Customer Reviews

Nikon 105mm f/2.0D AF DC-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(0)
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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.

As a pro photographer for many years I have had the chance to try a large amount of lenses. This lens is one of my all time favorites.

It is already very sharp even wide open and from 2.8 on it is simply brilliant. The vignetting even at f/2 is less than other lenses in that range. The AF is quick and if used with a a D3 or D700 or D300 or newer camera it is also very quiet.

The magic of this lens is the wonderful bokeh (quality of the out of focus areas). My main work is portrait photography and I end up using this lens for the majority of my work.

The DC control is often not understood well. It "over-corrects" the spherical abberation of the lens to the front or back. As a result either the front or back of the subject will appear slightly softer. In reality the effect is subtle and since you will have to adjust the DC control ring each time according to your aperture setting *and* you will have to refocus each time you touch the DC ring, I end up not using this feature at all.

The overall built quality of the lens is excellent and solid. Manual focus is smooth. The built in lens hood is useful and locks in.

I have compared this lens to different 105 mm lenses and this one is the best lens in that range you can get. I would highly recommend getting this lens before Nikon decided to discontinue it.

There is one slight con to this lens at least when shooting with a D3. I noticed that only the 5 center AF points are accurate with this lens. When I used outer the AF points, the focus is slightly off in my photos. I have verified this with lots of tests. It is not a big deal for me as I use the center AF points all the time when I do head shots and portraits anyway. And yes it is only with this lens, all my other lenses are accurate with all AF points, so my camera is definitely calibrated correctly. Other photographer using this lens have confirmed my findings.

Again this is no issue for me and it is my most used lens for portrait work. The look of the photos is just wonderful, smooth and the subject seems to pop.

Many examples of my work with this lens can be found on flickr user: childish_david

I bought this several months ago to fill a gap and I got it for $300 cheaper than the 85 1.4. They're comparable in many respects and you really can't go wrong with either lens.

The DC 9(distortion control) is a bit tricky. I've not used it much, the bokeh is creamy enough without it. It's a beautiful lens. I wish I could say more about it, you know, make an educated comparison between it and the 85 1.4, or the legendary 105 2.5, but I can't. I know that it handles like a cadillac and I look for opportunities to use it. (I shoot theater with it. I use its fast 2.0 aperature to selectively focus on one person at a time.

I'm very pleased with it and will not part with it.

If you are a Pro, or use a Nikon FX format camera and know the difference between D and F, this review's not for you.

This is a commentary for the average neighborhood guy, like me, likely using a D-format Nikon, who likes cameras and wonders whether this lens is worth the cool $1,000 it costs.

The answer is, "Absolutely worth it!". I've used this lens in its various incarnations beginning in 1976, on the then-Nikon FE and F3. I fell in love with it and rarely used any other lens. I did the kids thing, kids in the garden, kids around the Christmas tree, kids at the beach. That lens made me look like a pro. When I discovered "close-up rings", I realized it was simply the best all-around lens I could own. I did much flower imaging, and in those days, there was not defocus control (on the affordable model, anyway), nonetheless, I got rich, black, blurred backgrounds, setting off brilliant blooms. The only thing it wasn't good for was getting Ma and Pa and the kids all in a single shot in a crowded dining room - that required a less-expensive zoom (the "family holiday dinner" type of lens.

This current incarnation, with my D70 and D7000, is still the finest piece of glass I've ever owned. It would be the single lens I would choose, could I have only one. The D-format Nikons don't have the dynamic range of the F-format cameras, but they don't cost $3,800+, either. This particular lens, I would swear, seems to compensate for much for this. It provides a sharpness and color depth that is more real than the stock lenses that come with D Nikons. Put your daughter in the garden, against a colored brick or stone wall, with a little greenery around her, set the defocus control a couple of notches in the "B" (background defocus) direction, open the Nikon up a half-stop, and you'll feel like National Geo material, I'll promise you!

The question might be, can I do this with a less expensive zoom, or the 85mm micro? Answer is no. Period. Those lenses are very good, and have their purpose. But for faces, kids, relatives, and for flowers and details (with a close-up attachment), no Nikon lens in the affordable range can even come close to this. I've never had any light leakage issues, never any vignetting (but, then, the D-format Nikons rarely have that issue, unlike the more expensive FXs.

This 105 has a long and honorable tradition. Just choke, and buy it. Read all the Amazon folks' reviews. It's a SUPERB piece of glass.

I've read a bit about focus problems and the like, but I have not had that issue. Any autofocus lens will fight for focus with geometric patterns, very high or very low contrasts, and the like. You might, as I do, prefer manual focus. Just be certain that you understand how to set your camera body to manual focus first, and set the lens to manual focus, because conflicting lens and body focusing mode can truly damage the camera frame. I would also suggest that you spend some time understanding the camera's focus choices, for choices are many lately, and not completely understood in 10 minutes (at least, for this writer, a very ordinary guy who enjoys cameras and portraiture).

Get the Nikon 72mm "NC" protective lens to screw on the front, because I suspect this lens will remain on your camera pretty much full time.

It is worth it, well worth the cost. There is chatter about future obsolescence of this lens, and should that happen (doubtful), it likely would become quite costly (some of the older Nikon lenses have done just that).

It's been 15 years or so since my manual focus 105 with my FE, and I'm now ecstatic again!

Cons: Very expensive, and slightly bulky.
Pros: Simple to use, superb quality, and makes the average amateur feel like a pro.

I have been using this remarkable lens for 6 months now and wanted to share with potential buyers that this is one sensational Nikon lens. The quality of the glass puts it in the top echelon of professional lenses. I have not found a need to use the manual defocus feature much, other than to test it, as the lens captures such strikingly good pictures without it. It provides the most incredible detail features in the prime focus area, and marvelous smooth & creamy out-of-focus "Bokeh" for the background areas.

We have a wonderful 1 year old snow white cat who has the most beautiful eyes,(1 blue and 1 green) and this lenses captures every color pigment variation, every surface capillary in her eyes, just unbelievable exquisite face details, that are simply breathtaking to view. I have used this lens for outdoor flower pictures that capture all the minute details of a flower while providing a rich creamy blurriness to the background areas. While not technically a macro lens it works well in close-up nature pictures and using the fill flash I can stop the wings of a hovering honey bee entering a flower with astonishing details of the bee and the flower. This superb high quality lens generates enthusiasm to use it often to see the stunning results that are possible. You will not be disappointed with this lens. The only con I have is with the balky lens hood. It does not extend with a smooth motion, but this is a very very minor issue and does not affect the satisfaction I have for the lens.

It is a 5+ star lens in my book, and the best lens I have discovered since I first caught the photography bug in 1965 with a new Topcon Super D 35m single lens reflex camera and a half dozen Topcor lenses. The new digital cameras today are amazing, and with a lens like this Nikon 105mm f/2.0D AF/DC you have the cream of the crop. I think it's razor sharp high quality images will surprise you.

If you have been using kit lenses or maybe a step above but have been wondering if the step up to a pro piece of glass was worth the money; well I'm to tell you it is. The first picture I took was a head shot of a female friend. WOW WOW and WOW again. Even my friend was stunned. 3D like image, sharp and clear with cream cheese bokeh. Shot at f/2 and the image pops due to the shallow dof and bokeh.

The lens itself is something special to behold. Heavy and built like a tank. I now truly know what pro glass feels like to hold and use. It makes every other lens I have,except my nifty fifty, seem like a toy. This lens focuses fast and sure with no searchng like my others. So fast the first time that it caught me off guard.

The photos are stunning. They are life-like. Colorful, 3D, almost coming off the print.

This is by no means a technical review. I'll leave that to the engineers and pros, but on the end product where it counts this lens is a 10! Just from the response so far, I know this lens will make me money for a long time and is worth every penny of the price.

If you are reading this it means you are probably interested in purchasing this lens. STOP! Read no further and buy it already. You will not be disappointed.

Now to find my next piece of pro glass. 17-55 f/2.8? Hmm. :-)

I own: D80 waiting for D400?, 105mm dc, 50mm f1.4, 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 18-135mm kit

I have read the vast reviews left about this beast which say many of the things I also find true. To make this short and concise, this is the best lens I have ever used optically, build quality and of course the DC. This lens is pinpoint sharper than my 16-35 F4, blows my 50mm 1.4G away while providing killer depth of field. Buy it now before it is discontinued and skyrockets to $3,000 used. Cheers...

Wow! I love this lens. For portraits or other short depth of field photography, the image quality just can't be beat. The defocus ring takes some getting used to (as it's another thing you need to remember to adjust), but it really does work. You can also just leave the ring in it's default position, never worry about it again, and still take some amazing photos. Even though it's not AF-S, the focusing is pretty quick and accurate. It's not a lens for fast sports, but it's MUCH better than some other non-AF-S lens in my bag. I highly recommend this lens!