Yongnuo YN 85mm f/1.8 DF DSM for Nikon Z review (vs Viltrox AF 85)

[@clarkejones8090]

Nice review Richard, thank you. I appreciate your comparison with the Viltrox lens. I think I would like this lens. To address your enquiries: Yes I would welcome more reviews of third party lenses for the Z mount. As someone who lives in Westland, NZ and who might take body and lenses tramping I value compactness and lower weight . Weather- sealing is desirable too. For landscape images sharpness across most of the frame at distance at smaller apertures might be as important to me as central sharpness at short -to-medium distance at f1.8. From Yongnuo/ YN : Yes please more optically very good quality, compact fixed focal length lenses with some weather-sealing. Make them f2.8 or f 3.5 maximum aperture if this helps keep them compact . I second your call for a 135 mm lens . I would also welcome a compact macro lens or make the 135mm lens capable of making excellent close-up images. Say 1: 2 or 1: 3 magnification. Although it seems we have some good medium ( I am thinking 35mm to 60mm ) focal length lenses already, more choices are welcome, especially if compact and affordable. Cheers.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Clarke! There will be a medium focal length, compact AF Z lense coming very soon! I've finished a review of such lens almost 6 months ago just waiting for that company to release it so i can share my review haha

[@kaminobatto]

Great review as always, Richard. I am happy to see more lenses from 3rd parties coming to the Z system. I'd live to get my hands on this Yongnuo lens. I have my lighting equipment from Yongnuo and I am very happy with it in terms of build quality and performance, so it's good to see this same philosophy cascade down to lenses too, and especially that this is an autofocus lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hey Yamen, Thank you! Yes there are more 3rd party autofocus lenses coming to Z soon. Exciting time

[@amermeleitor]

We need all kind of cheap AF lenses for our Z mount cameras. The Nikon lenses are way pricier! A 135mm would be great, even a f2.8 one. Or maybe the old Yongnuo 100mm f2 in Z mount to get it cheaper. One lens that I miss a lot is a long telephoto or long zoom, a simple good 400mm f5.6, a 300mm f4.5, a 2x teleconverter, etc, or maybe a zoom like a 200-400mm but I know it's more difficult to engineering something like that. But I'm pretty sure that the first company that offer a long telephoto in Z mount at cheap price will sell A LOT!

[@legaspijohn9548]

can't decide between the YN 85 and the Viltorx 85. But this review helped me a lot and hope to choose between both of these lenses.

[@GBO76]

Totally agree with your review. If there was a Sharpness VS Size ratio, that YN 85mm would clearly be the winner. And in my opinion, the weathersealing is also as important as a tiny bit of more sharpness. As I have a Nikon ZF, I try to buy only vintage style lenses. And there aren't much. Would be great if someone was selling silver ring stickers, to put of newer lenses, for them to have that old Nikkor style.

[@stoufenatz3728]

thanks a lot for this great review !

[@jonhermannsson9231]

always great videos from you

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much Jon!

[@Estirvana]

Richard I just want to say thank you for doing these budget oriented lenses for the Z mount. I'm in the process of selling my D800 (bought used years ago) as i'm picking a used Z6 this week. The native lenses are so good, but i'll never get the most of them for my needs (friends and family). I'm a student in their 20s and I don't really have the free money to kit with native Z mount lenses.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Most of us have limited money we can spend on our cameras, myself included. While the budget lenses usually has few more flaws than the more expensive lenses, they do usually provide excellent value for money. And a lot of them like this YongNuo are really good enough for most usage.

[@StefanoNobileFoto]

Portrait sharpness and boken F1,8/2,8 better Yongnuo 85 or viltrox 85? Thanks

[@visionz_n_media]

Excellent video. I still own a couple Yongnuo lenses from my dslr days. They were always great travel lenses. This 85mm looks pretty good as well. I agree that I would love to see a 135mm and also a wide angle lens such as a 14mm, 20mm or 24mm.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching! It seems quite a few people want a good wide angle prime s well

[@Shentao83]

I would find a comparison to the AF-S counterpart very interesting!

[@christeospir5208]

Thanks, Richard. Would love to see it compared to the Nikkor.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for the suggestion Christeos!

[@not2green]

Yep, 135mm would be lovely! Great, thorough review as always!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching :)

[@KunalKumar1]

great review - thanks Richard. And good to see more third-party lens for Z mount. yep would like to see a 135mm and maybe a faster 50mm alternative

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much Kunal! Looks like lots of people want 135 too! And do you want a 50 1.4 or 50 1.2? ;)

[@KunalKumar1]

@@TheRealRichardWong definitely 1.2 with AF and smaller and lighter, will see if someone comes out with it 😊

[@TheRealRichardWong]

haha and cheaper too ;P I think most third party manufacturers are still trying to get more confidence/skills so not releasing super fast primes yet. But hopefully we will see some very soon as all the third party AF lenses i tried works really quite well

[@be_bigger_today]

You rock Richard!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thank you very much Peter!

[@gconphotolab]

I would buy a 135mm f/1.8 immediately. I'm still using the Sigma 135mm f-mount lens with the adapter on the Z6II. I guess whoever comes out with a 135mm lens first will get my money.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

The Sigma 135 is really nice! But yes a native Z mount 135mm lens would be better in many ways! So please make one :)

[@homacapatin4035]

Hi Richard, I'm wondering about the results of sharpness, there was a different result between this video and your another video (4 lens comparison), what do you think about it?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Hi Homa Capatin, sorry it's been a while since i did these reviews so i can't remember all the details. But whatever I presented is the test results i got

[@marin_real_estate_photography]

Thanks for the review, Richard. were you testing on the original Z6? Or a Z6 II ? (I assume original Z6, but the autofocus in video looked great, and I thought the original Z6 wasn't supposed to have good video autofocus.)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Tested on original Z6. I haven't upgrade to a Z6II (although i really want to!!) The video autofocus is fine with the Z6 for general use.

[@delsyr715]

Hi, thank you for this review. I bought this lens about 1 yr ago. I am happy with it. I used for portrait photography. I wanted to ask you when it is time to upgrade the software? I followed the instructions and I couldn't get any update.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hi there, maybe there isn't any update firmware yet.

[@kehnsmith9342]

Job very well done . Thanks so much. 👍🙏🏻

[@luisgalicia5847]

Muchas gracias por compartir esta reseña de gran valor pues estoy pensando comprar un lente Yongnuo y espero puedan fabricar muchos mas de distintas focales. Tengo la experiencia con esta marca en Flashes muy buenos indestructibles pues los use por mucho tiempo pero espero puedan sacar mas variedad como el competidor Godox con mucha variedad. Yongnuo es muy buena marca.

[@marendradika]

YN Lens for Z Mount in 10mm, 15mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm all in F1.8 are awaited...

[@lcador9]

I assume that Yongnuo only provides warranty/repair service by paying for shipping to and from China.

[@julianzepeda9664]

Sorry for this late question, but did I understand you correctly when you said this lens has a full metal body? In another review of the Sony version of this lens, which I think was released earlier, I believe the reviewer said that that lens had a plastic body. Maybe I am confusing two different lenses. Could you clarify? Also, your reviews are very thorough. I wish others did as well.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

my sample has full metal body, i do notice Yongnuo has release a new version for Sony mount recently, so i wonder if the older Sony version was different ?

[@julianzepeda9664]

@@TheRealRichardWong Thanks for your reply. I'll just make sure and clarify this with Yongnuo before ordering.

[@josuejarquin6426]

hi richard yongnuo or viltrox? if you have to choose one?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It's hard to choose. They both have their pros and cons. I don't think there is a clear winner between these two

[@richardschrader6011]

What is the cost in is dollars…and when will it be available ie Amazon , bandh, etc

[@TheRealRichardWong]

hey Richard, I was told it will be available later this month. Exact price you will need to wait for the official annoucement, but it will be a bit cheaper than the Viltrox AF 85 1.8

[@steventhomas231]

Im seriously looking at this having now found a few sellers of it in ebay. My only concern is how good the continuous auto focus is in low light on the z6 compared to the 85 1.8s.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

it seems ok but sorry i didn't do any side by side comparison with the Nikkor to really answer it

[@sarundayo]

This lens looks great! Might have to added to my list :D

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks for watching T D!

[@eugenezamora1438]

Sir notice this message! Im asking for the yongnuo lens. Yongnuo 85mm 1.8 it is compatible for nikon d5100? Thank you!!🤗💕

[@TheRealRichardWong]

No sorry, the lens is designed for Nikon z mirrorless cameras so won't work on the d5100 DSLR

[@nikelev]

thanks a lot !

[@WMedl]

Thank you for the imformative video. As far as the poor haptic feeling of the focus switch on the lens is concerned unfortunately nikon z does not provide full AF and MF mode together as e.g. Olympus does. As the "manual" focusing is done by wire focus peaking and indicating maximum focus by a small green focus rectangle should have been provided in autofocus mode. Let alone reqiring real in lens manual focusing by a focus clutch as e.g. Olympus pro lenses do provide.

[@Azeralpha]

Thanks, RW. I'd like to see some true pancakes for the Z system; the 40mm F2 just ain't cutting it for me; it is filing my fingernails though... Nothing thicker than 2cm, or narrower than f2 please.. whoever is listening...yeah.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

i would love to see more pancake lenses too! I'll have my TTArtisan 50mm f/2 pancake lens review out in 2--3 days time, that is the smallest fast (f/2) pancake lens I've ever used for a full frame mirrorless camera,. but still it is around 3cm thick and no autofocus. would that be something you maybe interested in?

[@Azeralpha]

@@TheRealRichardWong Absolutely; looking forward to the review. The lens looks Voigtesque, hope the optics deliver.

This is what I wanted, a z5 and the cheapest lenses possible with acceptable results.

[@baronsilverton6504]

Yes, a 135 1.8 would be great! :)

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Fingers crossed we will see one !

[@jimwlouavl]

Well done, detailed review. I hope YN releases a 35 prime for the Z AF.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks Jim! Do you want a 35 1.8?

[@jimwlouavl]

@@TheRealRichardWong I do but I’d like one for even less than the Viltrox as I already have a 14-30 and 50.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@jimwlouavl let's see then! I'm sure YN is reading all the comments here

[@iammz81]

Is that only available in China and Hong Kong?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

It's available worldwide from AliExpress. I have a link in the video description

[@Max-fk4be]

I'd like a 16mm f/4 compact travel lens.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

That would be nice Max. Compact is the key i think

[@allanjfotos]

Can this lens work on a Nikon F mount?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

No it doesn't. Z mount lens can't be used on F mount.

[@kmanlee]

Hi！Richard,原來你係香港人，多謝分享，加油👍😘

[@TheRealRichardWong]

哈哈多謝支持！

[@carlosandreviana9448]

Is this the same lens which was tested at DxO Mark and was considered the third best lens ever???

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes it is the same lens

[@carlosandreviana9448]

@@TheRealRichardWong there must be something wrong with their tests

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yeah not sure to be honest. But what i show you in the video are the results i got from my own testing :)

[@MrArn0ldus]

@@TheRealRichardWong Did you check if it have some front or back focus?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Is there any autofocus Nikon Z lens do you want to see from 3rd party lens manufacturer like Yongnuo? Drop a comment below and let Yongnuo know! Btw, Yongnuo just informed me that this lens will be officially released later this month (2022 March)

[@rishiraz1993]

I want a 100mm f/2 from Yongnuo, redesigned for MILCs. The DSLR version (which was a copy of Canon) had a lot of bugs, particularly in the AF department. I hope they can deliver better quality lenses today. Also, I would like to see a wide angle lens, at least 20mm and f/2 aperture, with good coma performance. That would be an instant buy for me. Don't know about Yongnuo, but I believe Viltrox can nail that.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Rishi, I'm really quite impressed by the recent Yongnuo lens. They have improved a lot with each lens i tested over the last 2 years. From build quality to performance, everything is much better than their older DSLR lenses.

[@steventhomas231]

A 35mm 1.8 would be nice.

[@cameraz99]

I would like to see a 24-70mm f2.8

[@kmanlee]

I want 14mm f2.8 z mount😊

[@tiffystudio1]

Yn vs viltrox ?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I have a 85mm f/1.8 review on my channel which includes these two lenses :)

[@ggdfggdfgdffgfddg34]

+

[@bh105401]

yongnuo 永诺，国货之光啊

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks bh105401 :)