portrait lens

[ron morosey]

very nice work, can I ask what camera you shoot with?

Hi Ron,

I absolutely love the 105 DC, no lens can compete for portraits
with this superb lens IMO. Just used it today for an assignment,
here are some fresh samples. I think that I almost never will use
other lenses for portraits, except maybe sometimes the 70-200 VR.









and another from some weeks ago:



With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[Dirk Vermeirre]

very nice work, can I ask what camera you shoot with?

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the appreciation, and yes of course, I use the Fuji S2 Pro and also absolutely love the image quality from that camera.

With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[ron morosey]

do you ever get in any trouble shooting candids?

very nice work, can I ask what camera you shoot with?

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the appreciation, and yes of course, I use the Fuji S2
Pro and also absolutely love the image quality from that camera.

With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[Dirk Vermeirre]

do you ever get in any trouble shooting candids?

Hi Ron,

No not at all, not one time, people are always very kind and even cooperative, last time I ask them several things and almost all of them have done what I asked. I think that the bigger the lenses and gear you carry with you the better it will work, they are convinced that you are a pro (even if and that it's for a newspaper, magazine or something else.

With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[fangel]

Hello Dirk

Great shots!
I am considering the 85/1.4 vs the 105/2.0.
AF speed and AF noise are important factors for me.
Would you care to comment upon that ?

best regards

fangel

 

[forester]

Dirk,
I'm very impressed by your shots.

Can you tell us more about the defocus lens? I've not come across them before. Is this a feature that you make use of?
Any information would be appreciated.
Forester

 

[Peter69322]

Not Dirk but the 105/2DC is faster focusing than the 85/1.4. It is a rear element focus lens which means less mass is being pushed, and has a snappy AF for a non-AF-S lens. And, I agree with Dirk that it is a sensational portrait lens, also quite good for indoor sports. Another nice feature is a built in hood with a recessed front element, makes it very flare resistant. best....Peter

Hello Dirk

Great shots!
I am considering the 85/1.4 vs the 105/2.0.
AF speed and AF noise are important factors for me.
Would you care to comment upon that ?

best regards

fangel

--
http://www.innerimager.com

 

[S_Leeper]

Not Dirk but the 105/2DC is faster focusing than the 85/1.4. It is
a rear element focus lens which means less mass is being pushed,
and has a snappy AF for a non-AF-S lens. And, I agree with Dirk
that it is a sensational portrait lens, also quite good for indoor
sports. Another nice feature is a built in hood with a recessed
front element, makes it very flare resistant. best....Peter

Generally agree with the above, but would point out that while it MAY be faster focusing than the 85 f1.4 it is not an afs lens... i.e. reasonably fast focus, but the focus speed is not really designed for sports shooting.

Hello Dirk

Great shots!
I am considering the 85/1.4 vs the 105/2.0.
AF speed and AF noise are important factors for me.
Would you care to comment upon that ?

best regards

fangel

--
http://www.innerimager.com

--
I take lots of pictures.
Sometimes I even make a photograph.

 

[fangel]

Not Dirk but the 105/2DC is faster focusing than the 85/1.4. It is
a rear element focus lens which means less mass is being pushed,
and has a snappy AF for a non-AF-S lens. And, I agree with Dirk
that it is a sensational portrait lens, also quite good for indoor
sports. Another nice feature is a built in hood with a recessed
front element, makes it very flare resistant. best....Peter

Generally agree with the above, but would point out that while it
MAY be faster focusing than the 85 f1.4 it is not an afs lens...
i.e. reasonably fast focus, but the focus speed is not really
designed for sports shooting.

Thanks for your replies.

I shoot a lot of gymnastics with the 70-200/2.8 AF-S VR and need a
faster lens for the more dimly lit locations. I realise now that I really need
is an 85/1.4 with AF-S!! - which is not possible.
But I hear that the manual focus ring is smooth working
and pre-focus is often the best solution in many situations. Regular prices
are crazy here in Europe, so I will start hunting down a grey market supplier.
Shouldn´t be too difficult to find one in Germany or Austria.

best regards

fangel

 

[Chad Gladstone]

Nikon desperately needs a 135 f/2 af-s for indoor sports. Even with the crop factor, the 85 is too short and focuses too slow according to a reviewer who compared it to the canon 85 1.8, and 85 1.2...but for portraits there is nare a lens that can compete save the 105 DC and the two aforementioned canons (the 85 1.2 is 2/3 slower focusing while the 135 f/2 is the portrait benchmark in focus speed).

Not Dirk but the 105/2DC is faster focusing than the 85/1.4. It is
a rear element focus lens which means less mass is being pushed,
and has a snappy AF for a non-AF-S lens. And, I agree with Dirk
that it is a sensational portrait lens, also quite good for indoor
sports. Another nice feature is a built in hood with a recessed
front element, makes it very flare resistant. best....Peter

Generally agree with the above, but would point out that while it
MAY be faster focusing than the 85 f1.4 it is not an afs lens...
i.e. reasonably fast focus, but the focus speed is not really
designed for sports shooting.

Thanks for your replies.

I shoot a lot of gymnastics with the 70-200/2.8 AF-S VR and need a
faster lens for the more dimly lit locations. I realise now that I
really need
is an 85/1.4 with AF-S!! - which is not possible.
But I hear that the manual focus ring is smooth working
and pre-focus is often the best solution in many situations.
Regular prices
are crazy here in Europe, so I will start hunting down a grey
market supplier.
Shouldn´t be too difficult to find one in Germany or Austria.

best regards

fangel

 

[S_Leeper]

Dirk,
I'm very impressed by your shots.
Can you tell us more about the defocus lens? I've not come across
them before. Is this a feature that you make use of?
Any information would be appreciated.
Forester

I certainly won't claim my photos are in league with Dirk's, but I do share his opinion that the 105dc is an excellent portrait lens.
The defocus control, dc, is in steps:
F 5.6 4 2.8 2 ~ 2 2.8 4 5.6 R

Theoretically the subject will stay sharp if the dc control is equal to or less than the f/stop used while either the rear or foreground part of the photo will be more blurred. i.e. at f/stop 4.0 using dc R2.8 you increase the background blur.

If you use a dc control in excess of the f/stop you will generate a soft focus effect. i.e. f/stop 2.8 & dc R or F 4 or 5.6.

The dc basically "shifts" the dof range either forward or backwards. Set the dc to F 4 (so as to blur the foreground more) the dof range shifts so that you have more clarity toward the rear part of your photo.

In reality many of the DC lenses have a neutral point that is not the center. Mine seems to render the sharpest at dc F 2.8 from f/stop 2.0 to 5.6.

I like using very wide apatures, with about 80% at f2.8 or wider & most of the rest between f2.8-4.0. Using that range you have a very shallow dof, approx 11" @ 16' using f/stop 4.0. Have a child sitting on a mother's lap focus on the mother & set dc to Rxx to help blur the blinds, cinder block, etc. behind mother...

One thing to be aware of is if you are using a small f/stop such as 8.0 @ a distance of 5 yards, or even a wider such as f/stop 2.8 at a longer distance of 15-20 yards you might find that the background has more character/definition than you might expect... When I shoot my son's elementary basketball game, usually at f/stop 2.4. When the subject is on the near side of the court the background is beautifully dissolved. When they are downcourt I can often read parts of the scoreboard another 20 yards behind...

 

[Dirk Vermeirre]

Hello Dirk

Great shots!
I am considering the 85/1.4 vs the 105/2.0.
AF speed and AF noise are important factors for me.
Would you care to comment upon that ?

best regards

fangel

Hi Fangel,

Oh missed this and sorry for the so late answer. Thanks for your appreciation and the AF speed of the 1O5 is very good as it is for the 85. I used the 85 1.4 several times but don't own one so I can't compare the noise but the DC noise isn't disturbing.
With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[Dirk Vermeirre]

Dirk,
I'm very impressed by your shots.
Can you tell us more about the defocus lens? I've not come across
them before. Is this a feature that you make use of?
Any information would be appreciated.
Forester

Hi Forester,

Must have missed this thread but found it back via a link in an actual thread, sorry for the so late answer.

I don't use it very often as I can't find out how it can work accurately, it seems to mislead my S2 focussing I have the impression. I've made some test series with a lot of numbered color pencils with all the different possible settings but can't find logic. I will try it again but this time with an ananlog camera to see what happens then. But apart from that I love the look and bokeh of this lens very much, it has something magic that the other Nikkors don't have. Hope that this can help a bit
With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[Dirk Vermeirre]

I certainly won't claim my photos are in league with Dirk's, but I
do share his opinion that the 105dc is an excellent portrait lens.
The defocus control, dc, is in steps:
F 5.6 4 2.8 2 ~ 2 2.8 4 5.6 R
Theoretically the subject will stay sharp if the dc control is
equal to or less than the f/stop used while either the rear or
foreground part of the photo will be more blurred. i.e. at f/stop
4.0 using dc R2.8 you increase the background blur.
If you use a dc control in excess of the f/stop you will generate a
soft focus effect. i.e. f/stop 2.8 & dc R or F 4 or 5.6.
The dc basically "shifts" the dof range either forward or
backwards. Set the dc to F 4 (so as to blur the foreground more)
the dof range shifts so that you have more clarity toward the rear
part of your photo.
In reality many of the DC lenses have a neutral point that is not
the center. Mine seems to render the sharpest at dc F 2.8 from
f/stop 2.0 to 5.6.
I like using very wide apatures, with about 80% at f2.8 or wider &
most of the rest between f2.8-4.0. Using that range you have a
very shallow dof, approx 11" @ 16' using f/stop 4.0. Have a child
sitting on a mother's lap focus on the mother & set dc to Rxx to
help blur the blinds, cinder block, etc. behind mother...
One thing to be aware of is if you are using a small f/stop such as
8.0 @ a distance of 5 yards, or even a wider such as f/stop 2.8 at
a longer distance of 15-20 yards you might find that the background
has more character/definition than you might expect... When I
shoot my son's elementary basketball game, usually at f/stop 2.4.
When the subject is on the near side of the court the background is
beautifully dissolved. When they are downcourt I can often read
parts of the scoreboard another 20 yards behind...

Hi SLeeper,

Sorry for my really late reaction but I love to read your comment on this lens. I find it the most complicated lens I ever owned and the DC control doesn't seem to work like it should, can't find a logic as it often don't do what it should do, maybe there is some back focussing with my S2, don't know but a pity that I don't have time to find it out. Would love to control this lens at 100 percent but already did extended test series etc. but I couldn't learn from them as the lens didn't do what it normally had to do, very strange. But I love the lens, the bokeh and the kind of magic that it puts in the images. Thanks for your info.

With very kind regards,

Dirk

Equipment is not the issue. It's all about vision.

http://www.pbase.com/dievee

 

[Brian N]

That's a pretty shallow depth of field for shooting at f/14, is that pretty typical? Great pics.

This lens is a beauty to behold and shoot. When you view
your images later, you'll simply be amazed at the quality this
lens delivers - especially the bokeh.

Here's a shot taken with it: [ nikon d1x, nikkor 85 f/1.4 shot @
iso 125, f/14]
http://www.hyattphoto.com/gallery/photo.php?photo=81&lang=eng

--
. Ben

equipment list in .profile

--
-Brian