Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

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Macro_Cosmos
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Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

S-line, with VR, and an OLED screen. Cheapest Nikon mirrorless lens so far with these premium features. (50/1.2, 58/0.95, 14-24,-70,-200 trinity have these much are much more expensive).

999 pounds, so 1100 USD, or so. Must account for the high customs over there in Europe, maybe it's 999 USD, who knows.
Would be worthwhile for me if the image quality is the same as the PN105A. If not, won't bother.

Image

RobertOToole
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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by RobertOToole »

Macro_Cosmos wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:07 pm
S-line, with VR, and an OLED screen. Cheapest Nikon mirrorless lens so far with these premium features. (50/1.2, 58/0.95, 14-24,-70,-200 trinity have these much are much more expensive).

999 pounds, so 1100 USD, or so. Must account for the high customs over there in Europe, maybe it's 999 USD, who knows.
Would be worthwhile for me if the image quality is the same as the PN105A. If not, won't bother.
Hi MC,

Thats cheaper than I though it would be. Hope its a good design.

You know what though I don't think this lens will beat the Sigma 105 Art though, but I guess it doesn't matter since Sigma doesn't cover Z-mount.
I doubt the IQ judging by the other Nikon 105s and also the 1.2/50 Z is not that good. It shows CAs and hits peak sharpness at f/4, kinda disappointing for Nikon.

I'm told the 105 Art is better than the 70 Art and that was unbelievably good. I have a 105 on the way soon I hope. I will test it with an APO-Lanthar 125 and some others.

Best,

Robert

chris_ma
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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by chris_ma »

I expect this lens to be good - with modern computer aided lens design pretty much all new lenses are pretty fantastic, and no manufacturer can afford to release a mediocre 1000usd lens these days.

I can well imagine that the Art 105mm already reaches center sharpness on the level of a printing nikkor, but looking at the data sheets it‘s very unlikely that it can match it in regards to edge sharpness and distortion (and probably CA).

On the other hand normal macro lenses are easier to mount and focus in the field and will also perform nicely on portraits or even landscapes.
chris

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

RobertOToole wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:32 pm
Hi MC,

Thats cheaper than I though it would be. Hope its a good design.

You know what though I don't think this lens will beat the Sigma 105 Art though, but I guess it doesn't matter since Sigma doesn't cover Z-mount.
I doubt the IQ judging by the other Nikon 105s and also the 1.2/50 Z is not that good. It shows CAs and hits peak sharpness at f/4, kinda disappointing for Nikon.

I'm told the 105 Art is better than the 70 Art and that was unbelievably good. I have a 105 on the way soon I hope. I will test it with an APO-Lanthar 125 and some others.

Best,

Robert
I'm confident that it'll be as good as the Sigma. PN? Probably, not so much confidence in that. I don't think it's fair to judge this lens on the performance of their older 105mm macro lenses since those were at least a decade old. They were good at the time of their release but not anymore by modern standards.

The most recent one was their 105 F1.4 released several years which was "Otus level" as claimed by many, but not my cup of tea. It even holds up compared to the massive Sigma. I prefer the Sigma due to nicer looking blur balls (rather than blur lemons) and brighter image, it has to be for its size. Sharpness and resolution wise, the two are similar.

If we go by the 105 F1.4, then it's going to be solid, but that's not a macro lens, neither is the 50/1.2. There hasn't been a modern macro lens from Nikon until this one. Canon released theirs a month back, Sony's expensive 90mm isn't as good as Tamron's. Then there's a couple of Sigmas and lots of Laowas as recent releases. If Canon didn't release theirs, they'd be in the same spot as Nikon, massive gap of (>=)1:1 macro releases.

I looked into the 50mm 1.2 options before, the big three are more or less the same. They all suffer from LoCA, spherochromaticism, and aren't the sharpest wide open. They all get really sharp at F2.8. They are all big and fat, unwieldy bests.

Macro_Cosmos
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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

Pre-orders are open, I was right on the pricing: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... 105mm.html
$996.95, not expensive at all.

More info in Japanese language: https://www.nikon-image.com/products/ni ... res01.html
Looks like a beast.

Review by Ricci: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RJh7VZrjA4

(I am not paid to post this stuff, haha)

RobertOToole
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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by RobertOToole »

Macro_Cosmos wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:11 am
........
I'm confident that it'll be as good as the Sigma. PN? Probably, not so much confidence in that. I don't think it's fair to judge this lens on the performance of their older 105mm macro lenses since those were at least a decade old. They were good at the time of their release but not anymore by modern standards.
Yes, the old Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G, that is more than a decade old, closer to two maybe? When the G came out, IF was one of the latest technological achievements. :D That G was sharp but moderate CAs spoiled the IQ for me.

The Z should be a lot better for sure!

What took them so long I wonder? The Z 105 macro has to be really really good though, I haven't shot with it yet but the 105 Art lens, I posted something here about it, the lens test site in the EU, LensTip, had to create a new chart when they tested it, the results were literally off the chart. It beat the previous champion, the Voigtländer 2/65 APO-Lanthar by quite a bit and was sharper in the corners than the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS in the center! Maybe that's why Nikon took so long to come out with the new lens?
I looked into the 50mm 1.2 options before, the big three are more or less the same. They all suffer from LoCA, spherochromaticism, and aren't the sharpest wide open. They all get really sharp at F2.8. They are all big and fat, unwieldy bests.

The Nikkor-Z 1.2/50 S is a strange one from what I've read in online tests, No LoCAs but LaCAs that increase on stopping down. The Z 50mm is weaker f/1.2-f/4 compared to the Sony FE 50 mm f/1.2 GM (which costs a little less).

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by RobertOToole »

chris_ma wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 11:56 pm
I expect this lens to be good - with modern computer aided lens design pretty much all new lenses are pretty fantastic, and no manufacturer can afford to release a mediocre 1000usd lens these days.

I can well imagine that the Art 105mm already reaches center sharpness on the level of a printing nikkor, but looking at the data sheets it‘s very unlikely that it can match it in regards to edge sharpness and distortion (and probably CA).

On the other hand normal macro lenses are easier to mount and focus in the field and will also perform nicely on portraits or even landscapes.
The Printing-Nikkor 105 IQ in it's own class I think, I really like the 95mm also, both offer some of the very best IQ I've ever seen in testing.

Yes, true point you make, the consumer macro lenses will show a drop off away from the center. As I'm typing this I just recalled that I tested the PN105 vs the Sigma 70 Art a while back! https://www.closeuphotography.com/1x-test-2020 I completely forgot about that!

That would give someone at least an idea of the difference and there is some, but its not as much of a difference than I expected when I tested these two. You can see quite a bit of distortion in the Sigma frame. Also the PN105 has a much larger IC.


:D

Sigma 70 Art, A7RIV corner:
_Sigma-70mm+Art-macro-lens-www-Closeuphotography-com-C.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... ormat=750w

PN105A, A7RIV corner:
_Printing-Nikkor-105-2.8A-lens-www-Closeuphotography-com-C.jpg
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/cont ... ormat=750w

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by RobertOToole »

Can someone remind me in a couple of months when these lenses ship to email NPS for a loaner sample to test?
Macro Cosmos maybe? I can add it to my to-do list but that is already a couple of pages long so I might not see the note until 2022!
Better remind me. #-o

NPS (Nikon professional service) is where I usually get Nikon loaners for tests)

Best

Robert

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by ray_parkhurst »

My 105VR is the most disappointing lens I ever purchased. I bought it in 2009 for shooting coins, and it came highly recommended, so I figured it was a no-brainer. Unfortunately the IQ was so poor that it started me looking for something better almost immediately, and it has sat on my shelf unused all these years. I took it out on a couple of walkaround macro shoots, but even there the IQ was poor enough that I never wasted my time again. Hopefully the new one will be better. As good as a 105PN? Almost certainly no.

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

RobertOToole wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 6:51 am
Macro Cosmos maybe? I can add it to my to-do list but that is already a couple of pages long so I might not see the note until 2022!
Noted, I'll try to not forget.

What I dislike about these 100mm range macro lenses is that they are all wannabe portrait lenses, it's something I don't understand. They all have VR/IS whatever, for what? Maybe nowadays it works at 1:1 as well? Surely handshake can be compensated for, but the thin depth of field at 1:1 can't, so with lacklustre technique, you're still looking at spraying and praying.

I wouldn't want a macro lens for portraiture, if I show her all those hairs and bumps on the skin...
A good use scenario for a lens like this is wedding people, close-up shots of the ring and other shiny objects, while fast enough for a mid-range headshot, couples' portrait work. I think I've answered my own question here.

Hugging my PN105A, I hope it's as good but I'm not holding my breath.

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by Lou Jost »

They all have VR/IS whatever, for what?
That's what I used to think, but now I see that in the field, it is infinitely easier to nail the manual focus if the image isn't jumping around like crazy in the viewfinder. It is a huge advantage, even more for macro lenses than for normal (non-telephoto) lenses.

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

Lou Jost wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 10:31 am
They all have VR/IS whatever, for what?
That's what I used to think, but now I see that in the field, it is infinitely easier to nail the manual focus if the image isn't jumping around like crazy in the viewfinder. It is a huge advantage, even more for macro lenses than for normal (non-telephoto) lenses.
Right, that's understandable. I mainly work from a tripod however, but I'm becoming more and more reluctant to bring anything more than a small bag outside nowadays. The VR of this new 105mm will be a tremendous, multi-generational leap from the 105mm F2.8 VR. All my woes are from that piece of lens, it's so fat, heavy, unwieldly, the VR screeches which hurts my head. Images are fine, I actually love the colours. CA though, heaps when they creep in.

I'll see if I can get a loaner too. Hopefully I don't need NPS since I've been shortlisted for their smallworld contests before.

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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by lothman »

RobertOToole wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:32 pm
I'm told the 105 Art is better than the 70 Art and that was unbelievably good. I have a 105 on the way soon I hope. I will test it with an APO-Lanthar 125 and some others.
Robert,
the new 105 Macro for Sony FE is very nice lens. It is a pity that you are so far away, I would like to borrow you the Sigma 105, Laowa 100 and Laowa 2,5-5x. All very affordable lenses.

regards
Lothar

an example of the Sigma on a Sony A7riv:
dandelion_1024.jpg
crop_1024.jpg

RobertOToole
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Re: Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8S VR macro lens announced

Post by RobertOToole »

Macro_Cosmos wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 10:20 am
RobertOToole wrote:
Wed Jun 02, 2021 6:51 am
Macro Cosmos maybe? I can add it to my to-do list but that is already a couple of pages long so I might not see the note until 2022!
Noted, I'll try to not forget.

What I dislike about these 100mm range macro lenses is that they are all wannabe portrait lenses, it's something I don't understand. They all have VR/IS whatever, for what? Maybe nowadays it works at 1:1 as well? Surely handshake can be compensated for, but the thin depth of field at 1:1 can't, so with lacklustre technique, you're still looking at spraying and praying.

I wouldn't want a macro lens for portraiture, if I show her all those hairs and bumps on the skin...
A good use scenario for a lens like this is wedding people, close-up shots of the ring and other shiny objects, while fast enough for a mid-range headshot, couples' portrait work. I think I've answered my own question here.

Hugging my PN105A, I hope it's as good but I'm not holding my breath.

Just read this now (was out of town for a couple of days).

Another issue with the 100mm lenses is the focal length (FL). At infinity 100mm has a pretty wide angle of view. At 1x the FL drops to something like 60mm maybe! Years ago I created a slideshow frame that I used to show at media shows/trade shows etc that compared a range of lenses from 50mm to 200mm with consistent subject size in this case some orchids. The 180-200s had creamy smooth Bokeh with the 150 Sigma pretty good also but the 100 FL wasn't much better than the 50s and 70s. The angle was too wide. It makes a really big difference in the field when you are working and trying to avoid bright or dark spots/objects in the BG (background). The flip side to that is at 100mm (60mm at 1x) the WD (working distance) is so short if you can easily reach up and touch the subject, move, or manipulate as needed, very convenient in the field! (Also lighting is easier with a short WD)

But if you like soft creamy backgrounds 150-200 might be a better choice. 150 was a good all around FL for me.

Best,

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