Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Review

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Performance

Sharpness is very satisfactory at all settings. 70mm shows an excellent standard at the centre, approaching outstanding at middle apertures. The excellent rating is found from f/2.8 to f/16. Diffraction does start to have an effect, but even at f/22 the results are very good. The edges are very good at f/2.8 and f/4, excellent from f/5.6 to f/16 and again very good at f/22.

Centre and edge are well matched at 105mm. Results are excellent throughout from f/2.8 to f/16. The centre and edge results are still very good at f/22. This pattern of performance is exactly matched at 135mm, with all apertures between f/2.8 and f/16 being excellent, centre and edge. At f/22 results are still very good.

200mm maintains the standard extremely well. At the centre, we see an excellent set of figures from f/2.8 to f/16, still very good at f/22. The edges are very good at f/2.8 and f/4, excellent from f/5.6 and f/11 and again very good from f/16 to f/22.

It is difficult to imagine that results could be much better than this, given the complexity of zoom lenses. Where sharpness if quoted as excellent, it is worth noting that this is at the higher end of the performance thus described, and f/5.6 and f/8 in particular are reaching close to being described as outstanding.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is under control to an exemplary standard. At 70mm, central figures approach zero and even at the edges we find only between one third and one half of a pixel. At 105mm this is held at the centre, the edges being slightly better than at 70mm. This improvement is seen again at 135mm, with remarkably low CA figures centre and edge. 200mm sees very slightly higher figures, but still impressive and certainly not likely to be seen in even seriously demanding images.

Flare is not in evidence and throughout the review period did not mar any of the images shot. Clearly the coatings are well up to the job of keeping the contrast high, despite the very complex lens design and the high number of elements involved.

Distortion measures just -0.0392% barrel at 70mm, which is virtually rectilinear. It is unusual for a zoom lens to be this well corrected. As we zoom in, the distortion changes to the expected pincushion, but is held well, measuring +1.32% at 105mm, +1.69% at 135mm and +2.01% at 200mm. This is better than most designs.

The bokeh is lovely. Telephoto design, rounded aperture blades, the overall lens configuration all combine to make for very smooth out of focus areas.

The VR system is always a boon in a longer lens, and in this case it locks in very quickly and is perfectly usable for action shots. The amount of benefit obtained will of course also depend upon how steady the photographer is. I have always found that I am relatively steady and, given a few attempts, can usually guarantee a sharp result at fairly low speeds. Without the VR system, at 200mm, received wisdom would suggest that 1/200s would be the slowest hand holdable speed, more like 1/500s for real crispness. Testing this out indicated that with VR switched on, at 200mm a speed of 1/15s could provide reliably sharp images, which is amazing and is a good 4 stops advantage over having no VR.

Value For Money

Value for money is always tricky for expensive lenses, and at £2649 the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is an expensive lens. The previous model, the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, may still be available at £1999.

Other marques have the Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM II for Alpha DSLRs (£2799), the Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master for A7 series (£2499), the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM (£1848) and the HD Pentax-D FA* 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW (£1699).

The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD is £1099 and there is the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro is £549. The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM is £729.

What becomes clear is that there are far cheaper options, but when comparing like-for-like and the top marque lenses it no longer looks unreasonable. Considering its level of performance, there is definitely good value there in the broader sense. For more options have a look at the Top 10 Best Nikon Lenses. 

Add your message