Hi everyone, just quick posts while we are trying to get through another hot Georgia summer.  These next few posts will be gear oriented, me showing off what has recently been thrifted or gifted! That and finally revisiting camera+lens combos that I’ve had on the to-do list for quite sometime.

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You know, sitting on the floor and reading about random gear while listening to 90s alternative CDs is a nice simple pleasure.  Part of what keeps me engaged in photography is that it’s one of the arts that I enjoy reading about.  From the history to the process to the tools.  You can leisurely draw with just a simple pencil or a quill and ink but photographic arts need the gear that few of us could make or engineer with this level of precision, but yet opinions are abound on ye old internet.

This post is about the Nikon 85mm f/1.4D.  I’ve used this lens way more on Canon and even Fujifilm GFX than on F mount ironically, so it’s about time I gave it some native appreciation.  Can’t believe this lens lens was released 30 years ago.  This isn’t a vintage Takumar or FD lens from the Fleetwood Mac or Led Zepplin days, nope this lens came out the same time as Radiohead’s The Bends.  Which if you do the math is the same time gap between Nirvana and the Beatles.  Crazy how time works. 

I’ve seen this lens on the used market for very affordable prices recently so it might work for certain types of shooters.

In 2026, finally after owning this lens for so long I think it comes to life adapted to Nikon’s own Z cameras. You can finally get:

-a stabilized 85mm on the Z5, this really makes a difference in terms of holding the image steady so you can manually focus and punch in with one of the remapped buttons. With the EVF being so clear and lifelike, almost like optical glass, I really don’t need focus peaking

-being a Nikon lens on a Nikon body, it produces an .NEF raw file that you can edit to your heart’s content. You even have access to the vignette slider going both ways in NX studio. Enhancing the light falloff on the periphery really helps with portraits and bringing back the punchiness of the files

These two photos at different apertures are examples of why shallow depth of field is the better creative choice in my opinion.  The bottom one at f/9 turns this expensive FF combo into something that looks like it could have come from any APS-C crop camera with a kit lens.

Being an older lens from 1995 the glass used was from a different era.  Not the clarity of a new RF or Z lens designed to keep up with the pixel clarity of a phone, no I think this lens produces pictures that look closer to film, something inbetween 35mm and medium format.

I’ve written a few times over the years about how much I like this 85mm 1.4D adapted to Canon.  There’s something about how the glass works with the Canon sensors.  It’s great natively on Nikon of course, but care must be taken to really shield the front element from flare and sunlight really lowering contrast.  I’ve found you really have to edit the Nikon raws to bring back the contrast and saturation. I think this lens is still superb for portraits and general photography.  It was expensive back in the day, a bit forgotten about in the middle and late FF DSLR days, but I think I’ll have to bring this back into the rotation to give it some more praise and love.

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Here’s a link the Nikon 1001 nights article about the creation of this legendary lens.