NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S for Wedding Photography
ISO250, f1.3, 1/200s
Nikon recently released the Nikkor 85mm f1.2 S lens. I’m fortunate enough to have the lens as a loan for few days and I took the opportunity to put the lens through its paces with a collaborative wedding photo shoot with some of the leading bridal brands in Singapore.
ISO 320, f1.8, 1/250s
The 85mm focal range is possibly the best telephoto range for portraiture. At 85mm, the model’s best features are compressed and the background gets easily thrown into a pleasing bokeh with its f1.2 wide aperture.
The NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S in person
No doubt this lens is a behemoth, which is to be expected for a telephoto prime lens with an enormous wide aperture of f1.2. The Z 85mm f1.2 S weights just over a kilogram at 1160g, and is approximately 102.5mm x 141.5mm in size, boasting a 82mm lens diameter filter thread size. Trust me, with the lens hood on, this thing is a monster.
ISO 100, f1.8, 1/200s, rim lighting was applied with a Godox V1 flashlight behind the model.
Oh boy, does this lens perform. I’d say without any exaggeration that this could be the best portraiture lens I’ve worked with. Images are razor sharp even wide open, colours pop and the subject seems to jump out from the image. The out of focus areas, or bokeh, are the stuff of a medieval artist’s dream. Simply put, this is the lens I want to rely on as a professional photographer. Nikon has manufactured the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S so close to perfection, it’s hard not to get good results with this lens, especially coupled with the Nikon Z7ii.
ISO 125, f1.2, 1/320s
Is f1.2 too shallow depth of field for portraiture? To answer that question, I intentionally shot the above wide open at f1.2. I can’t remember how close I was standing to our model Wishlyn at this point, but at this distance, we can clearly see that the eye closer to lens is totally in focus, but the farther eye is starting to fall off the depth of field. The resulting image is dreamy and whimsical in appearance. I wish all my lenses can do this, but bear in mind that distance to subject affects depth of field.
ISO400, f1.2, 1/250s
I did not have the chance to test how the lens handles flare, but I’d imagine it’ll be impeccable. The above image has lens flare added to it for effect. The original point of light is created by a flash fired off camera.
ISO250, f1.3, 1/160s
One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S creates swirly bokeh in the background. It’s reminiscence of vintage lenses like the infamous Helios or Lensbaby lens effect. I’ve noticed that the NIKKOR Z 70-200 f/2.8 S produces the same effect, which is highly unusual for a modern lens.
ISO250, f1.3, 1/125s
Sadly, I only had a few days with this lens and returned the lens to Nikon Singapore after this shoot. The NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S retails in Singapore at approximately $4,499 SGD. My experience with it was awesome, but while it seems like the perfect tool for a wedding photographer, I prefer the NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.8 S for it's smaller form factor, lighter weight, and significantly lower price tag. Here are more photos from the shoot, and please check out the list of vendors that made this photo shoot possible:
Nikon Singapore for NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S
Chris Chang Photography (shoot by Zachary Lai)
Bridal: Silhouette the Atelier
MUA: Powderpuffedsg
Accessories and Jewelry: gioiellisg, soosoomonjewellery x Lustre of Love
Model: Wishlyn Wong
Disclaimer: Zachary Lai is an official Nikon Creator supported by Nikon Singapore. The opinions above are my own and not influenced by Nikon or any other party.
