A legend among lenses, the close-focusing 105mm f/2.8D AF* Micro-Nikkor enables exquisite images, rich in detail. Its 105mm focal length (versus its 60mm brother) has the benefit of adding extra working distance that can accommodate a variety of lighting techniques. In fact, its Close-Range Correction System allows focusing from as far as 12 inches while still yielding a 1:1 reproduction ratio! The lens' 105mm focal length and razor sharp optics also make it an excellent choice as a portrait lens.
1 This lens is "OK"
The quality of the lens is pretty good. Image is clear and sharp.
One thing I don't like the lens is the "focusing"... it take long time to focus on the image and the motor is noisy. Sometime the "image" is lost and will go back and forth to get the image focus. I have set it correctly on the lens (for those of you who own the lens, you know what I am talking about).
After using it for a few years, I had to sell it on Ebay and take a lost.
I am now using the new Nikon 70-210/2.8 which is much nicer/faster focus (but cost slightly more).
2 My sharpest lens!
This 105mm f/2.8 lens is the sharpest in my arsenal. I took an absolutely amazing closeup of water droplets with my N8008s on a strand of wild grass where the droplets acted like a convex lens. You could actually see the inverted image in the small droplets.
I've now made the transition to a D70 and the lens works great there too. With the 1.5X magnification for the APS size sensor, it extends the working distance and gives greater than 1:1 magnification. The images still look great at 6.1 megapixels.
Highly recommended!
3 Amazing lens
This is my favorite lens -- I often carry only it and a 28mm lens while hiking. The wide angle for landscapes, the 105 for detail shots. The 105 is super sharp and useful for way more than just macros, which of course it does flawlessly. The focal range is from mere inches to infinity, which means that the autofocus (on my N80, at least) sometimes takes a sec to work, so I usually manually focus it. In fact, for macro work without a tripod, it's easier to focus by moving the camera closer or further from the subject.
The lens is a great portrait lens -- I have used it outdoors and in the studio for close crops (head & shoulder shots). It has very narrow depth of field, perfect for high-illumination outdoor portraits to keep the background blurry.
4 Outstanding for macro fans
When you get tired of the poor optical quality of screw-on close-up filters, and are sick of switching extension tubes constantly, this lens is the answer. The ability to focus down to 1:1 (pretty much fill your frame with a quarter) without stopping to add tubes is a huge time saver.
Perfect for flowers and larger insects, this lens is also a flat field and so is excellent for copy work. It's slightly long focal length also makes it a pretty good portrait lens. The best part is that it has that famous Nikon glass, so color saturation and sharpness is simply amazing. Use it with Fuji Velvia (ISO 50) with a diffused flash and you will never regret buying this lens.
