I can't believe the available light shots I've grabbed with this lens.

I had to go available light, and this thing saved the day!This lens focuses fast, but not as fast as the pro f/2.8 glass.

The images I've gotten so far have eye popping clarity with amazing low-light handling and magical bokeh

If you shoot wedding or portraits outside and prefer natural natural light this needs to be in your camera bag

Paired with D70 a great low light solution

The updated version is maybe slightly sharper in the corners on an FX body, colors seem perhaps a bit more vivid, and it seems a bit less prone to flare when you point it directly at a bright light source

I would not part with this magical light worker.

It is MUCH faster in focus speed performance than the Canon 85mm 1.2 L II though, which can easily be one of the slowest focusing lens I have encountered other than Nikon's 80-400mm VR

Yes, it is expensive, and the 85 1.8G is a good substitute if you can't afford the 85 1.4G, but if you can afford it, then you will be highly rewarded with beautiful photos

Some lower counterparts works better in case of many lenses like 50mm (I like 50mm 1.8G better than 50mm 1.4G) but here I almost paid 3-4 times the price for this one over the 1.8G counterpart

On 85mm prime, I previously owned both Nikkor 85mm f/1.8D and 1.4D.Whether the f/1.4 both D and G are really better than the f/1.8D, clearly yes.

I like the size, weight and confidence provided by this 85g

So, if you are on a budget and don't require sub-1.8 aperture shots, I could not in good conscience advise you to purchase this gem when the 1.8G is so excellent

I am sure the 1.8g is amazing!

I had previously owned the Nikon 85 1.8G, which was good, but the Nikon 85 1.4G is superior

I have owned other 1.8g's the 35mm,and 50mm lenses and think they are amazing, and no need to be at 1.4, but it seems to me(IMO) at the 85mm focal range the 1.4g was worth the step up

I bought 1.4g before 1.8g rumors surfaced on internet