Nikkor 70-200 - which is the one to get these days?

welly

welly

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Hey all,

Considering a 70-200 for my D800e, which is a lens I've always aspired to own but never had the finances to buy one. I'm not really interested in a brand new one because at £2000+, I'm not getting paid enough (or anything, actually) for my photographs to justify that amount on a lens. A brief eBay search shows some of the older ones around the £500ish mark.

I remember reading in the past that one of the older Nikkor 70-200 was well worth looking at, I'm not sure if it was the first one that had VR or a different model.

Any tips/suggestions?

Thanks!
 
Hi, I have the NIKKOR 4/70-200 since 2018, used on my D800 first, and now on my D500 and D850. I recommend it.

P.S.: My NIKKOR is not listed on the NIKON website any more. There is a 4,5/70 - 300. My wife has one, which failed. The AF does not work any more. She will send it to NIKON
to have it repaired. I cannot recommend this lens ... )


D800 :


D80_7131-d800-042019.jpg



D850 :

DSC_0363-d8501c.jpg



D500 :


DSC_3790-d500c.jpg
 
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I shot the original 70-200 VR for years. Absolutely one of my best buys. Plenty sharp enough. Fast to focus. I used mine on D700 D3.
Vignettes a bit. But for what I shot it wasn’t a problem. Nearly always used it wide open.
Highly recommended and probably a real bargain now.
But…buy carefully. I expect Nikon no longer fix them.
 
I would look for the VR2 and if budget allows then the E FL ED.

I have the VR2 and happy with it both on the D750 and z6ii with the FTZ.
 
I have the VR2 model, used on D500 and D850 with no issues whatsoever. Does 'focus breathe' which doesn't bother me too much, something I think was resolved on the E model. The original model is perfect for the DX cameras, as it does vignette on FX but some FX users prefer the original to the VR2. VR are getting long in the tooth now, as is the VR2 - good models go for ~£5-600 mark, E still command over £1000.

Basically, you can't really go wrong with the 2 newer models, or the original.
 
welly said:
Hey all,

Considering a 70-200 for my D800e, which is a lens I've always aspired to own but never had the finances to buy one. I'm not really interested in a brand new one because at £2000+, I'm not getting paid enough (or anything, actually) for my photographs to justify that amount on a lens. A brief eBay search shows some of the older ones around the £500ish mark.

I remember reading in the past that one of the older Nikkor 70-200 was well worth looking at, I'm not sure if it was the first one that had VR or a different model.

Any tips/suggestions?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I mind when I was looking at the same lens for my D810 and I think it was LongLensPhotography on here who emphasised the importance of getting a lens that could resolve and handle the high resolution of these cameras.

I think the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f2.8E FL ED VR is supposed to be the absolute best, especially when it comes to edge sharpness and possibly more applicable for the D850 and it's monster resolution, but it was expensive at the time so I went for a used Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f2.8G ED VR II instead as I believe it still has lots of resolving power.

Current used prices are now a bargain, although the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f2.8E FL ED VR is now pretty decent used as well.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
You buy a used tampon G2 on eBay for peanuts because the only Nikon worth paying full whack now is obviously the current z model which requires current cameras
Click to expand...

Tampon lol I never even considering Tamron, although the VRII I think has cheaper used ones around?

There's a review here of a few of them, AF is a little worrying with the Tamron?

fstoppers.com

Tamron vs. Nikon: Which 70-200mm f/2.8 Telephoto Lens Is Best for the Money?

Without a doubt, one of the most popular and useful pieces of gear a photographer can own is the 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. This lens is so amazing that it has become a staple for photographers shooting wildlife, portraits, headshots, sports, weddings, events, and even landscape photography.
fstoppers.com fstoppers.com

The most accurate camera/lens combination was with the Nikon VR II which had 81 percent of the images in focus. The Nikon FL lens came in second with 75 percent of the images in focus. For the two Tamron lenses, the G2 had 67 percent of the images in focus and the SP was right at 48 percent in focus. Overall it was interesting to see that the older Nikkor lens beat their newest lens but honestly these numbers are all pretty close. All of these lenses would be able to have about 7-8 images in focus out of 10 except the Tamron SP which was correctly locking onto about 5 images out of 10.

Winner: Nikkor VR II
Click to expand...
 
I bought the VR II a couple of years ago. Very pleased with it. The first generation one was meant to be decent as well, so you'll probably be fine whether you go for VR, VR II or FL. Buy on condition over spec.
 
gman said:
There's a review here of a few of them, AF is a little worrying with the Tamron?
Click to expand...
It shouldn't be an issue any longer on mirrorless... as long as it has enough critical sharpness which it clearly should have. It has ultrasonic motor so speed shouldn't be an issue either. On DSLR your guess is as good as mine, and also depends on exact combination of camera and lens copies. If critical focus is important mirrorless leads the way and there are some older used models available for not that much today...
 
I am slightly pining for a good used AF-S f/4G 70-200 ED VR and will probably succumb sometime. Meanwhile I bump along with the AF-S 70-300 VR. Apart from being meaningfully more expensive and heavier, I don't feel the extra stop of the 2.8 VRII would matter much to me using digital.
 
John_M said:
I am slightly pining for a good used AF-S f/4G 70-200 ED VR and will probably succumb sometime. Meanwhile I bump along with the AF-S 70-300 VR. Apart from being meaningfully more expensive and heavier, I don't feel the extra stop of the 2.8 VRII would matter much to me using digital.
Click to expand...

Depending what your usage is, the extra stop may or may not be useful. I've found the optical quality better than the 70-300 VR I used to have though.
 
LongLensPhotography said:
It shouldn't be an issue any longer on mirrorless... as long as it has enough critical sharpness which it clearly should have. It has ultrasonic motor so speed shouldn't be an issue either. On DSLR your guess is as good as mine, and also depends on exact combination of camera and lens copies. If critical focus is important mirrorless leads the way and there are some older used models available for not that much today...
Click to expand...

Moving from the Sony A9 to the D810, it was my first immediate concern and I did have a slight hint of regret as I delved into the micro adjustment menu.
 
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