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Review Date
October 27, 2009
Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Value Rating
 5 of 5
Used product for
3 Months to 1 year
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Reviewed by
Lux Luthor
, Expert
Price Paid
$850.00
Photography Experience
21+ years
, Sports
Summary
This is the s***! I've had a Canon EF 80-200/2.8L and a Sigma EX 70-200/2.8 HSM previous to this lens and it kicks the other lenses butts. Hard. It's sharp, it's fast and it's built like a Abrams M1 tank. What more could you ask for?
The A/M-ring is made of plastic and is easy to break. It's easy to fix with some super glue, but it still annoys me that Nikon didn't build the lens with a metal ring.
I primarily use my 80-200 to shoot basketball games and it never lets me down. It's an exeptional tool for the pro and advanced amateur. Don't hesitate if you get the chance to buy one. Just do it, as the Nike commercial proclaims.
People generally complain about the lens being heavy. This makes no sense what so ever. What do people expect? That the amount of glas and metal this lens i built of has the same weight as plastic? Actually this lens is a light weight (1300 g/46.4 oz) compared to the competition:
Nikkor AF-S 80-200: 1550 g (55.4 oz)
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 VR: 1430 g (51 oz)
Nikkor AF-S 70-200 VR II: 1540 g (55 oz)
Sigma EX 70-200/2.8 II HSM: 1370 g (48.9 oz)
Tamron AF 70-200/2.8 Di IF: 1100 g (39.3 oz)
As you can see the only lens that's actually lighter is the Tamron and I find it hard to belive that the Tamron is as sharp and fast as my lens and I really doubt that it will last as long as mine. 200g of extra weight is nothing. Read about this lens at www.kenrockwell.com
Finally I would like to point out that I live in Sweden. Prices might be different here compared to the prices in other parts of the world.
Strengths
Sharp, fast, color rendering (is that the correct expression?)
Weaknesses
Plastic A/M-ring.
Similar Products Used
Canon EF 80-200/2.8L, Sigma EX 70-200/2.8 HSM
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Review Date
May 7, 2009
Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months
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Reviewed by
onefive15
, Intermediate
Price Paid
$1100.00
at ebay
Photography Experience
2-5 years
, Sports
Summary
This is the sharpest lens I have own and it is much shaper than the 70-200mm VR f2.8 (due to VR the 70-200mm has one more set of optics which make it less sharp this is same thing that happen to the older version of the Nikon 105mm micro which is sharper than the new VR version) that's why Nikon discontinue this lens in order for the 70-200mm to have a better sale, here is a website that has these 2 lens comparison: http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=248&t=251192&p=1
as you can compare the pictures in this site at the same situations this lens beat 70-200mm VR at sharpness in all the F-stops. I am very happy I bought this lens.
Strengths
Sharp.Sharp,Sharp
Weaknesses
Too heavy but works well with a monopod.
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Review Date
November 29, 2007
Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
Less than 1 month
Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5, 1 votes
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Reviewed by
kay Shumway
, Intermediate
Price Paid
$914.00
at B&H
Photography Experience
2-5 years
, Outdoor
Summary
This 80-200 lens is the best I have used yet. I take a lot of photos in low light and 2.8 is just what I needed. I have been using a kenko 2x teleconverter at times with the lens. the pictures are sharp and colors are great. It requires a tripod most oif the time though with 2.8 the shutter speed is faster than with my 70-300 at 4.5. I am very happy with this lens.
Strengths
Able to get good results in low light
Sharp at all distances
I am so happy that I bought this lens with a teleconverter I have sidestepped buying a 5000 dollar lens for my nature photographs.
Weaknesses
HEAVY none other than that It is worth it's weight in gold. I love it It will be my main lens from now on. Great portrait lens
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Review Date
August 28, 2005
Overall Rating
 4 of 5
Value Rating
 4 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review
4.18 of 5, 11 votes
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Reviewed by
vande17941
, Professional
Price Paid
$1200.00
at used
Photography Experience
21+ years
, Sports
Summary
This is one of Nikon's better-built lenses in the last 10 years. It's heavy, focuses quickly, and offers a large 2.8 aperture. Images are generally sharp throughout the range, but contrast and sharpness do suffer at 200mm at the 2.8 setting. There is serious light falloff toward the corners at 2.8 that isn't gone until the lens is stopped down to f8 even on a reduced-frame DX digital body. Stopping down one stop to f4 is a big improvement in sharpness and contrast, though. Flare and ghosting is evident in major doses with this lens. So, shoot with the hood, and not directly into a light source.
Its performance is extremely close to the 70-200 VR G 2.8, which also loses a bit of contrast and sharpness wideopen. The VR version beats it, however, when it comes to light falloff in the corners. The two lenses have similar performance. However, this version lacks the VR which may or may not be important, depending upon your subject. I have found no advantage of one lens over the other, except for the VR function.
The lens is compatible with TC-14/17/20e teleconverters models I and II. Be advised that the lens must be stopped down or the results are less than steller. At 200mm with the TC-14e, the user must use a max aperture setting of f4 (resulting in a 5.6 actual aperture) or images lose sharpness and contrast. Stopping down is even more of a necessity with the tc-17/20e teleconverters. This lens cannot match the 300mm f4 AF-S sharpness/contrast when used with a teleconverter. So, don't think you will be able to replace your 300mm.
The tripod collar on the 80-200mm is garbage. It is too flexible for use in the 1/2-1/60 range. For use on a monopod while shooting sports, the tripod collar catches when switching from horizontal to vertical shots. This makes it a pain to move the camera smoothly in an action situation. Therefore, figure in the cost of a replacement collar from a third-party vender for smoother, vibration free operation.
Strengths
Good build quality.
Extremely fast autofocus.
Silent autofocus.
Smooth operation of controls.
Image quality excellent at f5.6
Image quality good at f4
Image quality above average at f2.8
Weaknesses
Sharpness reduced at f2.8
Contrast reduced at f2.8
Serious light falloff at f2.8
Terrible tripod collar
>collar is vibration prone
>collar is not smooth when changing from horiz to vert
Similar Products Used
70-200 VR G 2.8
Customer Service
Nikon customer service....
>wait on hold for an hour
>wait a few weeks for a response
>open your mail and hope that your lens is fixed
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Review Date
December 1, 2004
Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months
Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 3 votes
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Reviewed by
mtbbrian
, Expert
Price Paid
$940.00
at EBay
Photography Experience
11-20 years
, Other
Summary
I love this lens. It focuses FAST!
It is sharp great to work with.
It is a little enwielding, but learn to handle it after a while.
I would becommend this lens to anyone who shoots sports.
As mentioned in other reviews, take off(but keep) the tripod collar.
Strengths
Fast Focus, Sharp
Weaknesses
Heavy
Similar Products Used
80-200 AF-D, 180 ED-I AF, 70-200 AF- VR....
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