Price of 85mm primes?

[GraemeMitchell]

I don't know about price, but I often shoot entire fashion stories between an 85mm and a 50mm. I prefer the 50 as it's more rewarding to shoot well, but the 85 can create sexy very easy.

I actually got mine cheap with a 28mm 1.4 from a PJ switching to canon. $1200 for both in excellent condition.

I'm very interested in the new Zeiss ZF 85 and 50 too. If for no other reason than their dedicated manual focus design. I can't manually focus my 50 nikkor at all with it's loose barrel. And I feel the price on these is suprisingly reasonable.

 

[Michel Hardy-Vallée]

Resurrecting an old thread, but I thought anyone interested in seeing the results of a Jupiter-9 can have a look at the photo of a sculpture in my gallery. It passes the Fred Picker test of branches against a sky.

I've also shot some pictures at my brother's wedding with it last summer, and damn me, I couldn't find which ones I took with my Pentax lenses, and which ones I took with the J-9. I suppose that under untrying circumstances (soft light that day, very diffused), it's hard to be a bad lens.

I do like the perspective of the 85mm, it is indeed an ideal lens for making portraits while keeping a close distance to the subject. The 135mm doesn't give as much volume to the face, and sets you farther back from the subject. In fact, I found that the ideal distance for the 135mm was to photograph subjects in the middle of a street when you stand on a sidewalk. Call it a "Parade" focal.

 

[Claire Senft]

I bought a 100mm f2 Planar for my Contax and it was every bit as dear as an 85mm 1.4. It is a most satisfactory lens.

I used to own both a Canon 1.8 85mm Serenar in LTM and a Nikon 85mm F2 in Nikon Rangefinder mount. Both were a far cry from a modern lens wide open but otherwise nice at medium apetures.

To add to Mr Cardwell's long list of 85mm F1.2 lenses I would add the 85mm 1.2 Planar in MM mount...lots of luck in finding one at a price that is palatable.

 

[naturephoto1]

I have a Leica f2.0 90mm Summicron R lens for my R series Leicas that I purchased used in about 1985. Outstanding performance and very sharp. Lens used as I recall cost about $350?? at the time. Now they would be much more, but the prices have increased since then. Additionally, as I recall Leica's R lenses over 90mm?? are all Apo lenses.

Rich