Anyone using Nikon 105mm DC F2 lens?

[eon]

Hi

Just wondered if any of you guys own one of these, and if you would go with a better alternative?

Read a lot of good things about the 105 and would be good for portraits without getting in peoples faces as I do with my 50mm 1.8D at the moment,

Thanks

[Dave Humphries]

What camera will you want to use it on Eon?

(although my concern about lack of AF may be unfounded if you have the 50/1.8D and use it on anything from a D90 and above)

I have the 105mm macro, a full stop slower, although that's unlikely to matter too much unless you only want one eye in focus depends whether macro appeals as a 'second use'

I don't know the lens you suggest, but I expect my macro is heavier too

Cheers,

[Letrow]

Hi Eon, I have no experience with this lens, but have had a very serious look at buying the 135mm DC lens a while ago. Ken Rockwell has a review on it here. What stopped me buying it was the fact that apart from the great bokeh possibilities you get (if you learn how to use this lens properly that is), it isn't really suited for macro work. It is pretty specialized. Also, the 135mm on a DX body, posed a bit of a restriction, because you get really close that way.
What I also do when I am contemplating a lens is look at the specific group on Flickr (in this case the 105mm F/2 user group) to check the kind of pictures people make with the lens.

If you like what you read and see, by all means buy it. But Dave's suggestion (the 105mm macro) might work for you as well and is a bit more versatile perhaps. I have it and love the bokeh it has. To be honest though, on my DX Nikon I don't really use it for portraits that much, because it gets too close (more like a 150mm on full frame). I prefer the 50mm lens and if I needed to get closer would probably first think of the 85mm, not the 105mm.

Curious to see what you decide on in the end

@Dave: the difference in weight isn't that big actually. The 105mm VR is 0.720 kilo, the 105mm DC is 0.64 kilo.

[Hansm]

I had the Minolta 135 mm STF for a while but sold it when moving to Canon. The STF is a kind of lens as the DC from Nikon. It is a lens with learning curve. Focussing comes very very critical. So not a lens for fast action.

Maybe an other but expensive, if you can catch one, alternative: the Voigtlander Apo Lanther 125 mm.
I'm still looking for it with Canon mount.
Very suitable for macro and almost unbeatable bokeh.