During summer holiday I purchased a 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR lens. It is pretty sharp starting at 2.8 f-stop, quick autofocus and good VR system, nice design and substantial casing seem to be reliable. Unfortunately, since I only started taking pictures using this lens, there was something about it I didn't like. When shooting high contrast scenes there was a chromatic abberation visible. At first I thought it was the price to pay for using VibrationReduction-moving lenses affecting the picture. But it was all the same even with the VR off. At some point I decided to do some test. They didn't go well.

I read some opinions about rhe Nikon repair service at Postepu street in Warsaw and, despite terrible feedback, sent the lens to them.
I paid 120 PLN for an insured parcel (lost). Three weeks later I received a letter from the service informing me that it may take them even three weeks or more to expertise or fix my lens (dependant on parts availability), which makes it six weeks from sending. There was also a ridiculous note saying: 'Due to our phone lines being extremely busy, please wait for us to contact You'.
After two months of waiting I started to get worried. It's a fact-their phone lines were busy. I didn't manage to get through to them even once. They never responded to any of my 3 e-mails. So I wrote a letter to the shop where I bought the lens, saying what I thought about this situation. It helped. A week after the shop's intervention I got the lens back. It was at the service for over three months and it would probably be still there without the shop's reaction.
In the box there was everything as I sent. Not a single word of explanation why did it take so long, what had been fixed etc. Simly, no information at all. I took a few pictures and... There it was. Even at the cameras screen, when magnified to 100%, I could see the CA. I tried to cheer up myself by saying that maybe it was a bit smaller. So I took a test at a similar scene to the one before I sent it off. Unfortunately, it was the same lens, with the same fault. Nothing had been done to it!! So why did they keep it for over three monts?
Nikon ought to not be allowed to sell in this country with such a service quality. Shops sell faulty items taht are not fixed by the service afterwards. Nikon treats their clients in an arrogant way. They don't care about fair service and about quality control. Due to such a situation, the only way is to do tests before purchase and choose the best one of the whole lot. If the shop doesn't offer trying out, one ought to find anoder shop.

The whole story and samples available at

http://swiergul.pl/foto/fototech/obiektywnikkor105vr.html

Adam Swiergul

translation: Marek Pietrzyk