Why are 85mm lenses so expensive?

[millardmt]

Yeah the real question is why the consumer mass produced Nikkor 85mm f/2 is valued more than the legendary classic the 85mm f/1.8.

Pretty much everybody acknowledges that the 85/2.0 Nikkor (Ai or Ai-S) is a dog. The lenses to get were (and are) the f/1.8 and especially the 85/1.4. (The 85/1.4 Nikkor was of course only made from 1981 thru 2005 in Ai-S guise, making it particularly attractive for users of relatively modern cameras. The 85/1.8 Nikkors were made before the advent of (A)uto (I)ndexing in 1977, although they're easily converted to the later AI specification. (The foregoing only applies to MF Nikon glass; I never have used an AF lens, even with my Nikon DSLR's, so can't comment.)
Marc

 

[flavio81]

Pretty much everybody acknowledges that the 85/2.0 Nikkor (Ai or Ai-S) is a dog.

I'm not sure this would be the most accurate word.

I had the opportunity to buy one, and from the samples I saw on the web, it seemed very sharp wide open, but without the rounded, beautiful character of the 85/1.8.

It seems to be that kind of lenses that are computed to be as smallest as possible disregarding many other things that make a lens great.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Flavio, I pondered the same question, f/1.4 or f/2.0. I had the opportunity to try both at the same time, that is I had both of them for a few days to maybe a week. I remember that I shot some short rolls of film with each, then developed and made prints, then did the same again a day or so later.

Even looking through the viewfinder on two bodies side by side on tripods, you could see the contrast difference as well as apparent sharpness difference between the two of them. The f/2.0 is soft by comparison and for my purposes, not worth it.

I understand that the introduction in 1977 of the new 85mm f/2.0 was accompanied with literature suggesting that it had an intentionally reduced contrast, to meet the demands of portrait photographers. My personal observations concur with this. As to whether this means it is a dog of a lens, well, maybe. However, if the manufacturer intentionally did lower contrast to suit a certain part of photography, then I would question calling it a dog of a lens is wildly inaccurate.

I ended up with the f/1.4 version and have never looked back.

Mick.

 

[DREW WILEY]

The 85/1.4 Ais is nearly the only lens I use on my Nikon, it's THE lens. Just the right focal length, high-quality build, excellent handling, nice and bright, superb bokeh with shallow depth of field when that is desired, close-range capability, good color rendering, totally manual like all real camera gear should be (it's on an FM2n), as good as it gets in the SLR world.

 

[Camerarabbit]

Maybe it's similiar to how healthcare for humans vs healthcare for animals varies so much in cost? A hip replacement for a dog will cost you 5k while a hospital bills the insurance company for a human's hip replacement 40k: people know that someone would never pay 20k for a dog's hip, just as they know that a 85mm is for portraits, and that humans will pay whatever it takes to help them look good.

 

[Christiaan Phleger]

ok or 5k more and you can clone it.

Back on topic somewhat; I've long felt that the Nikkor 85mm f/2 was a misunderstood lens by the people who either didn't get the pitch at the local camera shop or never shot with it. Under 6 ft or so and at more wide stops it is a lovely portrait lens; the same distances using flash to get to an F/8-11 will give quite a different impression, more of a 'professional headshot' type of overall sharpness. Totally useful and with a diffusion filter on front (take your pick) you can force the "Liz Taylor" effect for the older lads and ladies.
Used at moderate to near infinity distances and at f4-11 it has a nice balance of sharpness and tone, which makes it a good and useful light travel holiday lens. For these reasons as well as the compactness and 52mm filter I often actively choose my f/2 Ai version when shooting weddings over my Ais 1.4 or my H.C 1.8.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

This topic caught my interest. I looked at recent sold listings for the thread-mount Pentax SMC Takumar 85mm f/1.8 and f/1.9 lenses: $400 to $500. Wow, these must be really coveted by portrait photographers or someone. Now I'd like one.....

 

[DREW WILEY]

You've got it backwards, CameronR. - people often have health insurance; pets rarely do, and so actually cost far more. Vets can make way more money than primary care physicians. They don't need malpractice insurance unless they specialize in something like racehorses, don't need to spend half their time haggling with insurance companies, and employ helpers who don't earn a lot. Plenty of people will pay 20K for a dog or cat procedure, or a horse or mule. Dogs are our loyal servants whom we should treat kindly, but cats know they are our masters, so we have no choice. Since vets are so damn expensive anyway, I took one of our cats right to the best clinic in the world about an hour away at UC Davis Vet School, where even the helpers are studying for advanced degrees. Since they're primarily an agricultural school, they have wonderful shaded botanical gardens all around. With a few hours to spare, I'd casually wander around with a good book and my Nikon around my neck, and yes, that 85/1.4 lens.

 

[Camerarabbit]

You've got it backwards, CameronR. - people often have health insurance; pets rarely do, and so actually cost far more. Vets can make way more money than primary care physicians. They don't need malpractice insurance unless they specialize in something like racehorses, don't need to spend half their time haggling with insurance companies, and employ helpers who don't earn a lot. Plenty of people will pay 20K for a dog or cat procedure, or a horse or mule. Dogs are our loyal servants whom we should treat kindly, but cats know they are our masters, so we have no choice. Since vets are so damn expensive anyway, I took one of our cats right to the best clinic in the world about an hour away at UC Davis Vet School, where even the helpers are studying for advanced degrees. Since they're primarily an agricultural school, they have wonderful shaded botanical gardens all around. With a few hours to spare, I'd casually wander around with a good book and my Nikon around my neck, and yes, that 85/1.4 lens.

Primary care doctors dont perform hip surgeries, and yes, often earn less money than vets.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Kittens come with their own built-in scalpels. But they don't seem to sanitize them. I've got plenty of red scratches to prove that at the moment. But raccoons wash things and have working hands, so maybe they could be sent to med school. Perhaps a bit too mischievous. But affording large format film and a lot of pets at the same time is getting to be quite a challenge. They don't tip well at feeding time. But here I go again, off topic.