85 millimeters of glory

I have drooled over a lens for a while now.  All the reviews and research I encountered all said that it is everything that is good and pure and right in the world.  I put it on my wish list long ago...  Well, since then Nikon started the process of upgrading their lenses to include even more fancy-pantsness and my beloved drool-inducing wished-for lens was upgraded.

Fast forward to today and after much bru-ha-ha, complications, cancellations and good ol' fashioned bad customer service (by Nikon directly no less, hmph!) I hold in my hot little hands the wonderment of glass.  I bit the bullet and got the AF-S 85mm 1.4G.

Now - I feel like I need to explain myself here.  My everyday lens for the past - oh I don't know - long time, has been the 17-55mm f2.8.  It is a wonderful, fabulous, glorious lens and I adore it.  And I have gotten used to the zooming capabilities as well as the general wideness of it, so when I slapped on a 85mm prime - it really threw me for a loop!  First of all 85mm is a long way away, especially on a DX camera body and secondly, someone who is accustomed to the 17-55 range - well, is accustomed to the 17-55 range.

I am thinking that I am going to love my new lens, I really do believe that (just look at that bokeh!) - but in the meantime, it is really going to take some playing to feel comfortable with it.  So that's exactly what I did, I played!  My poor photo subject (aka: daughter) is getting annoyed with the camera in her face, but hey - at least I took her somewhere she could swing and be annoyed at the same time.

Most of these were taken at f1.6 and let me tell you - that is HARD to capture a 3 year old at 1.4 and get a decent focus.  Practice, practice, practice.

 

Notice the sidewalk behind her foot is in focus?  Ya, she's not.

 

Look at the sharp eye there - lovely bokeh.

 

Love the speed of the 1.6 - this was low light conditions in the fort - but again the focus is a bit off. (hey, it's hard at such an open aperture!)

 

Just look at that dreamy blur action.  I hope to perfect this eventually

 

FAST!

Do you have a favorite lens that is your go to?  I love the capability of this one - but it hasn't replaced  my 17-55mm as favorite yet...