Nikon 135mm f2 D AF DC Lens

Comments about Nikon 135mm f2 D AF DC Lens:

I use the 135mm on a D700 and the lens is incredibly sharp, and by mastering the defocus control you have arguably the best portrait lens that Nikon make. Crank the defocus control and you have the option of melting the background or achieving the look of the old 40s Hollywood glamour shots.

The lens feels like it should and could be fired out of a tank and survive intact. Nikon don't make them like this anymore which is a shame. It balances well on a gripped D700 and the focus is quick and the colour rendition very pleasing.

One of the downsides to this lens are that it isn't a lens for everyone. 135mm can be too long for indoors and in that respect the 105mm DC might be more suitable. For DX users I'd suggest the 85mm f/1.4 D as opposed to the 135mm. There is also learning curve to it and whilst the curve isn't exactly steep and not a lens that is difficult to pick up and use judging when and how to use the defocus correctly takes a certain degree of experimentation that can be frustrating at first.

In conclusion I'd certainly recommend it if you want a portrait lens of supreme build quality, brilliant image quality, buttery bokeh and unique defocus control.

Comments about Nikon 135mm f2 D AF DC Lens:

I couldn't wait for this lens to arrive and I was not disappointed. I have been enduring the 18-135 kit lens i got with my D80. I was either using one end or the other of the zoom so decided to get two prime lenses instead. This is so sharp my wife won't let me take any close up shots of her face unless she has cleansed her skin first. You can see the pores.
It is fast too, I took photos of people in the office indoors without flash and much natural light when it arrived and they are nice and bright. Fantastic lens, reasonably heavy, but it feels fantastic. The extra out of focus feature is easy to use too and perfect for making objects in the foreground or background out of focus.

Comments about Nikon 135mm f2 D AF DC Lens:

What a wonderful lens. Built like a tank, you really feel as though you've bought something substantial when you take it out of the box, which is just as well because it's not cheap. (Having said that, it's both cheaper and lighter than a 70-200 F2.8)

The max aperture for F2 means this lens is fabulous for use in low light conditions as well as giving plenty of scope to play around with Depth of Field.

Much has been written about the bokeh this lens produces and I can assure you that this is not hype.

Control over the bokeh is aided by the DC (Defocus Image Control) which allows you to increase the softness of the out of focus areas of the image.

How does it work in operation? Easy; just set the DC ring to match the aperture you're shooting at (you'll need Manual or Aperture Priority mode on you camera for this.) Set it to R side for out of focus backgrounds or the F side for out of focus foregrounds.

DC is a subtle control - don't expect some crazy soft focus filter effect. (If that's what you want, buy a crazy soft focus filter!) Also the DC effect will be less noticeable on a DX (cropper sensor) camera than it will on a FX (full frame) body.

On the subject of FX/DX remember that once you account for the crop factor on a DX camera this lens works out at just over 200mm. If there's a 200mm F2 lens of this quality available for less than £1000 I certainly don't know about it!

The only other thing to note is that this lens does not have VR (Vibration Reduction) The upshot is that shutter speeds which you may have been getting away with handheld on a VR lens are now going to be trickier to pull off.

That's about it really. For more info, search for "Ken Rockwell 135mm F2" to hear someone who actually knows what they are talking about.

Enjoy.