Nikon 35mm and 85mm f1.4 | Chris Nash Photography | Gloucestershire Portrait Photographer

Feb 23 2012

The 35mm And 85mm

Camera Equipment 6 0

Just a few short months after making the decision to shoot with only primes lenses, my camera bag looks a whole lot different.

My Nikkor 24-70mm and even my Nikkor 50mm f1.4 have gone to new homes, and have been replaced by the Nikkor 35mm f1.4 G and 85mm f1.4 G.

I kind of want to refer to these as “the twins”. They are almost identical in every way.

The 35mm and 85mm share the same size, weight and excellent solid construction. They are both supremely sharp, colourful, prime lenses with fantastic Bokeh and loads of character.

The great thing about this pair is that complement each other perfectly. The 35mm / 85mm combo has been a favourite of photojournalists and wedding photographers for years.

The Nikon 35mm f1.4 is a great landscape, street photography, group portrait, candid, and general all rounder. Or the other hand the 85mm f1.4 is the sharpest, most beautiful portrait lens I have ever used. It produces wonderful headshots as well as dreamy looking environmental portraits.

It’s like having a 50mm lens, but with option to go wider and also a bit longer for portraits. Both of these lenses together still weigh less than my old Nikon 24-70mm.

I seriously cannot wait to get out and really see what these lenses can do!

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6 Responses to The 35mm And 85mm

Roland Pache April 21, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Hi Chris,

I just stumbled across your site while browsing for prime lens articles.
I am also shooting Nikon and have collected the f/2.8 trinity, which I think are all three absolutely fantastic lenses. However, changing my style away from landscapes and towards portraiture I found myself wanting the faster f/1.4 primes, also originating from getting great pics from the 50mm f/1.4G lens. Also, as a walk around lens, the 24-70 is indeed a bit heavy, and I also think using it makes me going the easy route of just zooming to the frame I want, instead of moving my body to get the right composition.
Now that you acquired the 35 and 85 primes, how happy are you with those?
Do you miss the 24mm angle of view of the zoom?
And what about the weight of the f/1.4 primes (35+85 are actually more heavy than the 24-70 alone), does it feel right for you or would you recommend considering the new 28 and 85 f/1.8G lenses instead that just came out? (from the reviews I read it seems they are almost as good optically, but at a much lower price point)

Looking forward to hear from you!

Best,
Roland

- Chris April 21, 2012 at 10:16 pm
  Hey Roland
  
  Yes I’m very happy with the 35mm and 85mm. They compliment each other really well. The 85mm for distance/portraits, and the 35 for everything else!
  
  I didn’t use the 24mm end of the 24-70mm, that’s where it was optically weakest. If were to need a wide angle, I wouldn’t use a prime, I would get a decent zoom like the 14-24, but that is both heavy and expensive, so I just live without one!
  
  The 35mm is great focal length that isn’t too wide, but just wide enough to use comfortably indoors, and for portraits with a bit more “space”
  
  You are right that the 35/85mm together weigh more than the 24-70mm, but on the other hand, I use only these 2 lenses for everything. I don’t carry around anything else apart from a couple of SB900′s and some kenko tubes for macro work. I like to keep it simple. Carrying kilos of gear around for hours makes me grumpy.
  
  It’s tough call about the new 1.8 primes, they do look very very good, but I still think I would have chosen the 1.4 versions, just because they are the only lenses I use. But if I was supplementing my main kit with primes, I would go for the 1.8 versions, they seem good value for money.
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  Thanks
  
  - Roland Pache April 21, 2012 at 10:54 pm
    Hey Chris,
    
    thanks fro your reply, I am getting more and more sold on getting the 35+85 1.4 primes.
    
    I agree that the 24mm end of the 24-70 is not the best and, since I have the 14-24, I often went to that one when needing a wide angle. However, carrying both of them around is indeed quite heavy, resulting in sore shoulders at the end of the day even without carrying a telephoto lens in addition…
    
    I was therefore also considering to go for the 24 f/1.4 lens, but that one is even more expensive and right now I can’t afford more than two of the 1.4 primes.
    I love wide angle shots though, so I might still want to save up for one, but not this year
    
    My love for wide angles probably comes from my background in landscape photography, but since I now want to focus more on portraiture, the 35mm angle of view might be enough for most situations (especially since with a shorter focal length you really need to pay attention to not distorting faces too much).
    
    My concern about the 1.8 primes is mainly their build quality, they seem to be a bit plasticy. I like your point of supplementing the already heavy f/2.8 kit with the lighter f/1.8 primes, but, similar to yourself, I am tending more and more towards shooting primes only (except perhaps for the excellent 70-200 f/2.8 VR II, which is able to deliver incredible head shots). So going with what you said before, it probably makes more sense to exchange the 24-70 with the pro-grade 1.4 primes rather than aiming for the more consumer-grade 1.8 lenses.
    
    Best,
    Roland
    
    - Roland Pache April 22, 2012 at 7:10 pm
      small addon question:
      
      Did you ever regret selling the 50 1.4G, or don’t you miss that focal length in your shooting sessions?
      
      Roland
      
      - Chris April 22, 2012 at 8:35 pm
        No I didn’t actually. The 50mm f1.4 was my absolute favourite lens for a long long time.
        
        But it was the weakest of the three primes, it just didn’t get much use. The 35mm is a little bigger, but it’s gets in closer (0.3m) and its sharper wide open, which makes up for it.
        
        The 50mm is a almost perfect all round focal length though. I plan to buy the Nikon 50 f1.2 ais when I find a decent second hand FE2.
phototrope May 18, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Hi Chris,
I just came across this page (googling for nikon 35mm 85mm) and your website for the first time. Really chuckled when I read this page because I have, after a very long-winded process, also settled on exactly the same lens combo as you. The nikon 35/85 f1.4g lenses and a D800. I also have a 50/1.2 ais which I use occasionally when i feel like travelling light. Then I read the rest of your blog and your photographic journey and it seems to mirror mine in so many ways. I haven’t got website though. Really like yours. Very inspiring. Thanks mate