A midrange macro lens that brings small subjects into clear view

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.

The Nikon Nikkor Z MC 50mm F2.8 is a capable prime lens for close-ups and macros, but it's not a standout optic like the Nikkor 105mm MC.

The Nikon Nikkor Z MC 50mm F2.8 ($649.95) for Z system mirrorless cameras focuses close for 1:1 reproductions, provides a standard angle of view, and covers a full-frame image area. It also has a quality polycarbonate build with weather protection. Some flare and autofocus issues detract from the package a bit, but the optics are sharp overall. It's particularly worth considering if you like the versatility of a standard-angle prime that also handles close-up work. That said, experienced macro photographers should stretch their budget to get the Editors' Choice-winning Nikkor Z MC 105mm F2.8 VR S ($999.95) for its world-class performance.

The Z MC 50mm F2.8 is smaller than most Nikkor Z offerings. At 2.6 by 2.9 inches (HD) and 9.2 ounces, it's a lot less to carry than the Z 50mm F1.8 S (3.4 by 3.0 inches, 14. 6 ounces), for instance. The 50mm F1.8 is a fantastic performer and great for dim light environments, but the MC 50mm offers a much closer minimum focus distance and doesn't give up too much low-light ability. Most modern full-frame sensors manage excellent results in the ISO 3200-6400 range anyway so you shouldn't see too much of a difference if you need to make slight adjustments for the latter's dimmer maximum aperture.

We can imagine the Z MC 50mm F2.8 fitting into the bags of creators who want a macro lens that doubles as an everyday prime. For DX cameras like the Z fc, its angle of view is a little tighter (around 75mm in full-frame terms) and better for portraiture. You're likely to feel a bit more limited with the Z MC 105mm with either type of camera; its short telephoto angle makes it more of a specialist lens.

Nikon doesn't stray far from its typical utilitarian design tendencies with this lens. The Z MC 50mm has a basic black polycarbonate barrel and takes small 46mm threaded filters. And, although it's not part of the company's premium S Line series, the 50mm F2.8 sports a metal mount, dust and splash protection, and an anti-smudge fluorine coating on the exposed front glass.

The lens notably works with Nikon's ES-2 film digitizing kit, though you need to grab a step-up ring to connect the two. There's also a 62mm accessory thread mount. You can't use it for lens filters, but ring flashes and other accessories that don't interfere with the telescoping optical block are all fair game.

There's one quirky aspect to the design: The inner barrel telescopes out to focus on close subjects. As a result, it takes about a half-second to drive focus across the range. An on-barrel focus limiter lets you restrict focus to the macro range (0.16-0.3m), but there's no way to restrict focus for far-off subjects.

The extending barrel also leads to some light loss at close focus distances. Nikon cameras report a maximum aperture range of between f/5.6 and f/22 at 1:1 magnification. Light loss at macro focus distance is commonplace, however, so this is not a concern unique to this lens.

This focus method also means that the Z MC 50mm shows an extreme amount of focus breathing even with modest changes in focus. In other words, the angle of view is notably tighter at close-up distances. You should likely avoid this prime for video shots that shift focus from one subject to another.

The barrel sports an AF/MF toggle switch. It comes in handy for macro work, especially if you use a tripod or some other type of support system. The lens uses a nonlinear focus response, which means that turning the focus ring slowly makes precise adjustments. Depth of field is a mere sliver at wider apertures and high magnification, so it's not too hard to perfectly nail focus with manual focus. Z system cameras support punch-in magnification to aid focus as well—push the AF-ON button on your camera when the lens is in manual focus mode to zoom in for better clarity.

The focus ring on Nikon cameras can also set aperture, ISO, or EV compensation values if you stick with an autofocus mode. Unfortunately, the control ring function is extremely sensitive: Even a glancing touch can dial in a full stop of adjustment. To date, only the high-end Z 9 allows you to adjust how this ring responds.

The lens can capture subjects at 1:1 size, which makes it ideal for detail shots of insects, flowers, coins, and other macro subjects. The working distance is pretty close, too—the 6.3-inch figure is from the sensor plane, so there's only about an inch-and-a-half of clearance between the front of the lens and the point of focus.

Nikon left off optical stabilization on this lens. That's not typically a big deal for many Nikon Z customers—all of the company's full-frame cameras use stabilized sensors, after all. But with a macro, you're more likely to see some hand shake in the viewfinder if you work without a tripod, especially once you punch into a magnified view. This omission is one of the main reasons to consider spending more on the Z MC 105mm—its stabilized optics reduce in-viewfinder shake for easier handheld work.

I paired the Z MC 50mm with the 45MP Z 7 II and Imatest(Opens in a new window) software to check its optical performance in my home testing lab. Resolution is a strong point; we see excellent results (4,000 lines) at the maximum aperture and contrast remains in the outstanding range (4,400-4,600 lines) at smaller f-stops. I didn't see any sign of resolution loss due to diffraction through f/11, and just a little bit at f/16.

You may be tempted to use f/22 to get more depth of field, but image quality drops at apertures that small. Sunstars are achievable at f/22 as well, but they don't have the stunningly sharp tines landscape specialists adore. Instead, they are quite mushy as evident in the example above.

The Z MC 50mm minimizes flare decently well in backlit situations, but can show some artifacts if the sun gets into the edge or corner of your shot. I noticed this effect in particular with close-ups of spiderwebs. I also noted a good deal of longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA) in the cobwebs; light reflections made the silvery strands show false purple and green color in specular highlights. You can see the effect in transitions from in-to-out of focus areas of wide-aperture images, too. Many creators find LoCa distracting and it's difficult to remove from photos, so this might be a concern. The Nikkor Z MC 105mm F2.8 didn't show any LoCa when we tested it and is a better fit for critical work.

The lens shows a little bit of pincushion distortion in uncorrected Raw images, but Lightroom Classic includes a one-click correction profile and JPGs automatically fix this issue. You therefore shouldn't hesitate to use this lens for reproduction work.

The correction profile also compensates for a vignette; edges and corners are a little dark when you photograph far-off subjects at f/2.8. Lateral chromatic aberration, often visible as false purple color around power lines and bare tree branches against clear skies, is not an issue.

It's quite easy to get the blurred-background look at macro distances with most apertures, as well as at portrait distances with wide-open settings. Backgrounds can look a little busy, though. The lens tends to draw double edges in focus transitions and LoCa in highlights can be especially distracting for non-macro photos.

The Nikkor Z MC 50mm F2.8 enters the system at a midrange price and performs about as we expect. On the plus side, it has a solid construction with dust, splash, and fluorine protection for photographers who work out in the field. Its optics are capable of getting as much detail out of the Z 7 II's 45MP image sensor as any prime, too.

But there are some downsides. The bokeh looks a bit busy as a result of some edge halos, LoCa, and other aspects that we consider characterful at best. The autofocus feels somewhat slow as well, and the lack of stabilization limits what you can do without a tripod.

The better-corrected Z MC 105mm F2.8 is far more appropriate for technical macro work and its stabilized optics are highly beneficial for handheld macro photos. And if you're looking at the Z MC 50mm as a closer-focusing alternative to the Z 50mm F1.8 S ($630), just know that the S Line prime produces much cleaner images. Ultimately, the Z MC 50mm F2.8 doesn't knock our socks off in the same way as the Z MC 105mm and Z 50mm F1.8 S, but its versatility might outweigh their technical advantages.

Thanks to B&H Photo(Opens in a new window) for loaning the lens for review.

The Nikon Nikkor Z MC 50mm F2.8 is a capable prime lens for close-ups and macros, but it's not a standout optic like the Nikkor 105mm MC.

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Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 10 years, which has given me a front row seat for the DSLR to mirrorless transition, the smartphone camera revolution, and the mainstream adoption of drones for aerial imaging. You can find me on Instagram @jamespfisher.

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