I want my finished images to be as I remember seeing the scene with the limited depth of field of my eyes. Fast primes allow me to create images that do this. Even with my landscapes, the foreground is almost always out of focus in the print. This approach gives me joy.
As I said after your 85mm f1.2 preview…Matt, Matt, Matt, MATT! You have blown away your previous best videos with this episode in the art journey of Matt Irwin. I loved the images and the video, but most of all how the art your were creating with these images was the focus rather than this extraordinary lens. I liked the grey version of the waiter in front of Chanel. I liked that hats in focus for the corner shop, and I preferred the umbrellas in colour for the beautiful subtle shades of pale brown and sepia, although the B and W was also very good I thought. You make a persuasive case for buying the lens by underlining it’s capability - in the right hands and with the right “eye” behind it. Many thanks Matt. Just rewards to you from keeping the faith with Nikon these last three years when all You Tubers around you were baying for blood!! ❤
Gorgeous! The B&W are my favorites. The foto with the car coming up the street is fabulous and the graffiti wall in focous is the best. Keep shooting, have a nice weekend 💯
I love most of your night time city shots Matt. They are a kind of signature for you. Great Stuff. Making great images from that kind of street style requires real vision.
The hyper-real clarity and contrast of the 85mm 1.2 wide open is what pulls me into these images. Particularly with close/portrait-ish images, the subjects practically pop out of the frame, but even here in your street scenes Matt, put the focus in the right spot and the photos feel fresh and compelling. I spent all of last week getting a narrative short film finished for a competition, so I haven’t had loads of time with the 85 yet. Though when I have had a chance to test its capabilities, I always feel like the lens is worth every penny.
Good day Matt. Awesome photos. The 85 1.2 is definitely in a league all it’s own. Considering the black and picture, I like the darker photo more. Be safe.
My budget called for the Z85mm F1.8, and for what I need, it's great, but good to see how far the 1.2 pushes the envelope. BTW, I like the image with the "hats" in focus. Great video...Thanks!
Loved this! Always amazed at what the current state-of-the-art tools are allowing artists to achieve. It's downright inspirational to us pro-sumer/hobbyists can attain great creations with an optimal combination of hardware and software.
@@MattIrwinPhotography while gorgeous, that lens will have to wait for some future Black Friday sale in a few years. I'm still fleshing out my Z glass, and just snagged a Nikkor Z 70-200/2.8 on the Nikon Refurb store. But I can dream!
You are living the dream Matt, Full time art with Nikon and the streets of the city !!! I like the Chanel image with more light. I might hold out for the new 35mm.
Matt. Excellent video as always. Lady with umbrella, love the black and white. I love your city videos. Love the “fish photo”. Thank you, as always, for sharing your passion with us. Hat shop in focus 😊
Man in front of Chanel Shop: Like you I prefer the shadow-boosted one with more shades of gray. Lady with Umbrella: as usual it depends on the look you want but I think the black and white looked better maybe even with a touch of the film grain effect added but not too much. Hat Shop: Definitely the one with the hats in focus otherwise it loses too much of the context and doesn’t look as interesting. That Z9 with the 85mm f/1.2 is hard to beat for night shots like that. Good job once again Matt.
Matt, when I look at your night images of Melbourne in this video, the term that keeps coming to my mind is "Local Color". Yes, Local Color is usually a style of descriptive writing about a particular location, but that's how these images strike me. They display a definitive style that not only tells a story, but tells it in a way that makes me feel the rain, see the reflections and embrace the darkness. A calendar containing the images taken over those 4 hours would be a worthy project. I know the video is intended to show the astounding capability of the Nikon Z9 and 85mm f1.2S Lens, but really they're just the tools that finally allowed you to share your artistic vision. To date, I have found my 85mm f1.2S to be simply stunning, but my talent hasn't pushed it to the limits that you have pushed yours. I still have work to do. This video is my new favorite on your Channel and inspires me in ways I can't fully describe. Well done on every level, Matt. Keep pushing us.
Matt, I would love to see a comparison between the Z50 MM 1.2 and the Z85 MM 1.2. I only have a budget to buy one of them. I do own the z20mm,z35mm and z50mm 1.8s, z28mm 2.8, z14-30mm, z24-70mm 2.8, z24-120mm 4, z70-200mm 2.8, z105mm MC 2.8, and the z16-50mm. Currently using the Z6II and Zfc. I mostly shoot, travel photography, Some still life, macro, portraits and Street. By the way, I love your work. It is Art!
Phenomenal! This lens is proving to be its own holy grail! Images are spectacular Matt. I think the B&W images are classic! I think a couple dancing in that alleyway would have been the icing on the cake. Would bring flashbacks to singing in the rain! Hopefully soon new cameras will appear. Thanks for sharing with us!
Gorgeous images - thanks for posting this. I really like what you are able to do with this lens. And I continue to be amazed at how well the Z9 works in all circumstances, particularly in your hands. One F-mount lens I loved to use was the 105mm F1/4. At night, on the street, it was a great lens as well as being an excellent portrait lens. I got rid of it when I switched to mirrorless and I have really missed what it could do. This lens is most likely what I will get instead of going back to the F mount 105.
Matt, Great great video. I loved watching the photos float past. And you enthusiasm is all part of it. The 85 and Z9 are much more than I need or can make use of but that dent stop me from looking on in wonder. thanks - tim
Really respect your opinions and I've been holding off but I finally pulled the trigger on an 85 1.2. Can't wait to put this on my Nikon Z9 and give it a run.
Great shots Matt! 👏 Always inspirational to watch your videos and your style of photography. I will get the 1.2/85mm sometimes in the future. At the moment it is a little bit too pricey for me and I am happy with the 1.2/50mm. I do own the Z 1.8/85 and the AF-S 1.4/85mm so no need to hurry.
Now THIS is the video content I love from you! Yes, I more than just enjoy your product reviews, but truly when you share your shooting experiences (and the outcomes).... Beauty stuff. Great shots. You ARE killing me with your content on this lens, really, as I'm delaying buying it as I fear paying for it and then the 600 will magically come into actual existence (mine gets delivered) and my budgeting will explode :) Wildly beautiful images it creates (certainly when held by you!). Hail, hail, the grand Nikkor 85 1.2 Z Thanks for sharing!
Love the images Matt. This is a review that inspires me to get this lens. I love this format showcasing what the gear does. Fortunately I already have it.
Hosier Lane and the adjacent allies looks like great spots to shoot for that authentic Melbourne Punk era vibe. I am guessing it is close to your gallery/studio.
We are lucky duckies, Matt. And it helps to have waterproof feathers in that kind of environment. 🦆It's hard to answer your preference questions; they're all so good in different ways! As you pointed out, at ISO 64 there's so much latitude for interpretation. This lens defies superlatives; it's just so amazing! In your hands it's a "dream lens." Fantastic!
I bought this lens blindfolded and was the first to own it in my country. My job as a pro photographer takes me around the world and this lens doesn't disappoint in the portrait section, it delivers the job very well, but honestly I expected some high end material, especially the lens hood and above all an engraving saying, 'Crafted in Japan' not China with all my respect to China, but this a Japanese product and should be proudly marked as such, even SIGMA is proudly made in Japan, or LEICA made in Germany. That's my opinion of course wouldn't expect all to agree ....
Your rainy night shots are some of my favorites. Like the bicycle shot you used in a calendar , it was a rainy night shot in the city. On the black and white shots, I tend to go for the more shades of grey than highly contrasted ones. Film noir .....
I was documenting an historic farm building recently, very little internal light and some very harsh contrast from windows. I started off bracketing exposure, expecting the need to blend. But I didn’t bother on my next trip. By protecting the highlights I was amazed at the dynamic range of the Z6. Both bringing up the shadows and also recovering detail in zone 8/9 highlights. I found ‘active D lighting’ quite useful to lift shadows in camera. My F mount 28mm f2.8D lens performed brilliantly on the Z6 (so did my OM 35mm f2.8).
Matt, I love how you talk about your work and your passion. I love your images. I would have integrated the image with the red and white stripes of the garage-entrance into the final selection ;-)
Your videos are always compelling to watch and more professional than most other RUclips channels . You deserve more followers ! You really do . Thank you for all your efforts which must be considerable to put these together 🙏🙏👌👌
Great lens. Great shots :) Given the value of the lens (and the wet weather!) did you use a protective filter, and if not, do you believe it would cause problems with all the point light sources?
I dig these images! I always think of street photography using a fast wide angle lens, but I can see the 85 creates a compelling argumen for its' perspective!
Excellent, inspirational video. You motivate me to do more of this kind if work. I think I better have someone to watch my back walking the streets in New Orleans though!
Hi Matt, really really interesting video, sadly with kit way above my price category but good to see all the same. Nice idea to shoot in the rain at night, not something that'd have occurred to me, but an idea I will give a go. Thanks for sharing, and all the best ... to Joe too.
Thanks Matt, I’ve all but given up on waiting for Nikon produce a fully reliable Z camera and 200-600 for sports, wildlife and a bit of night. I have a collection of top DSLR Nikon kit but I see where I am getting fewer keeper shot compared to modest mirrorless. I’m not in the market for Z9 bulk and price especially when Sony, Canon and Panasonic bodies can nail focus at sub 2k dollars. Z6 & 7 ones and 2s just haven’t matched up. However, this video has made me pause and think. I like Nikon colours, the lenses are heavy but great in most situations. The combo you have shown here gives renewed faith to wait for the next announcement to see if on paper Nikon are joining the game and I won’t have to wait another year+ for delivery. Best shots, Lady with umbrella in colour and Hats in Focus 👍
A great take on the lens in a non typical use case. Opens my mind to use it in a different capacity. Just received mine 2 days ago. Waiting to go out and shoot with it. Wonderful night images Matt. Thanks for the great videos.
Magical, marvellous, moist Melbourne rendered beautifully. Thanks Matt, it’s a great part of the city that you’ve captured so well. As for the images and my preference. Y&J’s In Monochrome, Hats in focus and that car park boom gate is an absolute winner for me. I have the 1.8 and enjoy using it, I don’t think the minister for finance would support the shift to the 1.2, and I’d rather upgrade my Z6.
Amazing Matt 😍😍👏 like you think I prefer the black and white edited with more greys. Love the hat shop photo especially when you’re focusing on the hats. Wowzers al of those images are fabulous and deserve a calendar just for themselves 😍 only briefly tried my version out and not in low light but can already see that the images all have something special 😃
@@MattIrwinPhotography so far I absolutely love it but not had much of a chance thus far to use it due to a loss in our family. So far just taken some photos of my wife Natacha and our new puppy but off to a vintage shoot next Friday and Natacha may use it on Monday when she’s the apprentice in the Nikon magazine here in the uk. Only been taking photos for 5 years and left it very late into my early 50’s so trying hard to pack and learn in a short space of time. We set up a small photography business last year and slowly taking on a few minor jobs around our day jobs. Loving every minute of it but just sorry I didn’t do it earlier in life. Oh well better late than never 😅
Wonderful job as always Matt, appreciate the effort and time you put into the videos, not many folks would be out shooting 3-4 hours in the rain but what a slick surface can do with light is amazing. Kudo's to you my friend. - Jeff
Thanks Jeff, I would have kept going longer as the conditions were perfect from my perspective, but I had to get up early for the kids. Very much my happy place. Thanks for watching. Cheers Matt 😀
Dammit, Matt. With your first elaborate video on this Z85/1.2S, I commented that you brought me from off to on the fence and now you make it even more difficult. What a nice illustration of what you artistically can do with "just a tool". I had to think of a colour version of Cartier-Bresson or Fan Ho. Yes, the rendering is beautiful. And the wet patina of the cobblestones looks totally convincingly realistic. There's once thing I would love to see from you: see these same shots processed in Nikon NX Studio and in Lightroom Classic (LrC) next to each other. After all, what we are looking at is the result of raw processing by Capture One. And as you are into printing too, it would be good to see what this looks like in big prints. That's relevant too as what we see on our displays is in sRGB (optimised for Caucasian skin), but e.g. LrC internally processes colour in the ProPhoto colour space. Take this into Photoshop and convert it into 32 bpc and even on an 8 bpc monitor it looks better - but cannot show the colours outside the sRGB colour space. With sRGB < Adobe RGB < ProPhoto we have to realise that e.g. an Epson P900 is in between Adobe RGB and ProPhoto (and so would a comparable Canon printer be) - depending on the paper.
Sounds like a plan JP, let me know a few images from this shoot I could process, lets say three, and I will give it a spin :) And yes I agree it is time again to do some large format printing.
@@MattIrwinPhotography The Coda B&W image with the smoking guy The Coda colour image with the car coming The back ally with the graffiti (e.g. 3:21) You want contrast, detail, and a wide colour gamut, and to be able to test the raw processing AI for how well it does in blurry areas. Adobe Camera Raw tends to get grainy in there, IMO. For printing large, I would also test an upsampled to the max variant from Topaz's Gigapixel AI - I tested that with an A2 print once with the free download that you can use for a month and it made me buy the Topaz bundle of then 3 now 4 apps. You mention "dynamic range" in the end of the video. Note that DxO Mark's dynamic range is just the operating range of the camera for registering light - in the same way the camera has a temperature operating range. What, in my language, we would call "contrast envelope" was the dynamic range that could be captured in one image. I think your question about dynamic range pertains to the latter. Yes, Nikon is really very good at that. And our Z 7(ii) and Z 9 cameras without anti-aliasing filter give the most of the sensor's/camera's contrast envelope. Another thing to never forget is the f/number. I have heard loads of Canon DSLR shooters say they bought their 1.2L lens because it is so fast. Well, the f/number is just the geometric relation between maximum entry pupil and focal length (and generally only correct at infinity focus). So this f/number says absolutely nothing bout "how fast" a lens is. Look at DxOMark for these 1.2L lenses and check their "T stop" which is an aperture number like number but now corrected for how fast a lens is. Well, these 1.2L lenses of that generation had a T stop of 1.5 and that's equally fast as a Nikon 1.4G with a T stop of 1.5. Then they said they bought it for the 1.2 Depth of Field (DoF). Well, DoF depends on the Circle of Confusion (CoC) and varying that CoC has a big impact on the DoF (punch the formula into a spreadsheet and play with it, to verify my point). That CoC combines sensor/film resolution, lens resolution, processing, print/depiction size and resolution, and print/depiction distance to its viewer. Each of these impacts CoC and through that DoF - which is a perception thing. So, as that 1.2L generation was not very sharp, its CoC - ceteris paribus - was not so small and hence its DoF relatively deep. An F 85/1.4G on an old D800E may have less DoF than an 85/1.2L on a comparable resolution Canon (that still has an anti-aliasing filter). All because of that CoC. However if you process images from both in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) then the Canon may come out better because ACR does not do well with cameras without AA filter. My prejudice, at least above A3 size.
In the picture with the wall art (graffiti) is that an art district? It looked like there might be art on the left and right side walls. Come to where I live we could do downtown after dark and get robbed at gun point. Stay safe. I love your photography!
How many stops is that 1.2 supposed to be faster than 1.4? Is it 1/3, 1/2 or 2/3 ? I heard that the camera displays F1.4 -> F1.3 -> F1.2. This would imply 2/3 stops. However, with the theoretical F-number that is 1/3 of a stop slower than F 1.0 being 1.12, and assuming that Nikon would have called it a F 1.1, if there was any justification, I think it is 1/2 stop faster than 1.4 (or 1/6 faster than 1.3).
The hat shop should be in focus but the barrier in the right middle of the image - stainless steel poles - are absolutely not 1950s. I still like the image.
@@MattIrwinPhotography - or heal/retouch them away. Note that they represent a visual block for the "reader" of the image that throws them back into the image. This increases "dwell time" and consequently people judge the image as better. This may be the reverse in cultures where writing goes right to left, by the way.
I was not considering this lens. I have the F mount Zeiss Otus 85mm 1.4. Tis lens is better from your video, will have to order this now. Thanks for giving me an excuse to spend $.
I want my finished images to be as I remember seeing the scene with the limited depth of field of my eyes. Fast primes allow me to create images that do this. Even with my landscapes, the foreground is almost always out of focus in the print. This approach gives me joy.
Got mine yesterday and it's really amazing ❤❤❤❤
So true! I love mine too.
As I said after your 85mm f1.2 preview…Matt, Matt, Matt, MATT! You have blown away your previous best videos with this episode in the art journey of Matt Irwin. I loved the images and the video, but most of all how the art your were creating with these images was the focus rather than this extraordinary lens. I liked the grey version of the waiter in front of Chanel. I liked that hats in focus for the corner shop, and I preferred the umbrellas in colour for the beautiful subtle shades of pale brown and sepia, although the B and W was also very good I thought. You make a persuasive case for buying the lens by underlining it’s capability - in the right hands and with the right “eye” behind it. Many thanks Matt. Just rewards to you from keeping the faith with Nikon these last three years when all You Tubers around you were baying for blood!! ❤
Thanks so much Brucester. The 50, 85 and 135, I deeply enjoy creating with them :) What is your go to lens/es?
Gorgeous! The B&W are my favorites. The foto with the car coming up the street is fabulous and the graffiti wall in focous is the best. Keep shooting, have a nice weekend 💯
I love most of your night time city shots Matt. They are a kind of signature for you. Great Stuff. Making great images from that kind of street style requires real vision.
The hyper-real clarity and contrast of the 85mm 1.2 wide open is what pulls me into these images. Particularly with close/portrait-ish images, the subjects practically pop out of the frame, but even here in your street scenes Matt, put the focus in the right spot and the photos feel fresh and compelling. I spent all of last week getting a narrative short film finished for a competition, so I haven’t had loads of time with the 85 yet. Though when I have had a chance to test its capabilities, I always feel like the lens is worth every penny.
Good day Matt. Awesome photos. The 85 1.2 is definitely in a league all it’s own. Considering the black and picture, I like the darker photo more.
Be safe.
Thank you GW :)
My budget called for the Z85mm F1.8, and for what I need, it's great, but good to see how far the 1.2 pushes the envelope. BTW, I like the image with the "hats" in focus. Great video...Thanks!
Thanks D, for the hats. The 1.8 is an outstanding lens for the price point. Congrats. Cheers Matt
I will be placing this on my z8 within a week!
I love the atmosphere!
love the shot with the "flurry" of raindrops lit by the array of spotlights. Very cool!
Loved this! Always amazed at what the current state-of-the-art tools are allowing artists to achieve. It's downright inspirational to us pro-sumer/hobbyists can attain great creations with an optimal combination of hardware and software.
Couldn't agree more John :) Are you thinking the 85 1.2 ?
@@MattIrwinPhotography while gorgeous, that lens will have to wait for some future Black Friday sale in a few years. I'm still fleshing out my Z glass, and just snagged a Nikkor Z 70-200/2.8 on the Nikon Refurb store. But I can dream!
It's really good to start my day watching your video ❤
Thank you so much 😀
Excellent images Matt, congratulations!
Thanks again for the great review Matt.
Beautiful….and I’m jealous 😊
You are living the dream Matt, Full time art with Nikon and the streets of the city !!! I like the Chanel image with more light. I might hold out for the new 35mm.
Matt. Excellent video as always. Lady with umbrella, love the black and white. I love your city videos. Love the “fish photo”. Thank you, as always, for sharing your passion with us. Hat shop in focus 😊
😍😍😍👋👋
(lady with umbrella: color)
Gorgeous!!!!! I want this lens soooo bad 🤤
Man in front of Chanel Shop: Like you I prefer the shadow-boosted one with more shades of gray.
Lady with Umbrella: as usual it depends on the look you want but I think the black and white looked better maybe even with a touch of the film grain effect added but not too much.
Hat Shop: Definitely the one with the hats in focus otherwise it loses too much of the context and doesn’t look as interesting.
That Z9 with the 85mm f/1.2 is hard to beat for night shots like that. Good job once again Matt.
Awesome video and story telling - and what makes it even more captivating is how genuinely excited you are about your work!
It was an enjoyable and inspiring night Matt.
The 85mm 1.2 is unbelievably good.
Great work Matt. 👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed it!
Matt, when I look at your night images of Melbourne in this video, the term that keeps coming to my mind is "Local Color". Yes, Local Color is usually a style of descriptive writing about a particular location, but that's how these images strike me. They display a definitive style that not only tells a story, but tells it in a way that makes me feel the rain, see the reflections and embrace the darkness. A calendar containing the images taken over those 4 hours would be a worthy project. I know the video is intended to show the astounding capability of the Nikon Z9 and 85mm f1.2S Lens, but really they're just the tools that finally allowed you to share your artistic vision. To date, I have found my 85mm f1.2S to be simply stunning, but my talent hasn't pushed it to the limits that you have pushed yours. I still have work to do. This video is my new favorite on your Channel and inspires me in ways I can't fully describe. Well done on every level, Matt. Keep pushing us.
Oh and yes to the razor wire and the hats in focus!
I love night photography and I love these photos. You just convinced me to buy a Z8. Please do more night shoots.
Matt, I would love to see a comparison between the Z50 MM 1.2 and the Z85 MM 1.2. I only have a budget to buy one of them.
I do own the z20mm,z35mm and z50mm 1.8s, z28mm 2.8, z14-30mm, z24-70mm 2.8, z24-120mm 4, z70-200mm 2.8, z105mm MC 2.8, and the z16-50mm. Currently using the Z6II and Zfc. I mostly shoot, travel photography, Some still life, macro, portraits and Street. By the way, I love your work. It is Art!
Hello Matt, Yes I do think you could make a calendar just from these images. Lovely work.
Amazing lens and great results!
Thanks a lot Duncan :)
Phenomenal! This lens is proving to be its own holy grail! Images are spectacular Matt. I think the B&W images are classic! I think a couple dancing in that alleyway would have been the icing on the cake. Would bring flashbacks to singing in the rain! Hopefully soon new cameras will appear. Thanks for sharing with us!
Gorgeous images - thanks for posting this. I really like what you are able to do with this lens. And I continue to be amazed at how well the Z9 works in all circumstances, particularly in your hands.
One F-mount lens I loved to use was the 105mm F1/4. At night, on the street, it was a great lens as well as being an excellent portrait lens. I got rid of it when I switched to mirrorless and I have really missed what it could do. This lens is most likely what I will get instead of going back to the F mount 105.
64 is crazy. I would have popped it to 200 myself. Also if you had a model with a red umbrella, then it would have been just magic.
Matt, Great great video. I loved watching the photos float past. And you enthusiasm is all part of it. The 85 and Z9 are much more than I need or can make use of but that dent stop me from looking on in wonder. thanks - tim
Really respect your opinions and I've been holding off but I finally pulled the trigger on an 85 1.2. Can't wait to put this on my Nikon Z9 and give it a run.
Amazing images as usual Matt 👌
Inspirational, Matt. Thanks.
Hi Matt, great content as ever! :)
I'm happy for you to get the hat shop shot! I like the one with the hats in focus more
Cheers, Martin
LOVE IT!!!
Wow! Looks amazing!
Another superb video was uploaded by you!
I love this video. You captured so many good shots! i wish I had this location near me LOL.
Gorgeous pictures, Matt! True works of art! I can't think of any better fit between an artist and his tools!
Great shots Matt! 👏 Always inspirational to watch your videos and your style of photography.
I will get the 1.2/85mm sometimes in the future. At the moment it is a little bit too pricey for me and I am happy with the 1.2/50mm. I do own the Z 1.8/85 and the AF-S 1.4/85mm so no need to hurry.
Now THIS is the video content I love from you! Yes, I more than just enjoy your product reviews, but truly when you share your shooting experiences (and the outcomes).... Beauty stuff. Great shots. You ARE killing me with your content on this lens, really, as I'm delaying buying it as I fear paying for it and then the 600 will magically come into actual existence (mine gets delivered) and my budgeting will explode :) Wildly beautiful images it creates (certainly when held by you!). Hail, hail, the grand Nikkor 85 1.2 Z Thanks for sharing!
Love the images Matt. This is a review that inspires me to get this lens. I love this format showcasing what the gear does. Fortunately I already have it.
Yeah Chuck, what a stunner it is. And hopefully we will see another body in the not too distant future we can throw this lens onto. Talk soon :)
Hosier Lane and the adjacent allies looks like great spots to shoot for that authentic Melbourne Punk era vibe. I am guessing it is close to your gallery/studio.
Stunning lens Matt.
Yep it sure is something :)
@@MattIrwinPhotography I have the Z9 and use the Z 24-120 f4S superb lens.
@@MrDucatiPenigaleV4s Love my 24-120 F4 S
@@MattIrwinPhotography Me too. I'm really looking forward to the Z8 coming in early May.😉
We are lucky duckies, Matt. And it helps to have waterproof feathers in that kind of environment. 🦆It's hard to answer your preference questions; they're all so good in different ways! As you pointed out, at ISO 64 there's so much latitude for interpretation. This lens defies superlatives; it's just so amazing! In your hands it's a "dream lens." Fantastic!
I bought this lens blindfolded and was the first to own it in my country. My job as a pro photographer takes me around the world and this lens doesn't disappoint in the portrait section, it delivers the job very well, but honestly I expected some high end material, especially the lens hood and above all an engraving saying, 'Crafted in Japan' not China with all my respect to China, but this a Japanese product and should be proudly marked as such, even SIGMA is proudly made in Japan, or LEICA made in Germany. That's my opinion of course wouldn't expect all to agree ....
Your rainy night shots are some of my favorites. Like the bicycle shot you used in a calendar , it was a rainy night shot in the city. On the black and white shots, I tend to go for the more shades of grey than highly contrasted ones. Film noir .....
Thanks Ted. Means a lot.
I for one love the wet night shots.Received mine yesterday,need rain and the right location,well done Mate.
I was documenting an historic farm building recently, very little internal light and some very harsh contrast from windows. I started off bracketing exposure, expecting the need to blend. But I didn’t bother on my next trip. By protecting the highlights I was amazed at the dynamic range of the Z6. Both bringing up the shadows and also recovering detail in zone 8/9 highlights. I found ‘active D lighting’ quite useful to lift shadows in camera. My F mount 28mm f2.8D lens performed brilliantly on the Z6 (so did my OM 35mm f2.8).
Matt, I love how you talk about your work and your passion. I love your images. I would have integrated the image with the red and white stripes of the garage-entrance into the final selection ;-)
Your videos are always compelling to watch and more professional than most other RUclips channels . You deserve more followers ! You really do . Thank you for all your efforts which must be considerable to put these together 🙏🙏👌👌
Great lens. Great shots :)
Given the value of the lens (and the wet weather!) did you use a protective filter, and if not, do you believe it would cause problems with all the point light sources?
I dig these images! I always think of street photography using a fast wide angle lens, but I can see the 85 creates a compelling argumen for its' perspective!
Excellent, inspirational video. You motivate me to do more of this kind if work. I think I better have someone to watch my back walking the streets in New Orleans though!
Hi Matt, really really interesting video, sadly with kit way above my price category but good to see all the same. Nice idea to shoot in the rain at night, not something that'd have occurred to me, but an idea I will give a go. Thanks for sharing, and all the best ... to Joe too.
Thanks Matt, I’ve all but given up on waiting for Nikon produce a fully reliable Z camera and 200-600 for sports, wildlife and a bit of night. I have a collection of top DSLR Nikon kit but I see where I am getting fewer keeper shot compared to modest mirrorless. I’m not in the market for Z9 bulk and price especially when Sony, Canon and Panasonic bodies can nail focus at sub 2k dollars. Z6 & 7 ones and 2s just haven’t matched up. However, this video has made me pause and think. I like Nikon colours, the lenses are heavy but great in most situations. The combo you have shown here gives renewed faith to wait for the next announcement to see if on paper Nikon are joining the game and I won’t have to wait another year+ for delivery.
Best shots, Lady with umbrella in colour and Hats in Focus 👍
A great take on the lens in a non typical use case. Opens my mind to use it in a different capacity. Just received mine 2 days ago. Waiting to go out and shoot with it. Wonderful night images Matt. Thanks for the great videos.
Thank you Matt for this absolute awesome images as always. Difficult to select one as the No 1. For me it’s the scene with the lady umbrella in b&w 😊
Magical, marvellous, moist Melbourne rendered beautifully.
Thanks Matt, it’s a great part of the city that you’ve captured so well. As for the images and my preference. Y&J’s In Monochrome, Hats in focus and that car park boom gate is an absolute winner for me. I have the 1.8 and enjoy using it, I don’t think the minister for finance would support the shift to the 1.2, and I’d rather upgrade my Z6.
Matt , I love your photos and videos, the colors and the mood is so fantastic. Amazing job 👏👏👏
Stefan from Sweden
Amazing Matt 😍😍👏 like you think I prefer the black and white edited with more greys. Love the hat shop photo especially when you’re focusing on the hats. Wowzers al of those images are fabulous and deserve a calendar just for themselves 😍 only briefly tried my version out and not in low light but can already see that the images all have something special 😃
Yes those shades of grey. Delicious. Please let us know Garry how you are finding the 85. I would love to hear your journey :)
@@MattIrwinPhotography so far I absolutely love it but not had much of a chance thus far to use it due to a loss in our family. So far just taken some photos of my wife Natacha and our new puppy but off to a vintage shoot next Friday and Natacha may use it on Monday when she’s the apprentice in the Nikon magazine here in the uk. Only been taking photos for 5 years and left it very late into my early 50’s so trying hard to pack and learn in a short space of time. We set up a small photography business last year and slowly taking on a few minor jobs around our day jobs. Loving every minute of it but just sorry I didn’t do it earlier in life. Oh well better late than never 😅
So sorry to hear of your loss. Glad there is a puppy. Good luck with the business and congratulations to Natacha. You sound busy. 😀
Wonderful job as always Matt, appreciate the effort and time you put into the videos, not many folks would be out shooting 3-4 hours in the rain but what a slick surface can do with light is amazing. Kudo's to you my friend. - Jeff
Thanks Jeff, I would have kept going longer as the conditions were perfect from my perspective, but I had to get up early for the kids. Very much my happy place. Thanks for watching. Cheers Matt 😀
Dammit, Matt. With your first elaborate video on this Z85/1.2S, I commented that you brought me from off to on the fence and now you make it even more difficult. What a nice illustration of what you artistically can do with "just a tool". I had to think of a colour version of Cartier-Bresson or Fan Ho. Yes, the rendering is beautiful. And the wet patina of the cobblestones looks totally convincingly realistic.
There's once thing I would love to see from you: see these same shots processed in Nikon NX Studio and in Lightroom Classic (LrC) next to each other. After all, what we are looking at is the result of raw processing by Capture One.
And as you are into printing too, it would be good to see what this looks like in big prints. That's relevant too as what we see on our displays is in sRGB (optimised for Caucasian skin), but e.g. LrC internally processes colour in the ProPhoto colour space. Take this into Photoshop and convert it into 32 bpc and even on an 8 bpc monitor it looks better - but cannot show the colours outside the sRGB colour space. With sRGB < Adobe RGB < ProPhoto we have to realise that e.g. an Epson P900 is in between Adobe RGB and ProPhoto (and so would a comparable Canon printer be) - depending on the paper.
Sounds like a plan JP, let me know a few images from this shoot I could process, lets say three, and I will give it a spin :) And yes I agree it is time again to do some large format printing.
@@MattIrwinPhotography The Coda B&W image with the smoking guy
The Coda colour image with the car coming
The back ally with the graffiti (e.g. 3:21)
You want contrast, detail, and a wide colour gamut, and to be able to test the raw processing AI for how well it does in blurry areas. Adobe Camera Raw tends to get grainy in there, IMO.
For printing large, I would also test an upsampled to the max variant from Topaz's Gigapixel AI - I tested that with an A2 print once with the free download that you can use for a month and it made me buy the Topaz bundle of then 3 now 4 apps.
You mention "dynamic range" in the end of the video. Note that DxO Mark's dynamic range is just the operating range of the camera for registering light - in the same way the camera has a temperature operating range.
What, in my language, we would call "contrast envelope" was the dynamic range that could be captured in one image.
I think your question about dynamic range pertains to the latter.
Yes, Nikon is really very good at that. And our Z 7(ii) and Z 9 cameras without anti-aliasing filter give the most of the sensor's/camera's contrast envelope.
Another thing to never forget is the f/number. I have heard loads of Canon DSLR shooters say they bought their 1.2L lens because it is so fast. Well, the f/number is just the geometric relation between maximum entry pupil and focal length (and generally only correct at infinity focus). So this f/number says absolutely nothing bout "how fast" a lens is.
Look at DxOMark for these 1.2L lenses and check their "T stop" which is an aperture number like number but now corrected for how fast a lens is. Well, these 1.2L lenses of that generation had a T stop of 1.5 and that's equally fast as a Nikon 1.4G with a T stop of 1.5. Then they said they bought it for the 1.2 Depth of Field (DoF). Well, DoF depends on the Circle of Confusion (CoC) and varying that CoC has a big impact on the DoF (punch the formula into a spreadsheet and play with it, to verify my point). That CoC combines sensor/film resolution, lens resolution, processing, print/depiction size and resolution, and print/depiction distance to its viewer. Each of these impacts CoC and through that DoF - which is a perception thing. So, as that 1.2L generation was not very sharp, its CoC - ceteris paribus - was not so small and hence its DoF relatively deep. An F 85/1.4G on an old D800E may have less DoF than an 85/1.2L on a comparable resolution Canon (that still has an anti-aliasing filter). All because of that CoC. However if you process images from both in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) then the Canon may come out better because ACR does not do well with cameras without AA filter. My prejudice, at least above A3 size.
At 6:30. Love this image! All you needed was a woman in the third floor window looking out onto the street!
Thank you so much Kevin, yeah great idea. :)
Lady with umbrella -colour. The black and white makes it a bit busy. The CODA shots near ACDC Lane are great.
If you have to choose 85 1.2 or 200 F2 VR II? I know it's a different lenght but I can get a 200 F2 for 2500€ it's quite tempting (with Z9)
0:32 walking in the rain with the one you L.O.V.E. ZED 85mm f1.2 S sssss LOL Enjoy it Matt.
It makes me sad that nobody will buy my kidneys so that I can own a z9 and this lens. Beautiful pictures Matt.
So, uhh, how's the Nikon Z8 going, Matt? 😊
Not for me. To much money for a hobbyist but I watched because I enjoy your videos and keeping up on what’s out there.
Good Day Can you tell to me have you use af? What kind of exposure mesure, spot? Thank you
My favorite version is at 6:51.
i have a question sir. does the viltrox fe 20mm 1.8 E mount can fit to Nikon z30?
I prefer the color version of lady with umbrella at the 12:20 mark.
In the picture with the wall art (graffiti) is that an art district? It looked like there might be art on the left and right side walls. Come to where I live we could do downtown after dark and get robbed at gun point. Stay safe. I love your photography!
Niceeee... love the images. By the way, there is a new firmware update for the Z6ii.
Thank you Fel. Where did you see z6 II update? 😀 I can’t seem to find it.
@@MattIrwinPhotography I think they moved my link, unless you can't add links on youtube... but it should be on the Nikon USA Firmware Update website
Awesome what was the firmware number?
@@MattIrwinPhotography It was 1.50
@@MattIrwinPhotography Sorry, someone just told me firmware 1.50 came out in Nov... 😅 sorry about that, I guess I totally missed that update lol
How many stops is that 1.2 supposed to be faster than 1.4?
Is it 1/3, 1/2 or 2/3 ?
I heard that the camera displays F1.4 -> F1.3 -> F1.2. This would imply 2/3 stops. However, with the theoretical F-number that is 1/3 of a stop slower than F 1.0 being 1.12, and assuming that Nikon would have called it a F 1.1, if there was any justification, I think it is 1/2 stop faster than 1.4 (or 1/6 faster than 1.3).
Hello Matt, I wish you would not dumb it in. Mine is still on order. Keep well, keep safe and just enjoy.
Beautiful images! But it's a professionel lens.Way too expensive for me!
The hat shop should be in focus but the barrier in the right middle of the image - stainless steel poles - are absolutely not 1950s. I still like the image.
Good call, need to crop them perhaps :)
@@MattIrwinPhotography - or heal/retouch them away. Note that they represent a visual block for the "reader" of the image that throws them back into the image. This increases "dwell time" and consequently people judge the image as better. This may be the reverse in cultures where writing goes right to left, by the way.
I was not considering this lens. I have the F mount Zeiss Otus 85mm 1.4. Tis lens is better from your video, will have to order this now. Thanks for giving me an excuse to spend $.
Canon lens has less cats eye
I was expecting the 85mm to be more like the 50mm f1.2
But its great in a different way ... 🦘