
Review Summary
2013-12-09T19:00:00
I use this lens as a general portrait lens, mostly for shooting people but works well on animals, as long as you don't stop it down too far. Stopping down to 1.8 will net you focused eyes and a blurred snout on a dog at least. The best part of this is the price. It's cheap, though in some respects it also feels cheap. It works nicely, however and does take getting accustomed to full manual controls for aperture and focusing. The only thing that would make this lens better is autofocus, but hey, that's part of why this lens is so inexpensive, so the trade off is acceptable. There is also no vibration compensation/image stabilization, which again, keeps the price down. If you're looking for a fun lens, that can do nice bokeh and does nice portraits, this is a good lens to try. I have used this on my 1Dx and an old XSi, both work equally as well and quality is very good overall from both.
Stephen L.
Fun to use, nice bokeh
By Stephen L.
I use this lens as a general portrait lens, mostly for shooting people but works well on animals, as long as you don't stop it down too far. Stopping down to 1.8 will net you focused eyes and a blurred snout on a dog at least. The best part of this is the price. It's cheap, though in some respects it also feels cheap. It works nicely, however and does take getting accustomed to full manual controls for aperture and focusing. The only thing that would make this lens better is autofocus, but ...
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The Vivitar 85mm f/1.8 Series 1 Manual Focus Lens is an ultra-bright lens with a maximum aperture of f/1.8. Although you can only use this lens in manual focus mode, it is fully compatible with the automated features available with digital SLR cameras. It is compact and lightweight, and offers the ideal focal length and bright aperture for use as a portrait lens. This 85mm F1.8 Aspherical Vivitar Lens produces in and out of focus background and also creates a stunning visual effect