Lens review
Nikon Nikkor AF-S 85 mm f/1.4G
8. Vignetting
In the case of small sensors the vignetting of classic 85 mm devices is not a serious issue. The photos below, taken on the Nikon D200 show it very clearly; the measurements confirm it too. At the maximum relative aperture the light fall-off in the corners amounts to 25% (-0.84 EV) and by f/2.0 it decreases to an imperceptible level of 10%.
The results of the Nikkor are typical for this class of equipment. As you see in the chart below, the 85 mm class lenses by f/1.4 and on the APS-C/DX class matrix have the vignetting level near 21-25%. On stopping down to f/2.0 this aberration decreases to 8-10%.
|
|
Nikkor AF-S 1.4/85 |
Canon 85 mm f/1.2L |
Samyang 1.4/85 |
Zeiss 1.4/85 |
|
f/1.4 |
25% |
23% |
25% |
21% |
| f/2.0 |
10% |
9% |
9% |
8% |
| f/2.8 |
2% |
2% |
2% |
2% |
Full frame is quite another story, though. The photos taken on the Nikon D3x and presented below, show it well.
The situation is not so rosy here. The Nikkor AF-S 85 mm f/1.4G at the maximum relative aperture loses as much as 48% of light in the frame corners (-1.9 EV). On stopping down to f/2.0 the vignetting amounts to 35% and by f/2.8 it decreases to 16%. Only by f/4.0 it becomes imperceptible, reaching just 5%.
Looking at the chart below you can see that the Nikkor doesn’t compare favourably with its rivals in this category . We can fully understand the fact that it lost out to the faster and more expensive Canon; also the defeat at the hands of the Sony, after all designed and made by the renowned Zeiss company, is nothing to be ashamed of. But losing to the Samyang, a device six times cheaper, should give us something to think about…
|
|
Nikkor AF-S 1.4/85 |
Canon 85 mm f/1.2L |
Samyang 1.4/85 |
Zeiss 1.4/85 |
|
f/1.4 |
48% |
43% |
38% |
41% |
| f/2.0 |
35% |
22% |
22% |
22% |
| f/2.8 |
16% |
5% |
13% |
7% |
| f/4.0 |
5% |
4% |
8% |
5% |
 |
