Nikon first announced the development of the AF-S VR Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF in February 2002, with the lens becoming available to buy in April 2003. Billed by Nikon as a 'compact, lightweight' fast telephoto, the lens features a complex optical design of 21 elements in 15 groups, including no fewer than 5 Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements for the correction of aberrations. It improves on its predecessor, the AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8G, mainly by incorporating an optical image stabilisation unit (or in Nikon speak, 'vibration reduction'), allowing hand holding at shutter speeds up to three stops lower than normal without image degradation due to camera shake. E: Electronic diaphragm. Diaphragm stops down only on cameras introduced since about 2007 (see the complete list).

Ultrasharp at 80mm wide-open at f/2.8 as well; everything is ultrasharp from edge to edge. You wouldn't really shoot daylight landscapes at f/2.8, but you can, and your night shots at f/2.8 will be as clear as day. In this shot, most things are in focus even at f/2.8.Other than the diaphragm staying at f/2.8, exposure, autofocus, metering and VR work fine other digital cameras. On my Nikon F6 it only shoots at f/2.8 and everything else is perfect. Because it's gelded (" G," or has had its aperture ring removed to save cost) it's 99% useless with manual focus cameras. For manual focus cameras, the much less expensive 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D works much better. The 70-200mm VR isn't very hot on the TC-20E. If you have all three TCs and do a direct comparison as I did, the results from the TC-20E and 70-200 VR combination are clearly inferior to any other combination, looking at D3 output at 100%. With rounded blades, there are no sunstars, except at the very smallest apertures where there may rarely be just a tiny one.

Look at how sharp is the metal mesh, even in the corners, and this is shot wide-open at f/2.8 at 36 megapixels. You can't get sharper than this. Desert Construction, 20 November 2016. Nikon D810, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL at 200mm at f/2.8 at 1/1,000 at Auto ISO 100. bigger or camera-original file to explore on your computer. This 70-200FL works flawlessly on all Nikon FX cameras. It also works perfectly on recent DX cameras like the D3300 and D500. See Nikon Lens Compatibility for the complete list. On film, DX and FX digital, this is a very, very sharp lens from edge-to-edge on full-frame, even at f/2.8. This 70-200 FL is a huge improvement over the old 70-200/2.8 VR II from 2009 because it weighs less and focuses much closer. While the rated close-focus distances aren't that much different, older 70-200s cheated and didn't really go to 200mm at close distances. This new FL lens really is 200mm at close distances. Since this new 70-200 FL doesn't cheat on 200mm, it gets what seems like twice as close when you need it.x 450 pixel crop from above image. If this crop is about 6" (15cm) wide on our screen, then the complete image printed at this same extreme magnification would be about 75 x 50." (6 x 4 feet, or 2 x 1.25 meters)! Ryan waves as he goes to school, 18 November 2016. Nikon D810, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 FL at 70mm, f/5 at 1/125 at Auto ISO 100. bigger or full-resolution file to explore on your computer. When used DX, it sees the same angle of view as a 105~300mm lens sees when used on a 35mm or FX camera. This 70-200 has very little focus breathing. It has none at 70mm, and very little at the longer focal lengths, where the image grow slightly as focussed more closely. What this gobbledygook means is that you can't tell how sharp this lens is by looking through the finder. The corners will always look dark and blurry because Nikon's finders aren't optimized for this lens.

This Nikon 70-200mm VR was Nikon's top professional zoom for news and sports photographers from its introduction in 2003 through the Fall of 2009 when it was replaced by the very similar 70-200mm VR II. Today this original 70-200 VR is still a remarkable professional lens. The only things the newer lenses do is focus a little more closely, weigh a little less, or maybe have a hair more sharpness visible only in the laboratory. For less money, the B+W 77mm 010 is an excellent filter, as is the multicoated version and the basic multicoated Hoya filters or the 77mm Nikon Clear (NC - UV), but the Hoya HD3 is the toughest and the best. Its macro ability is unmatched by any other Nikon f/2.8 tele zoom, with a super-close 1:4.76 maximum reproduction ratio. It is soft at 200mm in the farthest corners on FX. This isn't a problem for pros who actually own and use the 70-200mm every single day, but if you're shooting landscapes on a tripod with a D3X, try something else, like the manual focus 80-200mm f/4.5n AI instead.I use a clear (UV) protective filter instead of a cap. I only use a cap when I throw this in my bag, otherwise I leave a clear filter on my lens at all times.