Nikon 55mm f/2.8 Micro AI-s : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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Johnmwright

sent on 19 Luglio 2025

Pros: Very sharp, smooth focus, small, light, deeply recessed front element so no hood is needed.

Cons: Needs extension to reach lifesize magnification

Opinion: This classic lens still holds it's own adapted on a Sony 50 megapixel body in 2025. It is sharp corner-to-corner. It renders backgrounds nicely up close, and it achieves 1/2 life-size without extension tubes. It works well as a landscape lens. If you don't mind manual focus and using an adapter, it is a great lens to use. Highly recommended.

Airy

sent on 27 Dicembre 2023

Pros: Sharpness, low aberrations, pleasant bokeh

Cons: does not work well against the light

Opinion: A very good lens, allround. In the eighties, it was regarded as a valid alternative to the conventional fifties, and considered sharper than most. Nowadays, many fifties can compete, or simply outclass it, e.g. the Zeiss 50/2 (Milvus version). Still, it is a good match for high resolution sensors, up to D800 (36 Mpixel). Unlike some (not all) previous Micro Nikkors, the resolution remains high at long distances. As a walk-around lens, it is quite useful despite the rather dark viewfinder image, though preferrable to entry level zooms. The recessed front lens makes a hood superfluous in most cases. The only significant drawback is, it does not work well against bright light, as the contrast drops; on the other hand, this lens is not prone to ghosting. While not APO, shooting shiny objects at short distance delivers acceptable results, with little fringing. On the whole, a very good buy but before buying, check the aperture blades - some owners complain about oil smear. I never encountered that problem.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Sonomoha

sent on 28 Luglio 2024

Pros: quality of construction.

Cons: Half Macro Ratio

Opinion: A great lens. Light, precise and sharp. Like its predecessor 55mm f/3.5 AI, it only lacks the 1:2 reproduction ratio which requires the use of an additional ring to have a 1:1 reproduction. Both are also great from the widest aperture for photographing human subjects. For macro, they're great at f8 without the ring. Above f/8, it takes more effort to create a background with soft blur.

Dinofer

sent on 27 Dicembre 2023

Pros: Very simple, it's probably the best optics ever built.

Cons: Nothing.

Opinion: Optical of superlative quality even if dated and out of production for a long time. Manual focus may be an inconvenience for some, but it's worth owning in the kit. I used it for about 20 years with excellent results then, switching to digital, I abandoned it, always regretting it. Very manoeuvrable and light, it remains a milestone in its field.

Gian Carlo F

sent on 21 Ottobre 2023

Pros: Sharpness, neutral colours, good contrast, lightness and compactness

Cons: Danger of gluing diaphragm blades

Opinion: Currently I have two macros, this one and the 105mm/4 AI, they are both excellent and ideal for my needs. These Nikkor AI/AIS are beautiful and, in my humble opinion, have an exceptional level of build and optical quality. This 55mm can be used in full range, even for infinite shooting, for those who want an even more specialized 55mm for macro I also recommend the f3.5 version. A piece of advice for those who have it: the example I bought in the 80s gave me twice the problem of oil in the blades of the diaphragm, it is advisable to put it at rest with the front lens facing downwards, this does not give me problems.

user164243

sent on 20 Ottobre 2023

Pros: Quality, quality, sharpness and tonal smoothness

Cons: I can't find any

Opinion: I had the opportunity to buy back this lens (with the PK-13) that I had owned in the 80s and honestly in analog it had not made me tear my hair out at the time; Good optics but not as sharp and crisp as the noble 105 micro. Today I took it again mainly because I'm exhuming the analog kit but I also wanted to test it with DSLRs and... A whole new world opened up to me. I'm doing still life test mainly but honestly I didn't remember it so good... Neutral and pastel colors, full but not closed blacks, sharpness that you feel like you can touch the object with your hands. There are 2 cases: either I have "matured" over the years, or I had a model that was not exactly perfect in the 80s but today this lens that has been firmly fixed for a month on the various SLRs, I will not give it away for any reason.

LuaMario

sent on 04 Aprile 2018

Pros: Resolvency, constructive quality, out of focus

Cons: Nobody

Opinion: Sought and found at 120 palanche, it is worth at least twice as much. AF that is not lacking, the focus is precise and pleasant to use ... in 1h after the purchase I had already done the hand. Inhuman resolution, even the sensor of the d300s captures details that with other objectives we dream ... I would like to try the 200 f4 micro to compare them, but I think we are there ... I dare not think what you can do with the dynamic range of the sensor of a d810 or a d850.

Ulians

sent on 10 Febbraio 2016

Pros: Sharpness, the price of used, solid construction, made fluid fire ....

Cons: I often have to overexpose .... maybe not 2.8

Opinion: Got on the internet to a ridiculous figure just to try to take pictures .... macro amazement I discovered that the images and color rendering are outstanding .... definitely a view to take with if '.... the slowness of the manual focus, the calculation of light and shadow and the meticulous research of the composition, make it a lens to meditation .... the real treat was also in use as optical picture from .... certainly maximum sharpness is certainly not an asset for this type of photography .... but in difficult light conditions the greatest contrast and acutance help you get good pictures ... the fact that the right format becomes almost a 80 mm closes circle.....

Arruffato

sent on 09 Maggio 2014

Pros: Resolution, sharpness, weight, strength

Cons: In its category (manual focus, macro) none

Opinion: Bought used at a figure given after verfica online features, I must say that has maintained and exceeded expectations. The construction is indestructible, although this weight is maintained at levels more than acceptable. Of course its use is static. The resolution is the highest in the park my optics, so much so that I use it mostly ends up on a tripod to exalt it to the fullest. Who could ask for more? Practically these years I photographed for free, the rivendessi now recupererei my investment with interest.