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Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro Lens Review

Following its announcement on 2 Jun 2021 the Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro Lens quickly became the undisputed king of close-ups for the Nikon mirrorless camera system. This full-frame prime lens is a premium S-Line short telephoto with 1:1 magnification ratio and an extremely close minimum focus distance of 0.29m from the image sensor.

With spring finally arriving we thought it was the perfect time for a Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro Lens Review alongside our Nikon Z6 II review for photography, to see what the awards were all about, and holy guacamole we were impressed!

Discover whether this is Nikon’s perfect lens for your own close-up photography and what else a 105mm macro lens is good for in this real world hands-on review, which has everything you need to know about what is arguably the best macro lens for Nikon Z.

Small flowers macro. Camera settings 1/320th sec. f/3.3. ISO 100

Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro lens key features

Taking a look at the key features gives us an insight into some of the benefits, which this full-frame (FX) lens provides.

Bluebells macro. Camera settings 1/125th sec. f/3.2. ISO 100

Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S lens for macro flowers

Spring is an amazing time of year to photograph close-ups thanks to an abundance of wildflowers popping up on the verges and across woodland throughout the UK. All of the sample photos in this review are JPEGS straight out of the Nikon Z6 II camera, with no edits at all.

You can learn manual photography in 10 minutes so I shot everything manually using RAW + JPEG in order to get sample images straight out of camera to see how the lens performed. The flowers which were blooming while I had the lens included bluebells, wild garlic, anemones and others which I identified using Countryfile, which is a nice wildflower identification resource to accompany any apps you use.

Water droplet on leaf macro. Camera settings 1/80th sec. f/4.2. ISO 320

The macro lens has a focal length of 105mm, which makes a great choice for close-up photography, allowing you to get closer to your subject than with a wider focal width macro. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8, which provides good low-light performance and allows you to create a shallow depth of field. In practice the photos I captured show incredibly smooth out of focus areas in the background, which are buttery smooth. There’s also lovely falloff between focus and out of focus areas, and overall defocus is helped along by the 9-bladed aperture diaphragm.

One of the standout features of the Nikon 105mm lens is its Vibration Reduction (VR) technology. This helps to reduce camera shake and blur, which is especially useful when shooting handheld or in low light, which I predominantly did during my time with the sample.

White wildflower close-up. Camera settings 1/250th sec. f/4. ISO 200

Nikon Z MC 105mm focus performance

This particular S-Line Nikon mirrorless lens has a built-in stepping motor (STM), which provides smooth, quiet autofocus, making it perfect for both photo and video work. Although AF was sometimes relatively slow, the focus limiter helped immensely as did the manual focus clutch override.

I really enjoyed the manual clutch, which is incredibly useful and makes for super accurate focusing. All you have to do is simply turn the focus ring at any time for manual-focus override and you can pinpoint your focus with minimal fuss.

Wild garlic flower macro. Camera settings 1/125th sec. f/4.2. ISO 100

Close-up performance

The Nikon 105mm f2.8 VR MC S Nikkor Z Macro Lens is a dedicated macro lens, meaning it's specifically designed for close-up work, although you can photograph other subjects just as easily. The minimum focus distance allows you to capture minuscule details with great clarity and detail, rendered by Nikon’s impressive optics.

A 1:1 magnification ratio also means that the size of your subject will be reproduced at life-size on the camera's sensor, although you will often need to focus stack for subjects to be sharp front to back. For this review I was handholding without any focus stacking and I am certain in other hands you can achieve standout close-ups with a deeper focal plane, espcially as the Z6 and Z6 II, which I was using has a focus shift feature. My hope was to capture spontaneous shots with some painterly images, rather than perfectly sharp macro from front to back.

Using punch-in focus to check each image was quick and easy and the lens was quick and light enough for handholding, while making quick adjustments without any fuss. All in all it was simply brilliant in the field for real world shots, and I really enjoyed shooting with it. You can even adjust the focus throw to match your preferred way of shooting, which is particularly useful for video recording.

Bluebells macro I Camera settings 1/100th sec. f/3.8. ISO 100

Nikon 105mm macro lens image quality

One of the main strengths of the Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro Lens is its image quality, producing sharp, detailed images, even when shooting at close distances. The VR technology helps to reduce camera shake and blur, which is especially useful when shooting handheld or in low light and I was able to work at slower speeds without ever worrying about loss of sharpness from camera shake.

The images show a dreamy quality with distinct character and defocus areas are drop dead gorgeously smooth and soft, which is just what you want from background elements. I didn’t notice any colour fringing or chromatic aberration, which appears to be extremely well controlled, thanks to the special lens elements included in the optics.

Wood anemone. Camera settings 1/160th sec. f/3.8. ISO 250

Nikon Z 105mm build quality

Another strength of the Nikon mirrorless macro lens is build quality, which feels suitably well-constructed and solid in your hand, without being too heavy or bulky due to being made of hard plastic. The included lens hood is essential when shooting very close to a subject and it often came in handy, deflecting pollen and water droplets from the front lens element. The hood has a positive lock and remained solidly in place at all times.

The Nikon Z 105mm lens is weather-sealed, which enables use in harsher environments without worrying about damage from rain or dust. The front element is fluorine coated in order to wipe away drops and dust with ease, although you may want to utilise a 62mm clear UV filter or circular polariser for many of your outdoor close-up images.

A digital info screen on the top of the lens provides an instant overview of settings and I was impressed to see an on/off switch for this feature, which sits near to a dedicated customisable function button.

Bluebells macro II. Camera settings 1/100th sec. f/3.2. ISO 100

What else is a 105mm macro lens good for?

Aside from close-ups you can capture many other subjects with a 105mm macro lens, with low distortion and sharp results even when the aperture is wide open. Although not a typical walk around lens you can snap images on the fly, and shoot more considered subjects such as:

• Portraits
• Fashion and lifestyle
• Food photography
• Products and still life
• Wildlife
• Landscapes and city details

Dandelion macro Camera settings 1/400th sec. f/4.5. ISO 250

Considerations

My only minor gripe was the variable aperture, which narrows the closer you get to your subject, but does not open up again when you subsequently move away. What this means in practice is that you need to check the aperture before each shot, which isn’t a problem as long as you remember. Aside from that the lens was extremely intuitive, fast, super sharp and a joy to use.

This guide to macro photography has excellent examples of what you can achieve with this lens as well as covering settings for nature macro photography.

At £1,049.00 the Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S is a relatively expensive lens and may not be within the budget of some photographers, and it’s always worth checking our used Nikon lenses to find a second-hand alternative.

White wildflower. Camera settings 1/125th sec. f/4.5. ISO 200

If you're serious about macro photography the Nikon 105mm macro is worth the investment thanks to incredible image quality and high resolving power, which is right up there with the very best optics for the system. There is another macro option, which is reviewed in Nikon Z mirrorless macro lenses in depth, however for slightly more distant subjects the 105mm lens is probably the best possible choice.

Whether you’re new to close-up photography or a seasoned macro shooter reserve your Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S Macro Lens today and enjoy exploring the tiny world, which lies all around.

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By Nick Dautlich on 09/05/2023