Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro is a true Dual Threat lens giving you amazing Macro but also amazing Portrait capabilities. After receiving the lens in the evening, I shot 182 images by early morning working from my dining room table and then outside at first light. You need to know your gear and get some practice with this lens. It's sophisticated in all respects and deserves the respect of your time and patience. There is heavy breathing as the lens tries to focus on what you want. Some helpful tips: Switch to manual focus occasionally on the fixed/non-moving subjects. Rock back and forth firing multiple shots. When you're ready and I personally am not, use the photo stacking techniques in conjunction with Photoshop. In your camera settings for Auto Focus, switch to Pin Point. Put the dot exactly where you want to be in focus. Keep in mind even stopped down, your depth-of-field will be very shallow. Buy a 2nd battery for your camera! As a portrait lens, the Z 105 is amazing! The Bokeh is strong! You will have a ton of fun impressing family and friends with portraits. I personally own the Nikkor Z 50mm f1.2 and the 50mm f2.8 Macro. Had the 105mm Macro been available, I would not yet own the 50mm f1.2 and probably passed on the 50mm Macro. I do own both the Z6ii and Z7ii as well as the other Z lenses and started shooting Nikon in 1980 when I bought the F3. This lens is a great deal as it is 2 lenses. Understand you'll need to "slow down to speed up" with lots of Macro practice. If you're like me and limited patience, go run and gun as a portrait lens. It's a blast!

Ive been doing photography personally anf professionally for about 20 years. Had to pick up a macro lens for a commercial shoot of insects. This worked flawlessly. Great images. And it doubles as a great portrait lens. I honesty want one of these for each of my cameras, fuji, and sony as well. Just a great all around lens.

I was surprised to see this lens "in stock" only a couple weeks after release and Nikon saying this is planned to be backordered for many months. I wanted the lens, eventually, but was going to wait until the rush was over but with no other longer range Z lenses seeming to be announced, anytime soon, I just decided to get it...and boy am I glad I did. I've been using my 200mm f4 macro to pass the summer. With the FTZ adapter and the older lens now becoming a manual focus one, it was fun but there are a lot of things I was missing with the Z body (I shoot Z7ii and Z6ii). The biggest thing is the in camera focus stacking (you need AF for this). Works incredibly, under calm outdoors situations as the key is to have absolutely NO subject movement while it's doing its thing. I won't get into this feature as it's a lens review, but if you don't know about it, look up the many videos on the "tube" and have some fun trying it out. About the lens itself. This thing is SHARP. In my opinion, it outperforms the 200mm f4 macro, which was legendary for its sharpness. Not only that, it's pretty lightweight. This lens on the body feels the same weight of just the 200mm f4 lens I was using, with both in each hand. Part of me going into the Z system was to shed weight and this fits the bill. It's smaller size will also allow me to bring this macro on trips where before the "brick" (200mm) just added too much weight and size in my backpack. It's also not all that long of a lens. Having larger hands, the lens diameter seems pretty wide and fits in them very naturally. Large focus ring is smooth as butter with the perfect amount of travel to dial focus in, when shooting manual. Beautiful bokeh. Very very shallow depth of field, but it's a macro, so that's how it should be. The AF seems a little slow, compared to other Z lenses I have, but I feel like it's perfect speed for they type of photos this was created to be used for. I think a fast snappy AF would be too much when trying to focus on little tiny things. It does lock right on and stay, though. I've only been using it for the weekend, but I've had such a fun time playing with it and the light weight makes it seem like nothing to carry around all day. Nikon really knows how to make lenses.

I was using my old f mount 105 with a z adapter, but I dropped this lens and needed a new one! Wow, this might be my favorite lens purchase this far. Incredibly sharp, so much better than its f mount predecessor. So glad I was forced into this upgrade, it is incredible

Outstanding lens! Currently I most of the 1.8 S prime lenses for the Z system and a zoom, but this one stands out above the rest, it is incredibly sharp and my new favorite in my kit. I would recommend this both for portrait or macro work. Attached are a couple shots I have taken with it.

I was hesitant to purchase this lens due to it being a prime and at this cost. I have to say it has exceeded my expectations. I love this for portraits, live music, and landscape. It’s a bit large but I’m able to shoot all day and not feel weighed down. Because it’s a macro lens, the F/ will change depending on how close/far you are from your subject. It’ll give you the “equivalent”. For example, if I have it set to F/2.8 but I’m < 7 inches of my subject, it’ll change the F/ to 3.6 or higher. For those that didn’t know (like me) - who thought the lens was broken haha it’s not. FroKnowsPhotos has a YouTube video that explains it better. Anywho, fantastic lens, definitely worth the purchase. Also, does a fantastic job in low light.

I needed a sharp lens for my Nikon Z9 to shoot closeups and portraits. This lens more than fit the bill. Images are sharp, focusing is fast, colors and the bokeh are amazing. The size is managable. A great lens to add to your primary lenses and zooms at a reasonable price.

I have a Z6 and upgraded to this from the original 105 MC VR and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. This true Nikkor Z S lens goes great with my Z camera and really shows off the new system. Noticeably sharper i feel, as well lighter and more compact design. Lcd is a bit of gimmick but it’s cool to show off. Auto focusing is pretty quick but can get lost and hung on occasion. Other than that it’s a perfect lens that has won me over my previous love, the original 105mm nikkor.

I’m using this with a Nikon Z fc. I love the results. Best macro shots I’ve ever gotten.

I have always wanted a Macro lens and finally purchased this one to go with my new Nikon Z5. It took a while to get used to all the fantastic options (read the manual on this one). The images are fantastic! Love this lens!

Felt lucky to snag one of these when it came into stock last month. The optics here are fantastic. Destined to be a classic. Really a gorgeous lens and a must if you're interested in macro photography. With an f/2.8 max aperture, it's engineered for macro photography with no compromises. But the engineering on the focus is quick enough to use on standard/non-macro applications and you don't feel like it's operating outside of its wheelhouse.

This lens is insane, so sharp and great at video as well.

Amazingly sharp lens!!! Great color rendition I can focus about 3 inches away from the front of the lens hood!!!!

For a lot folks, its going to come down to do I buy the Z 105MC or the Z 50MC. My review will compare the two choices. The Z 50MC is an excellent lens. You will not find anything optically wrong with it. Excellent sharpness in the center and corners, and overall great character. No issues with CA, distortion, vignetting, etc. It is everything you have come to expect with Z lenses optically. The downsides are the build quality feels cheap, the AF is slow, and there is a ton of focus breathing. The focus ring does not feel confident, mostly due to the friction having an unrefined feel to it. The markings on the lens are not well placed and do not communicate well to the user. IMO, I like the unique macro perspective given by the 50mm focal length, but that is up to the individual. This lens is sharp enough that even in APS-C mode there is plenty of resolving power at an effective 75mm and allows for a little more distance to target. This lens is less than half the length and weight of the Z 105MC, which makes it a far better hiking and travel lens. The non-macro secondary usage is also excellent. 50mm is always a useful focal length, and f2.8 provides decent bokeh for impromptu portraiture. No VR in lens, but IBIS is more than up to the task at 50mm or 75mm. The Z 105MC is an excellent lens. You will not find anything optically wrong with it. Excellent sharpness in the center and corners, and overall great character. No issues with CA, distortion, vignetting, etc. It is everything you have come to expect with Z lenses optically. The downsides are the much larger size and weight, the AF is slow, and there is a ton of focus breathing. The focus ring feels confident, mostly due to the friction having an highly refined feel to it. The markings on the lens, the OLED, communicate well to the user. However, there is no option to keep the display on, which is quite annoying when trying to fine tune your macro shots. IMO, the 105mm focal length for macro is well-travelled and somewhat boring, but that is up to the individual. This lens is sharp enough that even in APS-C mode there is plenty of resolving power at an effective 157.5mm and allows for a little more distance to target. This lens is more than double the length and weight of the Z 50MC, which makes it a far less likely for me to bring hiking or for a travel lens. The non-macro secondary usage is also excellent. However, 105mm is not always a useful focal length, though f2.8 provides decent bokeh for impromptu short tele niche portraiture. This lens does have VR, which combines with IBIS to again be enough whether at 105mm or 157.5mm. So, which one do you pick? I ended up with both, though not necessarily on purpose. I had planned on only getting the Z 105MC, but a trip came up where I needed a macro lens and only the Z 50MC was available at that moment. The Z 105MC suddenly and surprisingly became available at Best Buy after many months of no stock anywhere, and I pulled the trigger despite already having the Z 50MC in hand. Having both while still being within their return periods has given me the time to fully and fairly evaluate both of them without having a dog in the race if you will. In few words, the Z 105MC feels like a higher quality lens. The build quality is a lot better, especially the focus ring. Huge difference on the focus ring, huge. The Z 50MC is much smaller and lighter, while still delivering excellent optical performance. Both of them have terrible focus breathing, which is a problem for focus stacking. One of the main advantages of having an AF macro lens is the ability to easily perform focus stacking. I have done many focus stacking tests on each of them now. IMO, focus stacking is pretty much a no-go with either of these lenses. Too many artifacts/odd renders to manually correct, especially in the corners of the frame. Its just not worth the trouble. If focus stacking matters to you, neither of these lenses are a good choice. You are better off using the Z 24-70 f4 and its 0.30x max reproduction ratio with extension tubes for focus stacking, though the new Z 24-120 f4 with its 0.39x max reproduction ratio might become the new best choice for Z focus stacking. If you want a lens that is easy to bring with you, has excellent optical quality, and a useful secondary role, the Z 50MC is the better choice. It is less than half the size and weight, offers a more interesting perspective, IMO. Yes, you do have to get close to your subject, but the same is true of the 105mm focal length. Its not until you get into 200mm plus that you can get far enough away to not startle the subject, so don't let YT misguide you. Yes, it is a little overpriced, but not crazy overpriced. If you want a lens that has excellent build quality and has slightly better optical quality, then the Z 105MC is the better choice. Yes, you can get a little bit further away from your subject. However, if your subject startles easily, this lens will not get you further away enough even in APS-C mode. The 105mm perspective is very well-travelled, so while some argue it is a better perspective for macro please realize your shots will look exactly like everyone else's shots. In this regard, the 50mm has the advantage and not disadvantage, IMO. This lens is very overpriced. To justify the high price, size and weight, I would like to have seen a lot less focus breathing. This is what should have set the Z 50MC and Z 105MC apart...less focus breathing. But, no, both are terrible focus breathing, which means focus stacking is mostly out. I still rate this lens 5 stars, because it is far superior to anything Canon or Sony has on the market today.

Let's talk about what this lens is not: it's not "fast focusing" but we need to be honest - it's not meant to be! It's a macro. I've seen a few reviews that ding it for not being lightning quick - but when you're racking focus from infinifty to a few inches, it's going to take time - even with modern motors. So if you want something "quick" go look somewhere else. Now, for a macro, this thing is superb! I had the F-mount version and prefer this one. It's extremely clean, great bokeh, easily focused, and natively a z-mount. It's everything that a $1k piece of glass should be (with the afore mentioned situation). If you're a Nikon macro shooter, this is what you're looking for. Full stop. It will also work well in product photos. In a pinch, it won't be bad in portrait (although I prefer my 70-200mm). I had some misgivings about "upgrading" from the F-mount + adapter, but this is definately worth it. A welcome addition to my camera kit.

Fantastically sharp and versatile mild telephoto prime with superb macro capability. It's somewhat large and weighty, but fast, with all that glass. VR capability makes handheld macro photos a breeze. The auto-focus is a bit slow and tends to hunt at close range.

This may be marketed as a macro lens and it does not disappoint in that. However, this is a fantastic portrait lens as well. I skipped the 85mm lens and opted for a 50 1.8 and this lens as my other portrait lens. Wow! The rendering is excellent. The depth of field, sharpness, all amazing. It's a keeper!

Amazing lens sharp worrh the money best lens i owned for my z8 and light weight i did not buy it from here got mine from procam had it in stock

Great lens for all genres of phtography (especially macro). I really like the light weight of the lens paired with my Z camera body. The f/2.8 aperature allows for low light situations...Sharp prime lens. I recommend the MC 105 macro to anyone.

This is lens is phenomenal! Razor sharp photos and incredible macro shots as well as great as a portrait lens in the budget range. Still a high-quality S lens! I highly recommend this lens!