Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens

Product Information

Be sure to accurately read through all the assigned characters (letters and numbers) for all the related lenses. In common with several recent high-end Nikon lenses, the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR features a Nano Crystal coated element, which should reduce flare and internal reflections. I chalk such things up to slight variations in sensor filtration thickness coupled with the optical design. My main problem with the 70-200/4G is its length when coupled with FTZ: it doesn't fit my small Kata DC-441 DL bag.

We see even a better pattern here – the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR not only has better contrast wide open, but its resolution is also significantly higher throughout the frame, especially in the corners. Other lenses cheat and shorten their effective focal lengths when focusing closely; this lens gets down to 1 meter (3. The 70-200/4 is a fantastic lens though, I never felt like there was a limiting factor in its resolving power. In the meantime, Canon offered a 70-200 f/4 since 1999, a lens available today in the form of both the 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM and the 70-200mm f/4L USM (respectively with or without image stabilisation).

There is scant little visible difference in depth of field or background blur from one stop to the next; it's only a 41% difference, not double. See the full frame which were so ruinously expensive just five years ago and how they became more reasonable with the D600 and the 6D. Camera technical details can get complicated quickly, but we all need a place to start before diving into the deep end. At like openings (f/13), both are indeed sharp, and I can't tell a lot of difference in either lens with either camera.

Longitudinal chromatic aberration / LoCA (which is the effect of color fringing in front of and behind the focused area) is also handled well at large apertures. In less than ideal lighting conditions though (especially indoors), AF speed and accuracy did suffer visibly more, with some loss of contrast. Simply put, the f/4 lens is easier to handhold well (especially if you don’t put the optional tripod collar on), so I think some of the “improvement” that many claim over the f/2.

The telephoto lens’s VR system has two modes of operation: a classic mode and an “Active” mode that stabilizes high-frequency shake for images taken in motion.

We're as guilty as anyone of getting excited about shiny new gear and features, but let's not lose sight of the gear we already have by our side. If you lose some focal length at close distances, it also means that you will have to zoom in closer with the f/2. This is an extreme example; I'm pointed directly into the unsheilded solar disc, and giving enough exposure to show details in the dark palm which I've deviously placed right where the ghosts would be.

Marike6: you're right, photography (at this level of gear) is quite expensive, but I think it could (should ?