Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm

Nikon
68 Overall Score
vs
Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

Rokinon
65 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm

No customer feedback yet

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

84 out of 100 medium confidence 15 reviews

The Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 manual lens offers exceptional value for astrophotography and portrait work, delivering sharp images and smooth bokeh at a fraction of the cost of autofocus equivalents. Users praise its center sharpness wide open and excellent performance when stopped down to f/2.8, especially for capturing stars. However, the purely manual focus and aperture can be fiddly, and build quality inconsistencies like a missing hood or accidental aperture ring bumps are noted. Overall, it's a highly recommended budget lens for those comfortable with manual operation.

Pros
  • Sharp center wide open
  • Smooth bokeh
  • Excellent for astrophotography
  • Great value for money
  • Solid build quality
Cons
  • Fiddly manual aperture ring
  • Missing lens hood in some packages
  • No autofocus
  • Front-heavy with adapter on some cameras
  • Accidental aperture ring bumps
👍 Sharpness 5
👍 Bokeh 2
🤔 Build quality 4
👍 Value for money 6
🤔 Manual operation 5
👍 Astrophotography performance 3

Scores

Landscape
Nikon
83
Rokinon
49
Portrait
Nikon
47
Rokinon
79
Video Cinema
Nikon
76
Rokinon
69
Travel
Nikon
74
Rokinon
44
Wildlife Sports
Nikon
71
Rokinon
48
Professional
Nikon
70
Rokinon
66
Budget
Nikon
69
Rokinon
63
Macro
Nikon
61
Rokinon
52
Street
Nikon
60
Rokinon
59

Specifications

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mmRokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm
Optics
Typezoomprime
Focal Length Min16 mm85 mm
Focal Length Max50 mm85 mm
Elements129
Groups117
Aspherical Elements2★1
ED Elements11
Coating—Ultra Multi-Coating
Aperture
Max Aperturef/22f/1.4
Min Aperturef/2.8f/1.4
Constant✓✓
Diaphragm Blades99
Build
MountNikon ZCanon EF
FormatAPS-Cfull-frame★
Weather Sealed✓✓
Weight0.33 kg★0.54 kg
Filter Thread67 mm72 mm
AF & Stabilization
AF TypeSTM★manual focus only
Stabilization✓★✗
Stabilization Stops5 stops★—
Focus
Min Focus Distance150 mm★1.00 m
Max Magnification0.24x1:9★

Pros & Cons

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm

  • Strong stabilization (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong af (86th percentile)86th %ile
  • Strong versatility (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
  • Strong build (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
  • Below average aperture (21st percentile)
  • Below average bokeh (24th percentile)

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

  • Strong bokeh (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong aperture (97th percentile)97th %ile
  • Strong social proof (76th percentile)
  • Strong build (68th percentile)
  • Below average af (14th percentile)14th %ile
  • Below average versatility (34th percentile)

Pricing

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm is MX$11,830 cheaper (2.7x less).

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm0.004score per dollar
vs
Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm0.009score per dollar

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm offers 2.3x better value for money

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm

Verdict

★ Winner: Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm

Scores 68 overall, wins 7 of 9 usage categories and 6 of 22 specs.

Nikon NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 50mm Better at:

MacroBudgetTravelLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

Rokinon Series II 85mm f/1.4 85mm Better at:

Portrait

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