I've been a Nikon shooter for basically my whole career, like 12 years now, and I finally made the jump from my old D850 to the Z8 a few months back. I thought the transition would be seamless but I am honestly pulling my hair out trying to find a prime that gives me that magic look I used to get with my old 85mm 1.4G. Everything I've tried so far on the Z mount feels... I dont know, too clinical? It's like the lenses are too perfect and the skin looks like plastic or too sharp in a way that is actually a pain to edit out in post. I have a huge high-end wedding coming up in Seattle next month and I need to settle on a forever portrait lens because my current setup just isnt cutting it for the bridal portraits.
I'm looking for something that hits that sweet spot of character and professional reliability. I've been looking at the 85mm f/1.2 S but that price tag is making me wince, and I'm worried about the weight for an 8-hour day. Then there's the 105mm f/2.8 macro which people say is great for portraits but is it too slow? Or do I stick with the 1.8 primes and just deal with it?
Here is what I actually need:
- Budget: I can go up to $2,300 but I'd rather not if I dont have to.
- Use case: Mostly outdoor natural light but some indoor church shots too.
- Weight: My back is killing me lately so nothing that feels like a brick please.
- Autofocus: Needs to be snappy because kids at weddings dont stand still.
I really dont want to go back to using an FTZ adapter because it makes the balance feel off on the Z8, but man, I miss that old glass. Does the 50mm 1.2 have enough compression for tight headshots or should I just suck it up and get the 85mm 1.2? I'm honestly lost and the more reviews I watch the more confused I get. What are you guys actually using for paid gigs? Is there a sleeper lens I'm missing or is the 85mm 1.8 S actually good enough for pro work...
In my experience, MTF charts dont reveal the character.
- Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S: better micro-contrast.
- Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S: clinical bokeh. Get the 1.2.
> Regarding what #1 said about "In my experience, MTF charts dont reveal the..." Exactly. MTF ignores spherical aberration curves. I learned the hard way that renting first is the smartest move for your back.
> I really dont want to go back to using an FTZ adapter because it makes the balance feel off on the Z8, but man, I miss that old glass. Honestly I felt the same way when I moved over. I ended up picking a middle-of-the-road prime because I was scared of the weight and the price tag of the top-tier stuff. My first few shoots were a reality check... everything was so sharp it felt kind of cold? I spent hours trying to make the skin look natural again in my edits because it just didn't have that soul I was used to. But after about a month of doing this, I realized that my back wasnt hurting nearly as much as it used to during those long weekend sessions. I learned that for the stuff I do, having a kit that doesnt feel like a workout is worth way more than that tiny bit of extra blur in the background. I just adjusted my editing style slightly to soften things up a bit. It is a lot cheaper than chasing that one perfect lens that weighs a ton, and honestly, my clients havent even noticed a difference. They just see a clear photo.
