Nikon 105mm/2.8 micro lens VS. Canon 100mm/2.8 L macro lens

[Royal Tiger]

I have owned a Canon 5D Mark II camera with Canon 100mm/2.8 L macro lens before.

I am considering moving to Nikon camp by purchasing Nikon D850 and Nikon 105mm/2.8 micro lens. My concern is that the pictures that I have seen here or elsewhere taken with Nikon 105mm micro lens are not as sharp as the ones I have taken with my Canon 100mm L macro lens.

I have seen the MTF chart for Nikon 105mm/2.8 micro lens as well as the Canon 100mm/2.8 L lens. The chart confirms my skepticism. The Canon lens consistently ranks above Nikon micro lens in the MTF chart. Could it be that the Nikon lens is made in China whereas the Canon 100mm L macro lens is made in Japan. I hate to to believe that but could the quality of Nikon lens be inferior, relatively speaking, because of Chinese manufacturing.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Designer]

Thanks for your input.

Get this instead:

Tokina AF AT-X Pro 100mm f/2.8 macro FX lens for Nikon | eBay

 

[greybeard]

I have owned a Canon 5D Mark II camera with Canon 100mm/2.8 L macro lens before.

I am considering moving to Nikon camp by purchasing Nikon D850 and Nikon 105mm/2.8 micro lens. My concern is that the pictures that I have seen here or elsewhere taken with Nikon 105mm micro lens are not as sharp as the ones I have taken with my Canon 100mm L macro lens.

I have seen the MTF chart for Nikon 105mm/2.8 micro lens as well as the Canon 100mm/2.8 L lens. The chart confirms my skepticism. The Canon lens consistently ranks above Nikon micro lens in the MTF chart. Could it be that the Nikon lens is made in China whereas the Canon 100mm L macro lens is made in Japan. I hate to to believe that but could the quality of Nikon lens be inferior, relatively speaking, because of Chinese manufacturing.

Thanks for your input.

I have the Nikon 105 macro and I use it with my D850. Mine is as sharp as anything else I've owned. The thing is, you are totally use to the Canon look and it will look different than Nikon. All I have used is Nikon and I have never had any reason to want to change brands. I use mine with a Nikon R1 macro flash and SU800 wireless commander. Here is a shot I took with my old D7000 a few years ago of a rather aggressive spider.

big black spider 4 by Tom Straight, on Flickr

 

[weepete]

Nikon 105mm f/2.8G AF-S VR Micro Nikkor Lens Image Quality

The Nikon appears to be a little less sharp than the Canon, with considerably more CA and less contrast, but it's also not in the same price bracket at around $900 vs $1300 for the Canon. That's about 45% more.

There are some very good quality products coming out of China, so I doubt it would be an issue with capability. Probably more to do with the price point Nikon wanted and the quality levels they were willing to accept to get to that price point.

 

[Strodav]

Arguably the two best dslrs ever made are the Nikon D850 and the Canon 5D Mark IV. Why change systems if you have been happy with Canon products? The difference in sharpness in good glass is so small it should be down near the bottom of your list in considerations. I'd steer you to the 5D Mark IV if you are going to stay with a dslr.

I am heavily invested in Nikon with 4 bodies including a D850 and more glass than I care to admit including a 600mm f/4. Don't get me wrong, my D850 is the best camera I have ever used, but right now, I do not recommend moving to Nikon because of their financial situation. Nikon imaging division is hemorrhaging money and have laid off a lot of folks including a bunch in R&D. They are predicting the higher end camera market will continue to shrink for them, so the big question in the Nikon discussions is whether they are going to make it or not. They are late to the mirrorless party and are behind Sony and Canon, who just came out with the R5, arguably the best camera out there - Period. Nikon failed with their initial Z6 and Z7 release and are now putting out the Z6 II and Z7 II, but it does not look like they will be competitive with the R5. IF you are going to change systems, I'd look at mirrorless. If you are going to move to Nikon, I'd look at the Z7 II, which should be a better camera than the D850 with a better AF system, but I'd recommend going to the R5 instead.

BTW, I went with the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro for my D850. I am getting excellent results with it and it is significantly less expensive than the Nikon 105mm.

 

[greybeard]

I'm just curious, why are you considering going with a nikon system?

 

[SquarePeg]

I loved the Nikon 105mm when I had Nikon gear. I never noticed it not being sharp but to be fair my focus is usually more on composition and getting a certain look even when using it for macro.