Taking apart the AF-S 105 1.4

[Frode]

Some of you might find this interesting 🙂.

https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2016/12/taking-apart-the-new-nikon-105mm-f1-4e-ed-af-s/

[bobfriedman]

yes,, quite interesting thx!

[Frank Fremerey]

Great read. Thank you for the link!!!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

We just have to put the 105 to some real field use and learn its longevity in practice.

Maybe, maybe not, this lens will turn out to be indispensable and thus securing an additional spare sample is a prudent move. At the present point in time, I don't know what the verdict will be.

[Tristin]

It is a shame to see Nikon's marketing giving themseves a black eye but you would have to be a competitor's fanboy, envious and in denial or plain naive to not know this lens is stunning.  Hopefully Nikon pays more attention to these marketing/construction details that are quickly becoming a competitive area for camera enthusiasts.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The people writing advertising blurbs haven't usually the slightest clue what the products are, their reason to exist, or their areas of application. Thus the recent press releases from Nikon, as well as from other big names, tend to be vexing or strange, depending on how you search for information between the lines.

The internet syndrome of distributing "facts" without primary first-hand knowledge exacerbates the mess further. Latest seen in the hype around the new 70-200 FL E.

The undeniable fact is that the 105/1.4 E is a stellar performer in optical terms. Whether it is built to last remains to be seen.

[stenrasmussen]

There is another way to look at this; if the electronics fail on one of the boards the repair cost is likely lower. Having said that, with the heft of glass needing to be moved the first fail I can foresee is the motor. Luckily, motor replacement ought to be straight forward. The most important thing is that the optics are housed well: metal core with flexible, impact bouncing outer shell.

[David H. Hartman]

The days when a camera or lens purchase is a lifetime investment are lone gone. That era was closing even when I first entered serious photography in 1970. Hopefully the AF-S 105/1.4E will be repairable at an acceptable cost for as long as the typical owner wants to continue using the lens. Something new will surely come to draw attention a way.

Photographic equipment is an expense and has been for some time. Like a car or a truck it's going to ware out. We repair them or replace them but eventually almost all of them are junked. Of all the millions Model-T(s) and VW Beatles how many are still on the road?

Dave Hartman who would like to lease an AF-S 105/1.4E with option to buy.

[Erik Lund]

To remove some internal dust    because customers might complain 

[Hermann]

To remove some internal dust    because customers might complain 

Yep. Now that many people have pretty powerful LED flashlights, they use them to shine into their optical gear and then complain even about tiny specks of dust. I heard from people in the optical industry that that's become a real problem as people send in their gear to have that dust removed ... :-)

Hermann

[richardHaw]

a piece of fibre or visible dust in unforgivable in a new lens.
the tiny bits of dusts you see when you shine a light into the lens is fine 

[Tristin]

Dave Hartman who would like to lease an AF-S 105/1.4E with option to buy.

If manufacturers started offering leasing, my finances would be in trouble! 😂

[pluton]

There is another way to look at this; if the electronics fail on one of the boards the repair cost is likely lower. Having said that, with the heft of glass needing to be moved the first fail I can foresee is the motor. Luckily, motor replacement ought to be straight forward. The most important thing is that the optics are housed well: metal core with flexible, impact bouncing outer shell.

Luckily, the 105/1.4E owners still have eyes, brains, and fingers to focus with.  Unless of course the electric focus mech being dead wipes out manual focusing.  Which *I've heard* can happen with some Nikon AF lenses.

[pluton]

Yep. Now that many people have pretty powerful LED flashlights, they use them to shine into their optical gear and then complain even about tiny specks of dust. I heard from people in the optical industry that that's become a real problem as people send in their gear to have that dust removed ... :-)

Hermann

In the 1970's/1980's, I held a variety of 35mm camera lenses up to a 300W slide projector to see everything that was inside.  It wasn't pretty(dust, fingerprints, finger grease smears, milky areas), but the lenses still functioned the same as they did before I held them up to the 300W lamp.
The LED flashlight must be number one on the lens marketer's hate list.

[Erik Lund]

a piece of fibre or visible dust in unforgivable in a new lens.
....

Why? Is it because the lens is more heavy than specified in the specifications,,,