Nikon’s new 105mm f/1.4E out in the wild and sample photos
Aug 16, 2016
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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Nikon’s new 105mm f/1.4E ED isn’t officially available until the end of the month. A few lucky people have managed to get their hands on one, though. On that short list are photographers Lindsay Silverman and Vincent Versace, who have both posted sample shots to social media.
I always find it interesting to see what comes out after a new lens is announcement. While there’s no substitute for trying a lens yourself, photos shot with them do show things that spec sheets cannot. They help you to make more informed choices about whether or not you even want to try one.
With that in mind, let’s have a look at the photos. All images appear to be shot with the Nikon D5, although not all with the lens at f/1.4.
The last shot is interesting. Stopped down to f/2.5, the lens produces a nice look, although light sources closer to the plane of focus are starting to starburst a little. There’s nothing deal breaking here, but I’ve not seen anything that makes want to rush out and replace my 105mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor.
Of course, I’m not shooting concerts or other circumstances that require super fast apertures for low light. So, getting those extra 2 stops of brightness isn’t a big deal to me. For me, it’s all about the aesthetic.
Vincent goes into a little more detail with his samples posted to Facebook. They’re a very different type of photography to concert images.
This has to be the sharpest lens I have ever used. It is also has the most beautiful Bokeh of any lens I have ever shot with as well.
Vincent has also uploaded the images to a Flickr album. There you can get a better idea of how they look without Facebook’s iffy compression.
The photos don’t quite convince me that I need one, especially given the cost. I’m happy with my 105mm f/2.8D for now. I’d still like to play with one of these, though, and try them side by side for myself.
The Nikon 105mm f/1.4E ED lens is available for pre-order now at $2,196.95. They’re expected to start shipping out on August 26th.
How about you? Have these images inspired your lust for this lens? Or do you find them a little underwhelming? Have you added or removed this lens from your shopping list as a result of samples so far? Let us know in the comments.
[via Nikon Rumors ]
John Aldred
John Aldred is a photographer with over 25 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter – and occasional beta tester – of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.
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10 responses to “Nikon’s new 105mm f/1.4E out in the wild and sample photos”
want
i see nothing here i could not do with a cheap 100mm f2.0 lens from canon.
in fact it would be nice ro see a comparisation of this lens and the 380 euro canon 100mm f2.0 lens.
i doubt that most people would see a big difference. especially not at facebook or flickr size….
There are two things you you could not do with your cheap Canon 100 f2.0 lens; Mount it on a Nikon DSLR and retain infinity focus without degrading image quality. And shoot at f/1.4. Yeah.. think about how smart your comment is..
you comment is just retarded.. why would i mount it on a nikon?
fact is the overprized nikon lens doesn´t look any better on the sample images than a 380 euro lens.
that should give you something to think….
My comment is retarded? YOU said there was nothing you couldn’t do with your Canon 100/2 that you could do woth the 105/1.4 and I gave you two thinks you couldn’t do. And that’s retarded? Ever heard of irony? Maybe making stupid claims to piss on Nikon just to alleviate your own insecurities is the real retarded thing here. Grow up, please.
I want this
I recently used a friends Sigma 105 f2.8 macro and was blown away by it really sharp and fast..i know its not 1.4 but for quarter of the price if this Nikonit is a awesome lens.
I’m currently shooting with the Micro Nikkor 105mm 1:2.8 … and based on the specs alone this new lens offers me nothing as I bought my 105mm or it’s macro abilities. Clearly Nikon is not marketing this lens at it’s macro shooters, which is OK, only saying this new lens is not for me …
Eek…$2100? I’ll stick with my 105MM 2.8 thank you. Bokah is not THAT important. And 1.4 would not make a bit of difference for macro which sort of bottoms out at 3.3. As for low light shooting, would not want to be limited to prime for doing things like concerts, etc. Personally, not worth the bang for the buck. I’m happy with my 105 I got at Keh.com for about $600. :)
I hate it so much…I want one!