My "go-to" lens for uncomplicated portraits
Written: Aug 02 '04 (Updated Aug 27 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: weight, price, size, performance, lens hood
Cons: somewhat prone to flaring
The Bottom Line: I feel strongly that this is a MUST-HAVE lens for anyone with a Nikon MF back. It's more versatile than a 50mm prime and the optical quality is stunning.
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| uniq's Full Review: Nikon 105mm f/2.5 Nikkor Ai-S Lens |
There are two types of camera gear in my house. The super "top of the line gear" that everybody raves about.....and then there is the far less complicated "yesterday's tech" that I picked up on Ebay for a song. While it's fun to have the latest goodies, I often find myself in a position where I want to slow down a little bit, carry the least amount of gear and just take good pictures without all the fuss. Lately the Nikkor 105mm F/2.5 AIS has been my "go-to" lens of choice for such situations.
I will leave all the historical perspective to the others who have reviewed this fine lens. They can certainly do a better job that I in describing where the lens came from and how it came to be so good. I would rather share my experience with the lens, how it satisfies and where it falls short.
Overview: (mostly from the Nikon site) The lens is constructed with 5 elements in 4 groups. It weighs about a pound (15.3 ounces), is 2 1/2"x2 2 3/4" in size. It has an angle of view of 23 degrees and comes with a built in lens hood! It uses the semi-standard 52mm thread size. Aperture ranges are f/2.5 to F/22 labeled in full stop increments.
Construction: This is a supremely well-built lens and most Nikon users who are used to AF zooms will be surprised by its heft and high quality construction. It's a brick but it is surprisingly small for it's focal length...especially if you are used to zooms. I love the built in lens shade which is held in the forward position by a magnetic device. It's nice not to have to carry a separate shade for the lens. The lens has the usual large focusing ring typical of Nikon MF lenses and it is a nice break from the ring found on most AF lenses. Focusing is fast and accurate but a little stiffer than I am used to for an AIS lens. My sample tends to feel like an AI lens in terms of focus stiffness. I don’t know if that is peculiar to my sample (which was a few years old when I bought it) or if it is typical to the design of this specific lens.
Use in the field: The lens attaches to the camera with the typical Nikon F bayonet mount. Since there is no CPU in the lens there are no electrical contacts. Because of this make sure you read tour camera's manual to see if this lens is compatible with your body. Some newer AF bodies have limited ability to use these kinds of lenses. Any reasonably current MF back should have no trouble at all. I immediately find myself surprised by the small size of the lens. It is not much bigger than a 50mm F/1.4 in terms of weight and size is only a bit longer (without the hood extended). It is an easy lens to leave attached to the camera while it hangs around your neck. Balance will depend upon the body it is used with. I imagine many plastic bodied cameras will feel front heavy with this lens attached but those owners are already used to the feeling with their zoom lenses. I find the lens to be perfectly balanced when used with my FM3A or F3HP backs.
The f/2.5 aperture is quite nice but not as bright thru the viewfinder as I might be used to. The F/1.8 version is tempting for this reason. My eyes aren’t as great as they used to be and I enjoy a nice bright finder thru a large aperture lens. But...still a lot better than most zooms allow so I shouldn't complain.
Now the lens is multicoated but I feel it is still prone to flaring when a bright light is at the edge of the frame or just off frame. On more than one occasion I have found flaring on the slides that my AFS 80-200mm ED-IF would not have produced. But that is the only thing I can think of in terms of lesser optical quality vs. that MUCH more expensive lens. This lens is as sharp as your photographic technique will allow it to be. I do find it to be a tad soft when shot wide open but by F/5.6 it is truly unstoppable. I have mixed feelings about F/4.... sometimes I feel I got super sharp results, sometimes I wonder if I am missing out. Don't get me wrong, the results are always great, but compared to a perfect F/8 exposure the sharpness might not be ALL there.... the jury is still out on that.
I find the colors to be very accurate and I notice little or no aberrations. Distortion is minimal to nonexistent and that is the main reason I love this lens.... even for full-length portraiture. I am beginning to truly prefer the 105mm focal length for general "people photography"... I hesitate to call my style "street" but I enjoy this lens for the same reason that many "street" photogs do...you can maintain a very nice distance from the subject, shoot almost unobserved and get tack sharp imagery. When the mood strikes you can get in semi close and get tight headshots. The longer than normal focal length allows easy blurring of backgrounds with larger apertures. It is still available new from Nikon but it has been produced for many years and can be bought used at very reasonable prices. I use this lens as a backup for my 80-200mm AFS ED-IF F/2.8 and I can rarely if ever tell the difference in the images.
What I like about the Nikkor F/2.5 AIS 105mm MF lens
1. Great build quality
2. Small size and weight
3. Built in lens hood
4. Fantastic optical quality.... truly PROFESSIONAL optical quality
5. Cheap and readily available...great value for the money
6. Versatile focal length that is great for street photography and portraiture.
7. 52mm filter size is consistent with most Nikon MF lenses
What I don't like about the Nikkor F/2.5 AIS 105mm MF lens
1. Focus ring is not as smooth as my other AIS MF lenses.... possibly just my sample
2. F/2.5 is a little small for those used to F1.4, F/1.8 and F/2 lenses. But there is an F/1.8 version available for a much higher price if it bothers you.
3. I find the lens a little softer wide open than people often claim for this lens. Its still outstanding but I tend to avoid anything less than F/4.
4. The lens is more prone to flaring than other lenses that I have owned in this focal length. Its not a huge problem and careful use of the lens hood and flags can solve the problem.....carelessly shooting into the sun or bright light will likely result in unacceptable flaring.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
uniq
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Member: Bob K
Location: Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio, USA
Reviews written: 109
Trusted by: 12 members
About Me:
An unchallenged opinion is worthlessly held..... (someone important)
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