so we know what works well and, even more importantly kitchen remodel San Antonio tx

none so far

- Fast lens @ f/2
- Defocus Control is great for creative portrature
- solid construction
- sharp, sharp, sharp
- Compatibility with new and older bodies.

- Cost

I should not be let loose in a camera store. I had been looking at this lens for a couple months now, before having a chance to pick it up at a decent price (they're close to 1,500 here in Canada) and visiting B&H in NYC a nice Grey Market one came up for under a grand so I had to pick it up.

The first time I slapped this beauty onto my D300 (that very day) I used my friends Meg and Steve as my more than willing test subjects, we are all very impressed at the results that came off with the lens. This sucker is sharp, at any aperture, and even wide open produces a wonderful bokeh. It's big, but just the right size, it really lets the photographer know that it's on his camera, and on a crop sensor body, gives a wonderful reach.

If you shoot portraits, both outdoor and in studio this is the lens for you, good reach for head shots, but allows for wonderful outdoor and fuller body shots when you have the space. Also allows for great street photography, and detail shots for architecture.

Although I haven't played much with the defocus controls, they do give a neat creative touch to images where you want to still have a sharp look with a small aperture, but blur out certain aspects of the image.

Another great aspect of the lens is that it works with almost every Nikon body out there, I use it on my D300, F4 and F3, even on a manual body the focus control is just the right amount of resistance for good control and fine focusing. A little slow on the AF (we do get used to AF-S lenses) but still works in a decent manner.

This really isn't a lens for a event photographer, stick to your AF-S zooms for that. But the really big hindrance for this lens is the cost, at close to a grand, it does put it out of most people's budget range, but if you can find it...and you shoot portrait work get it.

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AF Nikkor 85mm 1:1.8D
AI-S Nikkor 105mm 1:2.5

Well built, very sharp, built in hood.

price (if purchased new).

All the good you hear about this lens is true. It is built like a tank and outstandingly sharp. It can be pricey, but it is well worth it. Defocus Control is fun, but I don't think most users will use it much. I have owned the legendary MF 105mm f2.5 and the MF 105mm f1.8 in the past and this AF lens is much better.

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MF 105mm f2.5, MF 105mm f1.8, MF 100 f2.8 Series E.

Easy control and good for both autofocus and manual focus. I use it both on my F3 and F4.

Expensive

Nice design, good handling, easy to control, solid, fast lens. This lens has characteristic of its own. So it works as it is and gives the result of uncomparable to others. The DC control is something that cannot find in other lens. We can blur the backgroud just an inch behind the focus point. I took one a photo with just face in the frame and print out at 20 x 24 inches. Almost could not see the grain from Kodak MAX 400. What else I can ask for? I really enjoy this lens thought it is very expensive. But after seeing the result, I forgot about the price I paid now.

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80-200 F4.5

Sharp images with excellent colour. Wide f/2 aperture compliments light weight, and hand holdability for low light photography. Pretty fast focussing as well, although not as quiet or quick as AFS. Defocus control is very handy to have at the twist of you wrist. Also I've never encountered any flare or ghosting with this lens.

None

Light, sharp, and expensive. Given that for the same price you can get a AF 80-200mm 2.8D. Having said that, I bought this lens for it's smaller size, weight and wider aperture. An 80-200 is too difficult to hand-hold in low light. Mounted on an F-80, it is balanced and easily hand-held at slower shutter speeds that would require a tripod for my big and heavy afs 28-70mm. Very well suited for available light photography, especially roaming around wedding ceremonies with ISO 800 hand held. Has defocus ring for softening tightly cropped portraits which is very handy because hardly anyone has baby smooth skin. Turn the ring left or right and you can blur the image in front of or behind your subject. This lens is sharp and picks up the details of facial skin without the defocus dialled in.

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None

Build quality is first rate for Nikon. Autofocus is fast, and background blur is smooth. Built in hood is very handy.

Fairly soft compared to my AF 85mm f/1.4D and just a tad behind the older AIS lenses in sharpness and contrast, but with better bokeh (background blur). Fairly large, but similar in size to my AF 85/1.4D with the hood attached. The DC control is quite interesting, but doesn't give smooth bokeh, instead it creates sperical abberations, splitting up out of focus areas and making backgrounds seem harsher. This may be a strength to others, especially if they like to create special effects in backgrounds, which may work well with lights at night.

After reading so many glowing reviews on this lens, I have to say that I am dissapointed to say the least. This lens, incomparison to my AF 85mm f/1.4D lens is much softer from f/2 to f/5.6, with significantly lower contrast (which some may like fo portraits). Compared to the AIS 105/1.8, this lens is a bit sharper wide open, but comparing my shots similar to my AIS 105/2.5 shots, this lens comes in last place. I am now back to my old AF 85mm f/1.4D- why I ever sold that lens in the first place is still a mystery to me.

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Nikon AIS 105/1.8, 105/2.5, 85/1.4 Nikon AF 85/1.4D Leica APO Summicron 90/2 Asph

Bright but sharp at wide aperture. M-A mode for easy MF. Rear dust cover (I love it!!!)

Loose aperture click.

I love to shoot flowers and this DC lens is just great due to the fantastic shallow depth of focus and the right magnification. Using with PK-12 tube the performance doesn''t decline. The sharpness is better than 85/1.8 AFD and 105/2.5 at close range.

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85/1.8 AFD 105/2.5 AI

Very good optical performance, fast speed, great construction, great feel when focusing manually.

It''s freakin'' huge!

I just got this. I''ve been shooting Olympus OM4Ts for 15 years but they finally discontinued the OM line. I switched to the F100 (I''m too used to spot metering to change now). This is a very nice lens indeed. Quite sharp with good contrast and a pleasing color balance. I really appreciate the nearly-circular diaphragm. Almost as sharp as my old Zuiko, but that one was a little too sharp for portraiture; the Nikon is more pleasing in that respect.

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Zuiko 100mm 2.0

People look wonderful when you photograph them with this lens -- terrific contrast, warmth, and sharpness...the best images with this lens almost seem to have another dimension. Very well constructed. Not really that heavy nor a burden to carry around, given the quality of the images. Very creamy bokeh at the widest apertures, and creative front as well as rear defocus possibilities.

Some mild color fringing in defocused backgrounds visible once in a blue moon. Defocus less effective at smaller apertures (f4 and especially f5.6).

A simply spectacular lens...hopefully more people will discover it now that prices seem to be coming down. The 85mm 1.4 has always been considered the definitive portrait lens, but this one gives it a run for the money, and the defocus control allows for creative defocused backgrounds in a greater variety of lighting situations. As others have said, you don''t have to use the defocus control at all to get very high quality images, but experimenting can yield some great results -- it''s not just a gimmick. Moreover, the lens is quite versatile -- though it''s really intended for people photography, it does a very good job with medium distance and even with close-ups with an auxiliary lens. The sharpness and effectiveness of the defocus control at wide apertures is really very impressive. I''ve seen one instance of background color fringing in a defocused image, but that also happens (rarely, but it does happen) with the 85mm 1.4. This is right up there in my collection with the 85mm 1.4 and the 180mm 2.8 -- a classic Nikon lens. I also use a Contax G2 with its extremely sharp and well-rated Zeiss lenses, and this Nikon 105 f2 is one of the very few that can hang with the quality of the Zeiss glass, at least in terms of shooting people.

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85mm 1.4 180mm 2.8 60mm 2.8 Micro

Pin sharp resolution, with option to defocus foreground/background/subject, using spherical aberration control. Built like a masonry comfort station.

Not cheap: quality never is though

If you like photographing people, and can only buy one lens, make it this one, you will bless the day you did

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No need.

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Zuiko 100mmm used in past: this is similar, better.