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Micro-Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8 D - Review / Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)
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Page 1 of 3
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published June 2006
Lens kindly provided for testing purposes by Ulrich Grothaus!
Introduction
The Micro-Nikkor AF 60mm f/2.8 D is the latest incarnation of the Nikon standard
macro lenses. The lens series has quite a tradition starting back in the 60s
with 10+ variants released over time. The price of the Micro-Nikkor is relatively
moderate at around 450US$/€ so unless you need the extra speed it may
even be a candidate to replace your standard lens.
The field-of-view on today's APS-C DSLRs is equivalent to a 90mm lens
on a full frame camera so unless you're using it for macro photography
it behaves like a moderate tele within this scope.
As the name implies the Nikkor is a macro lenses with a min. focus distance
of 0.22m resulting in a max. object magnification of 1:1.
The build quality of the lens is very decent thanks to an outer barrel
made of good quality polycarbonate with a sleek finish.
The broad, rubberized focus ring operates quite smooth. Typical for most
macro lenses the Nikkor has a linear extension system so its size increases
significantly towards closer focus distances (see the product images above).
The front element does not rotate so using a polarizer is no problem.
The Nikkor features an independent ring for switching between
AF and manual focusing - a dated design compared current AF-S lenses.
The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw
operated by the camera. As a result the AF generates a moderate
degree of noise. When focusing throughout the whole range the AF
feels a little slow but at standard distances it's really acceptable.
A focus limiter is available to prevent excessive focus hunting when using
the lens for conventional (non-macro) photography.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 75 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/2.7 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 8 elements in 7 groups |
| Number of aperture blades | 7 |
| min. focus distance | 0.22 m (max. magnification ratio 1:1) |
| Dimensions | 70 x 75 mm |
| Weight | 440 g |
| Filter size | 62 mm (non-rotating) |
| Hood | Nikon HB-22, barrel shaped (optional) |
| Other features | Lens provides distance (D) information to the camera. CRC correction. |
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