A wonderfull lens, solidly built and not too large. Weight is acceptable, but it's not a lightweight...
At 2.8 and 4 it could be a nice portrait lens (not so sharp, but it's a macro lens...).
Very good from 5.6 to 11or 16 (macro or infinity).

With lens hood HK 14 (or HK 8 from a 2.5/105) it becomes a very long lens...not so handy !
The older f:4 micro nikkor Ai or Ais was a better macro lens (but not good for landscapes or at infinity) and had a built-in lens hood. Why not so on the Micro-Nikkor 2.8 ?

A good allround macro, portrait and landscape lens. Not bad with TC 14A ( f:4/ 147mm) for macro work.
Too big with PN 11 for 1:1 lifesize pictures...Better take a TC14A or a Nikon 4T or 3T close-up lens.

Similar Products Used:

Micro-Nikkor Ais/105; Micro-Nikkor Ais 2.8/55; Micro-Nikkor P-auto 3.5/55 and P-C auto 3.5/55; Tamron 2.5/90 Adaptall-II; Tokina ATX 2.5/90...and many EL-Nikkors on PB4 or PB5 bellows...

get up close to your subject easily - even hand-held

f stop changes when you push the macro too far - not really 2.8 for ultra-closeup

I bought this lens used on eBay and I'm in love. I take it wherever I go. It's an excellent and very versitile lens. Using close-up filters I can photograph anything, although you loose lots of stops. I find even without filters you lose about one to two stops when you are ultra close to your subject. If you're interested in seeing some sample shots taken with this lens on a Nikon D70, feel free to visit: http://www.pbase.com/ccraft/nikon105mm2

Image quality very good especially from 5.6 on. Good, posibly too good (sharp)for portraits; shows too many spots and lines!

WAY too noisy AF.Annoying hood. WAY too noisy AF.

Used with my now lost F4s and F5. Incredibly noisy AF but mostly used on manual focus. Great for plants but WAY too noisy for any animals. Pretty good sharpness and colour. No complaints on build quality except WAY too noisy! Very annoying hood. Can be difficult to secure body and lens to tripod without it moving due to wieght.

Customer Service

Not needed, told the WAY too noisy AF was not a problem.

Similar Products Used:

None

Very versatile focal length. Good for candids and blurry backgrounds as well. Nice speed and easy to handle. Very little flare.

Not that great at F2.8.

I bought this lens because I have the Ais non auto focus version. That lens is super for studio headshots and sharpness. I wanted the auto focus for current wedding people shots. I use it for candids. On the D70 it becomes a 150mm F2.8. Very useful for candids on film or digital. You can get really close on a head shot or do details, such as a ring closeup. Not too sharp at F2.8 but you can throw a background out nicely enough. Stop down to F5.6 or F8 if you need ultimate sharpness. I feel that this lens is sharper than an 85mm.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Most all of the Nikon lenses.

Excellent sharpness Very good build quality Versatile

Heavy Needs extension ring for 1:1 magnification Hood not built in

Excellent and versatile macro lens, but not easy to handle because of its weight. Viewfinder view is bright because of F2.8, but for macro, you often stop down to F11. Maximal magnification ratio only 1:2; needs extension ring for 1:1. Hood is not built in, but comes separately. Note that a macro lens is not necessarily sharper than a normal prime, but sharpness is more uniform from center to edge. I have not tried the 105mm/F4.0 macro, but people who did claim that it is sharper and better to handle. Not apt for portaiture (too sharp). Use of a tripod is indispensable IMHO.

Customer Service

Not needed in 5 years

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor MF 55mm/F2.8 macro Nikkor MF 50mm/F1.8 Nikkor MF 85mm/F2.0