Nikon AF 80-200 f/2.8D ED Reviews
Jul 30th, 2006Teabow
Wonderful Lens ! Beautiful Bokeh @ f2.8 .Excellant image quality , But very heavy and very big .Wonderful for low light when mounted on a tripod .Great for my kid's band and choir concerts school plays .Best lens I own .
Aug 11th, 2006Racinette
Optically, I've never used a better telephoto lens. I bought this one used seven years ago and it's served me well for portraiture (I agree with Teabow's bokeh comment) as well as sports.
Focussing is smooth and quick in most cases -- a blit slow with F80-based bodies such as my Fuji S2 Pro, but very good with most other modern bodies.
Optics are superb for both digital and film (no loss of quality in corners with 35mm -- expect superb 11x14s every time). The bayonnet lens hood and rotating tripod mount are good added features and a vast improvement over the previous push-pull zoom of the same specificaitons. (That older 80-200 f2.8 lens, by the way, is a good alternative for this lens if price is an object, although focussing speed is the biggest drawback, but if that is your concern, you may seriously consider the Tamron SP 70-210 f3.5 MF lens -- another sleeper.)
My lens, however, is now due for a well-deserved checkup. Even though it's been well used, it hasn't been abused. After seven years (plus probably one year by the previous owner), the cosmetics are great. The rubber ring for zooming has become loose (a minor annoyance) and the "AF / MF" focussing switch slides unaware and locks into the M setting (a major annoyance). Problems like those are to be expected after awhile, and they're easy to fix, as long as the main functions of a lens maintain their quality.
In conclusion this lens is a fantastic piece of glass and well worth considering as a less-expensive alternative to the new AF-S VR 70-200 f2.8G or if an aperture ring is required for an older camera.
Focussing is smooth and quick in most cases -- a blit slow with F80-based bodies such as my Fuji S2 Pro, but very good with most other modern bodies.
Optics are superb for both digital and film (no loss of quality in corners with 35mm -- expect superb 11x14s every time). The bayonnet lens hood and rotating tripod mount are good added features and a vast improvement over the previous push-pull zoom of the same specificaitons. (That older 80-200 f2.8 lens, by the way, is a good alternative for this lens if price is an object, although focussing speed is the biggest drawback, but if that is your concern, you may seriously consider the Tamron SP 70-210 f3.5 MF lens -- another sleeper.)
My lens, however, is now due for a well-deserved checkup. Even though it's been well used, it hasn't been abused. After seven years (plus probably one year by the previous owner), the cosmetics are great. The rubber ring for zooming has become loose (a minor annoyance) and the "AF / MF" focussing switch slides unaware and locks into the M setting (a major annoyance). Problems like those are to be expected after awhile, and they're easy to fix, as long as the main functions of a lens maintain their quality.
In conclusion this lens is a fantastic piece of glass and well worth considering as a less-expensive alternative to the new AF-S VR 70-200 f2.8G or if an aperture ring is required for an older camera.
Jun 23rd, 2007fmilder
This is my favorite lens that I've ever owned. It's sharp, has a beautiful bokeh, and it's nicely balanced. It is also pretty sturdy -- but like the previous review, mine has started to show its age (the focusing has taken to hunting, in particular), and I've been thinking about getting the 70-210 VR,more for the AF-S (I shoot a lot of sports) than the vibration resistance.
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