Best Deals nikon 70 200 f2 8 g ed if af s vr

Exceeded my expectations, May 24, 2011

This is a much praised and incredibly expensive lens. For the big money I was dropping, I was expecting quality and boy did Nikon deliver – and then some. It is impossible to exaggerate how stunningly sharp this lens is. I use the lens to shoot song birds – some of which are very small indeed. The fine feather detail that this lens renders is simply amazing.

As stunningly sharp as the lens is at 300mm, I have been pleasantly surprised by its performance with teleconverters. I have the Nikon 1.4 and the 1.7 teleconverters. I was expecting to see a fall off in performance, especially with the 1.7 but no – performance is outstanding, especially when stopped down a bit. I regularly use my 300 2.8 with the 1.7 which gives me a razor sharp 510mm lens. I am very happy with this combination and despite the big price tag I have no regrets at all. I haven’t tried the new 2.0 teleconverter but I hear that the 300 2.8 does well with that too.

One other great feature about this lens is its size and weight. It is a bit of a brute if you are used to light, consumer grade lenses like the 70-300VR (which is a great lens for the money). However, if you are more accustomed to big glass like a 500 or 600mm f4, then the 300 2.8 with a teleconverter is a nice small package. It is much smaller and lighter than either of those big lenses and it can be handheld while those other two cannot. I regularly carry this lens with me all afternoon without any problem. In my opinion it is the best combination of size, weight, reach and quality of any of Nikon’s super teles. I say that as someone who owns a 600mm f4. I love my 600 and I would never part with it, but it is a monster that demands a big tripod and a gimbal head. The 300 2.8 + teleconverter is a much more convenient, hand-holdable package and it gives nearly the same quality as the 600mm.

Yeah I know – the 300 2.8 costs a fortune, but if you need reach and can possibly afford it you should go for it. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

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An astounding piece of glass, January 3, 2011

By 

Richard Lewington (Fremont, CA) – See all my reviews

  

Summary:

Get one. The new car/house etc. can wait.

Pros:

Just about the sharpest lens I own.

VR system works really well and settles fast – about half-a-second. I’ve taken sharp hand-held shots at 1/60s, which ought to be impossible.

Remarkable focusing speed.

Surprisingly wieldy – I use this hand-held a lot, for aviation and nature photography. I’m not particularly strong.

Well balanced on a D300. I suspect a D3 would be even better.

Value – yes, 5 grand is a lot of money for a lens, but the results justify the outlay.

Cons:

Bit of a learning curve. You do really need to use it for a while and learn what all the various buttons and sliders do before you’ll get stellar results.

I traded in a Sigma 150-500mm for this. The Sigma is also great value (and vastly cheaper), but just not sharp enough and the VR system takes about 5 seconds to settle, by which time the shot is often lost. The Sigma also seemed to stress the camera’s battery more.

One minor modification was to replace the stock foot with an Arca-Swiss compatible one (Kirk LP-46). It’s a bit stiffer and makes moving from hand-held to monopod to tripod very convenient.

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Superb lens, December 26, 2010

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Steven V. Christensen “soitgos” – See all my reviews

  

I’ve used this lens for a week and it exceeds all my expectations. Although it’s heavy I’m still able to handhold it while photographing birds in flight. All I can say is I wish I had made this investment years ago. See the results here:

[...]

Steve Christensen

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