Nikon Digital Photography Talk

Very often I get this question in my inbox and also see a whole rainbow of opinions on this subject. Is vibration reduction useful or useless in a macro lens?  The answer is absolutely subjective but let me tell you this. I was a long time Tamron 90mm 1:1 user, so long that it goes back to my Pentax days. I did try the Nikkor 105 AF-D version side to side with my Tamron (non Di version) and I concluded that ”upgrading” to Nikon’s version was going to be a waste of money. Other than the better construction in favor of the Nikon 105 AF-D micro lens, the image quality of the Tamron 90mm did not have too much to envy Nikon’s IQ. That was until I felt that the new Nikon 105 AF-S VR lens was going to be a true ‘upgrade’ from my Tamron. My ratio of keepers increased with the 105VR literally after getting the lens out of the box and headed outdoors with my Nikon D200.

Let me be clear, VR is not a substitute of a good tripod. But is you want more freedom for most close-ups, VR along with AF-S is a great help. I have been able to get pictures handheld with a magnification of up to 1:2 depending on the subject. An old fellow of mine told me once that he was able to achieve 1:1 shots with this lens, again, that depends on your subject and he is a dentist hence better pulse than mine ;o)

You might have seen these pictures taken with the Nikon 105VR F/2.8 before, they are not crops and this is was I was able to get with the lens on the 1st day of use with no tripod between me and my subjects. Having my Nikon D200 set to AF-C (continous) with focus priority, helped a lot tracking these Bees looking for nectar, you know, they won’t stand still for too long and they are constantly on the move. For more critical focus subjects with more DOF and/or were composition will be planned ahead, you need to get your old friend tripod. Am I ditching the Tamron? Absolutely not, it is a great lens to start and venture into macro photography. Based on my previous experience with the Tamron and the old Nikkor 105 AF-D, with the Nikon 105VR AF-S, you get one of the best (if not the best) macro lenses on the market; built like a tank, NANO COATINGS technology, ED Glass, Internal Focusing for fast auto focus without changing the physical size and balance on this lens.