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Review Summary


It's not (just) about the gear.So – here it is: Being a professional photographer for the last 10+ years, you’d think it wouldn’t surprise me that many people in this industry are very, very interested in the gear you use..

Buying Guide: The best portrait lenses currently available, Updated for 2014. Consider the 85mm lens. A moderate telephoto that covers the equivalent angle of view of an approximately 128mm lens on an APS camera and a 170mm lens..

Buying Guide. Updated for Holidays 2013. If you own a Canon DSLR, you may be thinking about buying a portrait photography lens. Most professional photographers recommend the 85mm lens for portrait photography, but if you're a Canon DSLR shooter, you are faced with a choice of 8 different lenses a...
The Bower 85mm f/1.4 High-Speed Mid-Range Manual Focus Telephoto Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras is a special effort in the independent lens manufacturer world, being a popular focal length for serious portraiture combined with an extra large f/1.4 maximum aperture. Most independent manufacturer lenses are either zooms or very short or long focal length fixed lenses. This lens is appropriate for Nikon FX "full frame" cameras in addition to their 15.6 x 23.7mm "APS-C" style digital 'DX' SLR cameras works similarly upon the cameras as later-model Nikon manual focus lenses. This lens is precision manufactured in South Korea.
With a 35mm equivalent focal length of -127mm and that f/1.4 aperture on DX cameras (or a classic 85mm f/1.4 on FX cameras), this Bower 85mm lens opens up photographic opportunities you'll never get with your zoom. Capture close portraits of singers on dark stages with only spotlights on their faces those background lights will be soft cascades of low-contrast coloring. With the big f/1.4 opening, you'll have enough light to stop subject motion. Or try it in brighter conditions at fast shutter speeds and low ISOs to make great shots of people in front of blooming trees, with background flowers almost looking like paintings. It isn't easy nailing manual focus at f/1.4-2.0 (nor for that matter is it easy for an AF system), but you'll get better with practice soon be making many snaps that stand out in a crowd.
This lens was truly created with large-aperture shooting in mind. Though a fine performer with plenty of contrast and resolution at f/5.6-f/11 apertures, it is at its best shooting between f/1.4-2.8, where it presents a high-peak-resolution focus point surrounded by lower resolution/contrast out-of-focus areas. Rather than just sharpness all around, for many pictures it is this stark drop off in resolution and contrast that effectively draws a viewer's eye towards a subject.
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