Review on 📷 Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED Lens - Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras by Steven Brouillard

This is an absolutely brilliant lens. At first it's just absurd to have f/1.4 at 105mm, but other than that it's not a case of a lens being uselessly wide open. This is an f/1.4 lens that you can actually use at f/1.4 as it's very sharp even wide open. Cover it up a little and it becomes even clearer. Because it's an "E" lens, some older cameras can't control the aperture, leaving the lens wide open on those cameras. Personally, I'm a little sad that I can't fully utilize this lens with any film camera, but if it's stuck at aperture I'd rather have this lens wide open than closed if I ever decide to do it that way. As you can probably imagine, the size and weight of a 105mm f/1.4 lens is no joke. It's a pretty big lens that sometimes scares people on the other side. It's something a lot of people don't really think about, and since people are used to being modeled or photographed, it might not affect them, but it might take some family members a while to get used to it. And as for carrying it around for street photography - yes, I've actually tried it - be prepared to be greeted with suspicion, like you're some sort of stalker. Jokes aside, this is definitely a large lens and if you're going to be shooting long shots or carrying your camera for long periods of time I would definitely consider the weight and size. I have found that having a strap is very helpful in this regard. Perhaps because 105mm is a really good length for portraits people assume it's a portrait lens and while it's great for that purpose I wouldn't choose it. need not be classified as such. Its technical excellence makes it useful for all types of shooting. Ironically, there's a group of people who just don't like these portrait lenses because they feel the sharpness is working against them, bringing out all the detail - read: flaws - in the skin. I can sympathize with this to a degree and agree that sharpness shouldn't be the whole/end of a lens review. That said, I would like to point out that you can soften the features in post if you have a sharp lens, but if you don't have a sharp lens you won't be able to accurately reproduce detail. This lens will compete with Nikon's own 105mm f/2 DC lens, which is an older autofocus design with Nikon's "De-Focus Control" system. The 105mm f/2 DC is a great lens in its own right and is very sharp too. However, the two lenses are completely different and just display images differently. While the new lens was likely released as a replacement, I wouldn't see it as a spiritual successor to the old lens. Don't get me wrong, DC doesn't compare to 1.4E in terms of picture quality, but I definitely think it has some desirable qualities that didn't carry over to 1.4E. more suitable for. I think part of that has to do with how we rate lenses that have evolved since all these sites doing lab tests and assigning performance numbers. While there are many technical specifications that we can objectively measure, we should be aware that many photographs are subjective and there are aspects of lens makeup that are difficult to quantify. So if you already have a 105mm f/2 DC, I would suggest trying both before deciding to "upgrade". A paragon of technical excellence, the new 105mm f/1.4E is a stunning example of modern lens design. When attached to the D810 the lens focuses very well and I don't need micro AF. -Corrections. The focus speed isn't very fast - there's a lot of large glass to be moved - so I don't know how well this will work for someone looking for a lens for indoor sports or other fast action. I've tried to photograph some moving animals every now and then and have had a hit or two, but it's entirely possible that it's due to my technique as I don't really do this type of photography. I am very happy to have added this lens to my arsenal and since getting it it has been a reliable workhorse for me. I would advise everyone to try it. In an increasingly competitive market, I firmly believe that Nikon has hit the mark with this particular version. Now if they just release the new 50mm and 135mm. -------------------- Update: I recently took the lens to a soccer game and it seems my initial concerns about the autofocus speed were largely unfounded as I feel had that the lens is good overall performs excellently. I uploaded a few photos and while there were a few misses, I ended up with a lot more goalies than I initially expected. Of course, football is probably not the best sport to shoot with this lens given the relatively short focal length for the size of the pitch, but I just wanted to put it to a real test and I'd say it passed with flying colors. .