Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR AF-S Nikkor

Name: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR AF-S Nikkor
Brand: Nikon
Rating: 9.8 (35 reviews)

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Lens Review
Specifications
Description

70-200mm	$2,366 average price

Blur
Chromatic Aberration
Vignetting
Geometric Distortion

Blur
Chromatic Aberration
Vignetting
Geometric Distortion

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Buy the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR AF-S Nikkor

SLRgear Review
March 29, 2010
by Andrew Alexander

(Note: This is the original version of this lens; it was replaced in early 2010 by the new Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II. See that review for information on the current model.)

Released in 2003, the 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 VR quickly found its way into the camera bag of the typical working pro using Nikon gear. The lens was one of the first pro-level lenses to use Vibration Reduction (VR) technology, advertised as being effective at providing up to three stops of hand-holding steadiness.

Composed of 21 lens elements in 15 groups, including 5 extra-low dispersion elements, the lens is one of Nikon's most complicated designs. The lens uses a 35mm image circle, making it compatible with both sub-frame and full-frame digital and film camera bodies. We originally reviewed the lens in 2005, but at that time Nikon didn't have a full-frame digital body; we're rectifying that now with a companion test on a D700. On a sub-frame body such as the D200, the effective field of view is 105-300mm; the lens uses a constant ƒ/2.8 aperture.

The lens takes 77mm filters, ships with the large HB-29 lens hood and an integrated tripod mount. The lens is still available now for around $2000, despite the introduction of the upgraded (and more expensive) version 2 model of the lens.

Sharpness
We should note right off the bat that this lens is subject to sample variation; we tested three samples of the lens before finding what we'd call a ''good'' copy. In the other two samples, our results were quite soft and de-centered at focal lengths over 135mm. In the review copy of this lens, we found exceptional sharpness all the way out to 135mm, with slightly softer results at 200mm.

Performance: 70-105mm
These results are applicable to both the sub-frame D200 and the full-frame D700. At its wider end, performance at ƒ/2.8 is excellent: 1 blur unit in the center, degrading only slightly as the corners are approached, or just under 1.5 blur units at the corners. At this level of performance there isn't a lot to improve upon, and stopping down to ƒ/4 and ƒ/5.6 offers only marginal gains, with the best performance noted at ƒ/5.6. Interestingly there's a marginal drop in performance at ƒ/8 (and I mean marginal - from 1.1 to 1.2 blur units overall), so from a sharpness perspective, there's no incentive to stop down to ƒ/8 if you can get away with ƒ/5.6. We don't see any meaningful degradation from diffraction until ƒ/16, where we're seeing just less than 2 blur units across the frame. It's pretty much the same story fully-stopped down at ƒ/22 - just 2 blur units across the frame.

D200 (sub-frame) performance: 135-200mm
Performance at 135mm is very similar to what we noted above between 70-105mm, but only slightly less sharp (there isn't a point of 1 blur unit, ''tack-sharp across the frame'', although ƒ/4 comes close). At 200mm though, there is a pronounced drop in sharpness, though we'd have to be pretty picky to say it's still not quite impressive. It's not very pretty wide open at ƒ/2.8, where focus is quite uneven, and in the case of the review lens, quite soft in the left corner (around 4 blur units); stopping down to ƒ/4 improves these results, bringing everything under 2 blur units, but still with the slightly uneven performance. By ƒ/5.6-ƒ/8 things have smoothed out, and we see results in the 1.5 blur unit range across the frame. Diffraction limiting starts in at ƒ/11, but even by ƒ/16 results are still smooth and lower than 2 blur units; at ƒ/22, results are just over 2 blur units.

D700 (full-frame) performance: 135-200mm
It's been noted of the Nikon 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 VR that the corners are soft when shooting in its longer range, and our results bear this out. At 135mm and ƒ/2.8, the extreme corners are definitely softer than the center; you have to stop down to at least ƒ/8 to get tack-sharp edge-to-edge performance. Fully-stopped down at ƒ/22, performance is still smooth across the frame, but just shy of 2 blur units.

The real story is at 200mm, where it's a mixed bag of performance. At ƒ/2.8, similarly to what we noted on the D200, focus is slightly uneven across the frame, and sharpness is in the 2-3 blur unit range. Stopping down improves this performance, more quickly on the D700 than on the D200; at ƒ/4, the uneven-ness has disappeared and it's sharp at 1.5 blur units, though the corners are still softer than the center, at 3 blur units. Stopping down to ƒ/8 or ƒ/11 improves corner performance, at the expense of central sharpness - we note an average of somewhere between 1.5 and 2 blur units at this aperture setting.

In summary, excellent performance, though we had to test several lenses to get these results, so your mileage may vary.

Chromatic Aberration
On close examination, chromatic aberration is evident with this lens. It's not surprising given the lens doesn't benefit from more recent technologies such as the Nano-Crystal coating. CA is most evident when the lens is used at ƒ/2.8, showing up in the corners, in areas of high-contrast as a red-cyan color shift. It certainly isn't the worst performance we've seen. Interestingly, the drop in sharpness at 200mm actually serves to mask any CA that might be evident. On the D700, automatic CA reduction aids the lens greatly, to the point where CA is slight indeed.

Shading (''Vignetting'')
With the 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 VR mounted on the sub-frame D200, corner shading isn't much of an issue - in fact, the only time it's noticeable at all is at 200mm, where the corners are a quarter-stop darker than the center. At any other focal length / aperture setting, there's no appreciable light falloff.

Mounted on the full-frame D700 however, corner shading is much more prominent. The worst case scenario is any focal length over 70mm at ƒ/2.8, where the corners are over a full-stop darker than the center. At 70mm and ƒ/2.8, this light falloff is around 3/4 of a stop. Stopping down reduces the amount of light falloff; at ƒ/4, light falloff is around 2/3 of a stop in the corners, between 80-200mm; at ƒ/5.6, it's around 1/3 of a stop. At 70mm, light falloff isn't much of an issue at ƒ/5.6 or smaller. For any focal length other than 70mm, to get images without any appreciable corner shading, you'll need to stop down to at least ƒ/8, if not ƒ/11.

Distortion
The 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 VR is nicely optimized to counter distortion. At 70mm, the lens shows some barrel distortion: at 200mm, there is barrel distortion generally throughout the image, and pincushion distortion in the corners. There's a point of parity (neither pincushion nor barrel distortion) somewhere around 105mm.

On the D700, the results are more prominent than on the D200, given the image sensor is ''seeing'' more of the lens. It's the same profile as noted above, but the numbers are more significant: at 70mm, we note +0.6% barrel distortion in the corners. At 200mm, it's -0.7% pincushion distortion in the corners.

Autofocus Operation
As an AF-S lens, the 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 uses Nikon's best autofocusing technology. Autofocus results are fast and near-silent, focusing from close-focus to infinity in well under a second. Autofocus results can be overridden at any time by just turning the focusing ring. As well, autofocus speed can be increased by activating the range limiter, which focuses between 2.5m to infinity (as opposed to the regular 1.5m to infinity). Attached filters won't rotate during focus operations.

Macro
The 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 is not a macro lens by any stretch: just 0.18x magnification and a minimum close-focusing distance of 1.4 meters (4.6 feet). It's worth noting that this minimum close-focusing distance is only achievable in manual focus. Left on autofocus, the lens will stop at 1.5 meters (just under 5 feet).

Build Quality and Handling
The Nikon 70-200mm ƒ/2.8G AF-S ED VR is a large and heavy lens - 216mm long (8 1/2 inches) and 1,450 grams (just over three pounds). The lens' weight comes from its all-metal construction, meaning it will serve not only as an excellent zoom lens but a capable hand-to-hand weapon should the need arise. As previously mentioned, the optical formula for this lens is particularly complicated, though no doubt this results in the formidable results for sharpness, chromatic aberration resistance and distortion control. The lens uses nine straight diaphragm blades which provide very smooth bokeh. The lens is also weather-sealed with a rubber gasket, and the front of the lens features a rubber ring to protect it in case you bump into something. There is a windowed distance scale located somewhat inconveniently at the far end of the lens, showing distance information in both meters and feet. There is no depth-of-field scale, nor is there an infrared index marker.

The lens has a number of control switches and buttons which need explaining. As a G-series lens, there is no aperture ring, so aperture must be controlled from the camera body (if your camera can't do this, you'll be shooting at ƒ/22 whether you like it or not). There are four toggle switches on the lens' side-mounted control station; the top two relate to autofocus options, and the bottom two relate to the vibration reduction system. On the top, we have the ubiquitous manual focus override switch (''M/A / M''), which disables the lens' autofocus motor. Beneath that we have the focus limiter switch (''FULL / ∞-2.5m''), which allows the user to limit the range of focus from 2.5m to infinity. For vibration reduction, the top switch (''ON / OFF'') activates or deactivates the system (it's recommended to deactivate the system when the lens is mounted on a tripod), and the bottom switch (''NORMAL / ACTIVE'') switches between the VR operation mode. In Normal mode, vibration reduction is applied in the vertical axis only, allowing for stable panning shots; in Active mode, vibration reduction is applied in all four directions.

There are three ''focus lock'' buttons. The functionality is simple, and each button does the same thing (there are three so that they're easy to find with just your fingertips). When depressed, autofocus is disabled. This is a useful functionality when you want to lock exposure results without affecting your focus point.

The zoom ring uses a rubber texture with large, raised ribs. It's about 7/8 of an inch wide and has great tactile feel. It's smooth to turn, and offers only slight resistance, taking gentle pressure from two fingers. There are about ninety degrees of turning action.

The focusing ring has a distinct cone-like shape which matches the shape of the lens, about 1 1/2 inches wide, using a rubber texture with thinner raised ribs. The ring has a generous amount of rotation room, about 160 degrees between infinity and close-focus. The ends are bordered with soft stops, so an increased amount of resistance lets you know you've reached the end. The lens will focus past infinity. Finally, attached 77mm filters will not rotate during focus operations.

The tripod mounting bracket is permanently attached to the lens, and the foot can be removed (and perhaps, replaced with a third-party option which is directly Arca-Swiss compatible). The bracket itself is exceptionally stable, and can be rotated fully 360 degrees around the lens. There are rotation points present on the lens body at 90 degree intervals, and a knob tightens the lens well into its rotated position.

The petal-shaped HB-29 lens hood is quite imposing: 3 1/4 inches long. The hood has a matte interior and does attach to the lens in a reversed configuration for easy storage, however doing so obstructs the focusing ring. The lens hood is essential in order to reduce flare, which is somewhat problematic in this lens.

The vibration reduction system in the lens is very capable, and while we haven't conducted comprehensive tests with this lens, we can say that in casual use there is definitely an improvement at slower shutter speeds when the system is employed.

Alternatives

Nikon 70-200mm ƒ/2.8G AF-S ED VR II ~$2,300
Sharper - especially at 200mm - is the bottom line on the new lens, although there are also improvements in CA resistance and corner shading. The new lens is also slightly shorter, the focus stop buttons are gone, the distance scale is relocated to a more convenient place. If you're not bothered by the ''close-focusing'' controversy, then there isn't much of a reason to buy the old version of the lens.

Nikon 80-200mm ƒ/2.8D ED AF ~$1,100
If you don't need vibration reduction, the older 80-200mm Nikkor is an excellent alternative. For sharpness, the 80-200mm is quite similar to the 70-200mm, perhaps not as sharp at 80mm, but CA performance is slightly better and distortion isn't as prominent.

Sigma 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO ~$?
Sigma's options in the 70-200mm categories are extremely competitive: Sigma has released three versions of its 70-200mm lens over the past years, each with significant improvements over the previous model. The latest iteration includes Sigma's stabilization technology (''OS''). We haven't yet tested this version of the lens, but the original HSM version was extremely competitive to the Nikon, not quite as sharp wide open at ƒ/2.8, but much sharper at 200mm. Other characteristics - chromatic aberration, light falloff, and distortion - are comparable.

Tamron 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 Di LD IF Macro SP AF ~$750
Tamron's 70-200mm ƒ/2.8 isn't optically stabilized, but provides comparable, and in some cases better, performance for sharpness than the Nikon 70-200mm. At ƒ/4, it's tack-sharp across the frame between 70-100mm, and is generally much better at 200mm than the Nikon (though by ƒ/8, they become quite similar).

Conclusion
For Nikon shooters, the 70-200mm lens has been the de facto pro lens, and until the version 2 of the lens came along, it was the optical king of the hill. There was always the lingering question of corner performance, and while in our review lens there are some soft corners, it's not the worst we've seen. What's worth noting is the number of lenses we had to test before we found a good copy - three - meaning that if you find a good copy of this lens, treasure it and don't let go. Otherwise, if sharp corners are important to you, look no further than the updated version of this lens.

Sample Photos

The VFA target should give you a good idea of sharpness in the center and corners, as well as some idea of the extent of barrel or pincushion distortion and chromatic aberration, while the Still Life subject may help in judging contrast and color. We shoot both images using the default JPEG settings and manual white balance of our test bodies, so the images should be quite consistent from lens to lens.

Still Life shot

VFA target

As appropriate, we shoot these with both full-frame and sub-frame bodies, at a range of focal lengths, and at both maximum aperture and ƒ/8. For the ''VFA'' target (the viewfinder accuracy target from Imaging Resource), we also provide sample crops from the center and upper-left corner of each shot, so you can quickly get a sense of relative sharpness, without having to download and inspect the full-res images. To avoid space limitations with the layout of our review pages, indexes to the test shots launch in separate windows.