I am a professional wedding photographer and I shoot a number of Nikon fixes. I've used the Nikon 85mm 1.4G as a telephoto lens for years, but always wanted a little more coverage. Prior to the release of the 105mm 1.4E lens, the downside to Nikon's main line of telephoto lenses was that their DC series (105 and 135mm) had not been updated since their release in the '90s. When the 105mm 1.4E came out I was very excited and pre-ordered. After 3 months of shooting in the field, here are some observations: 1) This SHARP lens is wide open. It outperforms the 85mm 1.4G in sharpness and contrast. The colors are beautiful, right. Like the 58mm 1.4G, this lens looks completely different. It can isolate objects in a special way and really makes them stand out in pictures. The nano-coating blocks glare well and preserves contrast and color, which is very useful for me as I often shoot at sunset. 2) Make no mistake, the 105 is comparable in size to the monstrous Canon 85mm 1.2. It's very large (fits an 82mm filter!) and quite heavy, over 2 pounds. I do notice its weight when it's in a camera bag compared to the 85mm 1.4G. That's the main downside of this lens for me because when you're shooting weddings for 8+ hours you feel the weight of that piece of glass on the lens Shoulder. It's well balanced on my D4s but feels heavy on my D810.3) Autofocus speed and tracking is about 30% faster and more accurate than the 85mm 1.4G lens. It's not a speed demon like the 70-200, but it's the fastest Nikon Prime lens I've seen. . I shot it in the rain and everything was fine. The focus ring is large and nicely muted. 5) The price is steep, but if portrait photography is your bread and butter and you like a telephoto lens, then this lens is for you. Happy shooting!
π· Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G Lens with Auto Focus: Perfect for Nikon DSLR Cameras
76 Review
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Fixed Lens - Discontinued by Manufacturer
93 Review
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G Auto Focus Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras - Black (Model 2183)
125 Review
Canon EOS SLR Camera Lens EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM
124 Review