These look great. Also interested in how it handles in the A9 (af/eye-af, afc)...This is much more interesting than the Sigma if it handles well..thanks
Fred Miranda wrote:
Are you getting the Sigma Art 105mm or you are happy with the Nikon?
I have ordered the Sigma because it will have a FE mount (and will hopefully work completely native). That said I am very happy with the Nikkor despite the few shortcomings like the occasional lockup with my A9 and the once in a while hunting AF.
Sarnia wrote:
Thanks for the images Ken. How do you find the focus with the Nikon 105 1.4 plus adapter vs native lenses like the 85 1.4 GM?
The 85mm is a bit faster than the Commlite/Nikkor combo. I wouldn't and don't rely on it shooting continuously at weddings. Now the Sigma 135mm/Metabones I can trust at weddings even in continuous.
glowrider wrote:
These look great. Also interested in how it handles in the A9 (af/eye-af, afc)...This is much more interesting than the Sigma if it handles well..thanks
With the A9 the AF of the Nikkor 105mm is reasonable fast. I use it mostly in single shot AF where it is perfectly usable for portraits and random candid pictures. Where I wouldn't use it is in situations where you'd use continuous AF. Maybe outdoors it would work but inside it's not fast and reliable enough. I put up with it's shortcomings as the pictures I get from it are second to none for portraits.
The Sigma 105 is sharper than the Sigma 85, at least out to 15mm from the centre. In the corner the 105 and the 85 are similar, i.e. the 105 drops off a little more. Maybe the 105 will show a bit more astigmatism than the 85, but others may chime in on astigmatism.
The Sigma 105 has pincushion distortion, 0.5% in the corner and the Sigma 85 has barrel distortion, -0.3% in the corner.
isaacimage wrote:
Can you explain the chart for those who don't understand please ?
is it sharper than 85 Art ?
How is distortion ?
Thank you
Roger Cicala's explanation here of MTF is good and easy to understand. I think the most important thing to remember about MTFs is that the lower-numbered line pairs (10l/mm in most MTFs) show how much resolution you get in the big details, and the higher line pairs (20, 30, 40, etc) gives you an indication of how much resolution you're getting on the smaller details and tonal transitions.
So, while Sigma doesn't give you an indication of what line pairs they are showing (10 and 30 would be my guess) you can see that the 105 should have higher resolution through much of the center frame on big but even more so on smaller details and the edges will be roughly the same as the 85. Distortion's slightly higher than the 85, but I think you'd be hard pressed to notice it unless you were shooting a repeating geometric pattern.
One thing to take into consideration when selecting one of the fast 105's over one of the fast 135's is reproduction ratio if you plan to use it for smaller subjects. The Sony and Zeiss 135's are around 1:4 and the Sigma is close, thanks to their short MFD's and long focal lengths. The 105's, on the other hand, are closer to 1:8. That probably won't make a difference if you look at these lenses and think "portraits and landscapes," but it can make a difference if you plan to use it for ring shots, small animals/reptiles/fish, abstracts like a newborn's hand clutching an adult's finger for the first time, etc.
I have a couple options. Right now in my stable is the Loxia 85, Sony 85 1.8 and Batis 135. Not selling the Loxia 85 as that’s the lens I can use when I want to be light weight. So I could easily sell the Sony 85 and maybe even the 135 for the 105. What I want to see first though in FE mount the Sony TC 1.4 and 2x if they work and more importantly if they can track really well. If they do than I may try it. I don’t mind a brick like this because it would be a more specific use lens and having the Loxia 85 to substitute in when I want to travel or do landscape type stuff. I think for maybe some of us we can juggle things around a little. Obviously wedding and portrait shooters are drooling. Lol
