NIKON AF-S 105MM F/1.4E ED

It’s much smaller and lighter than Sigma’s competing lens, but what about the quality?

The increase of 20mm in focal length, compared with the 85mm lenses on test, gives this Nikon lens and the competing Sigma a little more telephoto reach. There’s not a great deal in it, but the effect is noticeable, and the 105mm lenses feel a little more natural for tight head-and-shoulders portraiture.

Despite the upsized focal length, the Nikon lens is actually shorter, slimmer and lighter than the Canon RF 85mm lens on test. It’s also much smaller than the Sigma lens, and less than two-thirds of the weight, making it more manageable for handheld shooting. However, it’s considerably pricier than the Sigma lens.

Typical of modern lenses, the optical path is complex, with a large number of elements – this time 14 of them arranged in nine groups. The design features three ED (extra-low dispersion) elements and high-tech Nano Crystal coat. Build quality is very good overall, and the construction features weather-seals along with fluorine coatings applied to the front and rear elements. Autofocus is courtesy of a fast ring-type ultrasonic system with conventional full-time manual override, and a focus-distance scale mounted beneath a viewing panel.

As with the competing Sigma 105mm f/1.4 lens on test, the Nikon delivers the availability of an incredibly tight depth of field. In the context of portraiture, you can have sharpness for a single eye, and even the surrounding eyelashes will be blurred. Levels of sharpness across the frame are very good, while bokeh is beautifully buttery, with a smooth graduation between in-focus and defocused areas. Axial chromatic aberration can be noticeable when shooting wide open but disappears when stopping down a little, the well-rounded diaphragm helping to retain high-quality bokeh.