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Author
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evilowl
Been here a while
Registered: September 2005
Location: London village
Posts: 376
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Review Date: Wed June 7, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £1,149.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very fast, VR, bokeh
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Cons:
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Nothing
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What can I say? Simply superb. Focusing is ultra fast and it produces noticably more vibrant pictures than the Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 it replaced.
VR makes a huge difference in low light situations.
When used with the Nikkor TC-14E II teleconverter there is zero discernable loss of quality although you obviously lose a stop so it becomes a 280mm f/4
Build quality is excellent.
Highly recommended - if you can afford one then buy it!
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VikingPhotography
Forum Regular
Registered: July 2006
Location: Just south of Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 807
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Review Date: Fri September 1, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £1,149.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Fast, sturdy and reliable
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Cons:
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A little intimidating when shooting certain subjects ;)
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The "other half" of the working range of an everyday professional photographer; the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR is constantly bolted on to one of my D2X bodies when I'm moving around and only gets taken of when necessary... which is hardly ever.
The effective focal length on a dSLR is 105 - 300mm which makes for a great candid lens. If you're a wedding/social photographer, this lens allows you to keep a fair distance from the people you're shooting to catch them in their natural state.
If you work in the fields of photojournalism or sports photography, then this lens is pretty much a 'must have' since it allows you to get tight headshots or close to the action, focusing fast and accurately.
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spxxxx
Been here a while
Registered: September 2006
Location: Chesterfield, UK
Posts: 467
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Review Date: Wed September 20, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £900.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharpness, Bokeh, Focus Speed
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Cons:
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None
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There is no better lens available in this range - period
You get what you pay for unfortunately - and quality this good will never come cheap.
VR takes some getting used to and you have to develope your skills to get 100% from the lens
Once purchased you will never want to part with it - ever noticed that there are very few second hand ones available
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VinnyP
Forum Regular
Registered: February 2006
Location: Surbiton Surrey
Posts: 678
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Review Date: Fri October 13, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £850.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality, VR, build quality, focusing, speed and handling
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Cons:
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Tripod detect doesn't seem to work as it should
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The 70-200 Nikon 2.8 has always been legendary but this one is amazing. The VR really works and the focusing is quiet and fast even with 1.4 1.7 and (in ideal conditions) 2x convertors. It's a long time since I used a non Nikon at this focal length but I would be astonished if the independents could hold a candle to it. It is well balanced and has a good tripod support. I use it for sports if I can get close to the action and it's also very good as an outdoor portrait and candid lens. It's pin sharp wide open and throughout the zoom range and all aberations are kept well in check. Even the lens hood has a lock (unlike my old model) so it stays on.
If you are considering this lens for fast moving subjects in available light and it covers the focal lengths you need then you have to look no further. If you don't need the 2.8 then more compact lenses with a longer zoom might be better value.
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pmueller
New here
Registered: December 2006
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Posts: 33
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Review Date: Sat December 23, 2006
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £790.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Build like a tank, outstanding optical quality, very sharp, VR really works
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Cons:
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Pricy, but you get what you pay for
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This lens replaced my Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8D (two-ring version), which I loved a lot (I think I am going to sell that one soon -- any takers?). The optical quality of the two lenses is about the same (very very good), but the Vibration Reduction makes all the difference for me. I always used a monopod with the 80-200mm lens and now I hand-hold pretty much all the time. The new tripod collar is also a lot better than the old one. My advice: if you can afford it buy it right away. It is going to be hard to find a lens of equal quality in this (or maybe even any) focal range.
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silver
Been here a while
Registered: December 2006
Posts: 321
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Review Date: Sun February 11, 2007
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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a nikon pro lens with vr
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Cons:
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if you use it you'll have to buy one
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this was the first nikon pro lens I bought and before I'd tried it spending 1k+ on a lens seemed like a silly idea,.
it's a pro lens in every regard, if you don't have any of the nikon pro lenses then this is probably the first one to buy if you like zooms
since getting the 85 1.4 the 70-200vr sees less use and if you can live with a fixed focal length you should consider trying out both - both great portrait lenses, the 85 is probably sharper but then you'd be hard pressed to tell even in large prints and the 70-200 gives a lot of flexibility for quick framing
while not massive it is quite big and heavy,. not really a general walkabout lens for me,. I guess that's partly why the 85 is seeing more use..
Sil
PS, though I haven't actually seen or tried one, another more reasonably priced option, especially if subjects are likely to be outside (a bit more light) or a bit further away is the 70-300vr - by accounts really a good optic for the $
PPS, @ Vinny - so far as I can recall there's no tripod sensing in the 70-200 - but the horizontal panning detection is v cool 
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