One of the first things that I would rescue from a burning building.
A classic piece of Nikkor glass, also famous for never being in stock, back-in-the-day. lol
I've had mine since 2003 and it needs some dust removal and the hardened grease replaced.
Yes, as Ken says, it has always been a favorite of portrait professionals, but I have strapped-it-on for weeks on end. www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/8514AF.htm
It's the lens that I miss most since switching to mirrorless Z... I'm even considering to get the hybrid D780 just for this lens (or maybe for the 180/2.8 AF-D as well).
Oh bad move there! The 85/1.4d is one of my all time favs. If I get a z8 I'll be keeping my d810 and other dslrs to still use it and a few other classics. Every sensor and lens has it's signature. I love to draw with them.
My advice? Forget the d780 and pickup a d810 or d800 used in mint condition. Much better cameras.
Thanks for the warning - I will have to try it out occassionally to see where the D780 is lacking. I had a D800, got one of the first when it came out, and was always struggling with inconsistent AF - possibly related to the "left AF points issue" that was never fully fixed in it. Replaced it with a Sony A7RII for the EVF because I had/have a lot of MF lenses, but always regretted the loss of AF (even if inconsistent) on the 85/1.4D. Glad to be back to Nikon now.
AF lenses are the exception unfortunately. Other old Nikkor F mount lenses, including pre-AI, work perfectly with the FTZ adapter and give you the advantage of the Z systems on sensor AF.
Not that one desperately needs on sensor AF, with proper AF tuning, and "3D tracking with face recognition" I get an excellent hit rate with my D850 for the AF 135mm f/2 DC and the AF-S 105mm f/1.4 lenses wide open.
On another note, the high degree of aberration correction for the Z S line lenses makes them candidates for really good bokeh .