"Love the lens, not the weight!"

    ""Here we have what appears to be a made-in-heaven lens from Nikon combining thier excellent 105 2.8 with 9 blades for better bokeh (out of focus rendering) and (gulp!) VR!!!

Well, let's cut to the chase. Is this lens worth the money? It depends. If you absolutely had your heart set on a Nikon 105 2.8 Micro, then this lens makes sense. The bokeh IS better than the older 7 bladed version. And it also has the VR which will be of aid when doing normal non-macro work. There's no denying that VR works great and combined with the 2.8 speed you get a nice package here for available light work.

My problem with this lens, as with the original, is that the Tamron 90 Macro 2.8 DI is still a better lens. It is sharper and continues to hold the lead in bokeh for protrait work. With the Tamron being under 450 new, people in the know can save and score.

On the other hand, the Nikon is HARDLY a bad lens by any stretch. We're talking about minute differences most of the time. The Nikon's VR is of very little aid doing macro work, but it's great when shooting anything else. On top of that you get VERY fast AFS focusing.

Once again I'd like to point out that a macro 105 or 90 requires close distances to subject for 1:1 work. If you want to shoot bug faces a longer focal range, such as a 150 or 180 may be better suited, though less useful for protrait work on a DSLR with a 1.5 crop ratio.

So depending on your applications, the Nikon 105 VR may still be worth the money. You have to consider how and where you'll be shooting. Optically I still feel the Tamron 90 is the lens to beat for this range in macros. But the gadget factor on this new Nikon makes for a very interesting product that will please a lot of shooters and gadget photogs alike. Enjoy!" "

    "At half the price -- only [$] after the rebate -- the new Tamron 90mm Macro Di is virtually as good a lens ... unless you need VR. VR is useless in macro mode but could be moderately useful in portrait mode."

    "I use this lens with my D300,mostly for macro,but some portraits.It is a fantastic lens.Sharp,and the 2.8 is grate in low light."

    ""I got this lens based on the recommendation of a 35 year photo-pro. He talked me into getting this lens over the 85mm f/1.8. It's not as fast as the 1.8, but it takes phenomenal pictures. My only downside is that since it's a micro/macro lens that your more distant shots loose a little depth of field. Nonetheless, the bokeh on anything--and I mean anything-- less than about 15 feet is amazing.

As a relatively new photographer, this lens has me taking pictures of just about everything I see. I'm still looking for a wider portrait lens but I wouldn't trade this one for anything. The VR is a nice addition for all the shots of insects and stuff I find myself shooting on the fly.



I had a hard time picking just 2 pictures to represent how much fun this lens is. One of my first is of an ant in the grass and a praying mantis outside my front door. Did you know ants had hair on their butts?" "