Best 105 Lens for Portraiture

[ndwgolf]

I have just bought a new Nikon Zf (I get it on Tuesday in Malaysia). Yesterday I saw on eBay a Nikon 105mm f1.8 AIS for around 400 bucks so I asked my mate in KL if he could get me one in Malaysia..... He came back with Ive got one of these the Nikon 105mm f2.0 DC AF-D, so we got chatting and another mate of mine in KL has a Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF...............I cant afford all 3 but out of this bunch what would your recommend for portraiture using old manual lenses

 

[Strodav]

I don't use 105mm for portraiture. My only 105mm lens is a macro lens. My favorite portraiture lens for my Z9 is the Nikon 85mm f/1.8S. IQ is amazing. I like it because I don't have to get in too close for head and shoulder shots, which can make a model nervous, but switch to a 50mm f/1.8S for full body shots. I tend to use them when indoors and in lower light situations. Outdoors, I use the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8S. Again, IQ is amazing and the zoom offers a lot of flexibility with framing. Sooner or later I'll end up getting the 85mm f/1.2S, but $2800 is a bit steep. I do have a couple of older f mount lenses "with character". They are not quite as sharp as the Z mount glass and have a slight color cast, but provide for some beautiful results. Sometimes a lens can be too sharp for portraiture. Of course, you can soften them a bit in post, but it's not quite the same as the older f mount lenses. I usually use the D850 with these lenses, but they work fine with the FTZ II adapter.

 

[ndwgolf]

I don't use 105mm for portraiture. My only 105mm lens is a macro lens. My favorite portraiture lens for my Z9 is the Nikon 85mm f/1.8S. IQ is amazing. I like it because I don't have to get in too close for head and shoulder shots, which can make a model nervous, but switch to a 50mm f/1.8S for full body shots. I tend to use them when indoors and in lower light situations. Outdoors, I use the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8S. Again, IQ is amazing and the zoom offers a lot of flexibility with framing. Sooner or later I'll end up getting the 85mm f/1.2S, but $2800 is a bit steep. I do have a couple of older f mount lenses "with character". They are not quite as sharp as the Z mount glass and have a slight color cast, but provide for some beautiful results. Sometimes a lens can be too sharp for portraiture. Of course, you can soften them a bit in post, but it's not quite the same as the older f mount lenses. I usually use the D850 with these lenses, but they work fine with the FTZ II adapter.

I’m looking for manual lenses mate. I already have the Z85:1.2. I want to shoot manual lenses on my ZF

 

[RAZKY]

I have just bought a new Nikon Zf (I get it on Tuesday in Malaysia). Yesterday I saw on eBay a Nikon 105mm f1.8 AIS for around 400 bucks so I asked my mate in KL if he could get me one in Malaysia..... He came back with Ive got one of these the Nikon 105mm f2.0 DC AF-D, so we got chatting and another mate of mine in KL has a Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF...............I cant afford all 3 but out of this bunch what would your recommend for portraiture using old manual lenses

Of the 3 lenses you mention, the AF DC-Nikkor 105 1/2D would be my choice - just turn AF off.

 

[JBPhotog]

FWIW, the F-mount 105mm f2.5 AI is "almost" as sharp as the F-mount 105mm f1.4E AF-S. If you don't need or want the defocus control I'd look for the f2.5 version, it also is a sweet match with the Zf look.

 

[Spirit Vision Photography]

The cheap and widely accessible 105 f/2.5 AI-S lens is fantastic. I use the pre-AI (self modified) on my D780 with superb results.

 

[ndwgolf]

The cheap and widely accessible 105 f/2.5 AI-S lens is fantastic. I use the pre-AI (self modified) on my D780 with superb results.

View attachment 274244

Looks great

 

[ndwgolf]

So today I tried 2 of my mates lenses. Nikon 180:2.8 (I hatted it) and the Nikon 105:2.0 Defocus lens. I liked that lens. I haven’t downloaded them onto the computer yet but it handled good on the ZF. On Friday I will try the Zeiss 100:2.0 macro planter. I will post some photos later taken with both of those lenses.

 

[ndwgolf]

A couple of pictures taken with my new Nikon ZF and a borrowed NIKON AF DC-NIKKOR 105MM F/2D lens (for some reason the AF doesn't work). Ive got this lens for a few days just to see if I like it and if I do then I can buy it for a reasonable price....I really don't want the AF function anyway but first impressions are okay, tomorrow I going to try a Zeiss 100:2.0 Planter lens so I'm looking forward to that.

 

[JBPhotog]

Looks good and nice model, although I'd say the eyes look a bit OOF but that could be the web compression. Keep in mind if you use the DC at all, any change in your settings requires refocussing.