Best Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor Lens

Nikon 60mm f/2.8D AF Micro-Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
Nikon is a precision optical company with worldwide manufacturing, research and marketing capabilities. The Nikon name is equated with extraordinary photographic performance, innovation, precision and optical quality.PRODUCT FEATURES:Medium telephoto Micro lens for portrait and other high magnification close-up applications;Provides extra working distance for elusive subjects or ones requiring supplemental illumination;Continuous focusing from infinity to life-size (1:1).

The Best $360 I Ever Spent On Photography

This is by far my favorite lens. In several reviews you'll see that people have said it's great for portraiture. In my opinion, it's great for everything. Even though this is not a zooming lens, I find that I use it more than any other lens in my bag. It's that flexible. The bokeh that it renders is wonderful. However, the most important thing to me is how sharp this lens is. It is absolutely tack sharp. Many people have said that it is one of the sharpest lenses Nikon has ever made. You will not be disappointed. The one issue with this lens is that you need to get very close to your subject if you're doing 1:1 macro work. Like others here have noted, that makes it pretty difficult to use for insect photography. However, that is a known limitation of a lens with a focal length of 60mm... If you want to get away from your subject a bit, you might want to consider the 105mm Micro Nikkor (which I'm sure is just as sharp as this one). If you own the Nikon D40, D40x, or D60, you will have to manually focus with this lens. I have the D40, and that's no problem for me. You can buy the AF-S version of this lens, but it will cost you extra, and for someone like me, it's not worth it. The focusing ring is very nice with this lens. It's well weighted, and doesn't feel flimsy (Nikon put extra effort into this focusing ring, because this is a macro lens, and you need to manually focus when you're doing macro work).
Overall: I HIGHLY recommend this lens to ANYONE with a Nikon camera. You will not be disappointed with its performance one bit, and the macro capability might open some new doors for your photography.
By the way, at the time of my writing of this review, the current price for this lens is $549, sold by "Wall Street Photo" (a crummy 3rd part seller on amazon) - DON'T BUY IT AT THAT PRICE. I say this for 2 reasons:

1.) You can buy the AF-S version of this lens for even less than that
2.) You can buy this lens for about $399 from a reputable dealer like B&H Photo Video

To me, the lens is actually worth $549 (in other words, it's priceless to me), but it's pointless spending that much when you don't have to.

Best Glass Nikon Makes

An excellent portriat lens, tack sharp. A little to close for macro if shooting insects, small reptiles etc. With static objects it can not be beat. Been using mine for several years and never been disappointed.