Nikon 105Mm F2 Af Dc-Nikkor Lens

This is an absolutely amazing lens. It takes unbelievable pictures with sharpness and bokeh that will knock your socks off; optically, it's probably one of the best three Nikon lenses available. The bokeh isn't just creamy - it looks like an oil painting. Virtually every picture properly shot reminds me of the paint scenes from "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams - it's that amazing. Frequently, I don't understand how a lens can make things look the way this lens does. It does more than record reality - it enhances it.

In my opinion, this lens outperforms the 85 1.4, in the right hands. And there's the key - this lens is probably too much for all but the most dedicated photographers. You really have to know what you're doing to get the most out of this lens. For a number of reasons, dilettantes are likely to get inferior images; most importantly, at this focal length, if you aren't using the right shutter speed, even a tiny bit of camera shake will kill your sharpness (the weight of this lens doesn't help, either). This lens is one stop slower than the 85, so in any given situation, your shutter speed is likely to be twice as long if you're trying to maximize background blurring (although the DC more than makes up for that if you know how to use it). And the extremely shallow depth of field can be hard to handle; I almost always manually focus with this lens because autofocus, while fast and accurate, just doesn't allow this lens to perform to its true potential. Finally, more than any other lens I use, and for reasons I don't fully understand, the viewfinder is NOT a completely accurate representation of the final picture you will get from this lens, and that takes some getting used to. Neither the viewfinder nor the LCD is capable of rendering the subtle patterns of light that this lens can generate. There's a certain luminosity to the pictures that is only first appreciable when you can actually look at the RAW file on a good monitor, and it's breathtaking, but you're not always expecting it. So, you have to know how this lens behaves while you're shooting with it, and that takes more practice and dedication than most people are willing to devote - they want to mount a lens and start snapping away.

For those who are agonizing between this and the 85 1.4: the 85 1.4 is, in my opinion, a much more forgiving lens because it doesn't have the sheer unbelievable resolving power that this lens does, especially in the borders. The 85 1.4 allows even inexperienced photographers to take contrasty, eye-popping shots with nice bokeh (once they can learn to deal with the depth-of-field issues, of course). This lens can do better, because it was designed to, but you really have to know exactly how to handle it - it's a nightmare in the hands of those who don't really know their camera. It's also a good bit heavier than the 85 and hangs off the body a bit more - the picture doesn't really illustrate the heft of the lens. On the other hand, it doesn't have the 85's more persnickety lens hood - it has a retractable lens hood that is much more convenient and can't get lost or scratch the lens body.

If you're a very serious amateur or pro, you will absolutely love this lens and you will enjoy the process of learning its intricacies. It's especially nice for portraits, its intended purpose, but of course has the optical quality to do everything well (except macro - it has a rather longish minimum focusing distance). If you're an amateur who wants a general-purpose lens to take great pictures, this lens will only amplify your shortcomings and bring you frustration, so I recommend you stick with the 85 1.4 if you have this much cash to spend. If you want a walkabout lens, I'd also go with the 85 - this lens is a bit heavy for that in my opinion, though both are a bit long in focal length as a general purpose lens for my taste. I prefer a 35 or 50 for that, depending on what I plan to shoot.

EDIT: As everyone always says, this lens is primarily for portraits. Its resolving characteristics do in fact make it great for portraits of women and children (the majority of portraiture clients in my experience). For men, I prefer the 85/1.4 or even the 50/1.4 if you're dealing with an interesting face. I have used it on men on occasion, but only when I'm going for the particular effect that DC provides. Most men don't imagine themselves the way this lens will render them.

This is easily the best portrait lens in production today. It is also the sharpest lens I have ever used. I currently own the 17-35mm, a 70-200mm VR, and other sharp prime glass but this one is hands-down THE best. The DC control is not difficult at all to use. I keep hearing people complaining about how "tricky" it is to use and how it has a high learning curve and bla, bla, bla. I honestly don't understand their claims. Bottom line is...if you can do simple math; you can use the DC ring. Period. The 85mm f1.4 seems to be more popular but it is NOT better. It is not a portrait lens wide open either due to its shallow DOF. This 105mm is massive and sings on a D700. The built-in hood is very convenient and simple to use.

This masterpiece will definitely rock any DX body out there and shows no signs of vignetting on FX (just like my 70-200mm VR should but doesn't.) It produces almost three dimensional images....really shocking indeed. If you crave cream-cheese bokeh...almost oil-painting like.....get this thing. I will take mine to the grave as it will never ever leave my side. Any serious portrait shooter should own this classic. A MUST have.

This is one of my favorite lens in my arsenal and certainly my best for portraits. I prefer this lens over my 85mm f/1.4.

Pros -

- A sharp prime lens

- Fast at f/2, sharp even in the corners

- Fast AF (faster than 85mm f/1.4) and nearly as fast as my AF-S lenses

- Defocus capability - it does work but need some playing with

- Solid Nikkor construction/metal body with rubber rings - there's no mistaken it's a high-end Nikon lens

Cons -

- Less contrast than say a newer lens with nano-crystal coating (or more ED lenses) but arguably more favorable for people/portraits

- It's a tad pricey but you get what you pay for

I use this as a walk around lens frequently, particularly on a normal day when I'm not lazy. Prime lens helps me with my photography training and more awareness around composition. This lens balances superbly with my D300.

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