Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact Nikon 85mm f/3.5 How to Shoot Macro Best Macro Lenses Compared Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations Nikon 85mm f/3.5 DX VR (DX only, 52mm filters, 1:1 close-focus, 12.4 oz./352g, about $527). enlarge. I got mine at this link to it at Adorama, and Amazon is also a great place ot get it. My biggest source of support for this free website is when you use those or any of these links when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live — but I receive nothing for my efforts if you buy elsewhere. I'm not NPR; I get no government hand-outs and run no pledge drives to support my research, so please always use any of these links for the best prices and service whenever you get anything. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
June 2013 Nikon Reviews Nikon Lenses All Reviews Why fixed lenses take better pictures.
Good: Low-cost macro lens for DX digital only that also autofocuses on the cheapest DX cameras. Small, light, fast-autofocus and excellent working distance at 1:1. Bad: Won't work on 35mm or FX. More expensive than the superior Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Macro.
Introduction top Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations
This Nikon 85mm f/3.5 VR DX Micro is a macro lens whose main claim to fame is that it's inexpensive, has vibration-reduction for use in dim light hand-held and autofocuses on even the cheapest DX cameras like the D40, D3000, D3100 and D5000. Manual focus is as easy as turning the ring at any time, there's no need to move a switch. The bad news is that it cuts-off the corners if used on film or FX, which is why it's sold only to work on Nikon's DX cameras. Otherwise, especially for serious macro work where we focus manually and use strobes, which eliminate the utility of VR, any old 105mm Macro is at least as good. For less money, I'd get the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Macro instead. You forgo VR and autofocus on Nikon's cheapest cameras, but I don't use either when shooting macro, and the Tokina has better optics, is better-built, and costs less. This Nikon 85mm lens is made in China. Who wants that, unless of course you're Chinese? The Tokina is made in Japan, just like Nikon's very best lenses.
Everything works perfectly on every DX digital, especially on Nikon's cheapest digitals like the D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100 and D5000. Forget it on 35mm or FX; it cuts-off the corners of the picture on these cameras. See Nikon Lens Compatibility for details with your camera. Read down the "AF-S, AF-I," "G" and "VR" columns for this lens. You'll get the least of all the features displayed in all columns, since "G" (gelding) is a deliberate handicap which removes features.
Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED. enlarge.
Specifications top Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations Name Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED. enlarge. Nikon call this the Nikon AF-S DX Micro-NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR. DX: Won't work on 35mm or FX cameras. AF-S and SWM: Silent Wave Autofocus Motor. Micro-NIKKOR: Nikon macro lens. VR: Vibration Reduction. ED: Magic Extra-low Dispersion Glass. IF: Internal focusing; nothing moves externally as focused. G: Gelded for cost-reduction and removing compatibility with older cameras. ∅52: 52mm filter thread.
Optics Schematic diagram. Yellow: ED. enlarge. 14 elements in 10 groups. One is of magic ED glass. IF: Internal focusing; nothing moves externally as focused. Nikon Super-Integrated Coating (SIC).
Focal length 85 mm. On a DX camera, it sees the same angle of view as a 135mm lens sees on full-frame. (see crop factor).
Maximum aperture f/3.5 at infinity. f/5 at 1:1.
Minimum aperture f/32 at infinity. f/45 at 1:1.
Coverage top DX only.
Focal Length top 85mm. On a DX camera, it gives angles of view similar to what a 135mm lens gives when used on an FX or 35mm camera.
Angle of View 18° 50,’ on DX.
Diaphragm blades 9 (rounded). Freakily, the aperture really is very round as it works, like out eyes.
Closest focusing distance 0.9 feet (0.286 meters), both specified and confirmed.
Maximum Reproduction ratio 1:1 (life size).
Working Distance top 5.5" (145mm), measured at 1:1.
Hard Infinity Focus Stop? top No. You have to let the AF system focus at infinity.
Focus Scale top Yes.
Depth-of-Field Scale top No.
Infra-Red Focus Index top No.
Aperture Ring top No.
Tripod Collar top No.
Filter thread 52mm, plastic. Never rotates or moves.
Hood top Plastic bayonet HB-37 hood, included.
Case top CL-1018 pouch, included.
Vibration Reduction (VR) top Claims 4 stops improvement, but not in the macro range.
Size 2.9 x 3.9 inches, specified. (73 x 98.5 millimeters.)
Weight 12.370 oz. (350.6g), measured. Nikon specifies 12.5 oz. (355g). Included 52mm Snap-on Front Lens Cap LC-52 Rear Lens Cap LF-1 Plastic Bayonet Hood HB-37 Flexible Lens Pouch CL-1018
Quality Made in People's Republic of China. 52mm front cap and LF-1 rear cap are not marked for origin.
Warranty top 5 years, USA.
Nikon Product Number top 2190.
Announced 14 October 2009.
Available Since December 2009.
Packaging top Box, Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED. Micro corrugated cardboard box, gold-colored ink. Folded corrugated cardboard inserts. Lens in thin gray foam bag with serial-number sticker. Paperwork slid-in along the side. Hood and sack in small box on top of lens.
Price, USA $527, June 2013. $479, November 2010. $530 at introduction, October 2009.
Performance top Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations Overall Autofocus Bokeh Color Coma Distortion Ergonomics Falloff Filters Focus Breathing Lateral Color Fringes Macro Maximum Aperture Mechanics Sharpness Sounds and Noise Sunstars Survivability VR
Overall performance top Autofocus and ergonomics are great, quite likely the fastest autofocus Micro-NIKKOR. Optically and mechanically, the Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED is good enough, but probably the lowest optical performer of any Nikon Micro (macro) ever. It's still very good; this being the softest and most distorting Micro-NIKKOR is like saying you own the slowest Ferrari: it's still good.
Autofocus performance top AF Speed AF speed is just about instantaneous on the D7000, even when slamming back and forth between macro and normal distance.
AF Accuracy AF was always right on.
Manual Focus Manual focus is easy: just turn the ring at any time.
M/A - M Switch Nikon goofed. This switch is supposed to be labeled "A - M." The "M/A" position means autofocus. It's called "M/A" because you also can focus manually simply by grabbing the focus ring in this position. The "M/A" position means autofocus. It's called "M/A" because back in the old days, when Nikon had almost caught up to Canon who had been doing this for ten years before, Nikon was trying to show off that you could focus manually while in the AF position. Paint over the extra M if you're easily confused.
Bokeh performance top Bokeh, the character of out of focus backgrounds, not simply how far out of focus they are, is quite neutral.
Color Rendition performance top Color rendition seems the same as all my other NIKKORs.
Coma performance top I can't see any coma. Coma (saggital coma flare) often causes weird smeared blobs to appear around bright points of light in the corners of fast or wide lenses at large apertures. In lenses that have it, coma goes away as stopped down.
Distortion performance top The Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED has too much barrel distortion to be acceptable for a Micro lens. We expect a Micro-NIKKOR to be so good that we need not worry about things like distortion, while this lens has some visible barrel distortion. This distortion would be fine for any other lens, and is much less than a zoom, but for a Micro lens, it's not worthy. This can be corrected for critical use by plugging these figures into Photoshop's lens distortion filter. These aren't facts or specifications, they are the results of my research that requires hours of photography and calculations on the resulting data.
© 2010 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.
Ergonomics (handling and ease-of-use) performance top Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED. enlarge. Ergonomics are swell. Grab the lens and shoot. Just turn the ring for instant manual-focus override.
Falloff (darkened corners) performance top Falloff on FX is severe, which is why Nikon doesn't sell this lens for use on FX or 35mm. Falloff on DX. is never a problem, and only slightly visible wide-open. I've exaggerated this by shooting a gray field and placing these on a gray background.
Filters, use with performance top There is no problem with vignetting, even with combinations of thick filters. In fact, the front element is so tiny that you could used the 52mm -> 39mm adapter ring and use 39mm LEICA filters. The plastic filter ring never moves or rotates.
Focus Breathing performance top Of interest mostly to cinematographers focusing back and forth between two subjects, the image from the Nikon 85 3.5 gets larger as focused more closely. Because of the huge range of focus distances covered by this Micro lens, the enlargement at close distances is large.
Lateral Color Fringes performance top There are no lateral color fringes on the D7000, which corrects them automatically.
Macro performance top Macro gets up to life-sized, which means that something as small as a half-inch by an inch (16 x 24mm) fills the image. Of course the lens is super-sharp at macro distances; the limitation to sharpness is the fact that nothing is ever in focus this close because depth-of-field is measured in fractions of hundredths of a millimeter (thousandths of an inch). The biggest challenge is keeping the subject flat and the camera aligned to it.
Maximum and Minimum Apertures performance top As all macro lenses, this 85/3.5 lens gets slower as focused more closely.
Mechanics and Construction performance top Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED. enlarge. The Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED is made as well as any other plastic made-in-China lens. The glass is glass, the mount and electrics contacts are made of metal, and that's about it.
Filter Threads Plastic.
Hood Plastic bayonet.
Hood Mount Plastic.
Barrel Exterior Plastic.
Focus Ring Metal; rubber covered.
Internals Seems like mostly plastic .
Mount Dull-chromed brass.
Markings Paint.
Identity Plate Debossed plastic, fake-gold-look.
Serial Number Sticker bottom rear of barrel, near mount.
US Model Signified by "US" prefix to serial number.
Rain seal at mount Yes.
Noises When Shaken Clicking and klunking from the diaphragm blades, VR, and focus systems.
Made in
Weaknesses There are so many delicate AF-S, focus and VR systems inside this lens that I doubt many will be in service in 30 years. Nikon offers a 5-year warranty in the USA, but I doubt specialized parts will be available decades from now when they'll really be needed.
Sharpness performance top Warning 1: Image sharpness depends more on you than your lens. Warning 2: Lens sharpness doesn't mean much to good photographers. With those caveats, the Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED is not as sharp as a Micro-NIKKOR is expected to be. This won't affect your photos, but screw it, Nikon doesn't pay me or send me any Christmas cards; I wouldn't buy this Chinese Nikon lens when the Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Macro is sharper, less-distorted, and costs less. Doesn't vary much with aperture or position in the frame. Except for diffraction, it's about the same regardless of setting. My sample didn't perform well enough to support Nikon's claimed MTF curves. This curve is excellent, but the sample I actually tested is not.
Sounds and Noise performance top Focus sounds like sliding. The VR system makes a satisfying metallic "klink" as it cages (turns off).
Sunstars performance top With its rounded diaphragm, the Nikon 85 3.5 doesn't make any sunstars on bright points of light.
Survivability performance top The Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED is a lightweight plastic lens that is both extremely complex and made with the lowest possible labor cost in Communist China. It's overall design is tough; nothing moves externally and no air gets sucked in or our a its focused, but I don't trust that all this complexity will still be cranking out photos as Nikon's manual-focus lenses will be 30 years from now. I said the same thing about the electronics of the F3 back in 1984, and was proved wrong. Let's hope I'm wrong again this time.
VR performance top Nikon claims the VR system is good for four stops, but for macro, it won't work that well. Use strobes.
Usage top Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations
Nikon 85mm f/3.5 G DX VR AF-S Micro-NIKKOR ED. enlarge.
Leave M/A - M in M/A for autofocus. Just grab the ring if you want manual focus. If you want to lock-out the autofocus system so it only focuses manually, use the M position. Leave VR ON, except if on a tripod. In the macro range, best results usually happen at f/32 and strobes. Be very careful to keep your subjects flat and parallel to the image sensor, otherwise even at f/32, things get fuzzy fast.
Compared top Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations This 85/3.5 isn't as sharp as the other spectacular Micro-NIKKORs or the Tokina 100/2.8. You won't see this in real photos, since depth-of-field is more critical than the lens, but if you count pixels, count thus lens out. This 85/3.5 has at least triple the distortion of the other Micro-NIKKORs and the Tokina. At 5.5" (145mm), this 85mm's working distance at 1:1 is much better than the 60mm micros and the Tokina 100mm, and about the same as 105mm Micro-NIKKORs. This is the best thing about this 85mm: it's tiny size and long working distance. See also my Comparison of 105mm Micros and my Comparison of 60mm Micros.
Recommendations top Intro Specifications Performance Usage Compared Recommendations If you value size, weight, working distance and VR, get this lens only if you only plan to use DX cameras for quite some time. For better optical performance, but lacking VR, the Tokina 100/2.8 is superior, and does work on 35mm and FX. For serious macro work, I shoot the 200mm AF Micro every day in my studio because it lets me stand far enough away to get a proper perspective. Sadly, the 200mm Micro is far more expensive. AF and VR aren't helpful for serious macro, where we shoot with action-stopping strobes and focus manually.
Deployment I'd leave either a 52mm Nikon Clear (NC - UV) filter, or a 52mm Hoya Super HMC UV on the lens at all times. I would leave the hood at home. If I was working in nasty, dirty areas, I'd forget the cap, and use an uncoated 52mm Tiffen UV filter instead. Uncoated filters are much easier to clean, but more prone to ghosting. For color slides like Velvia 50, I use an old Nikon A2 or new 52mm Hoya HMC 81A outdoors. For B&W film outdoors, I'd use an old Nikon Y48 or O56, or a new 52mm Hoya HMC K2 Yellow or 52mm Hoya HMC Orange.
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November 2010