Why a new 105 mm lens?

Vipmediastar_JZ

Ironheart said:

You don't necessarily buy a 1.4 to shoot at 1.4 100% either. A few clicks down will make a super sharp lens with still good bokeh. A f/1.4 lens stopped down to f/2 will be better than a f/2 lens wide open.

Excellent Point.

I shoot my 1.2/1.4/1.8 usually 2 stops down for the reasons of more sharpness with good bokeh as a starting point.

There are times were I do shoot wide open to be creative but as I have learned here stopping it down 2 stops will give you a sharper image and also more light to begin with. If you obsess with bokeh for portraits like I do this is good.

The 105 2.8 macro ant close distance it auto switches to F4. At f4 the bokeh is nice but could be better. Regardless its a nice lense but for portraits I would be interested in the new one.

nek4life

I use my macro lens for portraits sometimes as well. It's definitely not a constant aperture like Vipmediastar said which can be a bummer. I'd love to snag this lens, but the price tag is really up there (at least for me.) I'm really hoping for a 135 1.8g at around half the price.

WestEndFoto

You can do worse than buy the DC.

donaldejose

A well designed 135 f1.8 might do just as well in bokeh as a 105 f1.4.

WestEndFoto

donaldejose said:

A well designed 135 f1.8 might do just as well in bokeh as a 105 f1.4.

That would be pretty close. Here is hoping for both a 135 1.4 and 1.8. They would probably be $4,000 and $1,200.

NSXTypeR

Vipmediastar_JZ said:

Ironheart said:

You don't necessarily buy a 1.4 to shoot at 1.4 100% either. A few clicks down will make a super sharp lens with still good bokeh. A f/1.4 lens stopped down to f/2 will be better than a f/2 lens wide open.

Excellent Point.

I shoot my 1.2/1.4/1.8 usually 2 stops down for the reasons of more sharpness with good bokeh as a starting point.

There are times were I do shoot wide open to be creative but as I have learned here stopping it down 2 stops will give you a sharper image and also more light to begin with. If you obsess with bokeh for portraits like I do this is good.

The 105 2.8 macro ant close distance it auto switches to F4. At f4 the bokeh is nice but could be better. Regardless its a nice lense but for portraits I would be interested in the new one.

For me the 105mm macro drops down to F4.8 at closest focusing distance. It's a pretty big drop, but by that time you're not really doing portraits anymore right?

spraynpray

NSXTypeR said:

For me the 105mm macro drops down to F4.8 at closest focusing distance. It's a pretty big drop, but by that time you're not really doing portraits anymore right?

...Or shooting macro as you would have no appreciable DoF at f2.8 or 4.8. Even if you stack you don't shoot that wide, you shoot at the optimum aperture for the lens and distance.

WestEndFoto

Unless I am shooting postage stamps with my 60mm 2.8 macro in low light handheld. Then 1.4 would be nice.

Vipmediastar_JZ

Here's a photo from Vincent Versace Nikon Ambasador

starralazn

Vipmediastar_JZ said:

Here's a photo from Vincent Versace Nikon Ambasador

idk if this off topic, but the framing of this shot seems odd. my eye doesn't really rest on the model, the negative space in the background is too distracting. or is there something i'm missing? the oof elements are great, and it seems sharp and colorful, but still..

pictureted

I think it's a captivating image. It also utilizes the capabilities of the lens and demonstrates exactly why I want it.

I don't look at the other 105's and 135's as the optical competition - I see it competing with the 200/2 - at a lower cost and smaller size.

That's why I'm seriously considering it. But, it has to be a lot better than the Zeiss 100/2 or Nikon 105/2.5 (my current favorites) to warrant the cost. Maybe when Nikon offers a rebate...

Vipmediastar_JZ

@starralazn I may agree with you on the composite. This shot is mostly just a quick test shot for samples. I do tend to have weird framing and composites myself so it doesnt bother me too much. As for the Sample shot the bokeh is nice.

I been shooting the 300mm f4E and I still shoot the 58mm 1.4g for bokeh purposes. I think the 300mm is fine but sometimes framing the shot is hard due to the focal lenght but it is still good.

starralazn

@Vipmediastar_JZ oh it gets harder to frame the longer you go eh. yeah that makes sense.

spraynpray

subject near the edge of frame looking out always grates with me.

rmp

I agree, subject near the edge looking out puts an "implied leading line" in my head and I want to see what the subject was looking at or for.

WestEndFoto

I find it odd and if she faced the other way, that would be fixed. But I doubt composition was really the point of the shot......

donaldejose

If that photo appeared on the "Critique my Image " thread it would get a lot of responses that he composition is incorrect because the model should be looking into the photo space and standing on the edge of it looking out. However, in this case the real subject of the image is not the model in blue; it is the bokeh of the posts behind her.

pictureted

I like the tension "doing it wrong" gives the photo. Too many shots look just the same.

snakebunk

I think it is a nice photograph. I get the feeling that she is dreaming of something else, of getting away from the room she is in.

WestEndFoto

There we go snakebunk. That is a great reason for a composition like that.

Vipmediastar_JZ

@snakebunk if that photo was taken in Cuba as his previous shots wer it could be very powerful if that is indeed what she was thinking about: Getting away from Cuba.
I on the other hand would love to visit there. Well just to take photos anyways.

AmericanLoonie

I don't think any of his Cuba shots were with the 105. I am willing to bet that some further defocusing of some kind was done in post on that shot with the model looking outside the frame. If I am wrong, I'm sold on that evidence alone: the way it disolves those harsh lines from the vanishing columns is most impressive. I also agree with donaldejose and think the composition works specifically because of the high-quality out-of-focus area behind her.

I am dying to see some well done comparisons of the same photos taken with this new lens and the 105 f2 DC (with properly executed defocusing). After all the reading I have done since this lens was announced, I'll buy the winner – I'm now convinced I want a nice 105 and the camera fund hasn't been tapped in a while...

donaldejose

A strong contrary opinion.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkaBr3HXiMk

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeTZRljLPrA&t=0s

Vipmediastar_JZ

Is that Ken R? Reviewing an item that isn't available on his person yet.

AmericanLoonie

Haha, right? Lots of self aggrandizing in those vids, or attempts at it... He reminds me of a right-wing radio host going on a rant without an ounce of evidence to show – he even mentioned comparison samples were going to be provided and they never materialize, but still formulated part of his argument based on that. The sexist twang when discussing street walkers and the like is also highly questionable, let alone the yada yada yada re: a "switcheroo" – which is just absurd.

All that said, I must admit I am now thinking it would be advantageous to purchase a 105 DC and 135 DC instead of this thing... Won't cost me much more and I love old style Nikkors... I just want to play the timing:pricing game right!

I would also like to add that I feel one particular photographers images have been used to make a bunch of points that may or may not have value in this discussion... Can we all assess these samples instead and take the discussion from there? Some of these shots are simply gorgeous aside from the lemony bokeh balls...

https://lemag.iamyourstory.fr/nouveau-nikkor-105mm/