Yongnuo YN 85mm f1.8 DF DSM most underrated lens I ever had

Specifications:

Mount: Nikon Z, Sony E (FE), Canon RF
Full-frame: Yes
Autofocus: Yes
Stabilization: No
Lens construction: 9 elements in 8 groups
Angle of view: 28.8 degrees
Diaphragm blades: 7
Minimum aperture: f/16
Minimum focusing distance: 0.8m
Maximum magnification ratio: 0.13x
Filter size: 58mm
Dimensions: 67x88mm
Weight: 346g

Intro:

Yongnuo YN 85mm f1.8 DF DSM is a full frame Autofocus mirrorless lens that available for Sony E-Mount, Nikon Z-Mount and Canon RF although finding it for Canon RF it's almost impossible to get because official stores doesn't it sell because Canon forbid it. If you find it on Facebook Marketplace consider yourself a lucky person. Go grab it fast.

The review:

I discovered this lens by accidentally looking at lens rankings at DX0mark website. This lens was sitting right on top of the list. I was a bit curious after reading about it and I looked it up and after some research I said “Well seems not too bad, it's not that expensive, I’ll get one for my RF system because I needed a native prime for it. Also wanted to see what's so special about it.”

I couldn't find it on Amazon, but luckily I found it on eBay. Someone was selling it brand new with its original packaging.

Negatives:

After getting it I was happy with the results with few exceptions. Unreliable autofocus on some occasions that was driving me crazy. I didn't know it was the lens or camera’s fault. I thought it could be just a faulty copy of the lens. Sometimes I have to switch off the camera maybe remove the lens and put it back on to make it work again. Keep in mind I was shooting on. Canon R5C on slow motion (S&F) mode at 4k 100fps resolution/frame rate which has worse autofocus than shooting Normal mode (24-25-30-50-60fps). Also the lens it didn't focus on infinity.

Positives:

After using it couple of times I realised how useful is because is especially in low light. It a bright aperture of 1.8. It's one stop better than f2.8. Come on. We need to squeeze any bit of possible light to get a clean decent shot. It's not my best prime but surely most fun to use for being lightweight and compact also not intimidating subjects with it's size.

I find that wide open at 1.8 aperture image quality is quite sharp and good contrast on the middle with fuzzy edges giving a dreamy effect which is just perfect for dreamy portraits. If you want improved contrast and sharpness across the whole frame must shoot at f2.8 - f4. F5.6 is good but from f8 onwards starting to degrade into diffraction. Flare almost no issues, Well controlled due it's great design and it's coatings.

Conclusion:

So far for it's price this lens it's a bargain. It's must have portrait lens for any photographer/videographer that looking for best value for money lens.

Check price on Amazon for each mount:

Sony (FE) E-Mount: https://amzn.to/4r1vcil

Nikon Z-Mount: https://amzn.to/4sJADnA

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