Review | Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR Macro
The Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 VR is a specialised, but extremely useful lens to have in your bag. The flagship macro lens in Nikon lens line-up as of 2011, this lens pretty much has it all, and has quickly become my second favourite lens to use with my Nikon D700. (After my Nikon 50mm f1.4 G)
To avoid confusion, when Nikon call something “micro”, that actually mean Macro. Which is what the rest of the world calls close focusing lenses. Dedicated macro lenses allow you to get incredibly close to your subject, making them perfect for insects, flowers and food photography, as well opening up a whole world of miniature photography. See here for my post: How Close Is Close?
In addition to being a decent macro lens, you also get a medium telephoto lens, (equivalent to 155mm on DX) with a large bright, aperture of f2.8, which makes it a great portrait lens. And, as the lens is a fixed focal length prime, in theory, the optics should be crystal clear and provide soft creamy Bokeh. And finally, the Nikon 105mm f2.8 also includes VR (vibration reduction) to help alleviate hand shake in low light. Phew. With all of the features, it must be good, right?
In The Box
The Micro-Nikkor 105mm f2.8 is marketed as one of Nikon’s “Pro Grade” lenses, and contains all of the specifications to match, although, thankfully not the extortiotnaly high price. At just over £600, the Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR is very good value for money. As well as the lens, Nikon include a large lens hood and soft case in the big, shiny gold box.
Build Quality
The Nikon 105mm weighs 600grams and is about 80mm long. The size and weight are just right to make it balance very well on a D700, and doesn’t look that out of proportion on the tiny Nikon D3100. The outer shell of the lens is mostly magnesium alloy, but some parts feel a little more like plastic. The fit and finish are very good, and the lens is also sealed against dust and moisture. The design of the lens is dominated by the huge focusing ring, just above a small but useful focusing window. The size, weight and build quality almost fit exactly in between the Nikon 50mm f1.4 and 24-70mm f2.8.
Despite having a large aperture and a 62mm filter thread, the front element of glass on the Nikon 105mm is quite small, which I found a bit surprising. Looking inside all of that glass, you will see the 9 bladed rounded aperture and the VR system is somewhere in there too. There are 3 switches on the side of the lens, one to control VR, one to limit the focus distance, and one to change the lens into manual focus only.
AutoFocus/VR
On positive side, the AF-S autofocus motor of the Nikon 105m f2.8 is quick and quiet. Unfortunately, the focus ability of the lens was surprisingly poor.
For everyday subjects under good light, everything works as it should. But when the light starts to disappear, the lens has real issues locking focus on anything within a few meters. And because of the large focus distance of it being a macro lens, when it can’t lock on, it takes an absolute age to hunt through, back and forth, back and forth, until it either eventually locks on, or I give up and use manual focus instead. When using the lens for macro work, it’s always best to setup the camera on a tripod and use manual focus anyway, it’s much more accurate.
The good news is that the VR works great. I can use the Nikon 105mm at 1/20th of a second and get pin sharp images. At the moment, this lens is the only one I own with VR, and I’m a big, big fan. It’s just so useful. Just be aware that the VR does make a bit of a racket, it will click and clunk while focusing, as demonstrated in the video below, but it isn’t much of a problem.
Bokeh
I love the Bokeh from the Nikon 105mm f2.8 Macro. Open the aperture up to f2.8, point at your subject and get soft creamy backgrounds and great subject isolation. The great thing is that highlights are perfectly round and circular throughout the aperture range, and even wide open at f2.8.
Image Quality
The Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR is sharp, sharp, sharp. Details are crisp and characterful, and colours are accurate. In my experience, the lens is at its best at f4, but I mostly use it at f2.8 for portraits regardless, because the depth of field is just right. Speaking of which, for macro use you will be best using f8 to f16 due to the magnified depth of field, which can literally be millimetres, so make sure your focus is spot on.
As you’d expect for a lens at this price, there really isn’t a lot going wrong image quality wise. There is a little darkening in the corners, but this can be easily corrected in Lightroom/Photoshop afterwards. Overall, I don’t think you can get more bang for your buck when it comes to image quality.
Image Samples
Verdict
The Micro Nikkor 105mm has quickly become one of my favourite lenses to use. It has the right mix of great build quality, but without being too bulky or heavy, with a useful focal length that’s perfect for portraits and macro work. The great image quality and Bokeh, together with the help of VR make a very versatile lens to use. It’s just a shame that sometimes the autofocus can’t always keep up. If you are wanting a lens purely for macro work, you may want something a bit longer, like the Nikon 180mm f4.
But if you want a lens that can do great still life macros, and be a light and sharp portrait lens, I would seriously consider the Micro-Nikkor 105m f2.8 VR.
Very nice article about this wonderfull lens which also is one of my favorite lens
I thinking about buying this lens as I have just got into portrait photography but would like to play around with the macro element too.
Thanks for the great review.
Katie
Http://www.mummydaddyandmemakesthree.co.uk