Nikon patents 2-in-1 85mm f/1.8 and 135mm f/2.8 portrait lens

There are a couple of schools of thought when it comes to the perfect portrait lens. An 85mm gives a flattering perspective and enables close-up upper body shots from a discrete shooting distance, while a 135mm gets even closer for frame-filling headshots. Either way, the lens needs to have a wide maximum aperture, to blow out the background into a pleasing blur, thus concentrating the viewer's gaze on the subject.

Until now, you'd have to decide between a lens like the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8 S or the Nikon Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena (a lens so special it gets its own unique designation). But if this new 85-135mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens that Nikon has patented makes it off the drawing board, then it could do the job of both, giving you two lenses in one.

Nikon has just published a patent for the design of a unique 85-135mm f/1.8-2.8 full-frame lens. Patent number P2025019242 names the invention rather dryly as a 'Variable magnification optical system and optical device'. It was filed on November 26, 2024, and published on February 6, 2025.

In the patent application, Nikon writes: "Conventionally, variable magnification optical systems suitable for photo cameras, electronic still cameras, video cameras, etc. have been proposed. In such variable magnification optical systems, it is difficult to obtain bright and good optical performance while making them compact.

"[Solution] The variable magnification optical system ZL consists of a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power and a rear group GR having multiple lens groups, and when varying the magnification, the spacing between adjacent lens groups changes, and the multiple lens groups of the rear group GR include a second lens group G2 having positive refractive power that is positioned closest to the object of the rear group GR."

What all this boils down to is that Nikon is working on a large-aperture portrait zoom that covers both the classic 85mm and 135mm focal lengths. In the above design, the lens length would range from approximately 120mm to 150mm when fully extended, which is pretty compact (for comparison, the Plena is around 140mm long).

It would provide some competition for the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 Di III VXD, although the zoom range is significantly narrower and its wide-angle end a little brighter. The proposed lens has a shorter retracted length than the Tamron, and while the 1.6x optical magnification is small, it could be perfect for a portable portrait zoom.

Whether the lens sees the light of day remains to be seen, as many patents never come to fruition, but it's a promising prospect and interesting to see what Nikon's engineers are devoting their efforts to. In the meantime, you'll have to decide between an 85mm or 135mm prime, of Tamron's 35-150mm zoom.