Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens

Unfortunately the version Amazon sent me looked like it was second hand (lens barrel dirty, front and rear elements dirty), so I sent it back for refund and got another from Jessops. But don't let that put you off, because this is an excellent lens. As others have said this lens is wonderfully sharp and doubles as both a macro and walkabout lens for portrait and other uses. Fully compatible with both FX and DX format, on DX cameras you will of course get a 1.5x boost in magnification compared to FX. It's expensive, but it's top quality glass and a good investment in my view. If you have a DX format SLR you will have a lens which will upgrade to FX if/when you decide to. One day I'm going to go for a D700 (or whatever semi-pro FX SLR Nikon is selling at the time), so when I do the 105 will step up with me without me having to pay again. A nice fast f/2.8 aperture, although you may notice the camera body showing a smaller aperture (higher f/number) when working in macro ranges - apparently the effective aperture at macro distances decreases (by 2x if working at 1:1 magnification). This is the law of physics and applies to all macro lenses, it's not a defect (and besides, you're unlikely to be using wide apertures when taking macros anyway, so nothing to lose sleep about). In normal ranges the AF is very quick on my D300, but this is with the limit switch on (which limits AF from 0.5M to infinity, therefore excluding macro). I found that at macro range or at normal range with the limit switch off that the lens can sometimes hunt. At macro I'm mostly working with manual focus anyway, so this isn't a problem for me. If you're using the reach of the 105 for fast action shots just keep the limit switch on. Simple. Bokeh on this lens is lovely - I've only had it a week, but have already taken some wonderful flower macros with it, with beautiful creamy bokeh. The lens is very sharp but at macro range the DoF takes some getting used to - the field of view changes at macro range with just minor movements of the lens (breathing), but given the results you get I'm prepared to live with that. It's a big lens, heavy and fairly large for a prime, but doesn't look out of place on my D300 (and well worth the size/weight inconvenience IMO). It's very well built, and looks like it would stand up to the roughest of treatment. More pro-like than the other (DX) lenses that I have. I haven't tried it on smaller SLRs, but I expect that on something like a D40 or D3000 it would make the camera feel very front heavy - my advice would be to try it out in person on the high street and see how you get on. Recommended.

- This lens perfectly compliments my Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8 with performance that you would expect from a professional lens. - You don't need biceps the size of mount Everest to use it; It doesn't weigh a ton and can be easily used hand held for long periods, being about half the weight of the f/2.8 - VRIII really does help keep things steady, better than the VRII of the f/2.8 and this is really useful when you want to keep the ISO as low as possible for maximum image quality (Although the F/2.8 can have an advantage under certain conditions, especially if one needs a higher shutter speed in very low light). - Auto-focus is fast and deadly accurate and consistent; It locks on target like an Exocet missile: I gave this lens a real workout under a variety of demanding conditions and I was impressed by the auto-focus performance; it's not fool proof, but very nearly. There is a switch on the lens to limit the minimum focus to 3m for even faster focusing on more distant subjects; on full focus range setting minimum focus is 1m, better than the f/2.8 - Optical performance is truly excellent and the bokeh is really pleasing, the lens is very sharp wide open at f/4 (as is also the f/2.8). - It gives you a true 200mm zoom on close up and does not suffer from the focus breathing of the f/2.8 - It's significantly cheaper than the f/2.8 so it won't feel like it has cost you the Earth, although it's not cheap by any means. So what's no so good about this lens? Hmm! Nothing really as far as the lens goes, but there's one little niggle and that is Nikon only provides a soft pouch and not a professional case to protect this lens and for a professional grade lens at this price, that's a bit disappointing; Nikon provides a decent case with the f/2.8, but not for the f/4 model. The main reasons why I did not go for the f/2.8 was the focus breathing issue which does not give a true 200mm on closely focused subjects and also the fact that the minimum focus distance was limited to 4.5 feet. I could live with the weight of the f/2.8 but when you buy a 200mm zoom you expect to get 200mm no matter how far, or near the subject is and often one needs to get in a little bit closer; the f/4 model does the job nicely. The f/4 is in my view a very good lens for portrait work and more comfortable to use being lighter than the f/2.8

I don't consider myself a Nikon "fan boy." However, I currently use Nikon DSLR's and lenses in most of my photography pursuits. In the film days I've used Canon 35mm, Fuji medium format and Nikon 35mm. Like many of you I'm a nature photographer and mostly shoot landscapes but now and then I enjoy shooting wildlife, birds in particular. My primary wildlife lenses are the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR (the older VR-1 Model) and Nikon 300mm AF-I f2.8D (from the early 1990's and no VR) both of which I usually match up with a Nikon TC-20e III. While the 70-200mm fits nicely in my camera backpack along with my other lenses, the 300mm does not and like all of Nikons 300mm f2.8 lenses it's a beast--big and heavy. That necessitates planning ahead. Ever since this new 80-400mm came out, I've been intrigued by the possibility of replacing the 70-200mm and 300mm with it. And because it size is similar to my 70-200mm, it will fit in my backpack. I'm not bothered by the slower aperture of f4.5-f5.6 because I almost always use a tripod. And with a TC-20e, both the 70-200mm and 300mm become f5.6. I took the plunge but then I had to find out how this new 80-400mm stacked up with the other two. The first thing I did was replace the tripod collar with a Really Right Stuff (RRS) LC-A13 collar and foot replacement. As many reviewers have already stated, the standard Nikon collar does not hold the lens solidly when mounted on a tripod. The RRS collar is solid as a rock and its nice having a lens foot that is already ARCA quick release compatible. I tested all three lenses using a Nikon D7100, my primary wildlife body. All photographs were shot at f5.6 which theoretically gives the 70-200mm and 300mm a slight advantage since they are both f2.8 lenses and unlike the 80-400mm, not being shot wide-open. I used objects in my yard rather than a test chart because I wanted to simulate the types of subject I actually photograph. These included an agave, a very spiny cactus, and a piece of wood with rough grain so I could see how well the each lens picked up the texture and detail of the subjects. Using an ISO of 100, all of the lenses were tripod mounted and the camera was fired using the Nikon ML-L3 wireless remote in mirror up mod to eliminate any vibration. I tested the 70-200mm against the 80-400 set at 200mm and the 300mm against the 80-400mm set at 300mm. And remember, on the D7100 the actual focal lengths are 300mm and 450mm. Frankly I was astounded by the results because the difference in sharpness between these lenses was very hard to see when viewed at normal magnification. At 100% view the 80-400 is slightly softer but not much. Since I usually use a teleconverter on the 70-200mm and 300mm to get them to around 400mm's or more, the 80-400mm is at least as sharp if not sharper at those focal lengths. On a D7100 set to 1.3x crop mode, the 80-400mm becomes a 156-780mm lens. I also found the lens is sharpest at f8-f10. At f11 the lens is still sharp but it begins to be diffraction limited. I also tested the 80-400mm with a TC-14e and the lens performed pretty well. Images are softer but they are definitely usable. On the D7100, the addition of a teleconverter changes the AF system to a single focus point and focusing hunts a little more. With the addition of a teleconverter I found that the lens consistently "front focused." That was easily fixed using AF fine-tune in the D7100's menu. We all have different photography styles and you're needs may be different than mine. But for me the combination of Nikons latest VR, excellent AF all in a package that is small and well balanced really makes this lens a pleasure to use. And now I don't have to decide whether to carry the 300mm f2.8 or not. According to DXO lab, the 80-400mm is even sharper on a D800 so it can double as a landscape lens when longer focal lengths are needed.

super ligero, super imagen, mas divertido que mi 70 200 2.8 nikkor, no le pide nada para caminar en trekking en la manana genial, y para fotografiar colibris xon una D500 no tienen igual

Me han mandado la caja con el objetivo sin embalaje alguno, con la etiqueta del envío sobre la caja, la cual presenta las señales propias de un envío, con pequeños golpes, raspaduras, etc. No es comprensible que un objeto delicado y de esta calidad venga sin embalaje con el riesgo que eso supone, y con todos los detalles del producto a la vista.

Ja, das Nikon AF-S Micro 105 mm 1:2,8G VR Makro-Objektiv ist nicht gerade billig aber jeden Eiro wert. Ich habe es in der Cyberweek gekauft und konnte so rund 94 Euro sparen, also kostete mich jedes Gramm des 750g wiegenden Objektivs nicht mal einen Euro. Das Objektiv kommt in der üblichen Nikon Verpackung mit Objektivdeckel, Abdeckung des Bajonett-Verschlusses, Gegenlichtblende und einem Aufbewahrungsbeutel. Mit einer Lichtstärke von 2,8 ist es ausreichend lichtstark, die kleinste Blende ist 32. Wie schon oben erwähnt, das Objektiv ist mit 750g kein Leichtgewicht aber entschädigt dafür mit einem Abbildungsmaßstab von 1:1 bei einem Abstand von 31cm als Makro-Objektiv. Das hat den Vorteil, dass man z. B. bei Insekten nicht bis auf wenige Zentimeter heran muss. Natürlich kann man das Objektiv auch als Objektiv für beispielsweise Portraits oder ähnliches nutzen, hier entspricht die Brennweite dann einem 158mm Kleinbildobjektiv. Der Motor für den Autofokus ist schnell und leise. Der Autofokus lässt sich zur Erhöhung der Einstellgeschwindigkeit auf 50cm bis Unendlich oder auf Full einstellen, wobei ich gefühlsmäßig keine Änderung feststellen konnte, ist vielleicht aber auch beleuchtungsabhängig. Der Bildstabilistor arbeitet gut, eben Nikonqualität und gibt keinen Anlass zu irgendwelchen Beanstandungen. Freihandaufnahmen mit 1/30 Sekunde sind kein Problem. Das Objektiv passt an die aktuellen Nikon Kameras mit DX Sensor so wie an einige Kameras mit Vollformat (KB) Sensor., entsprechend ist auch die Bildqualität in den Randbereichen scharf ohne Verzeichnungen. Ich muss sagen, der Käufer bekommt einen realen Gegenwert für die fast 800€, die es normalerweise kostet, ich bereue die Investition nicht und kann das Objektiv für diejenigen, die nach einem Makro-Objektiv für ihre Nikon suchen, uneingeschränkt empfehlen.

La qualité optique, tout comme les performances (rapidité et précision) de l'auto-focus et de la stabilisation de ce zoom sont maintenant bien connues. On parle moins d'un autre point fort du 70-200/4 : son aptitude à la proxi-photo. La mise au point minimale est en effet à moins d'un mètre (0.95 m mesuré sur mon exemplaire) et la perte de focale dans ces conditions reste minime, puisqu'on obtient encore 170 mm (le champ couvert mesure alors environ 7.9 cm de large en DX, cf. photos). Pour un objectif qui reste relativement léger et est donc candidat à une position de titulaire dans la composition d'un sac photo généraliste, c'est un argument important. Il est encore renforcé par la qualité des flous produits en avant et arrière plan (rien à voir, par exemple, avec le rendu de mon 16-85 qui, bien que très bon par ailleurs, produit souvent dans ces conditions des images désagréables). Le seul point noir me semble être la récente augmentation du tarif : plus de 400 € d'un coup, ça doit être un peu dur à digérer pour ceux qui étaient sur le point de franchir le pas...