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NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 1:37 am    Post subject: NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D Reply with quote
Hello everyone, good health.
I would like to ask for a review of this 105mm F2.8 lens.
-Sharpness?
-Macro photography ok?
-Are there any lenses that compare in terms of sharpness?

I would like to thank everyone!


PostPosted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 5:09 am    Post subject: Re: NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D Reply with quote
Nguyen The Duong wrote:
Hello everyone, good health.
I would like to ask for a review of this 105mm F2.8 lens.
-Sharpness?
-Macro photography ok?
-Are there any lenses that compare in terms of sharpness?

I would like to thank everyone!


No experience with this once, but I bet it's good. You could also look for the Minolta AF 135mm f/2.8 macro; just make sure to get the right adapter. The lens is razor sharp, built like a tank. And overlooked by many people somehow, so very affordable. And perfect for capturing flowers 😉👍


PostPosted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 12:41 pm    Post subject: Re: NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D Reply with quote
No experience with this once, but I bet it's good. You could also look for the Minolta AF 135mm f/2.8 macro; just make sure to get the right adapter. The lens is razor sharp, built like a tank. And overlooked by many people somehow, so very affordable. And perfect for capturing flowers 😉👍[/quote]

Thank you very much, I still prefer 105mm, but I will look into the lens you recommend.


PostPosted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D Reply with quote
Nguyen The Duong wrote:
Hello everyone, good health.
I would like to ask for a review of this 105mm F2.8 lens.
-Sharpness?
-Macro photography ok?
-Are there any lenses that compare in terms of sharpness?


The Nikkor you mention optically is a very good lens. Mechanically, however, it feels quite cheap: The focus ring has quite a bit of play when focusing manually, and the aperture ring doesn't move smoothly. And lots of plastic on the exterior. No that much fun to use as a "manual" lens.

caspert79 wrote:

You could also look for the Minolta AF 135mm f/2.8 macro; just make sure to get the right adapter. The lens is razor sharp, built like a tank. And overlooked by many people somehow, so very affordable. And perfect for capturing flowers 😉👍

I think you're talking about the Minolta AF 2.8/100mm Macro!

I really can recommend that one, especially the first two versions which don't have any play when focusing manually. The lens barrel is made completely out of metal. At infinity, the Minolta is better than the Nikkor, and it works very well on 43 MP FF sensors. Images taken side-by side with Minolta AF 2.8/100mm Macro plus Sony A7RII were almost indistiguishable from images taken with the 50 MP Fuji GFX (medium format) plus Mamiya A 4/120mm Macro lens - quite remarkable indeed.

S


PostPosted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 7:45 pm    Post subject: Re: NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D Reply with quote
Nguyen The Duong wrote:
Hello everyone, good health.
I would like to ask for a review of this 105mm F2.8 lens.
-Sharpness?
-Macro photography ok?
-Are there any lenses that compare in terms of sharpness?

I would like to thank everyone!
..


Auto-Focus


PostPosted: Sun Aug 15, 2021 8:05 pm    Post subject: Re: NIKKOR 105mm F2.8 Macro 1:1 AF-D Reply with quote
stevemark wrote:
Nguyen The Duong wrote:
Hello everyone, good health.
I would like to ask for a review of this 105mm F2.8 lens.
-Sharpness?
-Macro photography ok?
-Are there any lenses that compare in terms of sharpness?


The Nikkor you mention optically is a very good lens. Mechanically, however, it feels quite cheap: The focus ring has quite a bit of play when focusing manually, and the aperture ring doesn't move smoothly. And lots of plastic on the exterior. No that much fun to use as a "manual" lens.

caspert79 wrote:

You could also look for the Minolta AF 135mm f/2.8 macro; just make sure to get the right adapter. The lens is razor sharp, built like a tank. And overlooked by many people somehow, so very affordable. And perfect for capturing flowers 😉👍

I think you're talking about the Minolta AF 2.8/100mm Macro!

I really can recommend that one, especially the first two versions which don't have any play when focusing manually. The lens barrel is made completely out of metal. At infinity, the Minolta is better than the Nikkor, and it works very well on 43 MP FF sensors. Images taken side-by side with Minolta AF 2.8/100mm Macro plus Sony A7RII were almost indistiguishable from images taken with the 50 MP Fuji GFX (medium format) plus Mamiya A 4/120mm Macro lens - quite remarkable indeed.

S


Yes, the Minolta AF 100mm f/2.8 macro indeed!


PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had one and ended up selling it because I found it to be exceptionally slow in its AF and "hunted" a lot. (This was a normal distances not macro distances where I usually used manual focus. But I seldom shoot at macro distances, much preferring normal shooting for most of my photography......I got this lens for its image quality, not its ability to shoot macro shots. But given it is an AF lens I would prefer to have one which has workable AF).

I later found that this specific lens model sometimes develops an electronic fault with its AF system which greatly degrades its AF (and which I believe may get worse over time). I have seen a few articles on this problem on the internet including one video (linked below) which included instructions on how to disassemble the lens and repair the problem. The repair seems to require a cleaning of the electrical contacts deep inside the body which can become contaminated somehow - grease I suppose. But the disassembly process is very prolonged and beyond my humble powers. For most ordinary shooters though, who will be using this lens in MF either for macro or for normal work, it may not be an issue as the lens image quality really is exceptional.

But I do now own a Micro Nikkor 105mm f4 AIS instead as this was a far cheaper way of getting a replacement lens in this class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLQzIrCDmbk


PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 1:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
yoyomaoz wrote:
I had one and ended up selling it because I found it to be exceptionally slow in its AF and "hunted" a lot. (This was a normal distances not macro distances where I usually used manual focus. But I seldom shoot at macro distances, much preferring normal shooting for most of my photography......I got this lens for its image quality, not its ability to shoot macro shots. But given it is an AF lens I would prefer to have one which has workable AF).

I later found that this specific lens model sometimes develops an electronic fault with its AF system which greatly degrades its AF (and which I believe may get worse over time). I have seen a few articles on this problem on the internet including one video (linked below) which included instructions on how to disassemble the lens and repair the problem. The repair seems to require a cleaning of the electrical contacts deep inside the body which can become contaminated somehow - grease I suppose. But the disassembly process is very prolonged and beyond my humble powers. For most ordinary shooters though, who will be using this lens in MF either for macro or for normal work, it may not be an issue as the lens image quality really is exceptional.

But I do now own a Micro Nikkor 105mm f4 AIS instead as this was a far cheaper way of getting a replacement lens in this class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLQzIrCDmbk


Really thank you very much, I have learned more about this lens. But I use A7II camera so I use it as MF lens, I just want to ask about the sharpness of the lens.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 4:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 5:50 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Aug 18, 2021 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Nikon still makes the manual predecessor of this lens: https://www.nikon-image.com/products/nikkor/fmount/ai_micro-nikkor_105mm_f28s/


PostPosted: Thu Aug 19, 2021 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
Nikon still makes the manual predecessor of this lens: https://www.nikon-image.com/products/nikkor/fmount/ai_micro-nikkor_105mm_f28s/


Yes I believe its a very good lens too. Well I suppose it would have to be given its longevity in Nikon's line up. I did end up buying the predecessor to this lens though as it too is regarded in some quarters as being slightly better even then the MF version of the f2.8 lens albeit one stop slower at f4. Still I do not find that to be a terrible deficit given how well it performs and if you will be shooting stopped down as in macro applications its not really an issue at all. Having said this my main reason for going down this path was money. Though I could have gotten the f2.8 version, the one I bought was much less pricey (it cost me $115 US plus postage) and was in what I would regard as excellent condition. Most in this condition are a bit dearer though - I got lucky.

The MTF curves I have seen seem to show a curve that appears pretty similar to the AF f2.8 lens and appears to be even sharper at wider apertures - the widest aperture for the AF lens in these graphs is 4.8, which may be (??) due to the fact that an AF lens will record the actual rather than the nominal f value when the lens is cranked out to a close focusing distance. Or it may just be an attempt to provide comparable maximum f stops for comparison purposes. I am not sure. In the former case this might explain the slightly lower MTF value score.

(see these links).

http://www.coinimaging.com/nikon_105-4ais.html

http://www.coinimaging.com/nikon_105vr.html (This is the latest version of the AF lens not the D version.)


PostPosted: Sat Aug 21, 2021 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've had this lens for almost 20 years, it is very sharp and has never given me any trouble. Most recent use is on a Nikon Df. I tested it against the newer AF-S Micro-Nikkor, the older lens is much sharper. Personal opinion is the newer lens was designed for Digital, knowing that CA and other corrections would be applied in post. Or the marketing department designed the lens to get as many acronyms on the lens, AF-S VR ED IF MOUSE.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2021 1:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
fiftyonepointsix wrote:
I've had this lens for almost 20 years, it is very sharp and has never given me any trouble. Most recent use is on a Nikon Df. I tested it against the newer AF-S Micro-Nikkor, the older lens is much sharper. Personal opinion is the newer lens was designed for Digital, knowing that CA and other corrections would be applied in post. Or the marketing department designed the lens to get as many acronyms on the lens, AF-S VR ED IF MOUSE.


Thank you very much, can you give me a reference to the photo you took from the lens?
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