older 85mm f1.8D is AF-S so you need the newer 85mm f1.8G for that. With FF you will get 1 stop shallower DOF (won't go into the technicalities of perspective etc). Whether FF gives you any better image quality is a contentious issue. I believe that it does, but the differences are minimal and are far more influenced by the photographer, and of course light.
 
Thanks @snerkler .... but on a FF would I have to get closer to the subject to fill the frame? And is that what results in getting 1 stop shallower DOF?
 
d00d said:
Thanks @snerkler .... but on a FF would I have to get closer to the subject to fill the frame? And is that what results in getting 1 stop shallower DOF?
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Essentially yes, so perspective will be different too.
 
You can fine tune the auto focus on the D7000 series cameras, it is available on other models but I'm not sure on which.

Essentially it fine tunes the auto focus of each lens individually for front or back focusing.

It's well worth doing especially when using lenses with such small dof.
 
All my lenses barring one needs micro adjusting. Guess it depends how picky you are but when I'm spending this kind of money on lenses I want them to be as good as they can be ;)
 
Mark G said:
You can fine tune the auto focus on the D7000 series cameras, it is available on other models but I'm not sure on which.

Essentially it fine tunes the auto focus of each lens individually for front or back focusing.

It's well worth doing especially when using lenses with such small dof.
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none of the 3xxx or 5xxx series allow FT ,all the others do
 
I had issues with AF before on my D7k.. seemed to go away when I went to a D700
 
d00d said:
I've been dreaming of getting one of these 85mm 1.8 for a long time. There's one "used/mint" for half new price advertised locally and I'm really tempted to take a look.

Just wondered if I missing something .... five great images above, all taken with D7000s, if I'm not mistaken, a Nikon DX with AF motor built in. I wouldn't buy a lens without trying it on first, but is it going to -in theory- produce the same results on my D5300? Do all Nikon 85mm f/1.8 's have AF-S?

Also, one day I may go FX, what different results should I expect to get -on say a D750- with this same lens?
Click to expand...

I hesitated and missed out on the half price 85mm 1.8

Visited a camera shop today and tried on a new one ... what a beaut, lightweight, fat & sexy. Took a few shots, love those OOF BGs but a couple of shots, when zoomed on camera, showed evidence of camera shake, as described in the OP. No VR of course and I'm beginning to think my 18-200mm, with VR, would prove sharper - hand held - at the same focal length, nothing like the same low f. number but still shallow DOF.

Also I think I might find the fixed 85mm frustratingly restrictive, so decided to put this lovely lens out of my mind.
 
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