I just bought this lens off Craiglist......and wow..!!!
I think this lens is definitely one of the best alternate lens for portrait, especially for the price.
Very sharp wide open with nice background blur....
This is straight out of camera with no PP.
I'll have to try this lens during daylight, but I'm really impressed with the color, sharpness, and the bokeh...
And it's so small that I can easily put it in my pocket...
I picked up a early non-AI version of this lens for next to nothing and like you Paul I've been very impressed. It won't replace the Contax 100/2 but it has a very nice look and at the price I can justify owning both. Another Nikon lens that I just picked up that isn't often discussed but seems nice is the 28/2 AI. I hadn't been too interested in the Nikon line since the early adapters that I had were sloppy and unpleasant to use, but the newer adapters seem to have licked this problem. Nikon seems to have a few gems for the 'alt' crowd.
I did some google searched this lens, and indeed found it to be known as a legendary lens to many Nikon users.
Yeah... It won't replace my c/y Planar 100, but the lens' characteristic is different enough for me to keep it.
Again, the quality, price, size make this lens one of the best alternate lens in this focal length.
I have the older Nikkor-PG non-AI version as well, and it delivers... I have to compare it still against my super-multi-coated Takumar 105/2.8, but I doubt that the Tak will be better.
I just came back from a trip to India using leitaxed Leica lenses mostly with my D700. But when I was at the marvellous Sufi-shrine at Nizamuddin in Delhi with a friend, we swapped lenses and I took some pictures with his 105/2.5. The picture quality is simply astonishing, and I think it looks pretty 3D-at least to me (f 2.8 ISO 800) http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=4319153522&size=large
Hi Paul. Congrats on the 105. I've had one for quite some time ... one of the latest versions ... and love it, too. I've used it on my Canon 5D II w/adapter for some really stellar images. Before that it was extensively on my D2x. Enjoy ....
The price has been going up steadily the last few months. Congrats on the purchase.
