Home > Consumer Reviews > Nikon 60mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Micro-Nikkor Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Who would have thought that Nikon could have improved on the already excellent 60mm micro? How?

1) It no longer extends when focusing.

2) Hood is now included, and is bayonet style, not screw on.

3) AFS. Quiet focusing.

4) 9 nine rounded aperture blades (instead of 7 straight) for very pleasant bokeh.

5) As sharp as the old one.

6) New Nano crystal coatings supposed provide better color and contrast (only time will tell on this one).

Is it worth the upgrade? Check this list and see if these are important to you. If not, you can pick us a used 60mm AF(D) micro or maybe still find a new one for less money. As I was not replacing but buying a short macro for the first time, I got this latest version and am very very happy with it.

Is it worth the higher price? I certainly think so, but others may disagree. Shop around, there are better prices at good stores. Avoid Broadway photo and its related sites.

I bought this lens as my entry into shooting macro and haven't been at all disappointed. I was concerned about the claimed 7.2" minimum focus but apparently, that's only for the auto-focus because focusing manually I can get down to 2 or 3 inches. All images are superbly sharp with good color reproduction. This lens will not disappoint, however, if distance is a concern you may wish to look at the Sigma 150mm Macro or Nikon's own 105mm Micro lens. After being so satisfied with this Nikon 60mm I broke down and bought the Sigma 150mm macro as well and I'm glad I did. Both have their specific uses and sometimes the shorter focal length of this Nikon is exactly what I need for a specific situation. The Sigma is at least as sharp and perhaps a little more versatile as well as being (arguably), one of the best macro lenses currently available.

Unless you need to really keep your distance, this lens will serve your needs and blow you away with the crisp detail and accurately saturated color in the pictures you'll produce. I didn't think I could get close enough to some subjects but working slowly, I've had the end of this lens within 2-inches of wild fence lizards and inside of the minimum possible focal distance with subjects like grasshoppers and bees.

It's almost one of those rare "can't go wrong" situations. Buy it, you'll be glad you did.

An excellent lens. AF and MF both work well on my D200 in macro work and general use. AF-S lets the focus be easily controlled manually after AF, without moving switches. It's a good size match for the D200-300 line. It shouldn't overwhelm the smaller Nikon bodies.

The 60mm focal length gives more perspective & depth compared to longer lenses. It's also great for informal portraitsnon DX format, fitting into the short end of the classic 85-105mm range from film. I like all these aspects. They do mean there's a wider background and you're closer to the subject compared to longer alternatives.

Close focus is a hair tighter than 1:1. You have about 7.5" from the sensor-film plane to the subject. This translates to just under 2" from the lens front, or 1/2" from the front of the hood. The hood can be a problem that close. Backing off to 1:1.5 gains about an inch of distance. DX gives 1x1.5" field there to match 1:1 on FX or film. By 1:3 you've got 4+ inches in front of the hood. You get used to adjusting focus and framing with a mix of lens and camera movements. It's easier in practice than some have described, even on a tripod.

The lens is incredibly sharp and contrasty. You stop down from wide-open for DOF, not because you need better sharpness. Papery low contrast detail on flowers is captured well. Out of focus areas are smooth. Some say it's got the best Micro-Nikkor optics ever (see Bjorn Rorslett's site). You have to look hard to see this lens's few optical flaws (like barely visible CA).

Possible drawbacks (debatable):

The 60 mm focal length is short for some people's taste. Longer macro lenses do give greater working distance. Instead the 60 AF-S is smaller & lighter than 90-105mm macro-micro lenses. The price is lower if you're comparing Nikkors.

Manual focus gearing is quite fast. Infinity to close focus is about 180 deg. Finger tip movements take it from infinity to 7 feet. Manual focus gearing works better in the near range. Slower gearing or even variable ratio would help, though.

[Edited to correct focus & working distances]

The AF-S 60mm micro is a real improvement to the AF-D 60mm micro in many ways...
1. It has a SWM motor, and focusing is really fast and quiet!
2. The lens is sharp from f/2.8, so sharp it'll cut you!
3. The barrel does not extend.
4. It comes with a lens hood, HB-42.
5. Nano Crystal coasting.
6. 9 round aperture blades, which makes the bokeh consistently round.

On a DX camera, this 60mm becomes a 90mm field of view lens. It is good not only for close up work, but you can use it as a portrait lens, and you are guarenteed sharpness.

With the above improvements, and being such a great lens, there are also some problems to it. The SWM is so fast that it can actually overshoot the focusing, and then it just stops. You'll need to press the shutter release button again to focus. This lens viginettes more than the AF-D lens on a FX body. The resolution also starts to decline significantly after f/16.

This is the world's first professtional aspherical macro lens. For the year 2008, Nikon picked up 5 Amateur Photographic Awards, of which the AF-S 60mm f/2.8G got the award in the Fixed Focal Length of the Year category.

This is a really nice Nikkor lens, incredibly sharp, changing from AF to manual focus is done on the fly, great results, it does what it is designed for really well. AF is great in good lighting, it hunts a bit in low lighting conditions. Overall this is one of Nikon's best lenses.