Photography News 91

First test

PRICE: £999

NIKON.CO.UK

Photographers who invested in the Nikon Z series and wanted a macro lens have had their patience tested, but the wait is finally over NikonZ MC105mm f/2.8VRS

TEST PICTURES

Pictures were taken using a Nikon Z 7. Test chart shots were taken with the Z 7 on a Leofoto LS-324C tripod. Adobe Lightroom with default settings was used for Raw processing.

IT’S BEEN THREE years since the launch of Nikon’s Z series, but the first dedicated macro lenses arrived only a few months ago. The Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is one of them, engineered to make the most of Nikon’s new tech. But does the difference show? It does. Right out of the box there’s an obvious disparity in weight from the previous F-mount 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens, which was 750g. The new lens shaves 120g off that, despite an optical construction of 16 elements in 12 groups. The result is a beautifully balanced model with the Z 7II that I tested it on. It’s also weather sealed – a big help for nature subjects. On the barrel, there’s a large manual focus ring, which is smooth

in the turn and has a long rack for precision focusing. Unless switched off via the menu, it will automatically override the AF – useful for minor adjustments. I used the lens mostly handheld, shooting in AF-C mode and letting the camera respond to subject movement, and found focusing very successful. The AF speed from infinity to the closest 29cm doesn’t have much snap, but that’s typical of a macro lens. It’s highly responsive over short distances where needed, though. It also worked seamlessly with the camera’s focus stacking mode, and 1:1 reproduction is achieved about 13cm from the front element, so just in front of the lens hood.

Controls also include a full 0.29- 0.5m focus limiter, a customisable L-Fn button, customisable control ring for setting aperture, exposure compensation or ISO, and an MF/AF switch. Like other top-spec S lenses, there’s also an OLED display – the most useful setting here being a depth-of-field scale. The lens also has Vibration Reduction, meaning you can get sharper shots, whether using a Z series body with IBIS or not. I found this most useful when handholding at speeds around 1/25sec. If you get much below that, subject movement and camera distance starts to affect sharpness, too. That said, I found I could shoot down to about 1/5sec and still around half of the shots were acceptably sharp. A great result. Optical quality is superb. Checking images, a lens correction profile is automatically included, but even switching this off shows a complete lack of fringing or aberrations. Vignetting is quite noticeable wide open, thieving a little over a stop, but disappears around f/5.6. It’s very sharp wide open in the centre and holds well to the corners, with edge-to-edge sharpness peaking around f/5.6-f/8. Bokeh is impressively smooth. KS

F/2.8

F/4

F/5.6

F/8

F/11

F/16

SPECS › Price £999 › In the box Lens cap, back cap, lens hood, lens case › Format 35mm full-frame › Compatibility Nikon Z › Filter 62mm › Construction 16 elements in 11 groups › Special lens elements One aspherical, three ED › Coatings Nano Crystal Coat, ARNEO coat, fluorine coat › Aperture range F/2.8-32 › Diaphragm Nine blades › Magnification 1x › Autofocus Yes, internal › Minimum focus 29cm, focus limiter with 29-50cm range › Weather sealed Dust and moisture proof › Image stabiliser Lens shift using voice coil motors › Dimensions (dxl) 85x140mm › Weight 630g › Contact nikon.co.uk

F/22

F/32

F/22

HANDY DISPLAY Like other S-Line lenses, the 105mm f/2.8 has an LCD to show focusing distance (in feet and metres), magnification ratio or f/stop

This is a premium macro lens that delivers on its promises. It handles beautifully, is built to last and produces stunning image quality. At £999, it’s not cheap and you can save by using F-mount alternatives along with the FTZ converter, but it certainly doesn’t disappoint and comes highly recommended. PROS Light, accurate and silent AF, great manual options, brilliant optical performance CONS Premium price, not compatible with Nikon Z teleconverters Verdict

CHOICES, CHOICES The L-Fn button enables you to choose what you want the rotating barrel to do – select aperture or adjust focus, for example

38 Photography News | Issue 91

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