The Nikkor Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S Micro Lens

***Nikon Nikkor Z MC 105 mm f/2.8 VR S micro lens on a Nikon Z 7ii camera***

The Nikon Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens is part of Nikon’s S-Line of lenses meaning it is much more than a standard lens.. It has three extra low dispersion (ED) elements, one aspherical element, super integrated multicoating (SIC), nano crystal and ARNEO coatings to minimise reflections, ghosting and flare and the front element has a fluorine coating to repel dust, grease and moisture. The lens also has weather seals around its mount and all moving parts to keep out dust and moisture.

***The Nikkor Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S micro lens (far right), compared to the Z 14-24 f/2.8 S, Z 24-70 f/2.8 S and Z 70-200 f/2.8 VR S***

Build and Ergonomics:
The Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S follows Nikon’s new style - a simple black body with white text colour scheme with only the silver Nikkor S label to identify it as a high spec lens. Nikon has lost the gold accents and plethora of switches normally found on its high end F-mount lenses. The simple modern design of the new Z-mount lenses hides the complexity of the optical designs that make these S lenses some of the best performing and superior built lenses Nikon has ever made. The S-line logo has changed to be much more pronounced.

Like many other S lenses, this lens is equipped with the electroluminescent (EL) panel, lens function (L-fn) button and third control ring.

The Z mount lens is larger than the older F-mount G lens, although once the FTZ adapter is included they are roughly the same size. The F-mount lens weighs approximately 750g whereas the Z-mount weighs in at approximately 630g. The F-mount lens does require the FTZ adapter to mount onto the Z series cameras which adds a further 133g, resulting in the new lens being almost 250g lighter on a mirrorless camera than the previous version. The lens is slightly longer than the Z 14-24 f/2.8S and Z 24-70 f/2.8 S zoom lenses.

***Comparison of relative sizes of Nikon AF-S Micro 105 f/2.8 G ED VR lens (left) with the new Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens***

The lens has three rubberised ribbed rings. The front dummy ring is actually just a grip and does not rotate or have any other function other than to provide another way to support the lens. The large central focus ring can be used in AF mode when the shutter release is half-pressed or AF-ON button pressed and will override the autofocus. The use of focus peaking allows very accurate manual override. Similarly, focussing in manual focus using focus peaking is very accurate due to the long focus travel of this lens. The lens focuses down to 0.29m (0.96 feet), with a maximum magnification of 1:1 or 1x life-size. It is worth noting that the nominal apertures change as the lens focuses closer, so, for example, f/2.8 at infinity becomes f/4.5 at 0.29m. Unlike some other manufacturers, Nikon displays the correct aperture display on the lens and in camera.

The rear ring, closest to the body operates as a control ring that can be assigned various functions including aperture and exposure compensation. Setting the function of this ring is performed in the camera’s custom controls setting menu option.

The lens is fitted with an Electroluminescent (EL) display panel and two push buttons, DISP and L-Fn. The display panel is similar to the top panel of the Z6 and Z7 cameras and shows Nikkor when the camera is first switched on, then can be used to display the aperture, magnification or focus distance. The display turns off automatically after a short while but can be turned back on by pressing the DISP button. This button is also used to cycle through the information options that can be shown on the screen.

When displaying focus distance the EL panel also provides depth of field ranges, something that can be easily missed unless you look down on the lens since the view from behind the camera is slightly obscured by the cut-out around the panel.

The L-Fn button can be assigned specific functionality using the camera menu. I set up the L-Fn option on my lens to zoom the image to 100% allowing more precise manual focus to be achieved when viewing macro subjects.

*Nikkor Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens showing positions of the various control switches and control rings*

Vibration Reduction:
This lens has in-built vibration reduction that is used in partnership with the In Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) of the Z series cameras. The combined VR/IBIS is stated to offer full 5 axis (pitch, roll, yaw, horizontal and vertical) image stabilisation with this lens and is claimed to provide up to 4.5 stops of correction. There is no VR ON/OFF or VR MODE switch on the side of the lens - this is controlled through the in camera menu system where it can be enabled or disabled, and its mode can be set to Normal or Sport.

While I haven’t tested the percentage of sharp images at different shutter speeds with and without VR, I can vouch for how effective the stabilisation is during normal conditions.

Focus:
The autofocus system in the Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S is faster than previous macro lenses but cannot keep up with other S-line lenses due to the nature of the lens. At normal distances the AF is fast and precise but this slows down as the subject becomes closer to the lens. It uses multiple groups of elements to focus internally, with no extension or rotation of the lens barrel. Previously I have used F-mount lenses and there is a tendency for them to chatter when adjusting focus in AF-C mode. This lens does not have the same issue although it is not completely silent.

The lens can be switched into manual focus using the A-M switch on the side of the lens barrel or via the menu system in the camera. Manual focus of the lens uses a “fly-by-wire” focussing ring that is speed sensitive, so the faster you turn the lens ring the more it moves focus. The throw of the lens is quite large allowing for precise adjustments in focus position to be achieved.

The lens also has full time manual override for autofocus, so for example, you can turn the focus ring while in autofocus mode with the shutter half pressed (or the AF-ON button pressed) to fine tune the focus, including using the rangefinder and focus peaking options in the viewfinder.

There is a focus limiter switch on the side of the lens that selects between full range or a restricted range between 0.29m and 0.5m. Where subjects are always going to be very close to the lens, selecting this limit speeds up the AF system and reduces the possibility of focus hunting. .

Image Quality:
The Nikon Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S is optically superb. The lens shows no signs of vignetting or distortion even without the built in lens correction profile applied in the camera and carried across into programs such as Adobe Lightroom Classic. Critically, there is very slight barrel distortion when uncorrected by this is negligible.

Sharpness is excellent across most of the frame and still very good in the extreme corners even wide open at f/2.8. Images are slightly sharper at f/4 but not by a significant amount.

The lens appears to be extremely well protected against flare when shooting into the sun, with no flare spots noticeable on my images.

*Grape Hyacinth (Muscari flower showing sharp flower head and nicely rendered out of focus background*
***Nikon Z7ii, Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens. 1/2 second at f/11, ISO 64***

*Clematis flower showing edge to edge sharpness with no obvious vignetting*
***Nikon Z7ii, Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens. 1/2 second at f/22, ISO 64***

*Blue Iris flower*
***Nikon Z7ii, Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens. 1/125th second at f/8, ISO 450***

*Close up of a Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) flower and buds showing impressive detail*
***Nikon Z7ii, Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens. 1/2 second at f/16, ISO 64***

*Close up of a Delphinium flower bud*
***Nikon Z7ii, Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens. 1/60th second at f/29, ISO 64, Flash (R1C1 Close Up kit)***

*Close up of a tiny spider I found climbing along the side of my desk while setting up the previous delphinium shot. The spider was about 5mm across. Cropped Image*
***Nikon Z7ii, Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S lens. 1/60th second at f/29, ISO 64, Flash (R1C1 Close Up kit)***

Filters
The lens has a 62mm filter thread for circular screw-in filters similar to the previous Micro Nikkor AF-S 105 f/2.8 G ED VR . This allows the use of the Nikon 5T and 6T close up lenses for greater magnification.

The Technical Bits:

Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount
Focal Length Range: 105 mm
Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/32 at infinity(f/4.5 to f/51 at I:1 ratio)
Aperture Blades: 9 (rounded)
Filter Size: 62mm
Lens Elements: 16
Lens Groups: 11
Special Elements: 1 Aspherical, 3 ED glass
Fluorine Coating: Yes
Nano Crystal Coating: Yes
Super Integrated Coating: Yes
ARNEO Coating: Yes
Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
Focus Motor: Dual AF-P Stepper Motors (STM)
Internal Focusing: Yes
Internal Zooming: N/A
Vibration Reduction: Yes
Minimum Focus Distance: 29 cm (0.96 ft)
Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 1:1, or 1x Magnification
Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
Mount Material: Metal
Dimensions (Diameter by Length): 88 x 140 mm (3.4 x 5.6 inches)
Weight: 630g (22 oz)
Angle of View: 23°

Conclusion:
Nikon has created an extremely impressive macro lens with the Z MC 105 f/2.8 VR S. Its performance, especially sharpness, is exceptional across the whole frame. It provides uncompromising performance at all apertures, even wide open at f/2.8. Its consistent sharpness from the center of the frame all the way to the edges shows how good this lens is. This lens is better than the previous F-mount lens, which is an impressive feat in itself given the performance of that lens.

Pros: