Lens: Nikon 105mm f/4 AIS micro
Vintage: early 1980's
Lens Mount: Nikon F-mount
Needed Adapters: None needed for Nikon dSLR bodies.
Preferred Mounting: Normal.
Filter Thread: 52 mm.
Controls: Aperture and focus controls.
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Resolution vs Aperture:
The sharpest aperture is f/8 and the most
resolving aperture is f/5.6. I would tend to use f/8
for most shooting as the resolution at f/8 is very
nearly as good as f/5.6. A sharpest aperture of
f/8 is typical for this focal length.
The sharpest aperture is f/8 and the most
resolving aperture is f/5.6. I would tend to use f/8
for most shooting as the resolution at f/8 is very
nearly as good as f/5.6. A sharpest aperture of
f/8 is typical for this focal length.
Corner Sharpness vs Aperture:
The corner performance of this lens is very good.
The unsharpness is mild at f/4 and f/5.6 and gets
very good to extremely good at smaller apertures.
(Testing done at 0.5:1 magnification. Numbers at
each aperture setting will tend to improve as the
magnification is increased and worsen as the
magnification is decreased.)
The corner performance of this lens is very good.
The unsharpness is mild at f/4 and f/5.6 and gets
very good to extremely good at smaller apertures.
(Testing done at 0.5:1 magnification. Numbers at
each aperture setting will tend to improve as the
magnification is increased and worsen as the
magnification is decreased.)
Sharpness and Resolution vs Magnification:
This lens shows good sharpness and resolution
across its usable magnification range. Compared
to similar 105 mm lenses such as the Nikon
105mm f/2.8 VR , it has less resolution and
sharpness although the difference is pretty small.
The 105VR is a much newer design.
This lens shows very good corner performance
across the macro magnification range.
This lens shows good sharpness and resolution
across its usable magnification range. Compared
to similar 105 mm lenses such as the Nikon
105mm f/2.8 VR , it has less resolution and
sharpness although the difference is pretty small.
The 105VR is a much newer design.
This lens shows very good corner performance
across the macro magnification range.
Street Price: ~$200 - $275 in good used condition.
Chromatic Aberration: This lens show minimal color fringing in the center (about 0.15 - 0.40 pixel) and
very good on the periphery (0.014 - 0.020%). Anything below 0.04% is not considered significant. There is
mild axial CA on out-of focus details (see image below) as shown by a slight red fringe on the left and a slight
green/cyan fringe on the right of the image.
very good on the periphery (0.014 - 0.020%). Anything below 0.04% is not considered significant. There is
mild axial CA on out-of focus details (see image below) as shown by a slight red fringe on the left and a slight
green/cyan fringe on the right of the image.
Image Contrast: Image contrast is very good across the magnification range.
Flare: No significant flare is evident during lens testing
Conclusion:
This is a good all around macro lens that works well on a copystand. It is relatively inexpensive to
purchase and they are commonly available at used camera stores.
This lens has good resolution and sharpness, but it does get slightly outperformed by other lenses
in its focal length range. This is probably related to its age and relatively simple design compared to
more modern offerings. That being said, the difference between this lens and a modern macro lens
will be pretty minimal - likely only visible when zoomed up on full size images.
This lens shows very good corner performance and contrast. There is very little chromatic
aberration and no visible distortion.
The one slight limitation is that you will need about 50 mm of extension to get to 1:1 magnification
because this lens only focuses to 1:2 unaided.
One nice feature is that this lens has a focus lock screw built-in. When shooting images in a vertical
orientation, tightening this screw will prevent focus creep.
This is a good all around macro lens that works well on a copystand. It is relatively inexpensive to
purchase and they are commonly available at used camera stores.
This lens has good resolution and sharpness, but it does get slightly outperformed by other lenses
in its focal length range. This is probably related to its age and relatively simple design compared to
more modern offerings. That being said, the difference between this lens and a modern macro lens
will be pretty minimal - likely only visible when zoomed up on full size images.
This lens shows very good corner performance and contrast. There is very little chromatic
aberration and no visible distortion.
The one slight limitation is that you will need about 50 mm of extension to get to 1:1 magnification
because this lens only focuses to 1:2 unaided.
One nice feature is that this lens has a focus lock screw built-in. When shooting images in a vertical
orientation, tightening this screw will prevent focus creep.
Basic Function: Manual focus macro lens.
Appearance:
Aperture: 7 blades.
Image Samples:
About 1:2 magnification, f/8, resized, slightly cropped on the sides:
About 1:2 magnification, f/8, 1 to 1 crop:
Good pixel level detail.
Good pixel level detail.
About 1:1, f/8, resized:
About 1:1 magnification, f/8, 1 to 1 crop from
above:
Again, good detail, no problems.
above:
Again, good detail, no problems.
Distortion: The is virtually no distortion with this lens. Straight lines on the edge of the frame are straight on
the image.
the image.
Performance: Sharpness vs Magnification:
This is a new graph that I recently constructed. I
have 4 lines that represent levels of performance
from outstanding (top) to fair (bottom). This
shows where this lens fit into the hierarchy that I
have created.
The Nikon 105/4 AIS shows sharpness that
varies from very good on the low-end of
magnification to fair on the high-end. Modern
macro lenses tend to do a little better.
This is a new graph that I recently constructed. I
have 4 lines that represent levels of performance
from outstanding (top) to fair (bottom). This
shows where this lens fit into the hierarchy that I
have created.
The Nikon 105/4 AIS shows sharpness that
varies from very good on the low-end of
magnification to fair on the high-end. Modern
macro lenses tend to do a little better.
Performance: Resolution vs Magnification:
This is a new graph that I recently constructed. I
have 4 lines that represent levels of performance
from outstanding (top) to fair (bottom). This
shows where this lens fit into the hierarchy that I
have created.
he Nikon 105/4 AIS shows resolution that varies
from very good on the low-end of magnification to
good on the high-end. Again, modern macro
lenses tend to do a little better.
This is a new graph that I recently constructed. I
have 4 lines that represent levels of performance
from outstanding (top) to fair (bottom). This
shows where this lens fit into the hierarchy that I
have created.
he Nikon 105/4 AIS shows resolution that varies
from very good on the low-end of magnification to
good on the high-end. Again, modern macro
lenses tend to do a little better.
