Yongnuo 85mm f 1.8 review năm 2024

The YN 85 / 1.8S is the first lens from Ynlens [Yongnuo] for Sony mirrorless cameras with a full-frame sensor and Sony E mount.

The YN 85 / 1.8S is a short telephoto lens, commonly referred to as 'classic portrait'. Internal auto focus, quiet and fast enough focusing step motor. Everything works without problems. Optically not bad, in the center of the frame is sharp already from F / 1.8 [without any reservations], only perceptible chromatic aberration make themselves felt.

YN 85 / 1.8S is lightweight and compact enough. YN 85 / 1.8S is designed to compete with inexpensive Viltrox 85 / 1.8 STM, Viltrox 85 / 1.8 STM II и Tokina 85 / 1.8 FE... The price for YN 85 / 1.8S is low, about 2 times lower, for example, than the price for the original similar Sony FE 85 / 1.8.

UPDATED: Yongnuo 85mm f/1.8 was the third best lens ever tested on DxO Mark [screen].

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

History

The lens was officially announced in August 2020 of the year.

YN 85 / 1.8S is first lens from Yongnuo for Sony E-mount [Sony FE] full-frame mirrorless system.

True, Yongnuo has already dealt with the Sony E mount - the lens was announced back in April 2020 Ynlens YN50mm F1.8S DA DSM for cropped Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras.

Very important: YN 85 / 1.8S has nothing to do with lenses Yongnuo 85 / 1.8 for Nikon F mount SLR cameras и Yongnuo 85 / 1.8 for Canon EF mount SLR cameras... YN 85 / 1.8S belongs to the new line of Yongnuo Ynlens lenses and is built on a completely different optical scheme.

UPDATED: lens came out in May 2021 Yongnuo Ynlens YN85mm F1.8R DF DSM for full-frame mirrorless cameras with Canon RF mount, based on the optical design of the lens in this review.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Appearance

This is what the lens and the box in which it is delivered look like. In some pictures, it is shown along with the camera. Sony a3500.

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 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]

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 YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Main technical characteristics of YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM:

Review Instance Name Body: YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM 0.8m / 2.63ft Ø58mm

On the box: Ynlens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM MEDIUM TELEPHOTO PRIME LENS

Serial number mount side: E4000002

Basic properties

• S [Sony] - designed for Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras
• DF [DIGITAL Full Frame] - marking indicating that the lens for full-frame cameras
• DSM [Digital Stapping Motor] - focusing stepper motor
• Internal focus
• Electronic focus ring
• DMF [DDirectly Mannual Focus] - direct manual focus
• Low dispersion elements in the optical circuit
• USB-port for firmware update
• Rounded petals aperture
• Nanometer multilayer coating - special optical coating
• Fn - programmable button
• Light weight
• Included hood
• Important: lens from a third-party manufacturer, which imposes some restrictions on its practical use Front Filter Diameter 58 mm, metal thread for filters Focal length 85 mm, EGF for Sony cameras with APS-C sensor is 127.5 mm Zoom ratio 1 X [this is a fixed lens, it does not have a zoom] Designed by for Sony NEX / ALPHA mirrorless cameras with E / EF mount Number of aperture blades 7 rounded petals Tags bayonet mount mark and hood mount mark Diaphragm F / 1.8 to F / 16 MDF 0.8 meters, maximum magnification ratio 0.13 X [1: 7.7] The weight
• 346 grams per instruction
• according to my measurements, 347 grams [without covers and hoods] Optical design 9 elements in 8 groups. The circuit includes 1 low dispersion LD element and one ultra high refractive index element

Lens hood Bayonet type, model LH-60 T Manufacturer country Not indicated, but it is known that the lens is made in China Period Since august 2020 Prices View on AliExpress

In general, the YN 85 / 1.8S is an alternative to the original Sony FE 85 / 1.8... Now on the market there are about 10 different autofocus high-aperture lenses with a focal length of 85 mm for Sony E mount, which are aimed at portrait photography. YN 85 / 1.8S has one indisputable advantage over other similar models - it is very cheap.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Assembly

The lens came to the review completely new, with the serial number '4000002'.

The small box contained a warranty card, instructions in Chinese and English, a quality control card, a desiccant, bags, a hood and the lens itself with front and rear covers. The covers are made of dense plastic. In the box, the lens is secured with two durable foam clips.

YN 85 / 1.8S has metal mount. Stated that microprocessor contacts gilded... The focusing ring is wide, rubberized. The lens feels good in the hands. On the side of the rear lens there is a light-cutting hood that prevents excess flare and light scattering.

The YN 85 / 1.8S weighs only 346 grams. The light weight works well with the lightweight Sony NEX / Alpha cameras.

On heavily covered diaphragms, the aperture is shaped like an irregular heptagon. The diaphragm consists, as it were, of two pairs of blades, 7 each, located one after the other. Most likely used compound aperture blades or L-shaped petals. This design can be found in some older manual lenses [e.g. Mir-3 3.5 / 65]. A discussion of such a diaphragm device can be found here, here и here.

Aperture blades Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

It's important: the diaphragm has a noticeable lag. Approximately 16/1 of a second elapses between pressing the shutter button and closing the aperture to f / 3 [minimum value, maximum aperture blades travel]. It takes the same amount of time to open it from F / 16 to F / 1.8. But during high-speed continuous shooting, this does not cause any discomfort, since on Sony cameras, when used in this way, the aperture is always at the selected value. Many may not even notice this feature. Lag can only be noticed when the 'Display' function is disabled. couples. Live View ', which is designed to show the picture that will be after the shutter is released. By default, this function is enabled, when the aperture value is changed, the aperture blades smoothly close / open and at the time the shutter is released, the aperture is already set to the desired value. The diaphragm is clearly visible in my video review of this lens.

The body has a bayonet mount mark and a mark for quick attachment of the hood. The lens uses a plastic hood LH-60T, which must be fixed in special grooves located near the front lens of the lens. The hood is quite long. The hood can be set in transport mode with the reverse side, but in this position access to the focusing ring is completely lost. It's important: To fix the hood [until a characteristic click], or to remove it, you need to apply a sufficiently large force. It may even seem like it could damage the lens this way, but it is not.

The lens has a connector on its body USB TYPE C for connection to a computer [see the corresponding section below in the text]. The port is closed with a tight rubber plug.

The lens barrel has programmable Fn button, which by default serves to stop autofocus. But on some cameras this button can be reprogrammed for different tasks. On some cameras, it may not work at all. For example, on my Sony a3500 it does not work, but on the Sony a7 III it can be programmed for a very large and varied number of tasks [Menu -> Custom operation -> 8/9 tab -> Custom key -> Focus lock button]. The FN button dangles slightly.

The lens design is reminiscent of modern autofocus lenses from Samyang [similar shapes, red border].

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Focusing

For focusing, the YN 85 / 1.8S uses stepper focus motor DSM [Digital Stapping Motor]. The location and structure of the motor can be viewed in my announcement of this lens... Auto focus should work with all Sony E / FE mount cameras.

The focusing speed is high, quite comfortable for work. On camera Sony a3500 и sony a7 III I didn't have much focusing problems. After the lens has lost accurate focus, refocusing is performed quickly enough. On Sony a3500 it is sometimes difficult for the lens to focus, but this is more of a problem with the camera itself, which has only contrast focusing. On camera sony a7 III the quality of autofocus performance is much better than on Sony a3500 and it suits me completely. Face focusing works perfectly. YN 85 / 1.8S is known to work well on cameras Sony a7II и sony a7r II.

It's important: in difficult shooting conditions, as well as when shooting dynamic scenes, the focusing quality with the YN 85 / 1.8S may be noticeably worse than with similar original lenses, such as Sony FE 85 / 1.8... Even in simple shooting conditions, the AF tenacity with the YN 85 / 1.8S will be very dependent on the camera used. Perhaps, over time, new firmware for the lens will correct this situation.

Auto focus silent... When shooting video using autofocus and the built-in microphone in the camera, there may still be a small level of noise from the built-in motor in the video.

Lens uses electronic focus ring... The focusing ring is rubberized, wide, in manual focusing mode it rotates by approximately 360 degrees. When extreme positions are reached, the ring does not abut, but continues to rotate. Manual focus is enough conveniently... The focus ring rotates easily. I did not observe any delay [lag] when changing the direction of rotation. The focus ring makes a faint sound of two plastic parts rubbing during manual focusing. The electronic focus ring is more responsive to the speed of rotation than to a specific angle of rotation, which sometimes creates a tactile inconvenience.

On the case there is a focus mode switch MF / AF.

During auto focus focus ring remains stationary, however, it can be freely rotated without affecting focus in any way [if the normal AF mode 'Autofocus' is enabled in the camera menu, not 'MF' or 'DMF']. During manual focusing, the focus distance scale appears on the display of some cameras.

The lens has internal focusing, the front and rear lenses remain stationary during focusing. It is possible to use various filters without any problems.

The closest focusing distance is 80 cm, while the maximum magnification for close-up photography is 1: 7.7, which is the usual value for such a lens.

YN 85 / 1.8S has strong 'Focus Breathing' effect [changing the angle of view during focusing]. When focusing towards the MDF, the angle of view decreases. When quickly refocusing from infinity to MDF and back, for example, during video recording, on the display or in EVI there is a characteristic beating / breathing of the picture.

There are no useful marks on the focusing distance, depth of field, or anything else on the lens.

Focus shift [shift-focus] was not noticed during operation and testing.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Firmware Upgrade

There is a USB port on the lens housing of the YN 85 / 1.8S with which you can update the lens software [firmware / firmware]. This feature first appeared in Yongnuo 100mm 1: 2 и Yongnuo 40 / 2.8.

For YN 85 / 1.8S, you need to use a utility that immediately carries a new firmware.

The functionality of the service utility for YN 85 / 1.8S, which is responsible for working with the lens, is very poor. You can only view the current firmware version and update it to a new one. I found this utility for YN 85 / 1.8S here. There is a utility version only for the latest Windows operating systems.

The lens uses the common USB 2.0 TYPE C port for connection [many mobile phones use this one]. The package does not include a USB cable. To connect, I used a USB cable for my android phone and updated the firmware without any problems. The procedure took less than 10 seconds.

A firmware update, most likely, allows you to improve the compatibility of the lens with new cameras, improve the auto focus, eliminates some other errors. Too bad that no way to roll back [restore] an older version of the firmware.

To upgrade the firmware [software] of the lens:

• Turn off the camera, remove the battery from the camera, detach the lens
• Launch the program YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM FM UPDATER
• Attach the lens to the computer using a USB cable. If everything went well, the program will automatically detect the connected lens
• Click [Start] to start the update. Wait for the update to complete.
• Disconnect cable
• Attach the lens to the camera
• Insert the battery into the camera

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Image quality

The YN 85 / 1.8S easily handles an Exmor CMOS 20-megapixel APS-C sensor located in the heart of the camera Sony α3500 [ILCE-3500]... The pixel density is higher than that of Sony a7r II or a7r III... The Sony a24 III's 7MP sensor is doing well too.

Optically, this is a good lens, of the obvious shortcomings - only chromatic aberration.

Sharpness

• good sharpness at an open aperture in the center of the frame, good at the periphery of the image, F / 1.8 is fully 'working'. There is no noticeable drop in sharpness at F / 1.8 even in the far corners of the frame
• good resolution in the corners of the frame at closed apertures in the region of F / 2.8-F / 8. On very closed apertures, the corners of the frame are for some reason heavily clogged with chromatic aberrations and, together with diffraction, significantly reduce the sharpness
• most likely, the lens was designed so that it creates the best sharpness at medium and long focusing distances. At especially close focusing distances [in the MDF area], sharpness deteriorates

Distortion

• distortion is moderate, pincushion [usually barrel-shaped in such lenses]
• the nature of distortion is unified, easily corrected in the editor
• it is difficult to notice distortion in the pictures

Vignetting

• vignetting is most pronounced on F / 1.8 and focusing on infinity
• vignetting is not gradient, but wavy from the center of the frame to the corners
• vignetting decreases with focus towards MDF
• vignetting almost disappears at values ​​after f / 4

Aberration

• the lens creates a sufficiently large number of chromatic aberrations, both longitudinal and transverse
• there is a noticeable freezing [color of contrasting zones of blur in green and purple]
• chromatic aberration - the weakest side of the lens

Rest

• the effect of the rays of the star is not pronounced [14 rays]
• Blur disks are uneven on tightly covered diaphragms
• the lens works well in backlight, only in the most difficult conditions can you get glare that spoil the picture
• the lens does not use aspherical elements, but only ED elements, which helps to avoid concentric circles on blur discs
• discs of blur closer to the edges of the frame become clipped

There is currently no profile for this lens in popular RAW converters.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Sample photos on Full Frame [Sony a7 III, JPEG + RAW]

All photos in the review are shown without processing. Camera used Sony α7 III... All photos are on-camera JPEG without any manipulation of settings. Standard Picture Control with zero corrections for sharpness, contrast and saturation. All auxiliary functions that improve image quality have been turned off. All examples were shot using a lens hood.

Original RAW photos ['.ARW' compressed] can be download from this link [20 photos, 500 MB]. Original photos in JPEG '.JPG' format can be download from this link [40 photos, 270 MB].

Sample photos on Full Frame [Sony a7 III, JPEG]

All photos in the review are shown without processing. Camera used Sony α7 III... All photos are on-camera JPEG without any manipulation of settings. Standard Picture Control with zero corrections for sharpness, contrast and saturation. All auxiliary functions that improve image quality have been turned off. All examples were shot without a lens hood.

Original JPEG '.JPG' photos can be download from this link [30 photos, 150 MB].

Sample photos on APS-C [Sony a3500, JPEG + RAW]

All photos in the review are shown without processing. Camera used Sony a3500... All photos are on-camera JPEG. All examples were shot without a lens hood.

Original JPEG '.JPG' photos can be downloaded at this link [35 photos, 170 MB]. Original RAW '.ARW' photos can be download from this link [7 photos, 100 MB]. Sony a3500 I can’t shoot exclusively in RAW format, but only in RAW + JPEG or JPEG, because most of the pictures I took were made in JPEG.

Sample photos in processing

This lens will stay with me for a while - I will supplement this review with photographs. Some photos in small processing can be viewed in my separate 500px gallery from this link.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

My experience

YN 85 / 1.8S is a cheap and efficient lens. The holy grail for Sony full-frame E-mount cameras... I was pleasantly surprised by the capabilities of the lens at F / 1.8, both in the center of the frame and around its periphery. At F / 2.5-F / 4, this is just a wonderful solution even for cameras with very small pixels.

This is interesting: a lot of autofocus 85-currents are now produced under the Sony E mount. But this is a very important lens in the bag of many photographers. List of all autofocus 85-current can be found here.

Important: YN 85 / 1.8S has many times fewer minor and minor problems than Yongnuo 85 / 1.8 for Nikon F mount SLR cameras и Yongnuo 85 / 1.8 for Canon EF mount SLR cameras... In this case, the YN 85 / 1.8S is much better, and the YN 85 / 1.8S itself has nothing to do with similar lenses from Yongnuo for SLR cameras. Once again, since this really matters: this YN 85 / 1.8S and the YN lenses for SLR cameras are completely different lenses.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

All AF 85s for Sony E:

1. Samyang 75 / 1.8
2. Samyang 85 / 1.4
3. Samyang 85 / 1.4 II
4. Tokina 85 / 1.8
5. Sigma 85 / 1.4 DG Art
6. Sigma 85 / 1.4 DG DN Art
7. Sony 85 / 1.4 FE GM
8. Sony 85 / 1.8 FE
9. Zeiss Sonnar Batis 85/1.8
10. Viltrox 85/1.8 PFU
11. Viltrox 85/1.8II
12. Yongnuo 85/1.8 DSM
13. Yongnuo 85/1.8 DSM II
14. Astrhori 85/1.8
15. MEIKE 85/1.8 FF STM
16. MEIKE 85/1.4 FF STM

Interesting: at the time of writing this review [late 2020], there were 9 autofocus full-frame 'portrait' 85-currents under the Sony E. More could be counted only for Nikon F [12] and Canon EF [10] mounts. List of all 85-current AF full frame can be found here.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

All Sony E-mount cameras with APS-C sensor

• NEX-3, NEX-C3, NEX-F3, NEX-3Women
• NEX-5, NEX-5N, NEX-5R, NEX-5T [fifth series on AliExpress.com]
• NEX-6, NEX-7
• a3000, a3500
• a5000, a5100
• a6000, a6100, a6300, a6400, a6500, a6600, a6700 [6000 series on Ali]
• ZV-E10
• FX30
• QX1
• Hasselblad lunar

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

All Full Frame Sony E-mount Cameras

• Sony a7 [October 2013, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7II [November 2014, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7III [February 2018, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7IV [October 2021, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7r [October 2013]
• Sony a7rII [June 2015, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7r III/IIIA [October 2017, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7r IV/IVA [July 2019, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7rV [October 2022]
• Sony a7s [April 2014]
• Sony a7s II [September 2015, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7s III [July 2020, AliExpress price]
• Sony a9 [April 2017, AliExpress price]
• Sony a9II [October 2019, AliExpress price]
• Sony a9III [November 2023]
• Sony a1 [January 2021]
• Sony a7c [September 2020, AliExpress price]
• Sony a7cII [August 2023]
• Sony a7cr [August 2023]
• Sony FX3 [February 2021, AliExpress price]
• Sony ZV-E1 [March 2023]

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Price

The price for the YN 85 / 1.8S is around $ 300, which is a very attractive proposition. You can see prices for YN 85 / 1.8S on Aliexpress at this link.

Yongnuo YnLens YN85mm F1.8S DF DSM [for Sony E / FE]

Results

YN 85 / 1.8S is a lens with a good price / quality ratio. Great for portraits, it can be a good alternative to other similar lenses. Has several 'childish' disadvantages. The image quality is generally good.

10 main advantages:

1. low cost [about $ 300, the cheapest autofocus lens of this kind for Sony FE]
2. light weight, compact dimensions [filter diameter only 58 mm]
3. good build, metal bayonet, bayonet hood included
4. focusing stepper motor, fast enough and quiet
5. internal focusing, fixed focus ring during auto focus
6. electronic focusing ring, continuous manual focus control, AF / MF switch
7. USB port for firmware upgrade
8. programmable FN button [its functions depend on the camera used]
9. one low-dispersion element in the optical scheme and 1 element with an ultra-high refractive index
10. good sharpness in the center of the frame already from F / 1.8 [really not causing any questions], pleasant bokeh, weak drop in sharpness in the corners and edges of the frame in the range of F / 1.8-F / 8

10 main disadvantages:

1. the hood is fixed and removed with great effort
2. on heavily covered apertures, the aperture has the shape of an irregular heptagon
3. Perceptible lag of the diaphragm during closing and opening, possibly due to the composite structure of the diaphragm blades. Lag gets in the way only on rare occasions
4. there are no additional tags [depth of field, focusing distance, etc.]
5. no built-in image stabilizer [for example, it has Batis 85 / 1.8]
6. software options for working with the lens via the USB port are very limited
7. FN button dangles slightly
8. very strong Focus Breathing effect
9. tangible chromatic aberration
10. moderate pincushion distortion and vignetting

Video review

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

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

Is Yongnuo 85mm good?

Contrast is good from the center to the extreme corners, while resolution is also good. And lateral chromatic aberration is improved. From this, we might draw a conclusion that this performance quality makes YN 85mm f/1.8Z DF DSM ideal for portraits.

Is the 85mm 1.8 worth it?

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens is relatively inexpensive but yields very good image quality. It is reasonably sharp wide open, but really shines from f/2.8 on. Wide open, vignetting will be apparent even on a 1.6x FOVCF body. Full frame body users will see some vignetting remaining at f/2.

What is the best 85mm lens in DxOMark?

With an Overall DxOMark Lens Metric Score of 35 the Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8G is the best 85mm lens in the DxOMark database and well exceeds the average DxOMark Overall Score of 28 for this type of lens.

What is the EF 85mm F 1.8 USM used for?

A very popular short telephoto lens with portrait photographers. A short telephoto focal length, combined with a large maximum aperture and fast autofocus speed, make the EF 85mm f/1.8 USM an ideal optic for any photographer shooting portraiture.