More Thoughts About the 85mm f/2.0 Nikkor

Summer is a very special dog for us, since we adopted her right after our previous female Chihuahua, Sierra, died. We photograph her all the time, as I did yesterday afternoon with the excellent 85mm f/2.0 Nikkor.
Summer is a very special dog for us, since we adopted her right after our previous female Chihuahua, Sierra, died. We photograph her all the time, as I did yesterday afternoon with the excellent 85mm f/2.0 Nikkor.

Readers might recall that I recently bought a long-ago favorite lens, the Nikkor 85mm f/2.0, and that I mentioned that this lens has an undeserved reputation as not very sharp, especially when compared to the 85mm that preceded it, the 85mm f/1.8 of 1970s vintage.

The 85mm f/2.0 Nikkor sits on my Nikon D7100 today. The D7100 has an aperture tab, so it can communicate with older, non-autofocus lenses.
The 85mm f/2.0 Nikkor sits on my Nikon D7100 today. The D7100 has an aperture tab, so it can communicate with older, non-autofocus lenses.

I have made a point of shooting with this pearl of a lens, especially since this autumn has been among the most beautiful ever here in Oklahoma, and not only have I enjoyed the excellent build quality and handling characteristics, which come from an era of superb camera craftsmanship, I can say without reservation that this lens is as sharp as I could want, even at wide open at f/2.0.

Hawken is a gorgeous dog, but can be hard to photograph sometimes because he is so friendly and curious, he comes over to you. For this image, he and I had been for a walk, so he was resting.
Hawken is a gorgeous dog, but can be hard to photograph sometimes because he is so friendly and curious, he comes over to you. For this image, he and I had been for a walk, so he was resting.
The neighbors kids brought their Chihuahua, Chi Chi, to visit their chickens.
The neighbors kids brought their Chihuahua, Chi Chi, to visit their chickens.

If you get a chance to pick up this lens and are either a Nikon shooter, or have a Nikkor lens adaptor for a mirrorless camera, by all means get it. It is a pearl.

This maple leaf came from our tree in the front yard, which I planted 15 years ago, when it was just a leafless stick. Now it is three stories tall.
This maple leaf came from our tree in the front yard, which I planted 15 years ago, when it was just a leafless stick. Now it is three stories tall.

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