When does an 85mm f/1.8 make more sense than a 35mm f/1.8 on a Nikon D3200?

Question

I use a Nikon D3200 and currently shoot with a 35mm f/1.8. My main subjects are nightlife in crowded clubs and occasional weddings as a second shooter. I like the 35mm, but I’m wondering what practical advantage an 85mm f/1.8 would give me that the 35mm cannot.

I’m especially trying to understand the real-world difference in framing and shooting style: when would the 85mm be the better choice, and when would it be a bad fit? I’m also comparing the idea of adding an 85mm prime versus getting a wider or standard zoom for flexibility.

Please explain in simple terms, especially for crop-sensor Nikon use.

user11392 · Answer

You have a bit of an odd case as shooting a night club vs shooting a wedding are pretty widely juxtaposed in terms of need.

For a night club, you are shooting in a cramped area without much room for clear lines of sight. You are up close and personal with the subjects you are shooting and need a good wide angle lens. The feeling of a club means you don't even necessarily need the most rectilinear lens as the slight wrapping feeling of a wide angle lens can make someone feel more engaged in the energy of the club, though a highly rectilinear wide angle works fine too.

For a wedding on the other hand, you want to be out of the way. You often can't get up close and personal as you would be in the way to do so. A wide angle lens has very limited usage. An 85mm lens on the other hand gives you some reach, especially on a crop body. You can be further back, you get flatter facial structures that don't make noses look overly large. It's too narrow for group portraits on a crop body, and marginal for large group portraits on a FF, but is wonderful for both candid (torso) and portrait (torso or full body) shots of the couple and can be used pretty well for head and shoulder shots on a crop.

On weddings, I shoot FF and my 24-70 lens is normally hanging out around 50mm, which is about what your 35mm does on your crop. During the ceremony and special dances, I normally have the 70-200 camped out on my camera and it is normally between 125 and 200. The 85 will hit the shorter end of this range for you. It is still a little short for some shots, but should help you a lot with covering those longer shots.

So, to summarize, the 85mm lens will allow you to get shots from further away while flattening images so that facial features don't seem to protrude as much. The 35mm allows you to shoot up closer and get more people in the frame at the same distance, but results in facial features poking out more. With a crop body, your 35mm is really a standard lens due to the crop factor and your 85mm is like a relatively short telephoto lens.

When does an 85mm f/1.8 make more sense than a 35mm f/1.8 on a Nikon D3200?

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