Sample Shots

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Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure 1/500s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/4.0 Exposure 1/1000s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure 1/500s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 200 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/2.5 Exposure 1/500s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 200 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure 1/4000s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/3.5 Exposure 1/640s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure 1/800s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/6.3 Exposure 1/1000s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure 1/2500s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/2.0 Exposure 1/1600s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/1.8 Exposure 1/2500s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/5.0 Exposure 1/60s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/4.0 Exposure 1/640s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/4.0 Exposure 1/320s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/3.5 Exposure 1/1600s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/4.5 Exposure 1/400s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/5.0 Exposure 1/800s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/2.8 Exposure 1/2500s
Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/5.6 Exposure 1/500s	Make NIKON CORPORATION Model NIKON 1 V1 ISO Speed 100 Focal Length 85.0mm Aperture: f/1.8 Exposure 1/1600s

Verdict

As can be expected from a lens designed for a much larger sensor, distortion and vignetting are no issues at all. CAs are very low, too.

The build quality is on a high level and in line with other Nikon consumer prime offerings. Thanks to an AF-S drive, the lens focuses virtually silent and is fully compatible with the FT1-adapter (within the limits of the adapter itself, that is). AF speed is quite fast for a lens in this class.

The blur potential of the lens is of course somewhat reduced compared to cameras with larger sensors. Still, the bokeh quality is on a high level, the only real issue is the quite high amount of bokeh fringing.

For anyone who already owns the lens (and also a F-mount camera with larger sensor) it's certainly worth exploring the capabilities of the AF-S 85/1.8 on a CX camera.

For those who only own a CX camera, the lens may be a candidate to deliver images with narrow depth of field (narrower than with native lenses at least). Combined with the necessary FT-1 adapter, the setup becomes rather bulky and also somewhat expensive, though. In addition, the lens does not really perform too well at the largest aperture when mounted on a Nikon 1 camera. On the other hand: if narrow DOF is what you're after, choosing a Nikon 1 camera was not the best idea to start with anyway...

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