Legend by name Legend by nature

[Westmill]

This lens has just arrived, brand new and a superb sample.

Sharp right upto the edges even wide open @ F2 I can choose any focus point and it is spot on. From F2.8 it is simply biting sharp. The bokeh is simply superb.

My verdict on this lens is short n sweet.... The best portrait lens money can buy

I can not wait to try it out properly. These are my first test shots. All shot wide open @ F2 of course with the obligatory 100 % crop thrown in !

Nikon 105mm F2.... Nikon D810

100 % crop from above @ F2... Nikon D810

 

[Van Griff]

W

Congrats on the new lens and looking good coupled with the D810!

Will be interesting to see how it performs for you with the D810 . . . some say the older lens designs can't keep up with the resolving power of the modern sensors . . . particularly the 36MP D810.

Fab lens . . . I'm sure you will love it . . . I love mine . . . prob my fav lens!!!

Best,

V G

 

[Westmill]

W

Congrats on the new lens and looking good coupled with the D810!

Will be interesting to see how it performs for you with the D810 . . . some say the older lens designs can't keep up with the resolving power of the modern sensors . . . particularly the 36MP D810.

Fab lens . . . I'm sure you will love it . . . I love mine . . . prob my fav lens!!!

Best,

V G

I have the 85mm F1.8 D too and I love that also. Neither of these suffer from focus shift and are biting sharp. The 85mm F1.8 D produces some very nice images also. Stop down to F2.8 and beyond with either of these and they are blistering sharp even at the edges with the D810 or DF.

85mm F1.8 D @ F1.8

85mm F1.8 D @ F1.8

The 105 mm F2 DC is sharper and slightly better contrast wide open. From F2.8 both are blistering sharp. Just dam hard to beat the bokeh from the 105

 

[annettep38]

Thanks for the review..

inspiring!

I owned the 135 f/2 DC (see below) and I was really torn between the 105 and the 135. Since I had to replace a lot of my gear, guess what was the first lens I bought again. Can't wait to pick it up at customs on Monday

Most people would have bought the 24-70 first.

 

[Van Griff]

W

Congrats on the new lens and looking good coupled with the D810!

Will be interesting to see how it performs for you with the D810 . . . some say the older lens designs can't keep up with the resolving power of the modern sensors . . . particularly the 36MP D810.

Fab lens . . . I'm sure you will love it . . . I love mine . . . prob my fav lens!!!

Best,

V G

I have the 85mm F1.8 D too and I love that also. Neither of these suffer from focus shift and are biting sharp. The 85mm F1.8 D produces some very nice images also. Stop down to F2.8 and beyond with either of these and they are blistering sharp even at the edges with the D810 or DF.

85mm F1.8 D @ F1.8

85mm F1.8 D @ F1.8

The 105 mm F2 DC is sharper and slightly better contrast wide open. From F2.8 both are blistering sharp. Just dam hard to beat the bokeh from the 105

W

I also have the 85 f/1.8 D . . . and while it is plenty sharp it's bokeh can be a little harsh or busy at times . . . and with the 105DC being so magnificently superior in the bokeh department the 85 rarely gets used . . . at least certainly not in portrait situations.

My 105DC is reasonably sharp at f/2 and stopped down a stop or two that sharpness increases nicely.

While the 105DC is adequately sharp at f/2 when shooting at f/2 if I want to enhance the sharpness of the focal point . . . say an eye or whatever . . . I will apply PICCURE+ via a layer mask.

PICCURE+ does a fabulous job of correcting optical aberrations and it maximizes performance of a lens when shooting wide open . . . ie at f/2 with the 105DC . . . as you stop down the lens inherently performs better and PICCURE+ provides less correction.

Check it out if you haven't already . . .

PICCURE+

. . . it will put the performance of your 105DC over the top at f/2!

Best,

V G

 

[don bestbyte]

I think you are exaggerating...And I think you lack experience in using top notch modern lens. Once you do then you will realise how wrong you are about 105mm. You are making bold claims with small sample. Upload the full size sample and I will believe you.

 

[Ray Sachs]

I think you are exaggerating...And I think you lack experience in using top notch modern lens. Once you do then you will realise how wrong you are about 105mm. You are making bold claims with small sample. Upload the full size sample and I will believe you.

He's expressing an opinion - it's not a detailed technical review. We all know it's a relatively older lens and is susceptible to CA, but it's also more than sharp enough for it's intended use as a portrait lens and has sublime bokeh. Nothing wrong with expressing some enthusiasm for such a lens. Judging lenses isn't all about test charts - not by a long shot!

-Ray
--------------------------------------
We judge photographers by the photographs we see. We judge cameras by the photographs we miss - Haim Zamir

Ray

Explore Ray’s 2,013 photos on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

 

[Westmill]

I think you are exaggerating...And I think you lack experience in using top notch modern lens. Once you do then you will realise how wrong you are about 105mm. You are making bold claims with small sample. Upload the full size sample and I will believe you.

Amusing at best

 

[Westmill]

I think you are exaggerating...And I think you lack experience in using top notch modern lens. Once you do then you will realise how wrong you are about 105mm. You are making bold claims with small sample. Upload the full size sample and I will believe you.

He's expressing an opinion - it's not a detailed technical review. We all know it's a relatively older lens and is susceptible to CA, but it's also more than sharp enough for it's intended use as a portrait lens and has sublime bokeh. Nothing wrong with expressing some enthusiasm for such a lens. Judging lenses isn't all about test charts - not by a long shot!

-Ray
--------------------------------------
We judge photographers by the photographs we see. We judge cameras by the photographs we miss - Haim Zamir
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20889767@N05/

Yes CAs are a little high but easily fixed as we know DXO rate the lens very highly for sharpness too. Its a shame it was not tested on a D800 as yet. It is notably sharper than my 60mm F2.8 G lens and this holds true for DXO sharpness values. The sharpness came as no surprise as I do my homework. It came down to this lens or the Nikon 85mm F1.4. It was a close thing, but the focus shift of the 85mm was perhaps the straw that broke the camels back Very happy with my choice... its simply superb

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www.dxomark.com

 

[Westmill]

That looks rather interesting ! Thank you for that

 

[Westmill]

Thanks for the review..

inspiring!

I owned the 135 f/2 DC (see below) and I was really torn between the 105 and the 135. Since I had to replace a lot of my gear, guess what was the first lens I bought again. Can't wait to pick it up at customs on Monday

Most people would have bought the 24-70 first.

 

[Peter3579]

Interesting thread.

i have some funds at the moment and can't decide between this or the 58mm.

i know there is quite a difference in focal length but did you consider it?

 

[Westmill]

Interesting thread.

i have some funds at the moment and can't decide between this or the 58mm.

i know there is quite a difference in focal length but did you consider it?

Yes I did.... very carefully ! I decided my 60mm F2.8 macro was sharper and itself gives very nice bokeh and its also sharper, not to mention its usefulness for the odd macro. A simple case of happy enough for that focal length. The 58 or 60 I find very handy in reality. I have no problem shooting full length body shots to decent head and shoulder. I can do the same with an 85mm in the studio, but only just. My back is up against the wall.

In contrast, the 105 DC is sharper than both but the longer focal length does serve to restrict its usage ! Outdoors this is neither here or there of course. The point is that it can make a difference to what and where you shoot. As I am very fond of the 60mm focal length the 58 was certainly on the short list. As Ray said... sharpness is not everything. The 58, just like this 105 produces beautiful images. The image is what its all about to me, nothing is more important than content. A really nice rendering is a huge bonus while sharpness is a bonus but far less so than the other two !

The 58 85 F1.4 G and this 105 are all pretty special lenses. The 58 grabbed my attention for another reason too... the 58 is another lens that does not suffer from focus shift ! Its a hard choice as all 3 are superb in there own right. I had my own reasons for my choice but of course that was just me personally ! Lots of reviews out there and all sing nothing but praise for the 105 DC. First impressions are that the reviews are accurate

 

[Westmill]

This is hardly a great sample it was a quick n rough shot in jpg. I could not shoot raw as I am not in the studio right now and lack a program on this laptop to develop RAW files from the D810s. This is the 105 F2 DC at F2.8 It does not do it real justice but I think its clear that it is really sharp right into the corners at just F2.8.

Nikon 105 F2 DC @ F2.8 ( jpg )

100 % crop from above

 

[YRUNVS]

I think you are exaggerating...And I think you lack experience in using top notch modern lens. Once you do then you will realise how wrong you are about 105mm. You are making bold claims with small sample. Upload the full size sample and I will believe you.

200 F2 Modern enough for you? I own that lens and would support a statement that the DC lenses are magnificent portrait lenses. (I own the 135 which renders similarly but is a touch less sharp than the 105 by most accounts).

 

[YRUNVS]

Interesting thread.

i have some funds at the moment and can't decide between this or the 58mm.

i know there is quite a difference in focal length but did you consider it?

Yes I did.... very carefully ! I decided my 60mm F2.8 macro was sharper and itself gives very nice bokeh and its also sharper, not to mention its usefulness for the odd macro. A simple case of happy enough for that focal length. The 58 or 60 I find very handy in reality. I have no problem shooting full length body shots to decent head and shoulder. I can do the same with an 85mm in the studio, but only just. My back is up against the wall.

In contrast, the 105 DC is sharper than both but the longer focal length does serve to restrict its usage ! Outdoors this is neither here or there of course. The point is that it can make a difference to what and where you shoot. As I am very fond of the 60mm focal length the 58 was certainly on the short list. As Ray said... sharpness is not everything. The 58, just like this 105 produces beautiful images. The image is what its all about to me, nothing is more important than content. A really nice rendering is a huge bonus while sharpness is a bonus but far less so than the other two !

The 58 85 F1.4 G and this 105 are all pretty special lenses. The 58 grabbed my attention for another reason too... the 58 is another lens that does not suffer from focus shift ! Its a hard choice as all 3 are superb in there own right. I had my own reasons for my choice but of course that was just me personally ! Lots of reviews out there and all sing nothing but praise for the 105 DC. First impressions are that the reviews are accurate

I find myself trying to ignore the 58 1.4G thread on FM. It has a very lovely rendering, but 50-60mm isn't a FL I use a lot. A part of me wonders if it is because I haven't used the right lens in that FL (I currently have 3 primes in that range), but thankfully I've been able to keep that part of me away from my credit cards. In addition to the a nice rendering of the completely OOF portions of the image, the 58 does a very nice job on the transition areas around the plane of focus.

 

[annettep38]

We'll see.. my 135 is already in the customs checkout, all I have to do is the 120km trip to pay and pick it up. I never used my 85 again after I bought the DC the first time.

The bokeh is to die for, I think the 58mm is too expensive and not that practical for portraits.

here is a link to a different situation where the big aperture came in handy

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500px.com

but of course it shines with bokeh wide open, even at ground level

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500px.com

Yes, i know this is about the 105.. but then they are so similar!

 

[Peter3579]

Thank you for the detailed response.

i have the 60mm g. Years ago after a time with consumer body and short zoom I decided to buy a "proper" camera and purchased a used FM2 + 28, 50 and 105 AI. I found I rarely used the 50mm so I hesitate to buy the 58.

One final question. I see you are in the UK, can I ask where you bought it?

Thanks.

Peter

 

[Westmill]

Thank you for the detailed response.

i have the 60mm g. Years ago after a time with consumer body and short zoom I decided to buy a "proper" camera and purchased a used FM2 + 28, 50 and 105 AI. I found I rarely used the 50mm so I hesitate to buy the 58.

One final question. I see you are in the UK, can I ask where you bought it?

Thanks.

Peter

I bough the 105 F2 DC off ebay, but, it came from a shop I often use in Scotland !

At £608 I thought it to be a bit of a bargain

 

[Westmill]

Thank you for the detailed response.

i have the 60mm g. Years ago after a time with consumer body and short zoom I decided to buy a "proper" camera and purchased a used FM2 + 28, 50 and 105 AI. I found I rarely used the 50mm so I hesitate to buy the 58.

One final question. I see you are in the UK, can I ask where you bought it?

Thanks.

Peter

I think the difference between 50 and 60mm makes a larger difference than you would think. Despite it often being quoted as... can be used as a standard lens.... mmmmm

I think that 60 is about as low as I would go for decent portraits. Of course I realise that any lens can but to good use for a bit of artistic merit I have even used a fisheye in the past lol