AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 - A Hidden Gem?
A Short Take on the AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 on the Nikon Zf
I acquired the AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 a few years back and have almost exclusively used to it copy negatives for my film photography. Otherwise, this old Nikkor lens usually sits inactive in a quiet corner on my lens shelf.
On a couple of occasions, I did take it out with my Fujifilm X-Series cameras but there are some inherent problems with my copy which makes the shooting experience less enjoyable.
The aperture ring is quite sticky on my copy and it is much the same when it comes to the manual focus ring. This is usually not a problem when I use the lens for copying negatives as my aperture is always the same, f/8, and I only have to adjust focus once or twice for each roll of film I copy.
It is, however, rather cumbersome to use the lens in the field. I have used it with a K&F Concept adapter, which translates to only having manual focus, and no EXIF information, and with the sticky aperture and focus it gets tricky. Doable but tricky.
The AF Micro Nikkor 60mm on the Nikon Zf
On my Fujifilm X-Series cameras, the full-frame equivalent field of view is approximately 92mm and I was not too impressed by the outcome, color accuracy, or usability.
On the Nikon Zf, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality seen in the sample images in this short review. This is by no means a full review and colors may yet prove to be an issue.
I took the lens out for a quick spin yesterday on a gloomy fall day and mostly did black-and-white conversions from RAW files.
The sharpness of the images from the AF Micro Nikkor 60mm is impressive and the quality of the bokeh positively surprised me also as I found it quite pleasing.
The operation of the lens is still very challenging but I felt pretty good about the images and thought perhaps it would be an idea to pair it with the Nikon FTZ II adapter. This way I could leave the aperture at f/22 and use a command dial on the camera instead.
But unfortunately, you will not have autofocus even though the AF Nikkor 60mm is an autofocus lens. Nikkor D lenses do not have autofocus with the FTZ adapters.
For static scenes or actual macro photography, I could still see this lens being a gem, especially if you have a better copy of the lens. Perhaps it may be worth having my lens serviced. A lube, oil, and filter may do it some good :)
The sample images in this short take review can be viewed up to 2500 pixels wide depending on your monitor size. Please click to view larger photos if viewed on your PC or laptop, or pinch-zoom if you are viewing on your phone.
The photos in this post are made using the following photography gear and editing tools.
Links to my reviews and sources:
