Quick Test: 85mm Lens Comparison

It’s not often that all these 85mm primes are in the same place at the same time. We took the opportunity to do a quick test with them to display some of the subtle differences between these six incredible lenses.

We put all six primes on an a7sIII and did a quick, unscientific, test. It will briefly show you some of the different wide open characteristics in a daytime exterior environment. Lenses are all about compromise. Cost, weight, breathing, chromatic aberration, and sharpness are only some of the factors that lens manufacturers have to balance while making lenses. At the end of the day, there is no such thing as a perfect lens. There will always be a trade-off. Personal preference will ultimately play a bigger role in deciding which lens is best for each project so I urge everyone to do their own testing. Below are high quality jpegs you can download for further examination.

TOKINA VISTA ONE @ T1.5

CANON K35 @ T1.3

CANON CN-E @ T1.3

ZEISS SUPREME @ T1.5

NIKON AI-S @ T1.5

ZEISS SUPER SPEED @ T1.3

SHARPNESS

The Tokina and Zeiss Supreme appeared to resolve the highest detail in the center of the frame. The Zeiss Super Speed appeared to be the softest. Don’t sleep on the Tokina Vista. On the projector they had better edge to edge sharpness wide open compared to the Supreme. Click the image on the left to see a 100% crop of each.

CHROMATIC ABERRATION

Chromatic aberration, or color fringing, is the failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same point. In most cases, CA can be minimized by stopping down the iris. Some level of CA is visible in each lens but the Tokina and Supreme had the least amount. What would minimize CA in a lens? A more complex, and expensive, lens design. Click the image on the left to see a 100% crop of each.

BOKEH

All lenses have smooth bokeh and draw your eye to the subject. I thought the Supreme would win for smoothest bokeh but I think the K35 narrowly stole that honor. The Nikon 85mm had the most “defined” bokeh in this scene.

CONCLUSION

The two biggest things I took away from this quick test are 1) the Canon CN-E and K-35 look VERY similar and 2) wow, the Vista One’s are warm! Not surprisingly the lenses that resolve the best are the latest modern primes from Zeiss and Tokina. If you are considering the K35 but don’t have the budget for them I would seriously consider the CN-E as your backup. All six lenses have their own strengths and weaknesses. Careful testing and consideration of their unique factors will determine which one is right for your next project.

HAVE MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT LENSES?
GIVE US A CALL @ (513) 723-1742.

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By Eric Girgash

Eric Girgash is an award-winning DOP and Photographer with over a decade of experience shooting across the globe.

Eric has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Cinematography and is available to hire as a DP in the USA or abroad.

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