7Artisans’ 85mm f/1.8 Lens is the Affordable Prime You’ve Been Looking For

Prime lenses are an essential tool in any photographer’s arsenal: often the second purchase of a budding photographer is a classic “nifty fifty” prime. But especially if your work involves shallow depth-of-field - such as portraiture or street photography, the next step up on the prime lens ladder can be an expensive one. The jump from 50mm to 35mm or 85mm prime lenses can be a shocking one, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be with this 7Artisans lens.

• 7artisans Photoelectric 85mm f/1.8 AF Lens (E-Mount)

This 7Artistans 85mm f/1.8 prime lens, available initially just for Sony E-Mount and now for Nikon Z-Mount, is ultra competitive at just $299. For comparison, the name-brand Sony and Nikon 85mm primes retail for shy of $600 and $800 respectively - and that’s the non-premium versions. Though the 7Artisans lens is a little heftier at 452g, it’s not a noticeable difference. With the same 85mm focal length and f/1.8 aperture - along with a close-focusing distance of 0.8m thanks to an 11-blade iris - this prime lens is a useful tool to have on hand regardless of your photographic style.

It also, arguably, gives you greater control over your portraits, with both a manual focus dial as well as an aperture ring - something neither of the name-brand variants offer. Given that prime lenses are often used as a learning tool in photography - no longer able to rely on the kit lens and autofocus, a prime lens means composing and adjusting settings yourself - this adds an extra degree of versatility to the lens. You also have a customizable function button on the side, as well as USB-C input for installing new firmware. It also, unlike many other affordable lenses, comes with full support for autofocus engines and controls focus via a silent STM focus motor.

All-in-all, this lens is a great option for beginner photographers who can’t afford the surprisingly normalized premium pricing on prime lenses. And with it coming to Nikon Z Mount, more photographers than ever can reap the benefits. So if you’re looking to upgrade your portraits or simply want to experiment with an affordable lens, then this is the best option for you. Pick it up today.