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Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus VR Zoom Nikkor Lens |
I found the 18-200 very versatile, but wanted the greater reach that the 80-400 VR offers. After a few weeks of shooting small desert wildlife, birds and cactus flowers in our yard, I think I have a feel for the performance I can expect. While certainly not a fast lens, it produces very sharp photos when the lens is tripod or monopod-mounted. The VR function works well, but at the long end of the zoom I have experienced some blurring with this lens when it was hand-held. As noted by many others, this lens tends to "hunt" if the lighting is not strong or the contrast is low. While this is a bit frustrating, I knew this would happen. I just got tired of waiting for Nikon to announce an AF-S version and made the plunge.
Considering the price I paid for this lens versus what I would have to pay for a faster Nikon lens with a similar zoom range, I was willing to accept its weaknesses. Overall, I think this was a good purchase - not perfect - but good. I recommend this lens as a good value for serious amateurs.
Better finishing than the Sigma.
A bit heavy and maybe not up to the state-of-art. Focus could be faster and more precise comparing to other lenses.
I use it mostly with an f8 and that gives very sharp pictures.
I owe also a 400mm fixed f 3.5 but that's a completly differnt price class. Don't compare it to a fixed focus lens.
It's an excellent all-rounder zoom lens.
Would buy it again.
After owning both for about 6 months, I will say that the 70-300 is on my camera more often. It does an excellent job tracking motion on my D200, focuses fast, and delivers results well beyond its initial cost.
That being said, I have to say this lens is a definite keeper. The relatively slow (and noisy) mechanical focus is my biggest complaint. This would be a stellar 5-star lens if Nikon had included AF-S. Everyone says this was to save cost and reduce size, but all you have to do is take one look at Canon's excellent 100-400 with USM and IS to realize that a much better lens can be made for this price point. When you have time to focus, the 80-400 delivers extremely high quality results and that is why it's staying in my bag.
I recommend you think twice if you are planning on tracking motion, shooting birds in flight, or spend much time in the low light of dawn/dusk. Other than those exceptions, I've achieved some excellent results and am also very happy with the size and weight of the lens.
Nevertheless, it is capable of some interesting work. This is the lens I turn to when the 70-200mm simply will not reach. After all, a good 400mm lens costs $6000 or more. This one will give you results almost as good for a fraction of the price. Okay, I hate the tripod mount, probably because I have been spoiled by the 70-200mm lens.
Surprisingly, despite the long minimum focus distance, this lens does passable close-ups. The long focal length and passable bokeh do a reasonable job at isolating individual blossums in trees. A few snow covered red berries filled the frame and made a passable Christmas card.
The lens is fragile. Drop it and you will destroy the autofocus, the VR, or both -- but you will not see any external damage. The lens will appear to work normally but in fact all the pictures will be soft.
I have used this lens in a raging category 5 typhoon. It never skipped a beat. It easily handled jungle heat and alpine snows.
Extend this lens to its full zoom range, especially with the hood on, and it calls attention to itself. However, it folds up nice and compact and fits easily in a LowePro Lens Case 4. Although the included lens case is quite good, it will not fit easily on LowePro's accessories.
If this lens had AF-S and was sharper at 400mm it would rate 5 stars.
I use this lens with a D200. As everyone has claimed at length, the focus is slow (and noisy)...perhaps an AF-S version will come out now that I have already spent my $1500.
I have to say that I actually read the (short) manual before I went out with the lens for the first time. During that outing I was able to take very capable shots of my son's baseball game even in fading evening light. Photos were clear/sharp at 400mm and colors were bright and accurate.
Using the focus limiter switch made a great improvement in focus speed. No reason not to use it if you are consistently shooting subjects at greater than 15 feet. The other thing is to use position 1 for the VR. This locks the VR when you depress the shutter 1/2 way. Position 2 does not activate the VR until you actually press the shutter all the way down. I found 2 advantages of position 1: first, you can see the VR effect in the diopter and it gives to a chance to reframe your picture (which you will often need to do) and second, it takes about a second for the VR to lock in.
In short, I am thrilled with the performance of this lens. Yes, it is expensive. However, it is extremely capable. I have about 8 lenses in my collection and have pretty well decided that the glass I will need in my bag for 'everyday shooting' are the following:
50mm f/1.8 AF-D
18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX
80-400 f/4.5-f.5.6D ED VR
The 70-200 will still see the light of day, but not nearly as often. This 80-400 lives up to my expectations in terms of build quality, image quality and color accuracy. The VR exceeds my expectations in every way. The only thing that kept me from giving the lens 5 stars is the focusing mechanism. With AF-S, this would have been 5+.
My only complaint is that I wish it was a bit faster (F stop lower than 4.5). Of course, Nikon's 2.0 in a fixed focal length is well over $5000 so I'll live with it for now.
I do a lot of nature and documentary photography and this lens has helped me achieve wonderful professional results. I took a photo of a mallard taking flight and you can count the downy feathers on his fuzzy posterior.
Take a warning though. If you plan on putting a circular polarizer on it, make sure it's a VERY good one. Every mid-range one I tried (<$100) messed up the auto focus.
If you have the need and the cash, it's a great lens!
I posted a couple of photos here, but you can't really see the detail.
Some Nikon lenses feel like they're made for the masses. The 80-400 has the 'pro' feel you come to expect from Nikon. You won't be disappointed.
POSTSCRIPT: This lens just got a bit better. I spent my kids' inheritance and bought a D200 which now improves the focusing issue. While the basic lens focus speed remains slow, the D200 is obviously quite a bit smarter at homing in on the right focus and hunts backwards and forwards less often than the D70, particularly in low light conditions. I still miss some shots due to slow focusing but definitely less often with the D200 than with the D70.
But it's compact and the optics really are great. Highly recommended.
I have not used it with film but I couldn't be happier with how it performs on my
digital D200.
There is a reason that the pro's use lenses from the manufacturer of their cameras.
The same reason that these lenses cost more! Quality, durability and performance!
When you hook this lens up to the new camera technology the performance is quick and responsive. Yes, the autofocus does hunt at times, usually as you focus the first time. It is an easy switch to manual focus and also can be slightly adjusted manually during exposure lock. Images are crisp and colors are superb!
Personally I like the weight and substantial feel of this lens. When extended to full zoom the balance is not quite as nice but certainly manageable for me. I am over 6ft tall and could see where someone of smaller size would find this lens to be heavy. As far as I am concerned the size and weight are as they should be for a quality lens with this range.
Build quality is very good! Controls are in the right place and quickly become intuitive. I have to disagree with other complaints in regards to the tripod collar.
The one that came with my camera fits tightly and securely. It also removes very easily and since it is heavy the weight reduction is noticeable.
This lens comes with a very rugged pouch and strap as well as front and rear caps and lens shade. The lens shade is big! Suffice it to say that if you are using the lens shade on this lens it looks like something from the sidelines of an NFL game.
Bottom line is this is my favorite lens!
I thought long and hard about getting the 70-200mm AFS and the 80-200AFS nikkor lenses. Not a day goes by that I haven't been glad I put my money towards this lens with it's much bigger zoom range. Remember the 1.5 factor when using with digital sensor.
Good luck!
That being said, there are a few things to consider.
1) the lens is expensive. It cost more than my D70 did...
2) the lens is HEAVY. When lugging this baby around, you know *something* is in that camera bag...
3) the focus is SLOW, particularly compared to the 70-300.
However, using the tripod mount as a "handle" (an awkward but effective use of the mounting bracket), I got some shots that simply blew me away given the amount of perceived camera shake. I do not have very steady hands (particularly with something so heavy) so the VR feature is invaluable.
I would recommend this lens, but don't throw away your 70-300 just yet...
Nikon has come up with a (partial) solution to this problem through its innovative "vibration reduction" series of lenses. These optics are designed to compensate, at least partially, for the camera shake/movement that is inevitable when a lens is hand-held. According to Nikon, the VR mechanism adds two or more "stops" worth of steadiness, meaning that a 400mm. lens that previously might be adequately handheld at 1/500 second now will (often) produce good results at 1/125. Out in the field this can make the difference between a successful photo outing and a frustrating one.
Does this technology work, and is this 80-400mm. lens a good product overall? To both questions I offer a qualified "yes." As long as one realizes that VR is not magic and has definite limitations, this feature is definitely worth paying some extra money for, particularly if one's photographic style prevents the regular and disciplined use of a tripod. The other thing about VR to keep in mind is that since camera shake itself is variable, it's a good idea always to take multiple photos to ensure that at least one of them is optimally sharp (a slow-mo record of how much one 'vibrates' while holding a camera would reveal that from instant to instant there is considerable variation).
But what about this lens' performance overall? There definitely are some drawbacks and compromises of which potential buyers should be aware. The lens is fairly heavy, and since it utilizes what is now an "old-fashioned" screw-drive AF mechanism, autofocus can seem very slow and noisy. It would be nice if someday Nikon replaced this version of the lens with an AF-S model, but there apparently is no current plan to do this. To minimize the maddeningly slow "searching" that a slow AF lens can exhibit, Nikon has included a "focus limit" switch. This makes it possible to cut the focus range in half, essentially. If one is taking pictures that are all at a distance or are all reasonably close-up, setting the switch to "limit" will restrict the lens' focusing range, allowing proper focus to be achieved more quickly.
Another drawback is that the removable tripod mount that comes with the lens is simply not very good. Photographers intending to use the lens on a tripod regularly are advised to purchase a third party mount such as that offered by Kirk Enterprises.
Optically, the lens is actually quite remarkable. This is a 5:1 tele zoom, and one would think that given the "jack of all trades" nature of such a beast there would be severe optical compromises. Not so. As with just about all lenses, there is a slight loss of sharpness at full aperture, but once the lens is stopped down even one stop, sharpness at all focal lengths is quite satisfactory. As a bird photographer, I use my lens mainly at 400mm. As compared to my older, manual focus 400mm. Nikkors, the 80-400mm. is not quite as sharp and contrasty, but in practical terms the differences are truly minimal. This lens produces fine images exhibiting good contrast and excellent color rendition. Optically, it's a winner.
One caveat: because this is a complex zoom built from a large number of optical elements, it does NOT perform particularly well with teleconverters. With certain 1.4x teleconverters such as those in the Kenko Teleplus Pro line, the lens actually will still autofocus (even more slowly, however) and the VR mechanism works, sort of. But there is a notable deterioration of sharpness. With a 2x teleconverter, there is no AF, no VR, and even further reduced sharpness. If working with teleconverters is something you are counting on, stick to a single focal length tele.
Overall, however, for photographers bent on getting sharp photos at longer focal lengths hand-held, this is a fine lens to try and buy. For walkaround bird photographers like myself, it's nearly ideal. It's very likely that in a few years this early version of a VR lens will seem antiquated and quaint. For now, however, it represents a very good investment for Nikon users.