Nikon Nikkor 105mm 1.4E Lens Review & Sample Images

This lens replaces my Samyang 135 f2 and Nikon 85mm 1.8g. Those are two gems of portrait lenses, with the Samyang being my favorite and most used lens to date. The jump to the Nikon 105mm 1.4 E Lens is a significant investment, and had the Samyang had AF, I likely would not be making the jump. But alas, I did.

I am a devote lover of primes – having bought and sold over 20 primes over the past 2 years ( often buying used and selling again without a loss ) I live in a somewhat remote region of BC, so there is no camera shop within an 8 hour drive where I can go to sample new lenses, so its been a buy and try journey so far.

I have shot with a myriad of optical wonders, only some of which have truly won my heart over. The Samyang 135 held the top spot on my list ( more loved than even my Nikon 300mm f2.8 )  But it was time in my wedding career to go to the added accuracy of AF, despite my love for manual focus.

It goes without saying that the new 105 from Nikon is a spectacular lens. I could comment on its sharpness, the buttery nature of its bokeh, the beauty of its massive front element, the rich blackness of its plastic (LOL)… but the purpose of this post it to share the images that it creates.  They are few and far between still on the internet, so I wanted to share a few shots from my 1st month with this lens.

Overall, I would say the lens is perfect, there is nothing I would change, aside from building it in a way that it felt like an old solid metal hunk of glass of yester-year.

I hope you enjoy.