Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 D
One of the reasons I purchased the Nikon D780 is that it is fully compatible with 50 years of Nikon lenses. This gorgeous 85mm f/1.8 prime was produced in the mid to late 1990s, and in order to autofocus this lens, it requires the camera body to have a focus motor, which the D780 does. In the early 2000s, Nikon moved away from this style, and all AF-S G-type lenses contain the focus motor in the lens itself. This means the AF-S lenses are larger, heavier, and more expensive. The size and weight difference is also why Nikon started making the lens casing out of plastic instead of metal.
I am really excited that I was able to grab such a clean used copy of the Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 D from MPB, and at half the cost of the Nikkor AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G and a quarter of the cost of the Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S.
This lens pairs very well with the D780, just keep your hands off the focus ring when auto-focusing! Setting up the lens to work with a compatible camera as an autofocus lens is easy, turn the aperture ring to the smallest aperture, f/16 in this case, and push down the aperture lock into the orange, locked position (see 2nd image). Once the aperture is locked, the lens is ready to go and the D780 will be able to fully utilize the lens including adjusting the aperture and light metering.
To date, I’ve only used it to take snapshots around the house, but I’m really happy with the results. In a few weeks, I’m shooting a corporate event, and I hope to put this lens to the test. I’ll be shooting this lens along with my Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 G ED and a rented Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD G2, so I’m eager to see how it performs.
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