Nikon AF-S 105mm f/2.8G ED IF VR Micro Lens

Nikon AF-S VR 105mm f/2.8G Micro ED Performance

Sharpness is already excellent in the centre of the frame at maximum aperture and clarity towards the edges of the frame is very good. Stopping down improves performance across the frame, with peak sharpness being achieved at f/5.6, where clarity is outstanding across the frame.

MTF @ 105mm

How to read our charts The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges. Averaging them out gives the red weighted column. The scale on the left side is an indication of actual image resolution. The taller the column, the better the lens performance. Simple. For this review, the lens was tested on a Nikon D600 using Imatest.

Levels of chromatic aberrations are well enough controlled with fringing just exceeding half a pixel width at apertures faster than f/4. This low level of fringing should pose few issues, even in large prints, or harsh crops from the edges of the frame.

CA @ 105mm

How to read our charts Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more. For this review, the lens was tested on a Nikon D600 using Imatest.

Falloff of illumination towards the corners of the frame is well controlled. At f/2.8 the corners are 1.84 stops darker than the image centre and visually uniform illumination is achieved with the lens stopped down to f/5.6 or beyond.

Distortion is very well controlled, with Imatest only able to detect 0.34% barrel distortion. This low level should pose few issues and as the distortion pattern is uniform across the frame, it should be relatively easy to correct in image editing software afterwards.

A deep circular hood is provided with this lens, which does an excellent job of shielding the front element from extraneous light that may cause issues with flare. Thanks to Nikon's Nano Crystal coatings, the lens retains excellent contrast when shooting into the light also.

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