Your opinion on Nikkor 85mm 3.5?

I'm looking at buying the nikon 85mm 3.5 as a lens to use as a walk around for portrait and macro work. I'm trying to decide between this lens and the Tokina 100mm. The reason i'm leaning towards the nikon is that it's $100 cheaper and has VR which i'll like for portraits. Should I be trying to get a compromise between macro and portraits or should I just get two separate lenses? I do still have my nikkor 50mm 1.8 which has served me well in the past for portraits. Keep in mind I'm not looking to do any serious work and not looking to spend more than $500 or so. Has anybody used either of these lenses? Thanks for you help!

Added (1). I'm currently using a d80 and i'm in Canada so the Nikon is around $450 and the Tokina is $570 - I know at B&H in the states it's only $399

F/3.5 is a little slow for portraits.

If you are attaching a lens to a cropped sensor camera like the D3100 or D7000, the Nikkor AF-S 60 mm f/2.8 would make a better macro/portrait lens.

The 85 mm is a little long for shooting portraits on such a camera.

I suggest you visit a camera shop and try both the 60 mm f/2.8 and 85 mm f/2.5 on your camera. See for yourself, which gives you the best shallow depth of field you may want when shooting portraits.

Since you still have the "portrait" 50 mm, the 85 mm may just be what you need

I own the tokina and have used the 85mm long enough to form an opinion. I'm surprised the tokina is more expensive, it certainly was not when I last looked at it.

If you own a baby nikon without a motor then go for the 85mm.

If you have a motorized body then
Tokina is extremely well build
You can switch between AF and MF by pulling the focus ring
The bokhe is nice enough
The nikon does have VR which, when needed with portraits, will give a very restless background
The nikon is build like any dx kit lens, all plastic

85mm and beyond is indeed long for portraits on dx but certainly not impossible. It's not my first lens, my 50 works too good for posed portraits. 85-100mm is a lovely focal length for candids of kids. Wide open it allows you to isolate even a single kid busy in a group.

I haven't got the catalogue in front of me, but I query the description. Are you sure it's a 85mm f3.5 prime lens (not a zoom with 85mm within its range)? It strikes me that a prime lens of 85mm at f3.5 would be hard to market, given that there are some at f1.8, unless it has some other particularly desirable features. If you are doing well with the 50mm f1.8 then stick with it for portraits.

Yes its a good lens

Nikon 85mm f/3.5G AF-S DX ED VR Micro Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

85mm lens ideal for close-up, nature, portrait and general photography
Close focusing to 0.9 feet
Nikon VR II (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization
Extra-low Dispersion (ED) element; Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC)
Exclusive Nikon Silent Wave Motor (SWM)