Reading mode: Light Dark

Nikon 135mm f/2.0 DC Discontinued?

Go to last post
Also Nikon Canada reports as discontinued, according to Nikon Rumors

--
All the best from northern Italy, Dino.
I'm on the NIK side of photography.
 
The lens appeared to be a great seller for Nikon. B&H and other retailers could never keep the lens in stock. Must be another reason for its demise. An updated version maybe? We'll see. I purchased mine about a year ago. Now, I am glad I did. It's a wonderful lens. I almost purchased the 105mm DC also, but opted for the Zeiss 100mm f/2 makro instead.
 
The 135f2dc is the last lens I would sell if I had to, very good on DX but super on FX.

Wonder why Nikon would discontinue the 135DC?...How about the 105DC is this lens also destined to be discontinued since Nikon has the (totally different) 105VR?
Maybe they will have a plastic replacement in the works.
Boris
135f2DC at f2 on FX



105VR at f3 on FX



--

http://public.fotki.com/borysd/
 
Between "temporarily unavailable" and "discontinued"

B&H will usually come right out and say "discontinued" . . .

--
. . .
 
Reelnut1 said:
The lens appeared to be a great seller for Nikon. B&H and other retailers could never keep the lens in stock.
Click to expand...
Appearances can be deceiving. The 135mm DC never sold in large volume and sales dropped off even further when DX cameras were dominating the scene. Nikon sold more manual focus 135mm f/2's than DC lenses and sold 3-4 times as many 105mm VR's as 135mm f/2's of any stripe.

With the switch to FX cameras and a trend to longer focal lengths for portrait photography 135mm sales have picked up in the last 2-3 years, but my guess is that Nikon is still only making the occasional small batch.

--
I miss the days when I used to be nostalgic.
 
B&H says that the lens is "temporarily unavailable" and backordered by the manufacturer. It does not say that it is discontinued.
 
jsatter said:
B&H says that the lens is "temporarily unavailable" and backordered by the manufacturer. It does not say that it is discontinued.
Click to expand...
Also keep in mind that the OP asked about this lens 3 months ago. I can't say whether B&H has had any recent shipments of this lens but other rare glass such as the TC20-E III has also been almost constantly listed as "Temporarily unavailable", but I know that B&H has gotten some of these in stock several times since June. At least the imported version; I'm not sure about the USA version. Nikon's store had the 135mm f/2 DC stock and was selling them last week but now it's reporting "Currently Out of Stock" so it may be worth checking here occasionally. The store is new, open for less than two weeks and has a few kinks. One I know of has been fixed and another hasn't been, which is promising a tracking number in the confirmation email and also from customer service phone support, but the tracking number never arrived, which in this case is about 4 or 5 days after UPS's delivery.

http://shop.nikonusa.com/store/nikonusa/en_US/list/parentCategoryID.43887400/categoryID.43888400
 
photoreddi said:
Also keep in mind that the OP asked about this lens 3 months ago.
Click to expand...
Try 1 year and 3 months ago. This thread is from last year, but like you said the lens is not discontinued, it just out of stock.
 
Nikon_Kyo said:
photoreddi said:
Also keep in mind that the OP asked about this lens 3 months ago.
Click to expand...
Try 1 year and 3 months ago. This thread is from last year, but like you said the lens is not discontinued, it just out of stock.
Click to expand...
Right. Thanks for the correction. I just checked B&H again for a different lens and noticed that the imported 135mm f/2 DC is in stock. I normally only get the USA versions because Nikon won't service imported lenses if bought in the USA, but if there won't be any more, it may be worth considering.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/113487-GREY/Nikon_1935_Telephoto_AF_DC_Nikkor.html
 
I ordered this lens twice and canceled twice.

First time: decided on the 70-200 VR II instead.
Second time: 85 f/1.4 G instead.

I still have my eye on it. Just before I canceled my second order with Adorama I asked them how long the list was, since I had been on it for months. They said I would be in the next batch to receive it--they only had about 15 outstanding orders for it.

This call was in late August. They said they got regular small shipments of this lens from Nikon--the last one at that point had come at the end of July.

As others here have noted, it is a specialty lens. I think Nikon will continue to produce it in limited quantities as needed, but the market is small, so probably it is unlikely they will introduce an update--but then again, this IS the year of the lens, so who knows?
 
Everyone says it's not so good on DX - but does that mean image quality?

I'd like to buy a really good lens, even if I have to save up for it, and I have been eyeing the 135 as a candidate.
 
No, they mean the focal length, which is about a 200mm equivalent on a DX camera, which normally is a bit long for portraits, especially indoors. Optically it's very good. A good alternative might be the new 85mm F/1.4 AF-S, or the Sigma 85mm F/1.4, as on a DX body the focal-length would be equivalent to a 130mm lens, which is a classic portrait length.
paul2009 said:
Everyone says it's not so good on DX - but does that mean image quality?

I'd like to buy a really good lens, even if I have to save up for it, and I have been eyeing the 135 as a candidate.
Click to expand...
 
Sound advice, thank you. The 85 1.4 is even more expensive than the 135 of course, though I would love to have it.

However, surely the 135 is also useful as a telephoto, no? I have seen some nice shots taken from a distance with it. For example... http://www.flickr.com/photos/abenedetti/4837059375/meta/

Pual
Jon Rty said:
No, they mean the focal length, which is about a 200mm equivalent on a DX camera, which normally is a bit long for portraits, especially indoors. Optically it's very good. A good alternative might be the new 85mm F/1.4 AF-S, or the Sigma 85mm F/1.4, as on a DX body the focal-length would be equivalent to a 130mm lens, which is a classic portrait length.
paul2009 said:
Everyone says it's not so good on DX - but does that mean image quality?

I'd like to buy a really good lens, even if I have to save up for it, and I have been eyeing the 135 as a candidate.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
It's not a specialty lens, it's just a 135mm lens, and there's something like a million different 135mm lenses out there. Market isnt small for this type of lens, it's just the age, reputation and DC gimmick working against the 135/2 DC.

I want a 135/2, just not this one. Waiting until Nikon makes a new and much better 135/2 AFS.
NikonJunkieGirl said:
As others here have noted, it is a specialty lens. I think Nikon will continue to produce it in limited quantities as needed, but the market is small, so probably it is unlikely they will introduce an update--but then again, this IS the year of the lens, so who knows?
Click to expand...
 
coudet said:
It's not a specialty lens, it's just a 135mm lens, and there's something like a million different 135mm lenses out there. Market isnt small for this type of lens, it's just the age, reputation and DC gimmick working against the 135/2 DC.

I want a 135/2, just not this one. Waiting until Nikon makes a new and much better 135/2 AFS.
Click to expand...
DC is not a gimmick, and the 135mm DC is a great lens. Have you used one? Actually, it's obvious that you haven't.
--
http://www.andrewsandersphotography.co.uk
 
The DC feature is anything BUT a gimmick - i can attest to that cuz i own the 135DC

when the DC is set to 0, it's razor sharp

and if u don't need to resolve facial hair on the subject's face, forcing the DC to R=2 or R=2.8 or even R=4 can force extra bokeh that's not available on a straight-up f/2 lens.

it's not AF-S, has no VR, no nano coating, but for the cost i recently acquired it for (USD 1050 on eBay 2nd-hand), it's totally worth it compared to $1700 for brand-new 85/1.4G.

if i could afford it, i'd totally have a 3-prime kit of 24/1.4, 50/1.4, and the 135DC, and I'm practically "set-for-life"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

studio460
Nikon is discontinuing F-mount lenses: Which are on your hit-list?
2
Replies
31
Views
62K
studio460
studio460
studio460
Nikon FM3A | Nikon Df: Lens compatibility . . .
Replies
16
Views
32K
GeoffRG
G
C
Which first Tilt-shift solution for Nikon Z8
Replies
9
Views
6K
NAwlins Contrarian
N
S
Nikon Price Increase Partially Reverted??
Replies
10
Views
5K
Daniel Bliss
D
Mike Sandman
  • Solved
Focus problem with Rokinon or Samyang 135mm f/1.8?
Replies
12
Views
14K
dtc25
dtc25

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top