Nikon Nikkor AF 28 mm-85 mm F/3.5-4.5 Lens

At some point in any photographer's evoloution we all need to make a decision - am I a zoom or fixed focal length shooter?
For the type of photography I enjoy, and for the purposes I use my photos for, are the tight tolerances and distortion controls designed into most professional level fixed focal length lenses necessary? Do I need the faster apertures - really? Do I mind carrying around several lenses, each weighing half to one and a half pounds, to cover the focal lengths I most frequently use when shooting and do I mind having to reach into my bag to change lenses again and again during a shooting session?
Or do I prefer carrying one, or at most two, overlapping zooms covering the same range?
If the answer to this question is the latter, then you should read no further and consider purchasing one of the many zoom lenses available that include the 85mm focal length. You should especially do so if you are a digital shooter. For you, the fast aperture of f/1.8 is meaningless, since most of your SLR's start with a sensitivity of ISO 320, and corner sharpness is useless since your sensor is only "seeing" the central portion of the circle projected by this lens.
Having said all that, Nikon's 85mm f/1.8 AF lens is one of the finest optics it has been my pleasure to own. Designing short telephoto's is, admittedly, easier to do well than say superwides but this lens is, nevertheless, a jewel among short telephotos. Distortion is virtually nil and the lens is sharp at all apertures, especially at f/1.8. Build quality is excellent, being mostly metal and the lens has metal filter threads (which you will learn to appreciate the first time you cross thread a filter on a lens with plastic threads). The internal focusing mechanism and short movement required to focus to infinity makes autofocus on the lens as fast on my F100 and D100 as my lenses with the AFS motors.
Slides taken with this lens are contrasty and sharp at all apertures with no vignetting - even with the lenshood on over a thick filter mount. The lenshood itself is a welcome departure from some of the plastic horrors Nikon has come out with in recent years, being an all metal screw in type.
So if moody portraiture with soft out of focus backgrounds on ISO 50 films are your thing - this is your optic and it's a bargain even at full price. If you are a contemplative one lens shooter, who spends the time setting up a tripod and then moving it about until your angle and framing are perfect, then you could not do much better than this little gem (But why are you working in 35mm and not large format?). Even a working pro, who occasionally needs a little more reach and speed would be happy with this lens and can be confident that the results will not let him down.
It just that the rest of us, with limited budgets, who take pictures for our own pleasure and not for resale, would probably be better served spending the same money for something a bit more versatile.

I have a number of fast prime nikon lenses and this 85mm f1.8D is on of my favorites. I really llike the size of the lense (Great Balance). Focus is very snappy and colors are very true. Probably one of my favorite reasons for enjoying this lens is it's the perfect focal length for candid portraits. If you can get your hands on one of these don't hesitiate to grab it. You wont be disappointed.

I first purchased this AF lens in the early 90's and used it for years on the first generation of Nikon AF camera the N2020. This lens has been supplanted by generations of Nikon AF lenses with focus motors built in to the body of the lens ("silent wave" I believe they call this feature), as well as with vibration-reduction technology ("vibration reduction" which does not move on most moving objects), earning these newer lenses with additional electrical contacts the nomenclature of "D" lenses. So what? If you want to look at details of the sharpness of the lens, as well as its compatibility with Nikon digital camera, Google "Ken Rockwell Nikon 28-85mm zoom." All I can tell you from my experience using it as the lens for the bulk of my shooting, is that it's critically sharp throughout its range, including the very wide 28mm end. I have been a very part contributor to an agency, and they have never complained about the results of this lens. Bottom line: if you want to buy excellent results at a bargain price, buy this. If you want "features" (with certainly no increase in critical sharpness) pay considerably more and buy a lens a lot more recent.

Great lens for portrait work. Calculating the usable focal length for D200 puts the length at about 127mm. The Nikon Defocus 105mm F2 is too long for general use [over 150mm]. Good editing software can "select focus" the shot as needed.

I bought this lens to replace the Nikon 18-70mm DX lens. Though it is not fast neither wide enough, it is sharp and the color is more vivid than the Nikon 18-70mm lens. More important, it's much cheaper. Forgot to mention the AF is louder as well. Since I care much more about the color saturation, so the other stuff won't bother me. I initially want to get the king, Nikon 35-70mm f2.8, but have to forget about it due to the fact it is much more expensive.

Another good thing is that the price of Nikon 28-85mm AF & 70-210mm f4 AF is about equal to the Nikon 18-70mm lens. So I get 2 lens buy selling one. This is very good for a person with a tight budget on high quality Nikon lens.

Very happy that my gambling turns out to be good!
:)