Author Topic: Strolling with the 105/1.8  (Read 2279 times)

Airy

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Strolling with the 105/1.8
« on: May 25, 2019, 20:50:57 »
This lens suffers from the deserved reputation of the 105/2.5. In fact, wide open, it is not so good, but usable under the right circumstances: avoiding high contrast edges, processing in B&W... f/1.8 is marginally useful for isolating distant subjects.
Stopped down, sharpness is excellent, at least as good as the 105/2.5, and the field is flatter. Also, as mentioned in other threads, the 105/1.8 does not flare a lot and, especially, withstands light sources in the image field, making it an excellent lens for stage shooting.

Today I went on a stroll with that lens only. My copy is optically ok, but the helicoid is not sufficiently lubricated, leaving me with some dry friction and making the manual focus process disagreeable. That's one reason why I do not use it as often as I should.

All shot with my 5-years old Df. May it live forever.
First three, f/4, f/4, f/1.8

Airy Magnien

Airy

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2019, 20:52:27 »
Second series, f/2.8, 1.8 close to minimum focussing distance (about 1m), f/8.
Airy Magnien

Airy

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2019, 20:54:36 »
Both f/1.8. The outlining, however slight, results in a not-so-good bokeh, despite the 9 blades (that come to play at narrower apertures of course)
Airy Magnien

Airy

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #3 on: May 25, 2019, 20:58:36 »
For street shots, it is a great lens. f/4, 8, 5.6, 4
Airy Magnien

Jacques Pochoy

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2019, 08:49:01 »
Great shots ! It's good to know that the f/1.8 105mm can also be useful, even at f/1.8...  :)
“A photograph is a moral decision taken in one eighth of a second. ” ― Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet.

John Geerts

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2019, 09:26:15 »
Impressive shots with this great lens, Airy.

Thomas Stellwag

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2019, 14:47:35 »
great series,

I like my 1.8 more than my 2.5´s because of the diameter and the mass...for me it fits better to the camera
with the results wide open, I am satisfied
Thomas Stellwag

Akira

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2019, 18:40:58 »
I like the delicate rendition of 105/1.8 in your hands.  The bokeh doesn't appear that harsh to me.
"The eye is blind if the mind is absent." - Confucius

"Limitation is inspiration." - Akira

Frank Fremerey

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2019, 22:53:30 »
you are a good photographer. You can take next to any lens and produce great pictures. Today I decided: the 1.4/105E will stay the 2/200VR1 will go.
You are out there. You and your camera. You can shoot or not shoot as you please. Discover the world, Your world. Show it to us. Or we might never see it.

Me: https://youpic.com/photographer/frankfremerey/

chambeshi

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #9 on: May 27, 2019, 19:40:47 »
Thanks for your great images and highlighting this classic Nikkor. I've used a 105 f2.5AIS since 1984, but latterly been on the lookout for a decent 105 f1.8AIS at a  decent price. Scarce in UK - at least IME

kind regards

Airy

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2019, 20:35:17 »
Visit Paris :)
Airy Magnien

PeterN

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #11 on: May 29, 2019, 07:59:21 »
Thank you for sharing your impressions about the capabilities of this lens.
I do like the muted rendering.
It must be a pleasure to use this lens with the Df
Peter

Airy

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2019, 00:17:16 »
The muted rendering is probably not a lens feature. I set my Df on "Neutral", so there is no saturation push. That's just my personal taste.
And yes, it is a nice fit.
Airy Magnien

Imagelover

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Re: Strolling with the 105/1.8
« Reply #13 on: June 01, 2019, 19:50:19 »
Here is an image from June 2018, Kristiansund town, Norway, early in the morning with Nikon D3X and AIS Nikkor 105mm f1.8 at aperture f16 on a tripod and with a Nikon polarizer. ISO 50. I used this aperture to get great DOF.
One picture taken is far better than none!