Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S vs. Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX

Pick the 85mm f/1.2 if you want about 17% more background blur, pick the 85mm f/1.4 if you want a wider field of view. Compare both side by side.

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Portrait At-a-Glance Comparison (Upper Body Framing)

Optical & Portrait Metric Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX What It Means in Practice
Upper-Body Working Distance 3.41 m 3.41 m Identical working distance—both frame an upper-body portrait from the exact same spot.
Background Field of View (Compression) 23° 24° Identical 23° horizontal background view behind the subject.
Entrance Pupil Diameter 70.8 mm (f/1.2) 60.7 mm (f/1.4) Distant background blur discs are 17% larger on the Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S.
Corner Bokeh Roundness (90% Field) 50% (-1.1 EV) 72% (-0.6 EV) Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX keeps significantly rounder bokeh balls into the corners wide open (72% vs. 50% roundness).
Effective Focal Length (Breathing) 87.1 mm (+2.4%) 86.1 mm (+1.2%) At 3.4 m, Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S frames like a 87.1 mm lens while Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX frames like a 86.1 mm lens.
Depth of Field (Sharp Zone) 17 cm (3.33 m – 3.49 m) 20 cm (3.31 m – 3.51 m) The Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S has a 14% thinner focus zone (17 cm vs. 20 cm)—requiring more precise eye focus.
Minimum Focus Distance 0.85 m 0.85 m Both lenses share the same 0.85 m close-focus limit.

Questions

Which blurs the background more, Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S or Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX?

At the same subject framing, distant background blur scales with the entrance pupil diameter (focal length ÷ f-number). Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S at f/1.2 has a 70.8 mm entrance pupil, while Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX at f/1.4 has a 60.7 mm entrance pupil.

How does working distance differ between Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S and Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX?

For an upper-body portrait, Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S stands 3.41 m from the subject (sharp zone 17 cm, from 3.33 m to 3.49 m), whereas Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX stands 3.41 m away (sharp zone 20 cm, from 3.31 m to 3.51 m).

How do the optical designs of Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S and Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX compare?

Nikon NIKKOR Z 85mm f/1.2 S uses 15 elements in 10 groups (US20260086320A1, effective focal length 87.1 mm at portrait distance). Nikon 85mm f/1.4 G FX uses 10 elements in 9 groups (US8767319B2, effective focal length 86.1 mm).

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Also see: depth of field, bokeh, crop factor, lens compression.