Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S.

The Gavler Review.

Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S Review: The Highest-Scoring Lens DxOMark Has Tested

The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S holds rank three on Gavler's Best Portrait Lenses list with a 9.5, anchored by a single, unusually concrete fact: DxOMark measured it as the highest-scoring lens in the site's entire database, at any focal length, from any manufacturer. Buy it if you're a Nikon Z shooter who wants the measured optical ceiling for portrait work and will build a session around it. Skip it if 1,160 grams and $2,799 is more lens than your work demands — the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art gets remarkably close for a fraction of the cost.

What it actually is

There's one number that defines this lens: when DxOMark ran it through the lab on a Nikon Z7, it scored 55 — a record for the site's database, not a marketing claim but a measured lab result across sharpness, vignetting, distortion, and chromatic aberration. That result tells you exactly what Nikon set out to build here: the best possible 85mm portrait lens, with price and weight allowed to land wherever they needed to.

The specs back up the ambition. An 11-blade rounded aperture and S-line optical construction — 15 elements in 10 groups — are built to produce what Nikon shooters describe as painterly background blur, and the lens carries full weather sealing in a magnesium-alloy S-line body with a customizable control ring. At $2,799 and 1,160 grams, it sits among the most expensive and heaviest fast portrait primes made for any mount.

In use

The rendering is where reviewers spend most of their attention, and for good reason — an f/1.2 aperture is only as valuable as the autofocus system's ability to actually use it. Amateur Photographer confirmed the autofocus is "quick, quiet and accurate," which matters more than it sounds: a lens this fast wastes its own advantage the moment focus lands on the wrong plane. Here, testers reported the confidence to actually shoot wide open rather than stopping down defensively.

DxOMark's own summary reinforces why the record score matters in practice, not just on a spec sheet: "the Nikon Nikkor Z 85mm F1.2 S is a pricey proposition, but its optical quality can't be denied." That's the throughline across the testing — nobody disputes what this lens can resolve; the conversation is entirely about whether you need it and are willing to carry it.

The physical reality of shooting with it is the other half of the story. Amateur Photographer was blunt: at "over 1kg, the f/1.2 lens is not something you will want to cart around 'just in case.'" This is a lens you plan for, not one that lives on your camera as a default. DxOMark also measured heavier-than-expected vignetting for a lens this fast — a real, quantified trade-off rather than a subjective complaint, and worth knowing if you shoot a lot of wide-open environmental portraits where corner light falloff would show.

Where it shines

• A record-setting, lab-measured optical result. DxOMark's top score in its entire database isn't hyperbole — it's the highest number the site has recorded for any lens, at any focal length.
• Autofocus you can trust at f/1.2. Quick, quiet, and accurate tracking means the shallow depth of field this lens is built for actually lands where you aim it, rather than becoming a liability.
• Pro-grade build for the work it's aimed at. Full weather sealing and an 11-blade aperture make it a legitimate tool for paid commission and studio work, not just a spec-sheet exercise.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

This is the optical ceiling for Nikon Z portraits, not a lens for every Nikon shooter:

• The weight is a real daily-use barrier. At 1,160 grams, this isn't a lens most photographers will want mounted "just in case" — it's a deliberate choice for a specific shoot.
• Vignetting is heavier than expected. DxOMark specifically flagged this as a wide-open weakness relative to the lens's overall excellence — a real, measured trade-off, not a nitpick.
• The price gap over the alternatives is enormous. At $2,799, this costs roughly $1,600 more than the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, which DxOMark found "practically as sharp in the center wide-open" at less than half the weight.

How it compares

The most relevant comparison on the same list is the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art at rank seven — and Sigma's own value pitch is built directly around this lens. DxOMark found the Sigma "practically as sharp in the center wide-open and has slightly better mid- and outer-field sharpness" than the Nikon f/1.2, all at 625 grams — roughly half the weight — for about $1,199. The trade is two-thirds of a stop of light and some corner and vignetting performance, plus Digital Camera World's one real complaint, "noticeable pincushion distortion" that corrects cleanly in software. For most portrait photographers, that's the smarter buy.

Nikon's own Z 85mm f/1.8 S is the other obvious off-ramp for photographers who want most of this look without the weight or cost — a lens the Z 85mm f/1.2 S's own longDescription material points to directly for anyone who isn't chasing the absolute measured ceiling. The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM, Canon's equivalent flagship on a different mount, tells a nearly identical story: DPReview called its sharpness "already superb at F1.2," at a comparable 1,195-gram weight and $2,699 price — proof that this trade-off (measured perfection versus everyday carryability) isn't unique to Nikon, it's the physics of building an f/1.2 85mm prime at all.

The Gavler verdict

A 9.5, built on an exceptional expert consensus (95) pulled back slightly by a community rating (93) that reflects real-world friction — the weight, the price, and the vignetting DxOMark flagged wide open. The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S earns its place near the top of Gavler's Best Portrait Lenses list on the strength of a genuinely record-setting lab result, backed by autofocus reliable enough to actually use that aperture. It's the ceiling, not the sensible default — buy it if measured perfection is the goal and you'll build shoots around a kilogram-plus lens; reach for the Sigma if you want most of the rendering for a third of the outlay.

Common Questions

Is the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S worth it?

If you're a Nikon Z shooter who treats portraits as the whole point of your kit and wants the measured optical ceiling, yes — it ranks third on Gavler's Best Portrait Lenses list with a 9.5, and DxOMark gave it the highest score in its entire lens database, at any focal length. At 1,160 grams and $2,799, it's a studio-and-commission specialist rather than a lens you carry every day, so buyers who want most of the look for far less should look at the Z 85mm f/1.8 S or the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art first.

What makes DxOMark's score for this lens so significant?

DxOMark measured a score of 55 on the Nikon Z7 — the highest score in the site's database for any lens, regardless of focal length, at the time of testing. That's not marketing language; it's a lab-measured result across sharpness, distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration that puts this lens ahead of every other lens DxOMark has tested, from any manufacturer.

Is the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S too heavy to carry casually?

At 1,160 grams, yes, by most accounts. Amateur Photographer put it directly: this is 'not something you will want to cart around just in case.' It's built for photographers who plan a shoot around it — weddings, commissioned portraits, studio work — rather than an everyday walk-around prime.

Nikon Z 85mm f/1.2 S or Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art?

The Sigma is the value pick worth serious consideration: DxOMark found it 'practically as sharp in the center wide-open' as the Nikon f/1.2, at 625 grams — roughly half the weight — and about $1,199, well under half the price. You give up two-thirds of a stop of light and a little corner and vignetting performance. For most portrait photographers, the Sigma is the smarter buy; the Nikon is for those chasing the absolute measured ceiling and can justify the weight and cost.