Nikon Zoom-Nikkor telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 200 mm F/2.8

...compared to the more traditional Nikon systems. For instance, from 1995 they offered image stabilisation in their lenses, suddenly opening up a whole world of possibilities for photographers.
Using image stabilisation, it became possible to use a lens at slower shutterspeeds, as the lens automatically would correct minor vibrations.

It took Nikon a number of years, until 2001 to be exact, to respond with their own version of ...
...lens to be sure, but Nikon owners really started to get excited at the announcement of the AF-S 70-200 F2.8 VR. This lens, a successor of a highly regarded line of professional lenses, turned out to be spectacular: the image stabila… sorry, the vibration reduction was possibly even more effective than Canon's and the image quality… Well, I am going to discuss that right now!

---Image quality---
The 70-200 VR is a tack-sharp lens, ... more

In 2004 I bought the Nikkor 70-200 VR for my trip to Southern and Western Africa. The lens offers professional build quality, image stabilisation and a very useful zoomrange . Most importantly, images come out razorsharp, with brilliantly soft bokeh.

---Background---
In the 90's, Canon introduced a number of innovations in their lenses, becoming a very compelling buy compared to the more traditional Nikon systems. For instance, from 1995 they offered image stabilisation in their lenses, suddenly opening up a whole world of possibilities for photographers.
Using image stabilisation, it became possible to use a lens at slower shutterspeeds, as the lens automatically would correct minor vibrations.

It took Nikon a number of years, until 2001 to be exact, to respond with their own version of this technology. The first lens to contain their version, the so-called "vibration reduction", was the 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 ED. An interesting lens to be sure, but Nikon owners really started to get excited at the announcement of the AF-S 70-200 F2.8 VR. This lens, a successor of a highly regarded line of professional lenses, turned out to be spectacular: the image stabila… sorry, the vibration reduction was possibly even more effective than Canon's and the image quality… Well, I am going to discuss that right now!

---Image quality---
The 70-200 VR is a tack-sharp lens, as you would expect of a lens in this price class. It is not even in the same ballpark as normal consumer lenses: the colours are vibrant, the details sharp, and the bokeh (the appearance of parts of the picture that our out of focus) is stunning. The lens is particularly famous for the silky smooth rendering of out-of-focus backgrounds,making the lens very useful for portraits.

The lens isn't perfect, it has a number of minor flaws. For one, on a full-frame camera it will exhibit vignetting, meaning that the corners of the image will be slightly darker than the middle. However, if you use a slightly smaller aperture, such as F/4, this will nolonger be noticable. On digital cameras with DX-sized sensors, there will be no fall-of at all.

Another problem of the lens is flaring; the complex optical build means that pictures taken into the sun, are prone to show spots of light.

---Ease of use---
Make no mistake, the 70-200 is professionally build, and thus very heavy, lens. Still, it is well-balanced, which makes it quite easy to use for me. However, given the length and weight, you will not be able to use the camera on a tripod. That is, unless you wish to see your camera head lens-first towards the ground! Luckily, the lens offers you the possibility to mount the lens on the tripod instead.

The lens contains weathersealing, protecting it from the elements. The specimen I bought survived the dust and heat of the Serengeti, as well as the monsoon in Thailand, so don't be afraid to take the lens out if weather is less than perfect.

---Options---
On the side of the lens, a number of switches are located. One of the possibilities on offer is to switch between automatic and manual focussing. In addition to that, you can opt to limit the focus range from 2.5 meter to infinity, increasing focussing speed. In practice, this is not really needed, as the lens already focusses swiftly and quietly, thanks to the Ultra Silent Wave motor incorporated into the lens.

Using normal settings, minimum focussing distance is 1.5 meters. This actually makes the lens slightly difficult to use is close quarters, such as small rooms.

You can turn Vibration Reduction on or off, and choose between Normal VR or Active VR. In normal mode, the system tries to register when you try to take a panning picture. In this case, the lens will not compensate for this horizontal movement, which the lens will do in active mode.

At the front of the lens, you can find the focusring and the zoomring. One problem, though, I normally tend to keep the suncap on the lens in reverse, so I don't lose it. With this lens, this isn't possible as that will cover the focusring. I hardly use manual focus, so this isn't that big a problem for me.

---Applications---
The zoomrange is very suitable for portraits and the like, although the range can occasionally be slightly short for safari's and sport photography. On a digital camera with a DX-sensor, this is far less of a problem, as the range on these camera's will be 105-300mm. Should that not meet your demands, there are other possibilities…

---Accessories---
If you do not feellike buying an extensive collection of lenses, or you wish to utilize the quality of the 70-200 completely, you can choose to increase the range using a teleconverter. Nikon has developed a 1.4x and a 2x teleconvertor specifically for this lens. Using these, the lens suddenly becomes a 91-280mm F4 lens(1.4x), or a 140-400mm F5.6 lens on a full-frame camera. Obviously, this range is even longer on a DX-camera.

Even though the maximum aperture decreases by using teleconverters, the drop in quality is surprisingly small. This certainly is worth it in case you do not wish to buy even longer lenses.

Another valuable accessory is a so-called close-up diopter, such as the 500D from Canon. By using this screw-on lens, the 70-200 VR will be able to focus at a much shorter distance (only a couple of centimeters instead of 1.5 meter). This means you will be able to use the lens as a macro-lens, getting extreme close-ups of flowers,insects,etc with the dreamy bokeh the lens is famous for.

---Conclusions---
If you are serious about photography and can afford it, this lens offers excellent optical quality and very convenient vibration reduction. You might have to rob a bank to buy it, but that will afford you an excellent piece of kit. If image quality or vibration reduction are not essential, you would be wise to have a look at some of the cheaper alternatives.
 

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