Macro Lens - Nikon 105mm f/2.8

I finally “hit the buy button” and purchased the macro lens I have been eyeing for over a year now. With the recent earthquake / tsunami in Japan, I had noticed a small creep up in prices of Nikon lenses. Ten or fifteen dollars here and there, no more free shipping offers.
As always, I ordered from B and H Photo Video in NY. They are running a “Bill Me Later” deal right now which deferred payment for six months and gave me a $20 credit on my purchase. I normally don’t sign up for these financing deals, but after spending oodles of money on our unplanned horse purchase, I’ll take any sort of a break.
I didn’t have time to play with my new toy until late last night, so the pictures are taken under “kitchen lighting” and at ISO 3200 which will yield a bit of noise.

Some quick snaps, both handheld:


As with any new lens, I have a bit of learning to do. What I didn’t expect was the minimum aperture to change, based on the focal distance – the closer the subject, the larger the aperture value (smaller hole). I assumed a constant f/2.8 would be available, regardless of that distance, but with VR (Vibration Reduction), f/3 or f/3.2 isn’t too bad. I can’t wait to get outside to take pictures of the growing buds and flowers this spring.