Review 4 of 5
Price Paid:
$900.00
from B&H Photo Summary:
The 80-200mm AF-D lense is an absolutely fantastic lense. I would recommend this to anyone looking to make a step up from the consumer level telephoto zooms. It is now 2 generations behind the current lense in this family, the 70-200mm VR. But it still performs wonderfully, and is definetly a pro quality lense. So far, I primarily have used this lense for shooting aircraft. The photos are beautifully saturated, SHARP, and always spot on focus. Strengths:
There are so many to mention. Tack sharp images. Very fast AF even on a D50. The 2.8 max aperture allows for high shutter speeds in low light and indoors. I prefer paying less for the 2.8 aperture than several hundred more for the 80-400 VR. The VR helps stablilize the whole image in low light, but won't freeze motion. The 2.8 aperture gives you a much better chance of freezing the motion. Also, the DOF with the 2.8 is fantastic. It allows you to very effectively isolate the subject. Be careful though, it is entirely possible to focus on the nose but have eyes be soft in headshots. Bokeh on this lense is also quite pleasing The construction is solid and can stand up to heavy everyday use. I haven't seen how well it plays with TC's yet, but it has plenty of sharpness to spare and the 2.8 aperture allows you maintain autofocus up to a 2x TC (and not sure why you would ever want more than 2x). But to maintain the AF, you will need to look at something like the Kenko Pro 300 series. The Nikon TC's will not maintain the physical connections from the lense to the camera required for AF. But again, I haven't actually tested it with a TC. I assume it would perform well, but I'm not sure. The focus and zoom rings are well greased and very smooth. I have had absolutly no problems with CA or distortion. Weaknesses:
Since it's a pro lense, it's fairly heavy and large. Not a big issue for me, but I can have a sore neck and arm after shooting landings all day. There is fall off wide open, but it disappears quickly with smaller apertures. At 200mm fall off is basically unoticable in real world shots by f/5.6, and completely gone in test shots by f/8. But honestly, I often like fall off in some of my photos. I fell it adds artistic value to the photos. If you've got the extra money just sitting around, get the 70-200mm VR. Or get the 80-200mm AF-D and take that money you saved to go on a great photo trip. I would pass up the 80-400mm VR for both of these though. A 80-200mm AF-D + Kenko Pro 300 1.4x TC + Kenko Pro 300 2x TC is still over $100 cheaper than the 80-400mm VR. But that's just me, almost all my really long work is in bright light. Otherwise the 80-200 range is fantastic, and the 2.8 aperture will give you the shutter speed you need. Similar Products Used:
Nikon 80-400mm VR Customer Service:
none needed
| 
Link to this page
5 of 5
4 of 5
