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According provided by YONGNUO YN85mm F1.8 lens (YN85mm F1.8 N model) Many thanks to Yongnuo.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 N. Lens shown on a film SLR camera Nikon EL2.

Navigation

1. Disclaimer!
2. In short
3. History
4. All lenses from Yongnuo
5. Main Specifications
6. Appearance
7. Assembly
8. Focusing
9. Iris control
10. Image quality
11. Sample photos (full frame, crop)
12. Differences from Nikon 85 / 1.8G
13. All autofocus 85s
14. Price
15. My experience
16. Video review
17. Results
18. Resolved Issues
19. User Comments
20. Add your review or question on the lens

Lens YONGNUO YN85mm F1.8 (model YN85mm F1.8 N) will be abbreviated as 'Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N' in this review.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Disclaimer!

Very important: Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N got my review on January 7, 2019, long before the official announcement of the lens and before it went on sale. The sample from the review uses pre-production firmware, which in some situations does not work as correctly as firmware for newer lenses. The spokesman assured me that the new lenses will use a new electrical control circuit, which will help to get rid of some of the shortcomings I saw in the copy from this review. Some of the problems with the lens described in this review have already been resolved. When new information appears, I will supplement the section at the end of this review, which is called 'Resolved Issues'.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

In short

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is an inexpensive short telephoto lens with a fixed focal length and a large aperture.

In general, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is a replacement for the original Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8G AF-S IF SWM Nikkor. Externally, Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is very similar to Canon LENS EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USM, from which, most likely, his design was copied.

Most of all, Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N may appeal to users of Nikon non-motorized cameras, who cannot fully use the old and inexpensive non-motorized Nikon 85 / 1.8D AF.

In terms of its parameters, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is a very attractive lens for amateur photographers as an inexpensive creative lens, primarily intended for portraiture.

Image quality is quite expected and worse than that of the original lenses. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N has a number of strange things, especially regarding focus and iris control. There are so many oddities that, because of their description, the text in the review exceeded all my original plans.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

History

YONGNUO YN85mm F1.8 (model YN85mm F1.8) for Canon EOS cameras was announced in February 2017 of the year. Since October 2018, a new subversion has been released that has been cured of focus problems in Live View with some Canon cameras. The new version is no longer fundamentally different.

Two years later, in May 2019 YONGNUO YN85mm F1.8 lens (YN85mm F1.8 N model, as in this review) for Nikon SLR cameras appeared on the official website. The announcement occurred at the same time as the announcement of the new Canon LENS RF 85mm F1.2L USMcoincidence?

In fact, the Nikon version of the YN85mm F1.8 is much newer than the Canon version of the YN85mm F1.8.

Let me remind you that the first lens from Yongnuo Digital was a fifty dollars for Canon EOS cameras - Yongnuo Lens EF 50mm 1: 1.8 (YN50mm F1.8) submitted on December 27, 2014. And the first Yongnuo Digital lens for Nikon cameras was YONGNUO 50mm 1: 1.8 (YN50mm F1.8N, prototype shown July 10, 2015).

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 N lens case and lens itself

All Yongnuo Lenses

Bayonet mount Sony FE [DF, FULL FRAME] и Sony E[DA,APS-C]:

1. yongnuo 11 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM WL S [announcement]
2. yongnuo 16 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM S [announcement]
3. yongnuo 35 mm 1: 2 DF DSM S [review]
4. yongnuo 50 mm 1: 1.8 DF DSM S [announce]
5. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM S [overview]
6. yongnuo 85 mm 1: 1.8 DF DSM S [review]
7. yongnuo 85 mm 1:1.8 DF DSM S II [announcement]

Bayonet mount Canon RF (mirrorless full frame):

1. yongnuo 35 mm 1: 2 DF DSM R [review]
2. yongnuo 35 mm 1:2 CR [announcement]
3. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 DF DSM R [to be announced]
4. yongnuo 85 mm 1:1.8 DF DSM R (two subversions with different names) [review]

Bayonet mount Nikon Z [DF, FULL FRAME + DA,APS-C]::

1. yongnuo 11 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM WL Z [announcement]
2. yongnuo 35 mm 1:2 DF DSM Z [announcement]
3. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 DF DSM Z [announcement]
4. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM Z [review]
5. yongnuo 85 mm 1:1.8 DF DSM Z [announcement]

Bayonet mount fujifilm x [DA,APS-C]:

1. yongnuo 11 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM WL X [announcement]
2. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM X Pro [Announcement]
3. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 DA DSM X [announcement + overview]

For the system Micro 4 / 3:

1. yongnuo 25 mm 1: 1.7 [review]
2. yongnuo 42.5 mm 1: 1.7 [review]
3. yongnuo 42.5 mm 1:1.7 II [overview]
4. yongnuo 12-35 mm 1:2.8-4 STM ASPH MACRO [announcement]

Bayonet mount Nikon f (mirrored full frame):

1. yongnuo 14 mm 1: 2.8 [overview]
2. yongnuo 35 mm 1: 2 [overview]
3. yongnuo 40 mm 1: 2.8 [overview]
4. yongnuo 50 mm 1: 1.8 [review]
5. yongnuo 50 mm 1: 1.4 E [overview]
6. yongnuo 60 mm 1:2 MACRO MF [overview]
7. yongnuo 85 mm 1: 1.8 [overview]
8. yongnuo 100 mm 1: 2 [overview]

Bayonet mount Canon EF (mirrored full frame):

1. yongnuo 14 mm 1:2.8 [review N]
2. yongnuo 35 mm 1: 2 [review]
3. yongnuo 35 mm 1: 1.4 [overview]
4. yongnuo 35 mm 1: 1.4C DF UWM [announce]
5. yongnuo 50 mm 1: 1.8 [overview]
   
6. yongnuo 50 mm 1:1.8 II [overview]
7. yongnuo 50 mm 1: 1.4 [overview]
8. yongnuo 60 mm 1:2 MACRO MF [review N]
9. yongnuo 85 mm 1: 1.8 [review]
10. yongnuo 100 mm 1: 2 [overview]

Cameras:

1. Yongnuo YN433 (2023, Micro 4/3, 20 MP, 4K)
2. Yongnuo YN455 (2021, Micro 4/3, 20 MP, 4K)
3. Yongnuo YN450/450M (2019, Micro 4/3 -> Canon EF, 16 MP, 4K)

Lenses and cameras and many other products from Yongnuo can easily be found at Authorized Yongnuo Dealer / Store on Aliexpres.

My video on all Yongnuo lenses here.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Main technical characteristics of YONGNUO YN85mm F1.8

In terms of focal length, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is a cross between a short telephoto and a standard lens. Yongnuo refers it to standard fixed focal lenses, and the Yongnuo 100/2 model already refers to short / moderate telephoto lenses (medium telephoto prime lens).

Real indicators of aperture (T-feet) are quite large, and are at the level of T / 2.0-T / 2.23. During focusing from MDF to infinity, the decrease in aperture, expressed in T-stops, is not felt at all.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Appearance

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N design copied from the original Canon LENS EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USMTrue, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N itself turned out to be more puffy than the original.

Assembly

The lens came to the review completely new in a white color box (the Canon version comes in a black and gold box).

In a small box is a warranty card, a certificate of quality control, instructions in Chinese and English, a carry case, a bag of desiccant and the lens itself with a front (YN-58) and a back cover. This is the first lens from Yongnuo, in which the front and rear lenses of the lens were not initially covered by special transport films.

The wardrobe trunk has a belt mount, the main valve with Velcro. Wardrobe trunk is very similar to wardrobe trunks from flashes of Yongnuo.

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N has metal mount mount и metal thread for filters. The focus ring is rubberized. Unlike all other Yongnuo lenses, the microprocessor contacts are not gold-plated. The weight of the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is approximately 460 grams (the same Nikon 85 / 1.8G weighs 100 grams less).

Of the serious flaws in the assembly I want to highlight tangible backlash focus rings as well knock, associated with this backlash (when you touch the ring, you can hear how the plastic gently hits metal, taps).

Unfortunately, there is no hood in the package. But the lens can use YN-ET-65 or Canon ET-65III bayonet hoods (indicated in the instructions). Do you need a Canon lens hood for a Nikon lens? Irony.

Unlike Yongnuo 100 / 2 and many other Yongnuo lenses, Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N model does not support firmware update via USB port. It’s also very strange that there is a lens notch, to the left of the AF / MF switch, under the Yongnuo Digital label, as if specially designed for the USB port. In the same place Yongnuo version 85 / 1.8 for Canon cameras there is nothing like this. Most likely, the recess is for convenience when you click on the camera button on the bayonet to change the lenses.

The diaphragm consists of 8 blades; to achieve the correct round hole at F / 4-F / 22 values ​​will not work. The hole either has notches or an octagon shape. Even at F / 1.8, one of the petals gives a small chipping.

The instructions for the lens are poorly adapted for the Nikon system and are more similar to the instructions for Canon cameras (most likely, the instructions for the version for Canon, which came out 2 years earlier), are taken as the basis. The manual does not contain some important points (for example, information about the electromagnetic diaphragm), and there are also certain errors.

The lens easily survived shooting in the freezing cold for half an hour.

Extremely important: lens cannot be installed on some cameras, since it catches the beak of the built-in flash. It is authentically known that he will not be able to mount on the camera Nikon D60. Most likely, for all other cameras in this series, such as D40, D40x. With this I I encounter for the first time.

Also, it is reliably known that this lens cannot be mounted on the camera Kodak DCS PRO 14n, the built-in extra handle of this camera interferes with the lens.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Focusing

The lens has built-in focus motor DC-type (DDirectly Current Motor- ordinary DC motor). To be precise, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is an analog of the Nikon series lenses AF-I. Unlike lenses Nikon AF-Sthat use ultrasonic focusing motors Nikon SWMold lenses Nikon AF-I use a built-in buzzing micro focus motor similar to the Yongnuo DC.

The lens will automatically focus on all Nikon DSLR cameraseven on amateur series models Nikon DXthat do not have a built-in focus motor: D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D3200, D3300, D3400, D3500, D5000, D5100, D5200, D5300, D5500, D5600as well as mirrorless cameras Nikon Z with adapter FTZ / FTZ II.

When focusing the motor is very noisy. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is even a little louder than a non-motor Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8D AF Nikkor. Noise unpleasant and annoying.

Auto Focus Speed average. Focusing speed is enough for comfortable work in most photo tasks. Autofocus speed similar to lens Nikon 85 / 1.8G.

When using auto focus through JVI on cameras Nikon D90 (with unpretentious Multi-CAM 1000 focusing system), Nikon D60 (with the simplest Multi-CAM 530 focusing system), Nikon D700 (with advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX Focusing System) and Nikon D7100 the lens behaves very moody, can scour for exact focus. The quality of work varies slightly from camera to camera. But I must note that focusing tenacity is low and much worse than the original lenses.

On camera Nikon D90 I checked the presence of the back and focus front at different focusing distances (infinity and MDF as well). Pictures taken using the Live View mode (which does not suffer from back / front focus) were used as a measure. Focusing accuracy using phase sensors completely coincided with the Live View mode.

Important: on camera Nikon D90 in Live View mode after 1-3 successful focusings auto focus on the lens disappears, and the shutter button is locked (even in AF-C shutter priority). To force the lens to focus again in Live View mode, turn it off and on again.

Important: in modes AF-A sometimes the shutter button is blocked and the lens refuses to precisely focus. It turns out like this: you press the focus activation button, and the lens is silent, while in JVI it is clear that there is no precise focusing. This rarely happens, but still I have noticed this feature several times.

The focus ring is rubberized and in manual focus mode rotates approximately 135 degrees. Upon reaching extreme positions, the ring does not abut, but continues to rotate freely. Focus ring rotates easily. During manual focusing, you hear 'plastic rubbing against plastic or metal', friction noise is unpleasant. Manual focus not very comfortable. I shot a lot on Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N only in manual focus mode, especially on the camera Sony Alpha NEX-3N... The focus ring travel is very 'bunched up' in the 2-5 meter range, which requires very, very precise rotation. The direction of rotation of the focusing ring is not the same as the original Nikon 85 / 1.8G.

There is a 'AF-MF' (auto focus / manual focus) mode switch on the lens body.

Lens supports continuous manual focus control. This function only remotely resembles native functions. Nikon 'M / A' or Nikon 'A / M'... The mode is more similar to Canon's analogue - Canon FTM, or to 'A' mode for some Nikon DX lenses, for which it is described in detail here.

In short, it is convenient to perform manual focusing in autofocus mode 'AF' (switch position on the lens) is only possible if the camera is using focus mode 'AF S'or' AF-A 'and only after successful auto focus. In focus mode 'AF-C'' camera can counteract manual focus control. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N does not turn off auto focus when you start to rotate the focus ring manually, which is why different things happen. But not everything is so bad, users who use the button focus method AF ON (or the buttons programmed for this function, or the remote control) may not feel the lack of a full mode Nikon 'M / A' or Nikon 'A / M.

I should note that even this implementation of this function is a great step for Yongnuo. For example, the well-known company Tokina has a similar mode on only two lenses for Nikon cameras: Tokina VCM-S AT-X PRO SD 70-200 F4 (IF) FX и Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4FF.

Important: after you start touching the focusing ring in 'AF' mode, the lens can get naughty. Sometimes he refuses to focus at all, even if no one touches the focus ring, or focuses a little further or closer than necessary (seen in JVI) Very rarely, the focus motor as if going crazy and tries to focus beyond infinity or closer to the MDF, while the focus ring begins to rotate. After turning the camera off / on, the problem disappears. I highly recommend perform manual focus only in 'MF' mode and try not to use manual focus control in 'AF' mode.

During auto focus focus ring remains stationary. But! During auto focus, when you hold the lens by the focus ring and when the scale reaches its extreme positions (MDF and infinity), the focus ring hits on the fingers and twitches a little, tries to crank. Moreover, if the ring is not held, then it really remains motionless.

Lens has internal focus, the front and rear lenses remain stationary during focusing. It is possible to use various filters without any problems. I easily used a Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N with a polarizing filter HOYA 58mm PL-CIR.

The lens has a window with a focus distance scale in meters and feet. The number of values ​​on the scale is small, the scale itself is not very useful. There are values ​​only for 0.85, 1, 1.2, 2, 5 meters and an infinity mark.

The minimum focusing distance is 85 cm, and the maximum magnification ratio is 1: 7.7 (0.13 X magnification, slightly better than Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm 1: 1.8G IF SWM).

Focus Features:

1. Important: The focus quality of the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N in Live View is highly dependent on the camera used.
2. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N has a pronounced 'Focus Breathing' effect (changing the viewing angle during focusing). During focusing towards the MDF, the viewing angle decreases (usually with internal focusing lenses, the angle increases).
3. Focus Shift (focus shift, changing focus distance due to iris)
4. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N does not have a hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) which allows you to accurately and quickly focus the lens to infinity under any external temperature conditions. For accurate aiming at infinity, you cannot just bring the focus ring to its extreme position.
5. The lens transmits the distance to the subject in the camera and is Nikon D-lens equivalent... How exactly this function works is unknown. Focus distance transmission affects metering performance, especially when using flash. Nikon flash for simple situations SB-910 in i-TTL modes with this lens worked correctly.
6. With the lid closed, the lens focuses but stops at infinity and freezes. Repeatedly does not run the lens even after repeated pressing the focus activation button. It will start to focus only if you remove the cover, even turning the camera off and on again does not help. I can not say that this is a flaw, but the original lenses behave differently.
   
7. Important: Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is a third-party lens. It may happen that it will not work correctly with some cameras. Details on this issue are considered by me. here. It is known that there are problems with the camera Nikon D750.
8. Unknown compatibility with teleconverters.
9. Unknown compatibility with Nikon FTZ and Nikon FT1 adapters for Nikon Z and Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras.
10. If you missed the disclaimer at the beginning of this review, be sure to read or re-read it.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Iris control

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N uses electromagnetic aperture control. This is the second lens from Yongnuo with this feature for Nikon cameras. Only some Nikon digital cameras can work correctly with this lens.

Important: general list of Nikon cameraswhich support operation with electromagnetic iris lenses is not applicable to Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N.

On the the official website it is indicated that the lens is compatible only with the following models: D4,D4S, D200, D610, D700, D750, D800,D800E, D810, D850, D3200, D3300, D3400, D3500, D5000, D5200, D5300, D5600, D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, D70, D70S, D80, D90. With other models, either there is no compatibility, or compatibility with them has not yet been tested.

Important: for some reason in Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N in the lens name no 'E' prefixwhich should mean 'Electromagnetic diaphragm '(electromagnetic diaphragm). For example, the lens has such an attachment 'Yongnuo 50 / 1.4 NE'.

Suddenly! Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N works without problems on the old camera Nikon D90, which, theoretically, does not know how to control the aperture with lenses E-type. Nikon D90 correctly closes and opens the aperture on the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N, while the depth of field preview function works, the aperture also closes to the set value when switching to Live View (but in the Live View itself, the petals are always at the same value). Aperture closing lever on Nikon D90 remains stationary, and only the electromagnetic diaphragm drive that is built into the lens works (this is clearly audible when you press the depth of field preview button). How, why and why? Most likely, the Yongnuo engineers somehow managed to get from old cameras, such as Nikon D70, D200controlling the electromagnetic diaphragm.

It's important: on camera Nikon D700 there is a sticking of the aperture during shooting at values ​​around F / 5.6 or less. The reason is unknown. On other cameras this is not.

Electromagnetic iris control has some advantages over the older method of iris control by means of mechanical levers of the camera and lens:

1. increases aperture value accuracy
2. Increases the response speed, which is important for high-speed shooting.
3. As far as I know, the old mechanism with the diaphragm lever was designed for a maximum speed of 10 frames per second. The electromagnetic diaphragm can easily work at higher speeds.
4. simplifies iris operation during movie shooting
5. the mechanism is quieter (at least there is no noise from the aperture control mechanisms built into the camera)
6. simplifies the design of the camera itself, as well as macro rings, teleconverters and other adapters. This is very critical for telephoto lenses with a focal length greater than 500 mm.
7. third-party lens design is simplified for Nikon / Canon and many other systems, especially mirrorless ones. The manufacturer does not need to globally change the design of the lens for different aperture control mechanisms on different cameras. For all, an electromagnetic diaphragm is used without additional mechanical parts. Let me remind you that, for example, all lenses for cameras Canon EOS equipped with an electromagnetic diaphragm since 1987
8. most likely there are other positive features, less obvious, such as improved power consumption or the possibility of having a huge number of aperture blades

Of the minuses of the electromagnetic diaphragm, I would single out only a violation of compatibility with old cameras. For example, with old people, such as Nikon D3000, D2xs iris control on the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N will no longer be possible.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Image quality

Typically, some Yongnuuo lenses copy the optical design of older Nikon / Canon lenses to achieve comparable image quality. Many believe that the optical circuit of the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N, like its appearance, is copied from the original Canon 85 / 1.8 USM. But the original Canon 85 / 1.8 USM uses a 9/7 pattern while the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N uses a 9/6 (double Gaussian lens) pattern with the aperture positioned elsewhere.

Differences between the optical circuits of Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 N and Canon 85 / 1.8 USM

Sharpness

• in the center of the frame at F / 1.8 in terms of resolution it does not shine, but still it is enough for some undemanding photo tasks
• there is a drop in sharpness to the edges of the frame at f / 1.8
• at the edges of the frame, sharpness becomes acceptable after f / 4.0
• good / excellent resolution in the center of the frame on covered apertures after F / 2.8

Distortion

• the overall level of distortion is at a level typical for such lenses
• the nature of distortion is unified, easily corrected in the editor

Vignetting

• the overall level of vignetting is at a level typical for such lenses
• noticeable vignetting is observed only at F / 1.8-F / 2.5
• vignetting is enhanced with focus towards MDF
• vignetting almost disappears at F / 2.8-F / 4
• vignetting is easily fixable in the editor

Aberration

• open apertures have a lot of spherical and chromatic aberrations
• the strongest chromatic aberration visible at the edges and corners of the image
• Yes strong milling (HA in the blur zone)
• have a strong blooming (HA on very contrasting small details)

Rest

• color reproduction differs from original similar lenses, in numerical values ​​it is difficult for me to express the differences, but visually color rendering faded
• the aperture at F / 1.8-F / 4 has small notches (yes, even at F / 1.8 there is a notch due to one of the petals), at F / 4-F / 22 it is poorly rounded and is an almost regular octagon
• the lens is very afraid of side and back light. May be tangible drop in contrast in side light. In the backlight you can get halos and rainbows. Most likely, this behavior is due to the fact that the front lens is located immediately behind the filter, and the use of the lens welcomes the installation of a lens hood.
• in many scenes, the lens can create a pleasant / neutral bokeh

There is no lens profile for the lens in popular RAW converters, but most likely the profile will appear shortly or you can create it yourself.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Sample Photos on Nikon D700 (FX)

Full-frame shots Nikon D700... Photos in the gallery below are shown without processing, converting the original RAW files with the original Capture NX-D converter without making any additional adjustments. We used the standard 'SD' image control mode with default settings.

RAW source photos can be download from this link (29 photos, 230 MB).

Sample Photos on Nikon D60 (DX)

Very important. To mount the lens on the camera Nikon D60 I cut about 2 mm of plastic from the protruding beak of the built-in flash (view), otherwise the lens does not fit into the bayonet mount, its plump body rests against this protrusion. In no case do this, it just so happened that I am a big fan of CCD-sensors.

Important: Nikon D60 It does not know how to work with the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N electromagnetic aperture, and therefore all pictures were taken with the F / 1.8 aperture fully open. Some photos were taken using a polarizing filter. HOYA 58mm PL-CIR. With the polarizer, there is no problem with exposure when shooting in bright sunny weather, at ISO 100 and with an F / 1.8 aperture, it is required excerpt not shorter than 1/2500 second.

The photos in the gallery below are shown without processing, the conversion of the source RAW files by the original Capture NX-D converter or on-camera JPEG without any additional adjustments.

Jpeg source photos download from this link (90 files, 400 MB). RAW source photos can be download from this link (14 files, 100 MB).

Sample Photos on Nikon D90 (DX)

The photos in the gallery below are shown without processing, the conversion of the source RAW files by the original Capture NX-D converter or on-camera JPEG without any additional adjustments.

Jpeg source photos download from this link (80 files, 550 MB). RAW source photos can be download from this link (69 files, 700 MB).

Sample Photos on Sony NEX-3N (APS-C)

All photos in the review are shown without processing. Camera used Sony Alpha NEX-3N with a simple adapter Nikon F - Sony NEX, but because all the photos were shot on a fully open aperture F / 1.8. Convert source RAW files with original Sony Imaging Edge Viewer or camera-based JPEG.

JPEG source images can be downloaded at this link (18 photos, 220 MB).

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Photos in processing

Photos in small processing can be viewed on 500px in my gallery.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

Differences from Nikon 85 / 1.8G

According to its characteristics, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is most similar to the original Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8G AF-S IF SWM Nikkor.

Advantages of Nikon 85 / 1.8G over Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N:

1. Nikon 85 / 1.8G approx 100 grams lighter
   
2. Nikon 85 / 1.8G focuses much quieter and more accurately
   
3. Nikon 85 / 1.8G uses ultrasonic focusing motor Nikon SWMwhile Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N uses a conventional micro-motor
4. Nikon 85 / 1.8G has a full feature continuous manual focus control Nikon M / A
5. Nikon 85 / 1.8G has infrared label
   
6. Nikon 85 / 1.8G has depth of field scale
7. Nikon 85 / 1.8G has more familiar rotation directions of the focus ring
   
8. Nikon 85 / 1.8G uses high quality SIC enlightenment (Nikon Super Integrated Coating). The specific type of multi-enlightenment Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is unknown
9. Nikon 85 / 1.8G has rubber mount sealproviding basic protection against dust and moisture
10. MDF for Nikon 85 / 1.8G a little less (in real photo tasks it's hard to notice)
11. Nikon 85 / 1.8G included lens hood
12. Nikon 85 / 1.8G focuses a little faster
13. Nikon 85 / 1.8G profile sewn into modern camerasthat can automatically correct some kind of distortion, for example, distortion or vignetting. Also, the profile for Nikon 85 / 1.8G is present in almost all modern RAW converters and allows you to quickly get rid of some distortions.

Advantages of Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N over Nikon 85 / 1.8G:

1. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N 7 years newer. The original Nikon 85 / 1.8G was introduced in 2012.
2. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N costs about 2.5 times cheaper
   
3. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N uses aperture on 8 petalswhile the Nikon 85 / 1.8G aperture consists of only 7
4. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N can close the diaphragm up to f / 22and Nikon 85 / 1.8G only up to F / 16
5. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N uses smaller diameter filters not 58 mm versus 67 mm on Nikon 85 / 1.8G
6. Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N uses electromagnetic aperture control

In general, the Nikon 85 / 1.8G is significantly better than the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N in both image quality and the convenience of working with the lens. Optically, Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is closer to the older version Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8 AF Nikkor.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8N

All autofocus 85s

Choosing a good 85mm portrait lens is very important for a large number of photographers. I pay a lot of attention to this issue, therefore I have prepared this list of all such autofocus lenses for full frame cameras with F <= 2 and a focal length of about 85 mm.

Nikon (F, Z mounts)

1. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8 AF Nikkor [December 1987]
2. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8D AF Nikkor [March 1994, Thailand/Japan]
3. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.4D AF Nikkor [November 1995]
4. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.4GN AF-S Nikkor SWM IF Nano Crystal Coat [August 2010]
5. Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8G AF-S IF SWM Nikkor [January 2012]
6. Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm 1: 1.8 S [July 2019]
7. Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm 1: 1.2 S [January 2023]

Canon (EF, RF mounts)

1. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.2 L USM [September 1989
2. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1: 1.8 USM [July 1992]
3. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.2 L II USM [March 2006]
4. Canon LENS EF 85mm 1:1.4 L IS USM [November 2017]
5. Canon lens RF 85mm F1.2L USM [May 2019]
6. Canon lens RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS (DEFOCUS SMOOTHING) [October 2019]

Yongnuo/YnLens (different mounts)

1. Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 (YN85mm F1.8) [9/6, Canon EF, February 2017]
2. Yongnuo YN85mm F1.8 (YN85mm F1.8N) [9/6, Nikon F, May 2019]
3. Ynlens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8S) [9/8, Sony E, August 2020]
4. Ynlens YN85mm F1.8R DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8R) [9/8, Canon RF, May 2021]
5. Ynlens YN85mm 1:1.8Z DF DSM (YN85mm F1.8Z) [9/8, Nikon Z, March 2022]
6. Yongnuo 85F1.8S DF DSM [9/8, Sony E, August 2022]

Sony / Sony Zeiss ZA / Minolta (E / FE, A mount)

1. Sony FE 1.4/85 GM (SEL85F18GM) [February 2016]
2. Sony FE 1.8/85 (SEL85F18) [February 2017]
3. Sony SAL85F14Z / Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4 / 85 ZA T* [June 2006]
4. Minolta AF 85mm 1:1.4 (22) (AF lens 85) / Minolta Maxxum / Dynax / G / G+D / G+RS / G+D+LE and other versions of the same lens, A mount [1987]

Sigma (different mounts)

1. Sigma EX 85mm 1: 1.4 DG HSM (two sub-versions with different body finishes, for Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax K, Sony A, February 2010)
2. Sigma 85mm 1: 1.4 DG | A [Art] (for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sigma SA, Sony E, Leica L, September 2016)
3. Sigma 85mm 1: 1.4 DG DN | A [Art] (for Sony E, Leica L, August 2020)

Viltrox (different mounts)

1. Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8 STM (Sony E/FE + Fujifilm X, 2018)
2. Viltrox AF 85/1.8 STM ED IF (Nikon Z, Canon RF, December 2020)
3. Viltrox AF 85/1.8 II STM ED IF (Sony E/FE + Fujifilm X, July 2020, light version XNUMX)

Pentax (K mount)

1. SMC Pentax-FA* 1:1.4 85mm IF AUTO FOCUS PENTAX 85 [1992]
2. HD PENTAX-D FA * 85mm 1: 1.4 ED SDM AW [May 2020]

Samyang / Rokinon (different mounts)

1. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 EF (for Canon EF, scheme 9/7, June 2018)
2. Samyang AF 85/1.4F (for Nikon F, scheme 9/7, April 2019)
3. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 FE (for Sony E, scheme 11/8, March 2019)
4. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 RF  (for Canon RF, scheme 11/8, May 2020)
5. Samyang AF 85 / 1.4 FE II (for Sony E, scheme 11/8, July 2022)

Meike (Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Nikon Z, FujiFilm X)

1. MEIKE 85mm AF 1: 1.8 [review] (Canon EF / Canon EF-S, April 2018)
2. MEIKE 85mm AF 1: 1.8 [review] (Nikon F, Aug 2020)
3. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.8 Auto Focus Lens FF STM [review] (for Sony FE/E + Nikon Z, Canon RF, FujiFilm X, June 2022 + March 2023)
4. MEIKE 85mm 1:1.4 Auto Focus Lens FF STM (for Sony FE/E + Nikon Z, September 2023)

Zeiss (various mounts)

1. Zeiss Sonnar 1.8 / 85 T * (Batis 1.8 / 85) [April 2015, built-in stabilizer, Sony E/FE mount, 11/8]
2. Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4/85 ZA T* (Sony SAL85F14Z) ​​[June 2006, Sony A/Minolta A mount, 8/7]
3. Carl Zeiss Planar 1,4 / 85 T * [November 2002, Contax N mount, 10/9]

Tamron (different mounts)

1. Tamron SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD Model F016 (for Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony A [without VC function], March 2016)

Tokina (Sony E / FE mount)

1. Tokina atx-m 85mm F1.8 FE (for Sony E, most likely a complete analog Viltrox PFU RBMH 85mm F1.8 STM, January 2020)

AstrHori (Sony E/FE mount)

1. AstrHori AF 85mm 1:1.8 [December 2022]

Panasonic (L mount)

1. Panasonic LUMIX S 1: 1.8 / 85mm [November 2020]

Separately, you can still highlight non-classic 85s:

1. macro lens Canon Lens RF 85mm F2 MACRO IS STM [2020, RF]
2. longer LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-SL 1: 2/90 ASPH. (2018, Leica l)
3. less aperture Sony 85 / 2.8 SAM (SAL85f28) [2010, A]
4. shorter SMC PENTAX FA 1:1.8 77mm Limited (1997, K)
5. shorter HD Pentax-FA 1: 1.8 77mm Limited (2021, K)
6. shorter Samyang AF 75 / 1.8 FE (2020, E) + Samyang AF 75/1.8X (2023, X)
7. cropped Samsung Lens 1:1.4 85mm ED SSA i-Function [2011, NX]
8. cropped and longer FUJIFILM FUJINON LENS SUPER EBC XF 90mm 1: 2 R LM WR [2015, X]
9. cropped and shorter Viltrox AF 75/1.2 XF STM ED IF [2022, X, E, Z]
10. cropped, less aperture, macro lens Nikon DX AF-S Micro Nikkor 85mm 1: 3.5G ED VR SWM IF Micro 1: 1 [2009, F]
11. many 90/2.8 class macro lenses

SMC Takumar 1: 1.4 / 50 Asahi OPT. CO., Japan and Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 N

Prices

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N lens prices aliexpress.com can see and buy at this link. On aliexpress.com This lens at the start of sales costs about $ 230, but the price tag should soon fall to about $ 170 (about how much the version costs yongnuo 85 mm 1:1.8 for Canon cameras, which came out 2 years ago).

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 N. Lens shown on a film SLR camera Nikon EL2.

Video review

A short video review is possible watch on my Youtube channeleither here:

My experience

This review was prepared for almost six months, I was waiting for the lens to be announced. On Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N, I shot about 20.000. I categorically did not like this lens.

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N turned out worse than similar Yongnuo 100 / 2.

Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N has a lot of small jambs, troubles. If the weaving from Yongnuo YN100 / 2 was very pleasant, then with some things the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is not so easy to reconcile.

On Nikon DX cameras EGF Yongnuo 85/1.8N lens will fit around 128mm due to crop factor. On the crop, this is almost a real 135-tka, such EGF convenient enough for portrait shooting in open locations.

New Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N costs less than the cheapest portrait original lens Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8 AF Nikkor in a condition B. at.

1. Information on choosing a portrait lens can be found in the 'Portrait Fixed Lenses for Nikon Cameras'
2. A list of cheap portrait lenses for Nikon can be found under 'Budget portraits under Nikon DSLRs'
3. How to achieve maximum background blur with Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is described in the 'Blurred background'

Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.

Yongnuo YN 85mm F1.8 N. Lens shown on a film SLR camera Nikon EL2.

Results

The Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is a very interesting lens in terms of its parameters and its price, but still the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N turned out to be a rather controversial lens, primarily due to its features (count problems) with focusing. Image quality also falls short of Nikon's original 85-currents. Still, the Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N may be the first 'true' budget portrait lens in a hobbyist's wardrobe.

Advantages

1. low cost. One of the cheapest 85 / 1.8 class autofocus lenses in new condition
2. high aperture
3. electromagnetic aperture control (a nice feature for users of modern Nikon cameras)
4. there is a window with a scale of focusing distances
5. internal focus
6. average auto focus speed sufficient for comfortable operation
7. built-in focus motor (important for owners Nikon DX cameras without focus motor and Nikon Z / Nikon mirrorless camera owners 1). This is the main advantage over the old original Nikon 85 / 1.8D AF
8. fixed focus ring during auto focus (e.g. Nikon 85 / 1.8D AF the ring rotates and cannot be touched)
9. continuous manual focus control (but not a complete analogue Nikon 'M / A' or Nikon 'A / M'more like Nikon 'A' mode for some lenses from this article)
10. AF / MF focus mode switch (old Nikon 85mm 1: 1.8D AF Nikkor there was no such switch)
11. good build quality: metal bayonet mount, most of the body is metal, reliable and comfortable covers, bayonet type hood, rubberized focus ring
12. relatively small diameter of filters (58 mm versus 67 mm for Nikon 85 / 1.8G)
13. carrying case included
14. eight-petal diaphragm
15. nice / neutral drawing, which can be used as a good artistic technique during portraiture
16. the lens additionally correctly controls the aperture with some old cameras with which native lenses cannot do this (the reasons for this behavior are unknown)
17. no focus shift
18. confident sharpness starting at f / 2.5 in the center of the frame

Disadvantages

1. The lens cannot be attached to some Nikon cameras. The lens body rests on the beak of the built-in flash. It is authentically known that this problem is with the camera Nikon D60 and most likely will be with similar models. True, the official website states that Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N is simply not compatible with them and this error simply turns into a compatibility problem with a particular camera. All such lenses from third-party manufacturers can at least be installed on the camera without any problems
2. no USB port for firmware upgrade (lens Yongnuo 100 / 2 and some other Yongnuo lenses can update firmware via USB)
3. rubbing sound from the focus ring during rotation (independent of AF / MF mode) and lateral focus ring play
4. strong and unpleasant noise from the focus motor
5. conventional micro focus motor (y Nikon 85 / 1.8G SWM motor used)
6. the direction of rotation of the focus ring does not match the original Nikon 85 / 1.8G
7. continuous manual focus control is not as convenient as the modes Nikon 'M / A' or Nikon 'A / M' on original lenses
8. there is no tag for working in the infrared spectrum and the depth of field scale, the focusing distance scale is small
9. microprocessor pins are not gold plated (the vast majority of other Yongnuo lenses have gold plated microprocessor pins)
10. big weight (460 grams for Yongnuo 85 / 1.8N vs 350 grams for Nikon 85 / 1.8G)
11. serious focus problems in live view with some cameras
12. there are certain glitches with auto focus through JVI (the lens sometimes freezes and refuses to focus)
13. weak focus tenacity, frequent focus misses (there may be a dependence on specific camera models and lens release time)
14. rather inconvenient manual focusing, although the focus ring rotates 135 degrees
15. no hood included
16. lack of basic dust and moisture protection (in Nikon 85 / 1.8Gfor example, there is at least rubber lens mount seal)
17. tangible effect of 'Focus Breathing' (changes in viewing angle during focusing)
18. aperture at F / 1.8 (!) - F / 3.5 is poorly rounded and has small notches
19. the aperture at F / 4-F / 22 is poorly rounded and is an almost regular octagon
20. unknown compatibility with Nikon FTZ and Nikon FT1 adapters and teleconverters
21. the lens has not yet been tested or is not compatible with a number of cameras, such as Nikon D5, Df, D3, D3s, D3x, D2xs etc.
22. lack of data about the lens in modern cameras, which makes it difficult to automatically correct some types of optical distortion (distortion, vignetting etc.)
23. lack of a lens profile in popular RAW converters (temporary drawback, you can create a profile yourself or wait for its release)
24. certain imperfections in the image, for example, weak sharpness at f / 1.8 at the edges of the image and strong chromatic aberration
25. Separately, I want to highlight the weak resistance to backlight

Resolved Issues

After the announcement of the lens, the problem with focusing in Live View and through JVI with some cameras (only those that listed in the compatibility list) I will add new information to this block as it appears.

• The review got me a version Yongnuo 85 / 1.8 for Canon, which turned out to be significantly better than the version for Nikon

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram