Nikon AF Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED Review

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January 2007

The AF Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED is one of three high-speed tele zooms in the current Nikon lens lineup. The lens features 3 ED glass elements. This lens was upgraded to a two-touch version(meaning one ring for zoom and one for focus), and it don't have a rotating front element(big plus if you use pola, or graduated filters) The lens is nicely balanced in your hand, and you can feel the pro quality of the lens. This is a lens built to last and it is a Nikon classic.

Specifications

Positives

• Sharp. This lens gives sharp and crisp images even on f/2.8
• Contrast, even wide open contrast is as good as it gets.
• Price. Compared to the 70-200 f/2.8G ED IF AF-S VR @ USD $1,869.95 this is a bargain for an excellent performer.
• Weight. weighs 200 grams less then the newer f/2.8 lens
• Aperture ring, thus making this lens compatible with pretty much every camera Nikon has ever made for the F mount.

Drawbacks

• Tripod collar, although sturdy it's puny at best and using the tripod mount on a pro sized camera can be difficult (F5, D3 D3X etc)
• Lens hood. Lens hood is not included.
• AF, no auto focus is possible with the lower end Nikon Dslr cameras (D40 D60 etc.).

Verdict

Despite the Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED is a bit old, this is a great lens both mechanically as well as optically. It also has a nice price tag on it compared to the newer breed of Nikkor Pro tele zooms. Pro quality lenses don't need to cost $ 1900 + after all. Peak performance is f/4-f/11, with very usable performance on f/2.8. I used this lens for years and considered it one of the best lenses I had ever tried. Only upon comparing this and the AF-S version side by side I found the AF-S version a tad sharper. Well known is the problem with the Nikon 70-200mm VR on a FX sized Nikon Dslr. This lens does not show the same problem, and can be used without problems on a D3, D700 or the D3X. AF speed is slightly slower then the AF-S versions of this lens, it never bothered me even on action shooting though. This lens is well worth it's price, I highly recommend trying out one of these as the performance is stellar.

Features
Performance
Build
Value

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Price from: $1,079.95 USD

Alternatives

Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR. Price From: $519.95 USD

Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD Price: $729.95 USD

Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR. Price From: $1,949.95 USD

Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR II Price From: $2,249.00 USD

*Prices and rebates are subject to change. Listed price is from March 8, 2010

Sample Pictures

Images have been imported to photoshop CS3/4 through Capture NX 2 thus leaving the original image settings as shot, I. E white balance, sharpening, etc .etc. Full resolution sample images are in RGB color mode. Check out my copyright page for information about usage of these images.

Nikon D2H, Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 @ 86mm 1/1000 f/10

crop @ 100%