Data Sheet: Nikkor Ai-s 85 mm f/1.4

Pekka Buttler, 01/2024

Specifications

The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications:

Brand:	Nikon	Lens name	NIKKOR 85mm 1:1,4
Focal length(s) 1	85 mm	Angle-of-view 2	28°30
Maximum Aperture	f/1.4	In Production	1981–2005
Lens mount	Nikon F	Subfamily (if applicable)	Ai-s
Length 3	65,5 mm	Diameter 4	80,4 mm
Filter ring diameter	72 mm	Weight	604 grams
Lens element count	7	Lens group count	5
Aperture blades (S/R/C) 5	9 S	Focus throw	125 °
Minimum focusing distance	0,85 m	Maximum magnification	1:7,9
Has manual aperture ring	YES	Has Manual focus ring	YES
Aperture mechanism type	Automatic	Aperture click stops 6	1.4-2-2.8-4-5.6-8-11-16

Further notes:
• Nikon has – throughout its entire history – only offered three 85 mm f/1.4 lenses:
• The Ai-s 85 mm f/1.4 (in production 1981–2005) [this lens]
• The AF-D 85 mm f/1.4 (in production 1995–2010) [data sheet]
• The AF-S 85 mm f/1.4 G (in production since 2010)
• Each new version has aimed for even better correction of optical flaws and aberrations through the introduction of more elaborate optical designs.
• Since 2023, Nikkor also offers a 85 mm f/1.2 lens for the new Nikon Z mount.
• Unlike later versions, this lens is not internal-focusing. While the downside of this is that the lens’ size does not stay the same when focusing, the upside is less focus breathing and a marginally better MFD.
• The Ai-s 85/1.4 stayed in production for almost 25 years and during that time approximately 65 000 copies were manufactured.
• Nikon offered a dedicated lens hood: the HN-20, a filter thread mounted steel hood.

A brief genealogy of Nikon SLR lens types

Nikon is undoubtedly one of the great names in 35 mm SLR photography. The Nikon F mount has been in continuous production since 1959. During that time, the mount has developed/changed in some detail, however without ever fully sacrificing compatibility.

In short (a longer version is here), the development of Nikon’s SLR lenses can be traced as follows:
• 1959–1977: Pre-Ai. Manual focus lenses that use ‘rabbit ears’ to communicate selected aperture with the camera body. Pre-Ai lenses can further be subdivided into
• F-type (1959–early 1970s: metal focus ring and single-coated),
• C-type (early 1970s–mid 1970s: metal focus ring and multicoated), and
• K-type (mid 1970s to 1977: rubber focus ring and multicoated).
A significant share of remaining Pre-Ai lenses have since been converted to Ai-spec (Ai’d)
• 1977–1986: Ai and Ai-s. Manual focus lenses that may have ‘rabbit ears’ for backward compatibility, but are designed to communicate selected aperture with the camera body through indentations in base of aperture control ring.
• 1986–today: AF and AF-D. Autofocus lenses that do not have a focusing motor within the lens, but rely on the focus motor within the camera. All AF and AF-D lenses are simultaneously Ai-s lenses (they are Ai-s lenses extended with AF) ⁷
• 1996–today AF-S and AF-P. Autofocus lenses that have an internal focusing motor and do not rely on the body having a focusing motor.

Throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s Nikon’s main emphasis in short tele lenses was on the various designs of 105 mm lenses. Even so, Nikon has also since 1964 continuously offered a 85 mm lens with a max aperture of either f/1.8 or f/2. However, Nikon’s 1981 introduction of their first 85 mm f/1.4 lens can be seen as an inflection point – the point at which Nikon bowed to the mainstream industry’s pressure to prefer the shorter tele lens. The development Nikon’s fast 85 mm lenses is summarised below:
• 1981–2005 85 mm f/1,4 (7 elements in 5 groups, 9 blades, 0,85 m MFD) (Ais-type) [this lens]
• 1995–2010 85 mm f/1.4 (9 elements in 8 groups, 9 rounded blades, 0,85 m MFD) (AF-D-type)
• 2010–today 85 mm f/1.4 (10 elements in 9 groups, 9 rounded blades, 0,85 m MFD (AF-S-type)
• 2023–today 85 mm f/1.2 (15 elements in 10 groups, 11 rounded blades, 0,85 m MFD (Z-mount)

Adapting

Besides adapting, this lens can be used natively on all current high-end Nikon dSLRs and several earlier medium-to-high-end older Nikon dSLRs⁸. Likewise, if it still has its rabbit ears, it can be natively used on all Nikon F-mount film cameras ever produced (without the rabbit ears, it is limited to post 1977 bodies).

Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable dumb adapter (and such adapters are easy to find). Moreover, a large range of special adapters (helicoid adapters, tilt/shift adapters, speed boosters) for using Nikon F lenses on most mirrorless systems are available.

Using Nikon F lenses on non-Nikon SLRs and dSLRs is likewise a distinct possibility. Thanks to the relatively generous flange focal distance of the Nikon F mount (46,5 mm), adapter rings for all dSLR mounts are available as well as for a goodly portion of film-era SLR mounts. Such rings may not allow for auto aperture, but even then the lenses can be used in stop-down metering mode.

Footnotes

1. Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’. ↩︎
2. Picture angle is given in degrees and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
   > 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
   70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
   50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
   40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
   20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
   10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
   5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
   < 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens ↩︎
3. Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity. ↩︎
4. Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers. ↩︎
5. S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures. ↩︎
6. Numbers equal aperture values on aperture ring; • intermediate click; – no intermediate click. ↩︎
7. There is a further sub-class of AF-D lenses called AF-I lenses that are otherwise AF-D lenses (meaning, fully Ai-s compatible), but have an internal focus motor. Only long tele lenses were made in AF-I variants. ↩︎
8. As of this writing, the following Nikon dSLRs fully support Aperture priority and manual metered modes on Nikkor Ai lenses: D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D200, D300, D300s, D500, D600, D610, D700, D750, D780, D800, D800E, D810, D850, D7000, D7100, D7200 ↩︎