Nikon Z 85mm F 1.2 Review : The Ultimate Portrait lens?
Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 and is it worth it?
If you’re looking for an in depth Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 review then you’re in the right place and today we are going to seriously dive into everything you need to know about this lens. I am guessing you’re probably a portrait shooter like me or at least someone who drools over buttery bokeh and that razor-thin depth of field and if so then this could very well be the lens for you.
The 85mm focal length has long been the “classic portrait lens,” and for good reason but what happens when you slap an F1.2 aperture on it? Are we now looking at an all time classic or legendary lens or is it one of those lenses that just falls short?
To answer that question let me just say this lens is one of those lenses that makes you stop mid-shoot and do a second take on the shot you just took, yes, it’s that good. It just makes our job so much easier but on the downside it’s a big, heavy and an expensive piece of glass.
Check out my full hands on Nikon Z 85mm F 1.2 review video below.
Build and First Impressions
The first thing you’ll notice when you pick up the Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 lens is just how solid it feels. At over 1kg (about 2.5 lbs), this isn’t a dainty prime you can sling in a jacket pocket (if you needed too). It’s chunky, with a front element that looks like it belongs on a telescope and not a camera lens.
Speaking of the front element can I just say, one of the things I love about this lens is the gorgeous front element and how it’s recessed into the lens barrel, so you can actually stand it up on a table and you won’t damage the front element, this is great for those busy shoots when you are running around quickly and might accidentally bump your lens off something. That added protection is a gorgeous design feature.
Paired up with a Nikon Z6iii (review here) or the Nikon Z8 (review here) or Z9, it feels perfectly balanced, almost like the body and lens were designed for each other. On a Z6/7 series camera it still feels relatively balanced with a tiny hint of being slightly front heavy, on a Zf (review here) your wrist will start reminding you that you’re hauling around a kilo of glass and it will be very front heavy, a camera grip makes a big difference there for grip though.
But here’s the thing: it feels worth it, as soon as you see the results you forget the weight, you forget the size and price of it as the results will be all that matter and this is where this lens truly shines, heck, shines isn’t even strong enough, this is where this lens thrives and excels.
Getting back the lens build again, the weather sealing is confidence-inspiring, the focus ring is wide and silky smooth, the extra control ring and the L-Fn button are easily customizable so you can set it up exactly the way you want it. Remember it’s not just a lens — it’s a tool that feels like it can handle anything.
Price
At the time of writing this Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 S review it was retailing for $2,800.- making it a sizeable investment for most photographers. But when you view it as a serious long term investment it’s actually not that expensive then as this lens will still be producing amazing images for you in 15 years time.
Think of it as a big investment in you and your work, at least that’s what I did when I bought it 🙂
I never mind spending money on lenses as they last for decades if treated well while camera bodies usually come and go over 4 or 5 years. I always get the best lens I can afford and this lens is an amazing option for any photographer. You can check the current price at your favourite store below…
Please note these are affiliate links so if you purchase via them I might make a slight commission but it costs you nothing so thank you for supporting my channel and these reviews..
Sharpness
No Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 review would be complete without talking about sharpness, because let’s be honest — this is where fast primes generally shine but they can also occasionally disappoint us too. We are trading that flexibility and multifunctionality of a zoom lens for sharpness, speed and of course rendering, so how does it stack up?
At F1.2, the lens is already ridiculously sharp in the center. We’re talking see-the-eyelash-follicles kind of sharp. The edges are softer, yes, but if you’re shooting portraits, your subject is usually not off in the corner of the frame. That gentle edge softness does help to add to the 3D separation of the subject sometimes also.
Stop it down to F2 or F2.8, and the sharpness creeps toward the edges. By F4, it’s clinical across the whole frame. For weddings, portraits, or even environmental fashion work, that means you can shoot it wide open for dreamy subject isolation, or stop down when you want everything tack-sharp. It’s the best of both worlds really.
I run you through all of this in detail in my video review further up this page.
Bokeh and Rendering
If you’re reading this Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 review because you want creamy, cinematic backgrounds, then good news: this lens is a bokeh monster.
Out-of-focus areas just melt away. Background lights turn into perfect, round balls (thanks to the 11-blade rounded diaphragm) and there’s none of that ugly onion-ring texture you sometimes see in specular highlights. Wide open, you’ll see a little cat’s-eye bokeh at the edges, but compared to other f1.2 primes, it’s much less distracting.
What really makes it special, though, is the rendering. The way it transitions from tack-sharp to dreamy blur is smooth and gradual, not harsh. That creates a dimensional, almost medium-format look. Skin tones also look fantastic — colors are neutral with just a hint of warmth, and the micro-contrast is high enough to make details pop without making skin look harsh.
Again check out the video above if you want to see this lens in action. But in short, it just doesn’t get any better than this.
Autofocus Performance and focus breathing
A lot of people (myself included) were curious: how fast can a lens this big actually focus? The answer is surprisingly fast. That’s down to this lens using dual STM motors, which move different focusing groups independently. On a Z8 or Z9, Eye-AF locks on quickly and stays locked even if your subject is moving or backlit. I have shot a lot of backlit portraits with subjects walking straight toward me at dusk and the hit rate was excellent — even wide open at F1.2 it did a great job.
In super low light conditions the smaller and lighter 85mm F1.8 S is a touch snappier (less glass to move I guess), but the F1.2 still does a great job. For video the autofocus is smooth and silent, with no audible motor noise. Making it ideal for hybrid shooters.
You can see it in action in my video further up this page where I also demonstrate focus breathing.
Focus Breathing
This is one of those details that matters a lot if you shoot video or if you bracket images. Older DSLR 85mm lenses generally had terrible focus breathing — your framing would noticeably zoom in and out as you racked focus.
Not here though as the Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 has minimal focus breathing, which makes it perfect for video use giving you beautifully smooth cinematic focus pulls. That alone puts it a notch above many other fast primes, it’s a detail that makes this lens feel truly awesome for video work.
Distortion
There’s almost nothing to report here — and that’s a good thing as distortion is basically non-existent. If you look at the test chart below you will see the tiniest bit of pincushion distortion but it’s invisible in portraits generally speaking.
What little distortion is there is very easily fixed in your editing software by simply enabling lens profile corrections and that’s it it’s gone.
Vignetting
At F1.2 (photo above), you’ll notice some vignetting — as the corners are darker than the center. But honestly, it’s the kind of natural vignette that helps draw the viewer’s eye toward the subject and it’s very subtle. In real world images it’s not noticeable at all.
Stopping down to F1.4 helps and by f1.8, the vignette is already much lighter and at F2.8 it’s completely gone.
Again in your editing software you can also correct any slight vignetting even at F1.2 so again this is no issue at all.
Flare, Color & Contrast
Point this lens at the sun and you’ll get slight veiling flare, but nothing that ruins the shot. In the examples above you will notice there was no flaring in the first shot and for the other two I tried my best to get the worst flaring I could and that was as bad as it got. So Nikon have done an excellent job here.
Colors are neutral and even across the frame with a tiny touch of warmth if anything, which will help to flatter skin tones without making them look overly saturated. Paired with the Nikon Z8 this lens has produced some gorgeous images for me.
Contrast is excellent too, especially micro-contrast — it gives that subtle separation of fine details to help give the image depth. For portraits, that means clear, vibrant images without making skin look crunchy.
The shots above highlight the contrast this lens can achieve even when you are shooting straight into the sun and there was no flash or reflectors used in these shots.
Handling & Ergonomics
Here’s the trade-off: the Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 S is heavy. After shooting a full wedding day with it, you’ll definitely feel it in your wrist and shoulders. At 1.16kg or 2.6lbs it’s not super heavy but for a prime that’s not light at all.
This lens does feel like a tank, as it’s built for professionals who need gear they can rely on in any weather or environment. Hence my thinking that this is a long term investment.
The focus ring is beautifully damped for manual pulls, it’s easy to find also as the ring is fairly large which all means if you shoot in manual focus a lot it’s a joy to use.
The customizable control ring is handy for aperture, ISO, exposure compensation or whatever you want to set it too. Personally, I have mine switched to no function most of the time as it can be easy to accidentally change settings by tipping the ring while handling the camera.
The L-Fn button is a nice touch for quick access to your favorite function, mine is set for “Starlight”. Which is great for those super low light situations as it helps brighten up your scene a lot, making it easier to see and compose your shot then.
This is a lens that rewards you every time you use it and yes it’s not light but you will soon forget about that extra bit of weight when you see the results. There is a reason it’s always in my camera bag 🙂
Comparisons
- Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 S: Smaller, lighter, and way cheaper. Honestly, it’s a fantastic lens in its own right — but the f/1.2 gives you more separation, creamier bokeh, and a unique rendering style.
- Nikon Z 135mm F1.8 Plena: If bokeh perfection is your obsession, the Plena is unbeatable. But it’s tighter and less versatile than the 85mm.
- Viltrox 135mm Lab series lens: This is a lens I am itching to test out and I think this could also be an amazing alternative to this lens but for now the 85mm F1.2 just has a magical hold over me.
Final Verdict
To sum up this Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 review: this is a lens that delivers magic, yes, it might be big, heavy, and expensive — but the results are truly worth it on so many levels, I am just kicking myself I didn’t buy it sooner.
- Sharpness is insanely good.
- Bokeh is dreamy, smooth and dimensional.
- Autofocus is Fast, quiet and accurate.
- Handling is heavy but this is a professional, solid and beautifully built lens. So, in short it’s totally worth it.
It also makes me wonder do I really need the 135mm Plena now as that was the next lens on my wish list.
If you’re serious about portraits, fashion or weddings, the Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 S isn’t just another lens — it’s a creative signature. It gives your images that stand out feel, with bucket loads of that unmistakable “fast prime magic” built in and no, you can’t fake that in post. So, yes, it’s worth it and it’s one of the best lenses in my gear bag now.
See you out there,
Kieran.
Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 Review: Capturing Stunning Portraits?
If you’re looking for an in depth Nikon Z 85mm F1.2 review then you're in the right place and today we are going to seriously dive into everything you need to know about this lens. I am guessing you’re probably a portrait shooter like me or at least someone who drools over buttery bokeh and that razor-thin depth of field and if so then this could very well be the lens for you.
4.9
Pros
- Incredibly sharp
- Beautiful rendering
- No distortion
- Gorgeous Bokeh