Hands on with the new Nikkor Z 85 f1.8S
I normally blog in german and very rarely write about the gear I use, but today I feel like I have to make an exception. That’s because I just got my hands on the brand new Nikkor Z 85mm f1.8S lens. I did pre-order it through my local dealer (probis – check them out, they’re great) and as an NPS member got a very quick delivery.
I’ve been using and loving it’s predecessor, the AF-S Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8G for quite a while and I was also extremely happy with it. Stopped down to f2.2 or so it delivered amazing Images – to many happy clients. If you have any interest in photographing people I highly recommend to take a very close look at this lens.
Today I was out on a quick shoot to document a project of the very talented architecture studio Wirth=Architekten, who designed new public furniture on one of the central market places in Bremen. The »Domshof« is located in the heart of the historic city center, next to the dome, the famous Rathaus and a series of local and national banks. Various institutions had bonded together an initiated a series of events titled »Openspace Domshof« with speeches, talks and live music events. If you’re in town check out this seasons closing ecent tomorrow, September 7th!
As I was photographing the funiture — which has taken a few hits during the season — I was approached by a middleaged, very well dressed gentleman, who asked me whether I could take a couple of photos of him with his own camera. Turns out, he’s a brazilian capoeira instructor, model and stylist — check out his Instagram: Claudio de Paes. He was kind enough to allow me to also take a couple of sample shots with my new Nikkor Z 85mm f1.8S lens.
Here’s a 100% crop of the above portrait:
And a small comparison of the 85G and the new 85Z — my overworked neighbor Dennis was kind enough to endure my testing. The shot of the G-version is a couple of month old… It’s certainly not very scientific, but one can see a distinct difference in definition of the eye-lashes.
Tight crop from the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f1:1.8G at f2.2
Tight crop from the Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8S at f1.8
Oh, and here’s a shot of the actual subject of todays commission, the public furniture on Bremen’s central square »Domshof«, designed by Wirth=Architekten — shot with a different lens. Yes this version features solar-powered power-outlets for battery-charging…
I hope you enjoyed this quick hands on with Nikon’s new Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8S lens — If you have any further questions let me know in the comments below…
Update: Here’s the obligatory proof, that it’s an actual »hands on« ;-)
