This is my go-to lens in the studio and even more frequently in my street work. It is in my opinion too, Sony's best value lens. I only wish there were more native options like this (i.e. without the ridiculous price tags). Great review, Dustin. It was great to see how it stacked up against the other lenses in your previous videos.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Yes exactly. I thought it could be an equivalent when it was first announced. The Samyang 35 isn't fast enough for what I do (I did purchase their 24mm though) and the Sigma 35mm 1.4 is just too large to be useful to me for street photography. Tamron may be an option later as they seem to be following Sigma's pricing strategy, which is to roughly undercut Sony equiv. versions by $500 or so (based on their price tag for their just announced Canon EF 35mm).
I could not choose which 35mm to buy for my A7III, too big or too pricey for the value. I tried with the Voigtlander VM 40mm f/1.2 with Techart adapter and I am super satisfied
This lens is superb. I use it on my A7iii but I also really like it on my A6500 cause it’s around that 135mm range. It does suffer from chromatic aberrations, particularly purple fringing. But it’s super sharp, with nice contrast and colours.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I notice it a fair bit when I shoot on clear days with the aperture wide open. Where I live has a lot of bright surfaces for nature's key light to reflect off of. It's nothing that can't be corrected, but it's there.
I just recently acquired this lens but wanted to see your take on it while I’m still in the return window. Glad I made the right choice. I’ve only used it a little bit so far but I think I’ll keep it, based on your review, which I always trust. Thanks.
I brought the Viltrox AF 85f1.8 because of your substantial Review and of course: the price. Works well on my a7.2. Also the AF. And I´m happy. For the few times I shot protraits its the right thing. Especilally for the price. Thanx for your work. Helps a lot. (sorry for my english - non native speaker)
@@Eihei The Viltrox don´t hurt so long light ist okay. In bad light conditions its not as good as unproffessionals wants to be. But I´am an amateur. Backlighting I try to use last day. Okay sunburst but not great (look for Voigtänder if you want) but flares are really interessest. Very individual and uncommon to "normal" newer Lesens.
great review! leaning towards to the 1.8 because of the size and cost. knowing as a professional, it will deliver %99 of my requirements. Still, the g-master is an excellent lens
I had this lens and returned it for the GMaster...oddly enough I found it to be too sharp, lol...prefer the smoother transition to the out of focus areas and the global rendering or look of the GMaster. I am considering repurchasing though for product and (travel) street photography
I just traded in my 40 2.5 for this lens because i have too many overlaps (35gm, voigtlander 35 2.5, super-takumar 50 1.4 and 2070g...) and i was not disappointed :) took it for some casual street snaps,j the eye autofocus is snappy, it is sharp, the compression is nice, the bokeh is very pleasing to my eyes. it's also so light and inconspicuous its a joy to use with the a7cii
I'm a budget shooter and I bought this for 400 used and it's by far my favorite lens so far. Going for the samyang 35mm f1.4 next since the Sony 35mm is far too expensive
I can’t recommend the samyang 35mm because it’s so inconsistent (it was one of the first af lens for sony). The samyang 85mm improve so much and that’s a fantastic lens... maybe wait a version 2 of the samyang 35mm if you want a good af
@@denyxrunner The Samyang AF 35mm _f/1.4_ has been consistently good in every review as far as I'm aware and has rarely ever failed me. The _f/2.8_ is another story. And there are firmware updates for the f/1.4 that have fixed most of the occasional AF issues, but I still have yet to encounter them even on older firmware.
Hi Dustin, I was wondering about your comment at 5:10 or so that eye-AF is now full-time -- do you mean that you now have it on all the time, and use BBF or shutter to focus normally? Do you ever find that it will detect an eye and focus on that when you actually intended to focus somewhere else? Thanks!
You can turn full time Eye AF off, but I just leave it on. If it doesn't detect an eye, then AF works as normal, and you can always override a selected focus area by touching the screen and moving the flexi-point elsewhere.
Not sure if it was intentional or not, but your video focus test (both here and in the big 85 shootout) doubled as a good focus breathing test. Didn't realize this lens zoomed in so much at close distances.
Before starting this video, I'll just say that I've been absolutely LOVING this lens. It's my go-to lens for all my portrait work! Now let me continue the video, and see if you say something like "yeah NEVER get this lens!" haha!
Many modern lenses have floating elements that help to provide better up close performance. You are probably hearing that. Do it go away when the lens is powered on? If so, that's the floating element certainly.
Got this lens for a trip recently. My findings are that at 1.8 it's OK depending on how critical you are, I'm very critical but you get what you pay for. @ 1.8 you get colour fringing, soft details and good but 'flat' bokha separation rendering compared to other lenses ..however I went to New Zealand recently and took a panoramic @ 7.1 the results where nothing short of outstanding! Diffraction sets in at F11 onward. I would suspect that the new 35 will behave similarly? on my short list for a 85mm is a choice between a GM, Otus and batis. All seem to have pros and cons. Thank you for a great review Dustin :)
Hello Dustin, thank you for the very comprehensive review. However I am still conflicted between the Sony 85mm F1.8 and the Samyang. Which would you say I should go for if my priority is to get sharp moving subjects in low-light situations (moving subjects lit by street lights) ? The Samyang would fare better in low light situations due to the extra light. But I'm not too sure about the AF-C performance. Are they equally good now after the various firmware updates?
@@DustinAbbottTWI thanks for the answer! I want it to take photos of my newborn son. That means the first years will be inside my home and I am worried that 85 mm maybe is too tight. I feel that with 75 mm would be easier. So maybe I pick the samyang, specially because of the focal length
I need a sharp lens for jewelry photography. Would you recommend this lens or Samyang 1,4? Or another one that is not too expensive? I have a Sony a7iii...
Jewelry photography suggests you will be getting close up to your subjects at times, and very few 85mm lenses are good at close-up photography. It seems like a macro lens would be a better choice for you.
Great video Dustin, just want to ask your opinion, there in Australia, Sony 85mm f1.8 is $700 AUD, Samyang 85mm f1.4 Mk2 and Sigma 85mm f1.4 dg dn is approx $1150. Is the Sigma or Samyang worth $450 more? 😅
I had this lens when released and sold it after a year or so to get the 90mm macro. I find myself missing it. Particularly because if I'm doing macro, I usually do super macro with the old Canon MPe65. I find the Tamron 28-75 has a great MFD that is usable for most close shots. The 85/1.8 will likely find it's way back into my bag but I might have to try the Rokinon first. The GM is too expensive for me.
Great video again Dustin. Thanks. Which 120 to 135 mm prime would you suggest for the Sony APS-C? I am looking at the FE 85mm f1.8, which will become a 127.5mm f1.8 on APS-C. Is it sharp on the APS-C? My Sigma 56 is great but I do find myself cropping in a lot and they still hold good for social media purposes. I need something sharp with fast AF and wide aperture. Please share your experience. Thanks.
Would you recommend this and some macro rings over the 90mm 2.8, so you get both portraits and props covered at, say, a wedding photo shoot? (and also save a lot of money) Also which do you think is better for portraits, if you have in fact gotten your hands on the 90mm one. Thank you and have a merry Christmas! :)
I haven't used the 90mm yet, but based on my experience with Canon equivalents, I would say that if you want to do macro, the macro lens does a better job doubling as a portrait lens than the portrait lens does at playing macro.
Hi Dustin, Thanks so much for all cameras and lens review. You always provide very informative videos. But my personal taste on 85 mm fixed lenses, I do prefer F 1.4 over 1.8.
I think should go with this lens as the next step from the Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8. I love the rendering of my EF 85mm 1.2L, it has some dramatic paint like look to it, but chromatic aberrations are often too visible, also would prefer my Sony system to be very compact. It seems that going for the Batis version won't bring much to the table. Was thinking to buy the Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 later, plus the 85mm 1.8 as more specialized portrait lens. The only "problem" is that the Sony 90mm 2.8 Macro OSS overlaps, making me wonder if should either use the 70-180mm macro capabilities, that manual focus, or choose the 90mm macro over the 85mm 1.8. I already have a Zeiss Makro Planar 2/100 ZF.2, but manual focusing on a Nikon DSLR proved complicated for example when tried to shoot snowflakes, so was thinking to get an AF macro lens. Perhaps MF will work well with my A7R II?
Right, going to buy an 85mm in January. Haven't the opertunity to personally compare the Samyang 1.4 vs Sony 1.8. Off the fence please, which one do I get? What you say now is my next lens. Very much enjoy your videos, keep up the great work.
If your priority is all-round performance, go with the Sony. If you will do a lot of portraiture, get the Samyang. It gives you more special looking portraits.
Hi there Dustin! Awesome video... I’m thinking of ordering a Sony A7iii for weddings and portrait work... can you please help me.. I want to get a 85mm I’m looking at the 85mm 1.4 GM and a 24mm 1.4 GM... would that be ok? Or 2nd choice 85mm 1.8 zeiss and a 35mm 1.4 zeiss hell????!? Thank you
The 85GM was launched before the SONY 85 1.8. Had it been the other way round I would have the Sony 1.8 and not the 1.4, which cost a lot more, weighs a lot more, and is slower to focus.
What do you think about this lens with an APSC Sensor like my Alpha 6500? I know the Crop Factor from 1.5…so the focal length is longer...but do you think this lens makes a good job with my Alpha ?
I have this lens and I really like the fast AF, size and weight. However, I'd love to try the Samyang 85 1.4 and do some tests, I have the feeling it could produce more "dreamy" photos. I also watched your review of that lens and you seemed impressed :)
Dustin, you have the most thorough reviews out there. Always such a help. I was hoping you could answer a question I’ve been getting conflicted responses to. I would love to get this lens, but I show my work mainly on Instagram. I was wondering, if you were to post two identical images on Instagram, one from the a7iii and one from the a7riii, would the image from the riii appear to retain more detail than the image from the 7iii? I’m aware that Instagram would compress both images to the same resolution, but would the riii image still look better since originally, that image came from a better sensor? Responses have told me they should appear identical, but when I examine such images, the riii renderings look better, even on Instagram. Is it in my head? Thanks a million.
@@davidburchettephotography6513 if I'm doing astro, I'd use the 85 with a star tracker, which then you can stop down to 2.8, since you can take longer exposures, and that will reduce your coma. For tripod astro, I usually don't shoot anything tighter than a 35
I love this lens which I purchased used from Adorama for $450 USD. I use it on both my Sony A7iii as well as my APSC A6600 with equally as stellar results! I like it better than the Canon 85mm f/1.8 with Sigma adapter that I used on my A6500 because of the better AF of the native Sony lens...
@@DustinAbbottTWI This lens with its very small for factor makes a nice combination with the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens. The 127.5 mm equivalent focal length is great for head and shoulders portraiture and as a short telephoto.
Femy you can’t really compare those 2 lens... canon is on another league when we talking about rendering... sharpness maybe is even better on the sony tho
@@denyxrunner for me it's how quickly one can nail the focus .with canon I was struggling! Also with capture one express I'm quite happy with how we can process Sony raw images..I hardly see the difference.
Indeed it makes sense to find a special offers for that lens. I was able to purchase that lens for 360 Euro from Amazon in Europe. For that price there is nothing better on the market, but still it would be nice to have new Sigma 85mm 1.4 DN DG ;-)
Hi Dustin, I saw a video review of the Sony GMaster 135mm F1.8 a while ago, including output comparisons with GMaster 85mm F1.4's - and I must say, the 135mm F1.8 put the 85mm F1.4 to shame. Particularly, on counts of microcontrast / detail and colour definition, etc. - were of grossly superior quality. Even on the dynamic range, which one'd expect is largely defined by the sensor quality, rather than by optics, the 135mm F1.8 appeared to trump the 85mm F1.4 handily. I'm curious of you review of the 135mm F1.8, including visual comparisons with the best 85mm portrait lenses.
This review of the Sony FE 85mm 1.8 is heavy with DA's negativity. Maybe it's just me, but he seemed through out the video to be panning the lens and then offering a slight positive aspect here and there so it wouldn't seem totally negative. If I hadn't already owned the lens, I would not have wanted to buy it from this video.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I, on the other hand, went ahead and bought the 85mm 1.8 based on Dustin's favoured comparison review and the decent price of new £450 here in the UK (eBay). Ed mustn't have picked up the same good vibes from Dustin's lengthy and thorough reviews!
Man I can't make up my mind between the Sony 85 1.8 for $548 right now at B&H or the Samyang 85 1.4 for $599 + $59 for the Lens Station Kit.... HELP ME!
What's your priority: bokeh or first party reliability? The AF is very mildly better on the Sony 85mm F1.8, but I do like the complete package of the Samyang better myself
@@DustinAbbottTWI I guess the unknown of potentially using it for video at some point but more than likely will just shoot stills for quite some time. I do like the appeal of 1.4 vs. 1.8 on the Samyang but is the extra $110 worth it for that vs. better autofocus on the Sony? So I guess either get better bokeh on the Samyang or better autofocus on the Sony... still can't decide. lol
@@DustinAbbottTWI Awesome, great feedback, much appreciated! Thoughts on Tamron's new mystery 4 lenses coming out? Wish I knew if they were coming out with an 85 as part of that lineup and how much. Bummer we have to wait a bit longer... That teaser on their site is soul crushing.
I wouldn't be surprised if an 85mm option is in there. My guess would be that at the least there is a 35mm and 50mm option in the mix along with something akin to a 70-200 zoom (probably with a slightly constricted range) in that lineup.
with all the due respect Mr. Abbott, i find this lens's sharpness bad, the 85mm F1.4 GM is a superior as well as the sigma 85mm F1.4 Art. soon i will sell the 1.8 and get one of the ones i mentioned above.
@@evertuber Copy variance is real. I shot and owned the Sigma 85 1.4 art, 85 GM and Samyang 85 1.4 at one time or another. Sharpness is not a weakness of the 85 1.8 FE. It's the boring rendering and CA from my experience. I only kept it for the size and weight for travel and video. www.lensrentals.com/blog/2015/06/measuring-lens-variance/
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thanks Dustin, I think the Samyang is the one. Cheers for all the good content!
5 лет назад+5
Nobody will ever notice the characteristics of bokeh, it's only in the mind of the photographer. End clients or just people who look at your IG feeds will never ever care about something like this.
Yavor Kapitanov Of course not all clients Pixel Peep. But there is a global look to the images that is clearly evident.....and that clients do notice....especially the top $ clients. I have shot many weddings of clients that are also professional photographers....you think they don’t pixel peep?
Yavor Kapitanov Agreed. I had the 85 F/1.8, and now own the GMaster....had them both for a while - and while my clients couldn’t pick out which was which, general feedback and comments, and the impact to my post workflow made it clear to me which lens to keep. And even though the GMaster is the sharper lens (thanks Dustin for correcting me), the rendering of the GMaster is much more graceful on people’s skin - right out of the camera. With the other lens, i had to almost always apply some level of softening in post
While I agree that bokeh is subjective, I definitely disagree with the comment that people don’t notice the difference. They may not be able to tell why, that people appreciate photos that have beautiful rendering
Bokeh this lens produces is really nothing to write home about, it's probably one of the worst 85mm out there in the market, the Samyang 85 1,4 for example is so much better, and not to mention the Sigma 85 1,4 DG DN, or even the " old " Sigma 85 F1.4 DG for the DSLR, of course there is also the big brother 85 1.4GM that makes this look even further behind. and yes, I do own this that's how I came up with my comments.
I don't know. Where I live the official (not Hong-Kong imported) version with Sony warranty retails for 650€, about 720/730 USD. I consider that definitely overpriced.
@@DavidRFIT here in the states it is 598 or so 600. I own this lens and it is a great lens. But overpriced is subjective. I know that the new lenses for all mirrorless full frame manufacturers is high compared to dslr. Nikon, Canon and Panasonic all have expensive lenses out now and Sony's lenses are looking more reasonable by comparison. I think that the GM lenses are overpriced a bit. But this lens here is totally worth it in my opinion at 600. It is one of my favorites on Sonys list. That and the Tamron 28-75 2.8 for the price to performance it gives. But I am glad we have Samyang, Sigma, and Tamron around making cheaper alternatives for those of us looking for good enough. This 85 1.8 is crazy sharp though.
just bought this lens 2 hours ago and now I see your video :))
It’s a good thing that I don’t have much bad to say, then
This is my go-to lens in the studio and even more frequently in my street work. It is in my opinion too, Sony's best value lens. I only wish there were more native options like this (i.e. without the ridiculous price tags). Great review, Dustin. It was great to see how it stacked up against the other lenses in your previous videos.
That’s true all around. It seems like the price tag on the new 35mm is steep
@@DustinAbbottTWI what do you think is the fair price for the new 35mm Sony? I would definitely buy that new 35 once it come down in price.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Yes exactly. I thought it could be an equivalent when it was first announced. The Samyang 35 isn't fast enough for what I do (I did purchase their 24mm though) and the Sigma 35mm 1.4 is just too large to be useful to me for street photography. Tamron may be an option later as they seem to be following Sigma's pricing strategy, which is to roughly undercut Sony equiv. versions by $500 or so (based on their price tag for their just announced Canon EF 35mm).
That’s hard to say without having used the lens. I suspect a price in the $500-$600 range is more reasonable
I could not choose which 35mm to buy for my A7III, too big or too pricey for the value. I tried with the Voigtlander VM 40mm f/1.2 with Techart adapter and I am super satisfied
This lens is superb. I use it on my A7iii but I also really like it on my A6500 cause it’s around that 135mm range. It does suffer from chromatic aberrations, particularly purple fringing. But it’s super sharp, with nice contrast and colours.
I didn’t notice a lot of purple fringing, actually. Interesting
@@DustinAbbottTWI I notice it a fair bit when I shoot on clear days with the aperture wide open. Where I live has a lot of bright surfaces for nature's key light to reflect off of. It's nothing that can't be corrected, but it's there.
Dustin Abbott like always every copy is a little different... Especially in sharpness there is always a difference from copy to copy even the gm lens
This was my first lens for Sony, I love it.
It doesn’t get any better than this in the value department
Love this lens, its the only good, sharp AND affordable native sony lens
28mm f2.0 is very good also.
@@espro436 not nearly as sharp tho
The 28mm f2 is lame
@@JamesClark1991 No it is not lame. There is no lame lens, only photographer...
@@mralexlex Well we all know that. But it's a lot easier if we blame someone/something else now isn't it? 🙄😂
in depth review, beautiful demonstation!
Thank you!
I just recently acquired this lens but wanted to see your take on it while I’m still in the return window. Glad I made the right choice. I’ve only used it a little bit so far but I think I’ll keep it, based on your review, which I always trust. Thanks.
Enjoy!
I brought the Viltrox AF 85f1.8 because of your substantial Review and of course: the price. Works well on my a7.2. Also the AF. And I´m happy. For the few times I shot protraits its the right thing. Especilally for the price.
Thanx for your work. Helps a lot. (sorry for my english - non native speaker)
You use it on A7II? Does it ever hunt? How af behaves in back-lit situations on A7II? I'm using adopted Canon USM and af sometimes can be infuriating.
@@Eihei The Viltrox don´t hurt so long light ist okay. In bad light conditions its not as good as unproffessionals wants to be. But I´am an amateur.
Backlighting I try to use last day. Okay sunburst but not great (look for Voigtänder if you want) but flares are really interessest. Very individual and uncommon to "normal" newer Lesens.
@@thrakabritz4088 thanks
It is a great value, and produces some very nice images
its my work horse lens.. no complaints & before I had my a7riii & loved using it on my aps-c a6500 & worked fantastic
It’s a nice fit for APS-C
This lens is amazing, One of the best. Love it.
Glad you enjoy it
great review! leaning towards to the 1.8 because of the size and cost. knowing as a professional, it will deliver %99 of my requirements. Still, the g-master is an excellent lens
True on both counts
Very clear, experience based and well presented information in this review, - thanks
Thank you.
I had this lens and returned it for the GMaster...oddly enough I found it to be too sharp, lol...prefer the smoother transition to the out of focus areas and the global rendering or look of the GMaster. I am considering repurchasing though for product and (travel) street photography
The G Master is actually sharper, but it does have smoother bokeh
Dustin Abbott Yes, perhaps that’s what stood out to me. Also, I found my self softening the skin tones more with the F/1.8.
Great video , thinking of a 85 mm so found it very helpful.
Glad to help out.
I just traded in my 40 2.5 for this lens because i have too many overlaps (35gm, voigtlander 35 2.5, super-takumar 50 1.4 and 2070g...)
and i was not disappointed :) took it for some casual street snaps,j the eye autofocus is snappy, it is sharp, the compression is nice, the bokeh is very pleasing to my eyes.
it's also so light and inconspicuous its a joy to use with the a7cii
Agreed. It remains perhaps the best of Sony's "cheap" primes.
I'm a budget shooter and I bought this for 400 used and it's by far my favorite lens so far. Going for the samyang 35mm f1.4 next since the Sony 35mm is far too expensive
That’s a lot of lens for 400 bucks.
Can't even begin to recommend that Samyang enough. That's precisely what I did.
The sigma 35mm 1.4 is amazing
I can’t recommend the samyang 35mm because it’s so inconsistent (it was one of the first af lens for sony). The samyang 85mm improve so much and that’s a fantastic lens... maybe wait a version 2 of the samyang 35mm if you want a good af
@@denyxrunner The Samyang AF 35mm _f/1.4_ has been consistently good in every review as far as I'm aware and has rarely ever failed me. The _f/2.8_ is another story.
And there are firmware updates for the f/1.4 that have fixed most of the occasional AF issues, but I still have yet to encounter them even on older firmware.
Hi Dustin,
I was wondering about your comment at 5:10 or so that eye-AF is now full-time -- do you mean that you now have it on all the time, and use BBF or shutter to focus normally? Do you ever find that it will detect an eye and focus on that when you actually intended to focus somewhere else?
Thanks!
You can turn full time Eye AF off, but I just leave it on. If it doesn't detect an eye, then AF works as normal, and you can always override a selected focus area by touching the screen and moving the flexi-point elsewhere.
@@DustinAbbottTWI thanks for the reply, appreciate it, and your videos :)
Not sure if it was intentional or not, but your video focus test (both here and in the big 85 shootout) doubled as a good focus breathing test. Didn't realize this lens zoomed in so much at close distances.
That wasn’t the primary purpose of the test, but it is a good secondary one
Thank you for a thoroughly review as usual. I found this lens used and I bought it for my Sony 7Cii. It will be my first 85mm prime. I han only 55mm
Enjoy!
Before starting this video, I'll just say that I've been absolutely LOVING this lens. It's my go-to lens for all my portrait work!
Now let me continue the video, and see if you say something like "yeah NEVER get this lens!" haha!
LOL. Nothing like that
@@DustinAbbottTWI Hehe I kinda figured that. Its hard to find faults with this 85mm! Especially for the value it offers.
Hello dis you notice some rattling inside the lens when its not mounted? Thanks
Many modern lenses have floating elements that help to provide better up close performance. You are probably hearing that. Do it go away when the lens is powered on? If so, that's the floating element certainly.
Thanks for the video Dustin! If you had to buy one 85 mm regardless of budget, would you go for the Zeiss 85 mm or the one in this video?
I actually like the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 better than both of them. It has gorgeous IQ.
Dustin Abbott thanks so much for getting back to me, I do a lot of video work though, would you still choose the samyang? Thanks so much Dustin
Got this lens for a trip recently. My findings are that at 1.8 it's OK depending on how critical you are, I'm very critical but you get what you pay for. @ 1.8 you get colour fringing, soft details and good but 'flat' bokha separation rendering compared to other lenses ..however I went to New Zealand recently and took a panoramic @ 7.1 the results where nothing short of outstanding! Diffraction sets in at F11 onward. I would suspect that the new 35 will behave similarly? on my short list for a 85mm is a choice between a GM, Otus and batis. All seem to have pros and cons. Thank you for a great review Dustin :)
I haven’t used the new 35mm yet, so I really have no idea
Would you recommend this lens for professional paid work? Or more for the hobbyist?
That would depend on the professional work, I guess.
Hello Dustin, thank you for the very comprehensive review. However I am still conflicted between the Sony 85mm F1.8 and the Samyang. Which would you say I should go for if my priority is to get sharp moving subjects in low-light situations (moving subjects lit by street lights) ?
The Samyang would fare better in low light situations due to the extra light. But I'm not too sure about the AF-C performance. Are they equally good now after the various firmware updates?
The Sony still has a slight edge, but it's not by much.
Oem
How is it compared to Samyang 75mm f1.8? Is it worth the weather sealing? And how is the image quality at f1.8?
The Samyang is also a really great little lens, and very sharp even at F1.8. Neither is a bad option, really.
@@DustinAbbottTWI thanks for the answer! I want it to take photos of my newborn son. That means the first years will be inside my home and I am worried that 85 mm maybe is too tight. I feel that with 75 mm would be easier. So maybe I pick the samyang, specially because of the focal length
I need a sharp lens for jewelry photography. Would you recommend this lens or Samyang 1,4? Or another one that is not too expensive? I have a Sony a7iii...
Jewelry photography suggests you will be getting close up to your subjects at times, and very few 85mm lenses are good at close-up photography. It seems like a macro lens would be a better choice for you.
Great video Dustin, just want to ask your opinion, there in Australia, Sony 85mm f1.8 is $700 AUD, Samyang 85mm f1.4 Mk2 and Sigma 85mm f1.4 dg dn is approx $1150. Is the Sigma or Samyang worth $450 more? 😅
I would say the Sigma probably is, though the Sony is a good lens.
I had this lens when released and sold it after a year or so to get the 90mm macro. I find myself missing it. Particularly because if I'm doing macro, I usually do super macro with the old Canon MPe65. I find the Tamron 28-75 has a great MFD that is usable for most close shots. The 85/1.8 will likely find it's way back into my bag but I might have to try the Rokinon first. The GM is too expensive for me.
That sounds like a good plan
Great video again Dustin. Thanks.
Which 120 to 135 mm prime would you suggest for the Sony APS-C?
I am looking at the FE 85mm f1.8, which will become a 127.5mm f1.8 on APS-C.
Is it sharp on the APS-C?
My Sigma 56 is great but I do find myself cropping in a lot and they still hold good for social media purposes.
I need something sharp with fast AF and wide aperture.
Please share your experience.
Thanks.
I do think the 85mm F1.8 is a very good option. Another great fit in terms of size and performance is the Samyang AF 75mm F1.8.
Well done as always!
Thank you
Would you recommend this and some macro rings over the 90mm 2.8, so you get both portraits and props covered at, say, a wedding photo shoot? (and also save a lot of money)
Also which do you think is better for portraits, if you have in fact gotten your hands on the 90mm one.
Thank you and have a merry Christmas! :)
I haven't used the 90mm yet, but based on my experience with Canon equivalents, I would say that if you want to do macro, the macro lens does a better job doubling as a portrait lens than the portrait lens does at playing macro.
@@DustinAbbottTWI thank you so much. I think you re right. Tough call tho! Keep making great videos! Merry Christmas!
Hi Dustin, Thanks so much for all cameras and lens review. You always provide very informative videos. But my personal taste on 85 mm fixed lenses, I do prefer F 1.4 over 1.8.
Mine too, particularly when a lens like the Samyang can be had for not much more
I think should go with this lens as the next step from the Sony Zeiss 55mm 1.8.
I love the rendering of my EF 85mm 1.2L, it has some dramatic paint like look to it, but chromatic aberrations are often too visible, also would prefer my Sony system to be very compact.
It seems that going for the Batis version won't bring much to the table.
Was thinking to buy the Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 later, plus the 85mm 1.8 as more specialized portrait lens.
The only "problem" is that the Sony 90mm 2.8 Macro OSS overlaps, making me wonder if should either use the 70-180mm macro capabilities, that manual focus, or choose the 90mm macro over the 85mm 1.8.
I already have a Zeiss Makro Planar 2/100 ZF.2, but manual focusing on a Nikon DSLR proved complicated for example when tried to shoot snowflakes, so was thinking to get an AF macro lens.
Perhaps MF will work well with my A7R II?
MF works much better on a mirrorless body, so I'd give that a try before investing in new glass.
Hey. Thanks for sharing. Great work. Which camera did you use it with?
Primarily on the a7RIII, with a bit on the A9
@@DustinAbbottTWI thanks Dustin
Right, going to buy an 85mm in January. Haven't the opertunity to personally compare the Samyang 1.4 vs Sony 1.8. Off the fence please, which one do I get? What you say now is my next lens.
Very much enjoy your videos, keep up the great work.
If your priority is all-round performance, go with the Sony. If you will do a lot of portraiture, get the Samyang. It gives you more special looking portraits.
Thank you Mr Abbott
You’re welcome
Hi there Dustin! Awesome video... I’m thinking of ordering a Sony A7iii for weddings and portrait work... can you please help me.. I want to get a 85mm I’m looking at the 85mm 1.4 GM and a 24mm 1.4 GM... would that be ok? Or 2nd choice 85mm 1.8 zeiss and a 35mm 1.4 zeiss hell????!? Thank you
The two GM options would make a very solid kit.
Dustin Abbott awesome! Thank a a lot
Hello Dustin. I have one question. Is it possible program eye-af to lens button if my camera is sony A7. Thank you for your videos.
Yes it is.
Is there's a better options now in 2023? 👏
I would lean towards the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 II as a great value alternative. bit.ly/AF85IIda
Got this lens. Love this lens
Not surprised!
The 85GM was launched before the SONY 85 1.8. Had it been the other way round I would have the Sony 1.8 and not the 1.4, which cost a lot more, weighs a lot more, and is slower to focus.
Probably smart on their part for that reason
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Is the focal distance fixed?
I'm not sure what your question is. It is fixed focal length (85mm), but it autofocuses at a variety of focus distances.
What do you think about this lens with an APSC Sensor like my Alpha 6500? I know the Crop Factor from 1.5…so the focal length is longer...but do you think this lens makes a good job with my Alpha ?
It would work fine. The light weight makes it a decent balance there
Dustin Abbott
Thank you 👍😉
Dustin Abbott
I ´ ve bought it today 👍🤩🥰
Thank you for your review Dustin and a Merry Christmas to you. I was still impressed of the quality of such a budget lens
It is probably Sony's best price-to-performance lens.
I have this lens and I really like the fast AF, size and weight. However, I'd love to try the Samyang 85 1.4 and do some tests, I have the feeling it could produce more "dreamy" photos. I also watched your review of that lens and you seemed impressed :)
The Samyang does have more magical rendering
Dustin, you have the most thorough reviews out there. Always such a help. I was hoping you could answer a question I’ve been getting conflicted responses to. I would love to get this lens, but I show my work mainly on Instagram. I was wondering, if you were to post two identical images on Instagram, one from the a7iii and one from the a7riii, would the image from the riii appear to retain more detail than the image from the 7iii? I’m aware that Instagram would compress both images to the same resolution, but would the riii image still look better since originally, that image came from a better sensor? Responses have told me they should appear identical, but when I examine such images, the riii renderings look better, even on Instagram. Is it in my head? Thanks a million.
I find it hard to believe that you could see a difference at Instagram resolution. It’s pretty tiny.
Any idea about lens coma (astrophotography)?
While I know that some people use telephoto lenses for astro, I don't typically test them for that as that is a very niche group.
Dustin Abbott Thanks for responding
@@davidburchettephotography6513 if I'm doing astro, I'd use the 85 with a star tracker, which then you can stop down to 2.8, since you can take longer exposures, and that will reduce your coma. For tripod astro, I usually don't shoot anything tighter than a 35
I love this lens which I purchased used from Adorama for $450 USD. I use it on both my Sony A7iii as well as my APSC A6600 with equally as stellar results! I like it better than the Canon 85mm f/1.8 with Sigma adapter that I used on my A6500 because of the better AF of the native Sony lens...
It's one of the great value lenses on the Sony platform.
@@DustinAbbottTWI This lens with its very small for factor makes a nice combination with the Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 lens. The 127.5 mm equivalent focal length is great for head and shoulders portraiture and as a short telephoto.
Hi, Dustin! I just bought this lens after watching your nice verdict thank you so much. I was really pondering between Samyang85.4 and Sonny85.8😂
It looks like you've made your decision. Enjoy your new lens!
@@DustinAbbottTWI do you have Instagram?
Yes I do. @dustinabbotttwi
@@DustinAbbottTWI I just followed you 🙃
No regrets buying this lens compared to Canon's 85mm 1.2L ii
Femy you can’t really compare those 2 lens... canon is on another league when we talking about rendering... sharpness maybe is even better on the sony tho
@@denyxrunner for me it's how quickly one can nail the focus .with canon I was struggling! Also with capture one express I'm quite happy with how we can process Sony raw images..I hardly see the difference.
This lens is amazing.
I’m glad you’re enjoying it
Amazing lens on a crop sensor😉
That can be a very compelling focal length.
Its great for candids withour being noticed lol
Samyang color rendition?
I have a six way 85mm comparison that should demonstrate this
I thought the bokeh balls were horrendous. Sold it along with the A7ii.
Interesting.
Sony put it on sale now here in Indonesia... for USD 460.- guess this is a no brainer ...
That's a great price, for sure.
Indeed it makes sense to find a special offers for that lens. I was able to purchase that lens for 360 Euro from Amazon in Europe.
For that price there is nothing better on the market, but still it would be nice to have new Sigma 85mm 1.4 DN DG ;-)
Hi Dustin,
I saw a video review of the Sony GMaster 135mm F1.8 a while ago, including output comparisons with GMaster 85mm F1.4's - and I must say, the 135mm F1.8 put the 85mm F1.4 to shame. Particularly, on counts of microcontrast / detail and colour definition, etc. - were of grossly superior quality. Even on the dynamic range, which one'd expect is largely defined by the sensor quality, rather than by optics, the 135mm F1.8 appeared to trump the 85mm F1.4 handily.
I'm curious of you review of the 135mm F1.8, including visual comparisons with the best 85mm portrait lenses.
I haven't done a review of the 135 GM yet, though it's on my agenda for 2020
@@DustinAbbottTWI :) Thank you, Dustin.
This review of the Sony FE 85mm 1.8 is heavy with DA's negativity. Maybe it's just me, but he seemed through out the video to be panning the lens and then offering a slight positive aspect here and there so it wouldn't seem totally negative. If I hadn't already owned the lens, I would not have wanted to buy it from this video.
That's really weird feedback, as that does not describe how I felt about the lens at all.
@@DustinAbbottTWI I, on the other hand, went ahead and bought the 85mm 1.8 based on Dustin's favoured comparison review and the decent price of new £450 here in the UK (eBay). Ed mustn't have picked up the same good vibes from Dustin's lengthy and thorough reviews!
Man I can't make up my mind between the Sony 85 1.8 for $548 right now at B&H or the Samyang 85 1.4 for $599 + $59 for the Lens Station Kit.... HELP ME!
What's your priority: bokeh or first party reliability? The AF is very mildly better on the Sony 85mm F1.8, but I do like the complete package of the Samyang better myself
@@DustinAbbottTWI I guess the unknown of potentially using it for video at some point but more than likely will just shoot stills for quite some time. I do like the appeal of 1.4 vs. 1.8 on the Samyang but is the extra $110 worth it for that vs. better autofocus on the Sony? So I guess either get better bokeh on the Samyang or better autofocus on the Sony... still can't decide. lol
It's not an easy decision. If it helps, I own the Samyang and love it, myself. I like the blend of sharpness and rendering the best of the 6 options.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Awesome, great feedback, much appreciated! Thoughts on Tamron's new mystery 4 lenses coming out? Wish I knew if they were coming out with an 85 as part of that lineup and how much. Bummer we have to wait a bit longer... That teaser on their site is soul crushing.
I wouldn't be surprised if an 85mm option is in there. My guess would be that at the least there is a 35mm and 50mm option in the mix along with something akin to a 70-200 zoom (probably with a slightly constricted range) in that lineup.
with all the due respect Mr. Abbott, i find this lens's sharpness bad, the 85mm F1.4 GM is a superior as well as the sigma 85mm F1.4 Art.
soon i will sell the 1.8 and get one of the ones i mentioned above.
You must have a bad copy. My copy is freakishly sharp.
I agree with this take. I spent about five weeks with all of the 85 mm options and the Sony is just about as sharp as any of them
@@rattoh i don't think there are different copies! i think some lenses are sharper than others.
@@evertuber Copy variance is real. I shot and owned the Sigma 85 1.4 art, 85 GM and Samyang 85 1.4 at one time or another. Sharpness is not a weakness of the 85 1.8 FE. It's the boring rendering and CA from my experience. I only kept it for the size and weight for travel and video.
www.lensrentals.com/blog/2015/06/measuring-lens-variance/
That's funny... You must have gotten a bad copy or something. Sharpness is very good. Bokeh not as much....
Thinking about this lense but I'm worried it just doesn't have any character. Too neutral.
That's a fair criticism. If you care about rendering, consider the Samyang AF 85mm F1.4 instead. It's my choice.
@@DustinAbbottTWI Thanks Dustin, I think the Samyang is the one. Cheers for all the good content!
Nobody will ever notice the characteristics of bokeh, it's only in the mind of the photographer. End clients or just people who look at your IG feeds will never ever care about something like this.
Yavor Kapitanov You couldn’t be more wrong.
Yavor Kapitanov Of course not all clients Pixel Peep. But there is a global look to the images that is clearly evident.....and that clients do notice....especially the top $ clients. I have shot many weddings of clients that are also professional photographers....you think they don’t pixel peep?
Yavor Kapitanov Agreed. I had the 85 F/1.8, and now own the GMaster....had them both for a while - and while my clients couldn’t pick out which was which, general feedback and comments, and the impact to my post workflow made it clear to me which lens to keep. And even though the GMaster is the sharper lens (thanks Dustin for correcting me), the rendering of the GMaster is much more graceful on people’s skin - right out of the camera. With the other lens, i had to almost always apply some level of softening in post
While I agree that bokeh is subjective, I definitely disagree with the comment that people don’t notice the difference. They may not be able to tell why, that people appreciate photos that have beautiful rendering
What?????? Bokeh is huge. Particularly at this kind of focal length. Everyone will notice to some degree or other.
When your just realized sony makes a 50mm macro
???
Bokeh this lens produces is really nothing to write home about, it's probably one of the worst 85mm out there in the market, the Samyang 85 1,4 for example is so much better, and not to mention the Sigma 85 1,4 DG DN, or even the " old " Sigma 85 F1.4 DG for the DSLR, of course there is also the big brother 85 1.4GM that makes this look even further behind. and yes, I do own this that's how I came up with my comments.
There are better options available now, though when this was released it was a very solid option at a good price.
I always thought this one was slightly overpriced. And the new Sony 35mm HUGELY overpriced...
This is probably the Sony lens that is the least overpriced
moo 😂
This lens is no over priced at all. It is a great lens for its price tag.
I don't know. Where I live the official (not Hong-Kong imported) version with Sony warranty retails for 650€, about 720/730 USD. I consider that definitely overpriced.
@@DavidRFIT here in the states it is 598 or so 600. I own this lens and it is a great lens. But overpriced is subjective. I know that the new lenses for all mirrorless full frame manufacturers is high compared to dslr. Nikon, Canon and Panasonic all have expensive lenses out now and Sony's lenses are looking more reasonable by comparison. I think that the GM lenses are overpriced a bit. But this lens here is totally worth it in my opinion at 600. It is one of my favorites on Sonys list. That and the Tamron 28-75 2.8 for the price to performance it gives. But I am glad we have Samyang, Sigma, and Tamron around making cheaper alternatives for those of us looking for good enough. This 85 1.8 is crazy sharp though.