Which lens is better for very tight beauty close-ups on a Nikon D810: 105mm Micro-Nikkor or Zeiss 135mm f/2?
Asked 9/26/2015
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I’m shooting a fashion/beauty session on a Nikon D810 (36MP) and want very tight close-ups, such as a single eye or just lips with makeup. I have access to a Nikon AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED and a Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar. Which lens is the better choice for this kind of shot, and do either of them have trouble resolving enough detail for the D810 sensor?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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Those two good lenses will handle the resolution, once stopped down to an optimal aperture. This is around F/5.6 on the Nikkor and F/4 on the Zeiss. Do test it out before going to your shoot. 2 stop down from wide-open is a rule-of-thumb, many quality lenses need less.
The most important for your close up shots though is the magnification as you will lose significant resolution if you cannot frame tightly enough and need to crop to your desired composition.
The Nikkor has 1X magnification compared to 0.25X for the Zeiss, so you should use the former.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Both lenses are sharp enough for a 36MP D810, especially when stopped down a bit near their optimum apertures. Based on the answers, a good starting point is around f/5.6 for the 105mm Micro-Nikkor and around f/4 for the Zeiss 135mm.
For your specific use, the more important factor is magnification, not whether the lens can “handle” the sensor. Extremely tight beauty crops need a lens that can focus close enough and give high magnification without heavy cropping.
The 105mm Micro-Nikkor is the better fit because it offers much higher magnification (true macro capability) than the Zeiss 135mm. That lets you fill the frame with an eye or lips and keep more of the D810’s resolution. With the Zeiss, you’d likely need to crop much more for the same framing.
So: use the 105mm Micro-Nikkor for these shots, and test both lenses beforehand if possible. At this level, technique, focus accuracy, and working aperture matter more than sensor megapixels.
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