Just Announced: Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 105mm F/1.4 ED

Earlier today Nikon announced a very exciting new fast medium telephoto lens – the AF-S FX NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4 ED – the first lens in this focal length to have an f/1.4 aperture.

So why are (at least some) people so excited about this lens? well, 105mm is a great range for portraiture (especially headshots) although as Matt Granger explains in the video above (Nikon itself didn’t publish any official videos and there is no hands on video with the lens available at this point).

Of course this very wide aperture (compared to Nikon’s own old 105mm f/2 and newer 105mm f/2.8 macro lenses does come at a cost – both financially (at almost $2200) this is a very expensive medium telephoto prime) and weight (it weighs in at almost 1kg or 34.8 oz.) with a huge 82mm front element.

The lens is also one of the first E-type lenses (most modern Nikon lenses so far have been G-type). The E stands for electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism in the lens barrel which provides highly accurate electronic diaphragm or aperture blade control when using auto exposure during continuous shooting. With conventional D/G type lenses, the diaphragm blades are operated by mechanical linkage levers (note that some older Nikon cameras will not know how to work with these new E-type lenses).

The new “fat” super fast 105mm f/1.4 Nikon

One more thing that seems to be missing on the lens is VR – we are not sure why Nikon decided not to include image stabilisation on the lens (it is important for video as well as some situations in stills – and of course you do not always shoot wide open with a lens).

Here are some specs AF-S NIKKOR 105mm f/1.4E ED:

Focal length: 105mm (full frame coverage).
Aperture: max f/1.4 (min f/16).
Construction: 14 elements in 9 groups.
min shooting distance: 100 cm.
Max magnification 1:7.6.
AF – Silent Wave Motor.
Coating: Nano Crystal Coating.
Filter size: 82mm.
Weight 985 grams.
Aperture blades: 9.
Price: $2200 (online).

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Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.