The Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED ($984.95) is a lens that macro photographers are sure to lust after. Its fairly compact, can focus close enough to project life-size images onto a full-frame image sensor, and its optical stabilization system and f/2.8 aperture make low-light use a reality. It's one of the sharpest lenses that we've seen for the Nikon camera system, and earns Editors' Choice honors.

The Micro-Nikkor measures 4.6 by 3.3 inches (HD), weighs 1.6 pounds, and supports 62mm front filters. It supports 1:1 magnification at its minimum (12-inch) focus distance, which means that the size of the object that the lens projects on the camera's image sensor matches the object's real-life size. Some shooters may prefer a macro lens with a longer working distance, like the Sigma APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM ($1,799.00 at Amazon) , which gives you about 6 extra inches from your subject at 1:1 magnification, but the Sigma lens is much larger and heavier (8 by 3.7 inches, 3.6 pounds) than the 105mm Micro-Nikkor.

The lens has a few toggle switches—one to set the focus limiter for faster non-macro focusing, another to toggle between manual and autofocus, and a third to enable or disable the optical stabilization system. There is a distance scale that shows the current focus distance in feet and meters, as well as the magnification ratio at that distance. There is a depth-of-field scale, but it only has markings for f/32, which makes it more ornamental than practical to determine the depth of field for a shot—you're better off fusing your camera's depth-of-field preview function for that purpose. The lens barrel is fabricated from a hard black composite material, with a rubberized grip on the manual focus ring. Like most Nikkor lenses, text and accent colors are in gold. The Micro-Nikkor feels solid, but not as old-school as the all-metal Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ($750.00 at Amazon) , a manual focus macro lens that captures twice the light as the Micro-Nikkor, but is only capable of 1:2 magnification.

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I used Imatest to check the image quality of the Micro-Nikkor when paired with the full-frame Nikon D810 ($1,996.95 at Amazon) . When paired with the D810's 36-megapixel sensor, the lens is capable of capturing images that are tack sharp. At f/2.8 it scores 2,978 lines per picture height on our center-weighted sharpness test, well in excess of the 1,800 lines we use to mark a photo as sharp. Detail is excellent, even at the edges of the frame, which score 2,709 lines. At f/4 the lens improves to 3,160 lines, and it manages 3,453 lines at f/5.6 and 3,683 lines at f/8. Distortion is a nonissue and there is only a slight amount of purple color fringing evident in high contrast areas of the frame—it's barely noticeable and easily removed in Lightroom.

If you're a Nikon shooter in the market for a macro lens, it doesn't get much better than the AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED. The lens is optically stabilized, very sharp, and focuses close enough to achieve 1:1 magnification. If you prefer a little more working distance between camera and subject, the Sigma 180mm Macro is worth consideration, and if you prefer an old-school manual focus lens, don't count out the Zeiss Makro-Planar. But the Sigma is a lot bigger, the Zeiss lacks image stabilization, and both are more expensive than the Micro-Nikkor. The 105mm is a top-notch optic, and as such earns Editors' Choice honors.

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