Nikon's MC105mm f/2.8 vs. the Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4200 - which one should you buy?

Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4 vs. Nikkor Z 105f/2,.8 VR S
Both fantastic lenses but not a fair contest - want to know why -watch the video - it is very short (by my standards!!) and all will be revealed.
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[@alanvann8254]

I just bought the 200mm F4 today not really knowing that much about it. I just wanted something which I could take out birding as an option to do something different when birds are scarce. So I thought I would do a little bit of belated research and came accross your video. I like taking my time so it sounds like I will enjoy it. Oh and the bonus is it was fairly cheap and mint. Thank you for this video it has helped.

[@a.j.m8736]

Great video! Ok Allan I want to buy the 200 one… ….and in case my wife will chase me with axe for buying another lens …. I will blame you 😅😊

[@glennhunt3595]

No doubt about it Allan, the butterfly shot was the best of the bunch - just a lot of hard work to get there ! Though a heavy lens and 1:1 think I'll stick with my sigma 105mm hand held with a flash set up gives me some nice sharp images.

[@marilyngiannuzzi9867]

I think I will stay with my Nikon macro 105,I really love it!💕

[@garethwilliams976]

Wise words! I use the 105 and 60mm and have toyed with getting the 200 but mint used are rather difficult to get. One point though about the longer screw driven lenses: they are hugely camera dependent when it comes to focusing speed. My 300 f4 is slow on my D300, faster on my D800e and really fast on my D3x. If I want lightning fast I mount it on my old F5! Long live AFS!

[@dobbsgraphica4988]

The philosophy of shooting all day for that one memorable shot rings true. When something is hard, you persevere and come home with a treasure it's all worth it. I know which one I'd choose...

[@aarontharris]

I am surprised you did not mention the working distance. If you did and I missed it, I apologize. I bought this lens new over 20 years ago and it's still going strong. The reason I never replaced it is because Nikon never offered another with a working distance close to this one. The 200mm F4 has a focal distance of 20" and 10" of distance from the front of the lens. For those new to macro, a greater working distance allows you to work and not block your own light which is often a challenge when working only a couple inches away. Also less chance of disturbing the insect.

[@roybixby6135]

50cm for the 200 and 29cm for the 105 MC .. 🦘

[@aarontharris]

@@roybixby6135 I think you are quoting focal distance which is the distance from the sensor to the subject. Working distance is the distance from the front of the lens to the subject. The 200mm Macro has a working distance of 25.6cm (10") @ 1:1. The 105mm Macro has a working distance of 15.4cm (6") @ 1:1. Those 4 inches make a world of difference.

[@AngiWallaceCreativePhotography]

Having a choice of 65mm, 90mm, 150mm, 180mm macro lenses I Mostly choose my 180, This could be for outdoor flowers, fungi, insects such as Damselflies and Butterflies at dawn before they wake, or indoors in my mini studio set up. I take my time and have an idea of the type of image I want to achieve. I mostly use a tripod and manual focus, zooming in to get critical focus. I can take a few minutes or up to around an hour getting things the way that I want, but then I like to produce images for competitions, or something I would like to hang on my wall. My Sigma 180 macro lens is also very slow, very heavy, I could not use it for a random wander around capturing insects, my 90m would win hands down for the speed and ease in those situations. A similar comparison to your two chosen lenses. I have a Sigma100-400 which I can use on the Z6 ( with adapter) or Aziii and I love this lens for a trip out to a nature reserve, whilst not exactly a dedicated macro lens I get some great shots of the larger insects and have the option of adding extension tubes for closer stuff, pretty sure its lighter than my 180 and much quicker at focusing.

[@marklauri9731]

Nice video, I have the 200F4 ,and 105 sigma on my Nikons- both do different things as you rightly said- the 200F4 takes amazing photos on my D850 and allows for a lot of cropping, got many a shot when a shorter lens would have scared off the subject -having both allows for a lot of situations.

[@tomlee812]

A new subscriber here. I was very interested in this video as I have a conventional (Tamron 90mm f/2.8 1:1) macro lens that I use most of the time, but I also have the legendary Nikon 200mm f/4 legacy lens. I deliberated a long time before spending on the 200mm but, boy, am I glad I did. It really needs to be used with a flash and diffuser in my view and I also often use a monopod for stability. To carry my D810, the 200mm F/4 and a tripod, plus my other gear is a real challenge on a long day in the field. I often use the Tamron 90mm with the NiSi MC 49mm +9 dioptre which can give me insanely sharp macros, but that depth of field is razor thin. I have tried it on the 200mm F/4 but that is going to need a tripod and a whole lot of luck. I regularly use the 200mm F/4 with the autofocus with the monopod and seem to have much more luck with it than most. Like you, I am happy to come back after a day's shoot with one exceptional macro rather than 100 average ones. Thanks again for this video and I look forward to following you. Best wishes from a damp and soggy summer in East Sussex, England.

[@realnikonlover6207]

👋👍🕷Great video Allan. Saw your live discussion on these lenses and your video here supports that conversation. I have both the D850 and Z9 but haven't tried the 200 yet on the Z9. I do not yet have the 105Z glass but have the F mount 105 2.8 which is also a good lens as well as several other Nikon macro lenses. I have captured some of my best macro with the D850 and 200mm. As mentioned, this is a great lab lens within a controlled environment: lighting, and tripod. Many of these "tank built" lenses were used in the medical setting (as only doctors could afford them😂).

[@randygerber1565]

Fun comparison. Thank you so much. I use the Z 105 f2.8 and I also use a wonderful Sigma 180mm f2.8 Macro with an EF mount + Fringer EF-NZ adaptor on a Z7ll. The Sigma weights a ton, but the image quality is stunning.

[@dontgetmadgetwise4271]

I absolutely agree re the Sigma 180mm APO lens. Heavy. But soooo sharp. And Don’t underestimate the value of an AF lens for macro. It gets you into the focus zone quickly.

[@DavidBrown-if8vn]

While not a macro, I'm tempted to loan you my Nikon 180mm 2.8 just for your opinion.

[@MarcelloBranca]

i dont bother using the autofocus on my 200mm micro nikkor f4 it stays in manual all the time

[@outwestjim]

The 200mm is incredible, it also does very well on my GFX100 medium format camera, with virtually no vignetting

[@johnscott7828]

Super video. Very enjoyable.. Thanks.

[@MrArn0ldus]

Great video Alan. Have you ever tried the older NIKON 300MM 4.0 AF-S ED D. I myself also have the 200mm f4 and use the 300mm f4 more often because it has a very short focus distance (90cm) and is super sharp. Great lens for butterflies, etc. Has a beautiful bokeh and even a smaller depth of field. It is cheap to find second hand. It's a good alternative for those who don't want to pay that much for the 200mm f4.

[@pedrova8058]

I used the old AF 300 f4 with extension tubes for a long time, precisely for butterflies, wasps, etc. It's not the sharpest at f4, but in that pseudo macro you almost always shoot at f11, sufficient sharpness. Then I got the old Micro Nikkor 200 f4 Ais, better than the aAF 300. The only problem with that 200 Ai/Ais is that it doesn't have ED glasses (there was a Ais design that contemplated it, but it was not manufactured for cost reasons); It has very noticeable aberration at f4, f5.6; but again, shooting macro you almost always go for smaller apertures, to have more pdc. Knowing its shortcomings, it's a very capable lens, even on digital bodies (and it's much cheaper than the micro AF 200, and lighter) It's my main macro, along with the 55 f2.8 Ais

[@SpencerPullenPhotography]

Been really enjoying your channel and learning quite a bit. I own the Z 105mm. Lately I’ve been shooting mostly indoors on a tripod with flash. I watched some of your videos on the macro bellows. There are many times I would like more magnification. Do you think a Nikon 50mm D f/1.4 would get me closer on bellows? I’m using a Z6. Thanks for any advice!

[@andretim75]

Get a Sigma 150mm 2.8 or 180mm 2.8 Macro instead of the Nikon 200mm ! They are great in many regards, and faster focussing than the Nikon 200mm and have f2.8 !

[@HarryMarin]

Hola Allan. Tengo y he sufrido el 200 mm f/4. Cuando recién lo conseguí estaba muy entusiasmado por todos los comentarios respecto a la calidad de imagen, pero a mí no me ha servido como parece que les sirve a otros, aparte de que no es un lente fácil de manejar, las imágenes a relación de 1:1 tienen una mínima profundidad de campo, casi nula, inexistente, así que las imágenes me quedan con desenfoque muy artístico, pero inútiles, yo quería ver todos los detalles de los insectos que fotografío, no quedarme enfocando una pata y que el resto desapareciera. Es frustrante. La única opción que me ha quedado es renunciar a la relación 1:1 y tomar mis personajes desde una distancia mayor para que queden todos sus atributos enfocados, y la profundidad de campo no sea de una micra, Pero al hacer eso finalmente pierdo pixeles en recorte de imagen, y eso no es lo que se supone que debe hacer un lente macro. Uso twin flashes yongnuo, así que no me hace falta luz. Estoy abrumando, frustrado y triste, y no es algo que la fotografía debiera hacer sentir. El lente 200mm ha hecho que no me guste la fotografía, que no tenga ganas de tomar la cámara y buscar imágenes, porque ¿para qué si todo va a quedar mal?

[@pedrova8058]

It's interesting to see the amount of aberration of the 105 (9:52 the branches to the right) As happens with several new lenses, it seems that in search of greater contrast and sharpness, they neglected the amount of LCA (somewhere I saw a comparison of the AFS 58 f1.4 and the old 5.8cm f1.4 (pre Ai), the lateral CA of the modern lens is notorious (obviously the contrast in the afs lens is much higher, and the bokéh is "modern". In the old 5.8 cms, the spherocormatism is much worse) Same with the old clunky TC301 (2x), it's slightly less contrasty than the TC 20E II, but the modern version shows a little more lateral CA

[@markwalker8374]

Do you try any other maker's systems? I haven't got into macro yet but looking at the results of Micael Widell, Stuart Wood, Jamie Spensley and others it seems that the OM-1 or EM1 Mark II with the 60mm lens is the best lightweight field macro kit for handheld stacking/bracketing

[@wellingtonpracz120]

Hi Allan, have you ever used the Sigma 150 2.8 OS or the bigger heavier brother 180? Any thoughts on those two lenses? Thank you

[@tiziocaio8657]

2 or 3 ED elements aren’t a lot tbh

[@cameraprepper7938]

Of those 3 Lenses, then the 105mm !

[@haydennettleton3272]

Seems like the shots coming from the Z lens are constantly warmer than the old lens

[@Renegade1127]

I have the Tamron SP 90mm f2.8 model 72e (1:1) and now also the Vivitar Series 1 105mm f2.5 (1:1). The Tamron is their first AF version, very accurate, but so Sloooooow that I only use MF now. It's also noisy, so not ideal to use with anything living. Excellent IQ though. The Vivitar is amazing, built like a tank with Excellent IQ, no AF or stabilizer (too old for that) and cost me - wait for it ........ £68. That's around us$88. For both of these lenses I use Olympus E-M1 for it's IBIS & focus peaking.

[@dcfromthev]

I'm seeing the 200 for half the price of the 105 on more than one platform. Am I on a different planet or did things change so recently price wise as to make this video obsolete?

[@yxx_chris_xxy]

I have the 200mm f/4 micro. I don't do macro photography, I got it for the autofocus...

[@igordmitriv8964]

The quality of your photographs demonstrates your honesty. I wouldn't show them like that. After what I saw, I would not buy any lenses or cameras. Thank you.

[@martinhild]

I actually have a hard time falling in love with the 105. I come from a 150mm Sigma and that one just produced pictures with a much more pleasing look. It is hard to pin down. In my opinion, the 105 is harder to get the special shot with. Not saying it is impossible, but it is harder. I have to add, that most of the time I am not at 1:1. Having said that: I crave for a longer macro. The sigma is starting to fall apart and there is nothing new comparable out there. I'd buy a long macro in a heartbeat. Ah well...

[@AngiWallaceCreativePhotography]

Ive used Sigma 150 lenses for about 15 - 16 years and its my favourite lens, great for portraits too. But just recently acquired a Sigma 180 and so far Im loving it., yet to fully try everything I usually do with the 150 though.

[@martinhild]

@@AngiWallaceCreativePhotographyMaybe I should simply get another "good old" Sigma.

[@DenisStosic]

Thanks for another great video Allan. For years I have been using the 200mm Micro Nikkor + D810 for studio photography of insects from the entomological collection in manual mode, on MJKZZ rails. AF is almost unusable for outdoor use. I'm interested in a recommendation. Nikon D850 + 105mm Micro Nikkor 2.8G, or Nikon Z7II + 105mm S Micro lens? If anyone has experience with these combinations I would appreciate it if you could share them. Thanks

[@dontgetmadgetwise4271]

I assert that AF is valuable outdoors! It quickly gets you close to focus and allows clean hand-off to manual techniques. Especially noticeable after using my Voigtlander 125mm APO Lanthar with it’s 720 degree throw!!

[@jeanpierrebisilliat4820]

Will the 200mm macro work well with a mirrorless camera or should I get a different macro lens ? Please advise

[@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism]

Yes. Manual focus only of course.

[@Dstonephoto]

Did you steal that blue safety belt from SouthWest?

[@roybixby6135]

Both are great lenses perhaps for slightly different uses ..🦘

[@markshwang6967]

I don't buy Nikon anymore.