David Place wrote... >a question for those who have used the 28-105 AFD ... >it is noted as offering: to 1/2 life-size ... is this continuous >from infinity to the close rage or is it offered in a macro setting ? >... if it is a macro setting is it offered at all focal lengths or just 28 >or 105 ... A reproduction ratio of 1:2 is of course only possible at the minimum focusing distance, certainly not at infinity. With the Nikkor 28-105mm F3.5-4.5D IF, macro focusing is also only possible at focal lengths of between 50mm to 105mm. The maximum reproduction ratio varies from 1:2.74 at 50mm to 1:2 at 105mm. So a true reproduction ratio of 1:2 is only available at 105mm. At normal setting, the closest focusing distance is about 1.6 ft from the film plane, at macro setting this distance shortens to about 0.7 ft. Hope this helps David. On Vignetting My lens does come with the pink warning note from Nikon about possible vignetting when using macro mode at a reproduction ratio of 1:2 and with the lens set to 105mm. So I decided to thoroughly check this out. On my F90X I could not detect any vignetting at all even with a standard non-slim Hoya UV filter on, and I tried this at the setting that Nikon warns vignetting may occur and this is at 105mm with the macro switched on and focused at a reproduction ratio of 1:2. So far so good. With the Hoya filter still in place, I then mounted the lens on my F3 and its 100% viewfinder, and I immediately noticed the vignette which was visible on the two top corners of the F3's viewfinder. The two bottom corners were clean. The vignetting begins to diminish when the reproduction ratio is reduced and completely disappeared at about 1:3 or thereabout. The vignetting can also be made to diminish by zooming out and it completely disappeared at a focal length of about 75mm, remaining clean from there on, all the way to 28mm. Before the boo boys start making themselves heard I'd like to point out that vignetting only occurs at the extreme settings as outlined above and can be easily made to disappear at slightly more moderate settings. In any case the vignette is only very slight and unlikely to show on your prints unless a 100% image coverage is printed from the negs. The vignette is quite unlikely to show on any mounted transparancy. To be realistic, I don't think I am ever going to shoot any critical 1:2 repro images using this lens at any focal length, I'd use my 60mm/105mm Micro/Macro lens for that. Anyone experiencing severe vignetting with the Nikkor 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 D IF when only a single filter is used must surely be having a defective sample. Have the sample replaced as soon as possible before the warranty period expires. Believe me, this lens is good (let's not say great). It is an excellent performer, the images are sharp with excellent contrast. Its optical qualities are definitely better than the Nikkor 28-80mm which I have since discarded. Flare is also very well controlled. To me this is the Standard Zoom to own. Some people may complain about its weight, but boy it is very well built and balances very well with the heavier Nikon bodies like the F90X and the F100. I'll be using it for most assignments... weddings, news coverage and other indoor events. For the occasion where image quality is absolutely critical, I would fall back on my primes. Regards, Greg
