AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED

I have this lens on my Z8 with the FTZ adaptor. I also have the Z 85 f1.2 and the Plena. I love all three but, the images from the 105mm at f1.4 have a special look to them. And no issues with the auto focus.

May not be meant to excel on a DSLR but excels 10 fold on Mirrorless Z cameras. I have owned several Nikon DSLRs, D750, D300, D7200, D610 and now a Z6. I have also rented and used the 105 1.4E on D850 and D500. I found that the lens performed excellent as long as I was in single point AF, unless I fiddled with AF fine tune, then I would get good results. When I used the the Z6, it just performed they way we all expect, it locked on and remained. My local Nikon rep. explained that it is because the Z cameras have focus on the sensor which is different from contrast detection. The reason I keep this lens is because of the dreamy Bokeh it creates. There are only a few other Nikon lenses that have this magical effect and the other auto focus lens is about 5,500$, unless you want manual then there are a few less expensive options

I shoot both D810 and D850 cameras and own a LOT of Nikkor glass. That said, my experience with the lens has been a bit disappointing. Wide open the lens is essentially unusable unless you are looking for a ´´defocused´´ sort of look. In my copy I also see chromatic aberration wide open, and when shooting into the light there are cases of flare and blotchy bokeh. The color rendition is excellent, however, and stopped down the lens performs very well indeed. However since shooting at 1.4 was my primary reason for purchasing this lens, and since that aperture is essentially unusable, I find the lens to be disappointing, though stopped down and for applications other than portraiture the lens is okay.

I have owned this lens for 10 months, and it is truly the best I´ve ever owned, even beating my Zeiss 135. Tack sharp from edge to edge and fast enough to capture stunning action and provide outstanding bokeh. For the price, I would have preferred an all aluminum body with metallic seals rather than the lightweight plastic, but I countered that somewhat by immediately getting a high quality lens coat.

Unbelievable at capturing individual and family portraits.

I love everything about this lens!
It´s versatile and sharp.

Probably did not need this lens. But favorite lens the 85mm, 1.8 is in use by my kids 75% of the time. My 105mm, 2.8 Macro is another of their favorites. I bought the 105mm for my portrait lens and I love the clarity and great focus.

This lens is big, heavy, and expensive, but boy is it good! The contrast, sharpness, and light gathering characteristics of this lens are unsurpassed by any Nikon lens I have, and I have most of them. Below are six images with exposure data attached.

I purchased this lens with the intention of getting a prime lens that could achieve gorgeous detail and bokeh. It´s a beautiful lens but I found that the listing of ´´Macro´´ on Nikon´s website is misleading. There is nothing I would consider ´´Macro´´ about this lens. I don´t necessarily need a Macro lens per say, but I wanted something that can get tighter shots than the 105 1.4 allowed. This lens requires you to be further away from your subject to focus, therefore using more pixels on background information than a Macro would. As an example, to take a photo of a lego figurine, I had to be about 5-6 feet away from it leaving way too much negative space around the figure. Any closer, and I could not focus on the lego figure. The only way to get the figure to be tighter would be to crop after in an editing program.

Don´t let me dissuade you from purchasing this lens if you are looking for something exclusively for portraits. It is clearly designed for that and does very well with that. I just thought I would get more versatility from it since it is listed as ´´Macro´´ on Nikon´s website. I find the Macro listing misleading for what it actually does.

Instead, I opted for the 85mm 1.4 as it achieves the same aperture as this but allows me to be closer to my subjects for focusing purposes. For Macro, I would consider the 105mm 2.8.