Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

The 105 mm has always been one of my favorite lenses. Perfect to create one of the best unsharp beckgrounds when used up in the 'close' area, in low light it's fantastic because of the f2 opening, it's perfect fot details. I purchased a new 105 because of the autofocus and the ability to influence bokeh. When this feature is not used it is a perfectly sharp, overall usable lens.

Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

This is a one of a kind lens. Fast f2.0, 105mm AF lens which can selectively blur the background or the foreground while still retaining an exceptionally clear subject. I use this lens primarily for portraits and weddings but can also use it for wildlife and pets where I can get close enough while blurring the unwanted background.

Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

If you can afford it - do it. If, at this time, you cannot afford it - save for it.

Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

It is a great lens. I have no complaint. It is everything that it is advertised to be. You need to take the time to learn the lens, but...it's worth the effort.

Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

First of all I need to start this review out by stating that I find this optic to be nothing short of revolutionary. The whole concept of allowing the user to control spherical abberation and to choose whether they want a softer foreground or background is phenomenal. The DC ring on the lens adjusts spherical abberation by under or over-correcting for spherical abberation. When a lens is over-corrected for spherical abberation, you have soft out of focus foreground elements and "harsh" out of focus background elements. When a lens is *under* corrected for spherical abberation, you have the reverse - soft background elements and harsh foreground elements. When the DC ring is set at the neutral position, the lens is given average correction for spherical abberation, which means that both the foreground and background elements will have "neutral" out of focus characteristics, and they will have a uniform solid "disk" shape in intensity. This lens has a reputation for fine performance wide open at f/2, and stunning image quality between f/2.8 and f/4. My sample backs up these claims. Not only is the in-focus subject supremely sharp, but by using the defocus control feature you can progressively soften the background (or foreground) from pleasingly soft to effectively un-defined "mush". Color and contrast are absolutely top-notch. And, if that isn't enough, you can also set the lens to give a very, very sublte soft focus effect. This effect is far more pleasing and not quite as "right in your face" as what a high quality soft focus filter would give. Very classy and tasteful soft focus effects can be used for portraits of people who more or less can benefit from a bit of soft focus. But as stated, the effect isn't as obvious as a soft focus filter. This may very well be THE most perfect portrait lens in 35mm photography. Nikon specifically designed this lens around portraiture. However, this lens can also be used as a "general purpose" lens for photographers who are looking for a medium telephoto lens to use in low light. I have used this lens for theater photography with relatively fast film with great results. Ergonomics and handling of this lens are excellent. Manual focusing is fantastic. Very well dampened. Construction quality is made out of metal (not all that common these days) with Nikon's "professional" crinkle finish. Comes with build in lens shade. Nikon has never really gotten behind these series of lenses and really "sold" them to the photogaphic public. A very high percentage of owners of this lens do not even bother using the defocus control feature, and leave it at neutral. Some photographers have claimed that the DC ring settings have virtually no effect, which is untrue. From one setting (on one "side" of the ring) to the next the effect is subtle for sure. But the effect of the DC lens have been well established. What is puzzling is that I have even tried to find literature about this lens and have come up empty. It really amazes me that Nikon would put the amount of engineering into a lens like this and then not provide a solid amount of promotion at least amongst professional photographers. In conclusion, I should note that this is a very, very expensive piece of glass. If you are interested in doing first-rate portrait photography, this would be an excellent investment, but if you are not interested in doing portrait photography or "distance" shots in low light, then this would be a very unwise purchase decision. [...]

Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

I like this lens so much that I will definitely get the 135 f/2 DC, it's big sibling.

Comments about Nikon Nikon 105mm f/2 AF-D DC-Nikkor AutoFocus Telephoto Lens - Gray Market:

I love this lens. It's an artistic photographer's dream. I consider this lens to be from the same family as the 85mm f/1.4, 135mm f/2 DC, and the 180mm f/2.8. They're all fantastic glass. I own the 85/1.4 and the 180/2.8 as well as the 105/2DC. They all have the nice black crinkle finish - though the numbers are screen printed and not etched - shame on Nikon. I've used this lens to shoot people, food, animals, landscapes, plants and architecture. Use it however you like.Image quality: I don't care if you can get some purple fringing in very contrasty out of focus areas, but you might care. The color, contrast and sharpness are terrific. The lens is a true cream machine, which is why I love to shoot it wide open. It renders the smoothest bokeh (out of focus backgrounds). Wide open, the focal point is paper thin, even at 1/30 shutter speeds.There are potential Defocus Control (DC) issues that could cause you to send it in for calibration. Some lenses are absolutely sharp wide open, but some are not. If you find your lens to be the latter, try setting the DC to -2 or +2 (perhaps further), you could dial in the sharpness. Nikon needs to work on this QC issue when releasing such an expensive (though wonderful) product. Don't get lazy Nikon.Build construction is a very solid all metal body—the way they should be making all their primes. The built-in lens hood is a nice feature, but it can get stuck in position at times and takes a little fanaggling to tuck it back in. Be gentle, give it a slight twist and it'll go. Some people wish the hood was larger, but since the large lens is recessed quite a bit, it's perfect IMO. That said, there is an issue for lens flare. It's not as bad as the 180/2.8 wide open, but if you shoot directly into bright light (the sun), you can get some good amount of flare. The recessed lens does help to control this issue, whereas the 180 doesn't have a recessed lens. Stopping the lens down a bit and the flare will go away quickly. The big key is not to shoot directly into the sun...But I do it all the time as the sun is setting. I love the drama.If you use a UV filter, you'll likely come across ghosting. remove the UV filter and it disappears. Thus be careful with this lens if you shoot it without a protective filter.The auto-focus requires your camera's screw-drive engine (sorry D40 buyers), so the AF is quite slow on the D50. The AF will also hunt when shooting in very-low light settings, or any subject without well defined edges. I do wish this lens had AF-S for faster focusing, but I don't use it for sports so it's not a big deal. I likely won't use the DC control so I wish Nikon would release a version without DC so there aren't calibration issues. But that's me being picky. I still love this lens, and the more I use it, the more I like it. [...]