af-s Micro NIkkor 85mm 3.5G

I woke up on a Saturday morning when I visited my parents a few weeks ago. Dragging myself out of bed, I put on a robe and went into the living room. There, my dad immediately asked me if I'd like to go check out a DSLR at a garage sale he'd found. I was in jeans, a T-shirt, and a jacket within 5 minutes, and we left shortly after that.

af-s Micro Nikkor 85mm f/3.5G

85mm

• Great for portraits
• Narrow depth of field creates a great bokeh effect
• Allows you to get the subject to stand out from its surroundings
• Can get some really cinematic portraits by controlling where the focus lies
• Keeps the subject tight
• Can capture up-close shots from a distance
• Narrow depth of field can make it difficult to focus

Story

I was excited to look at another DSLR camera. Sure, I'm happy with my Nikon D7200, but it's always nice to play with other toys. I asked my dad a little more about the camera. Apparently, it was to come with two lenses and a case. The only problem was that the battery was bust and there was no charger. Well, that's easy enough to fix with a little online shopping.

As we walked up to the garage sale, I pretended to take notice of other items. There were some pretty cute (albeit unnecessary) items: a small bar with lots of drawers, a small table, some paintings. Eventually, Dad beckoned me, "Hey, come check this out," as if he'd just seen the camera for the first time. I walked over.

A young woman, probably around my age, was sitting behind a table upon which rested the camera and its lenses in a nice camera case. Nothing too fancy, but still really nice. I picked up the camera, gingerly but firmly so that it wouldn't fall, and started to examine it.

It was a Nikon D7000, a model that came out a few years before my own did. Good condition, clearly well taken care of. "It's in good condition," I was assured by the young lady. "It just doesn't have a screen that you can flip forward to see yourself for videos, like for YouTube." Ah. A YouTuber. Fine. As long as I could get this for a deal.

I checked the lenses next. The one affixed to the body was a 50mm f/1.8. Shoot. I already had a 50mm, and it was better than this one--f/1.4. Still, if it was a package deal, I wasn't going to turn my nose up at it. I unattached the 50mm from the body to check for scratches and clarity, all the while Dad chatted with the lady. "Phew! It looks like she knows what she's doing. One woman came by earlier and tried to pull the lens right off!" I felt super-awesome that someone thought I knew what I was doing.

I checked the other lens, an 85mm f/3.5. It attached easily to the body and was clean of scratches and interior debris. Both lenses were in great condition, and the body, I was assured, was in perfect working order.

The blindingly bright orange price sticker read $250. That wasn't a bad number at all, but I knew Dad would be able to talk the price down. He is, after all, a master negotiator. Like, it's his actual job. For real.

The young lady was amenable to haggling, and the final price was settled at $150 cash. I was thrilled! It was a fantastic deal for everything. "You have a really great dad," the lady said. I couldn't agree more. I mean, I would have to stop by the bank to repay Dad, as I had no cash on me, but that would be a simple matter.

Drinking Sunny D in the sun on the Venice Beach boardwalk

I nestled the camera (with the 50mm lens attached) and its extra lens in the case, and Dad picked it up, slinging it over his shoulder. That's fine. He did pay for it, after all.

We walked back to the car, all smiles. When Dad put the camera case behind the driver's seat rather than let me hold it during the drive back, I knew something was up. "This is for me," he said.

Oh, no! I'd been had! I was just there to appraise the camera for him before he purchased it. I could only laugh at myself. (Seriously though, I have absolutely no resentment about this. It turned out to be a funny misunderstanding.)

So how did I get my grubby hands on the 85mm? Well, after Dad and I got back home and ordered a battery, charger, and some memory cards, I taught him how to use the camera. Stuff like what buttons were which, what dials were which, how to change modes, etc. Mom and Dad used to be quite the shutterbugs in the days of film-only photography, so he knows his how to use a camera to great effect. But it had been a long time since then.

Having two prime lenses would be difficult to manage until you got used to them. The 50mm and 85mm each have such a narrow depth of field that I was sure Dad would get frustrated quickly. Plus, I know Dad prefers zoom lenses anyway. So I suggested a trade: his 85mm for my 18-140mm zoom.

Was this a monetarily fair trade? I have no idea, and I don't care. Neither does Dad. I like prime lenses. He likes zoom lenses. This swap would benefit both of us and help us each achieve our photography goals. So we traded.

Bohemians living at Venice Beach