Nikon 70-300VR or Nikon 70-200 F4

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bbg404

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I've got it in my head the 70-200 f4 has to be a a sharper lens and that's what Im after....

Basically my main use for either of the lenses will be landscapes I always take a wide angle 16-35 and longer lens I know the 70-300
Isn't great above 200 but I tend not to shoot above that I very rarely shoot landscapes at less than F8 so my question is would I gain anything apart from a bit extra weight and a bigger hole in my pocket?

Thanks
 
70-200 IQ will knock spots off the 70-300 :)
 
The 70-200 f4 is a great lens if you don't need f2.8. The 70-200 f4 is slightly sharper than the f2.8 versions! It's very excellent across the frame, AF is good and is light too. I've had both the 70-300 and 70-200 f4, if I didn't use f2.8 in low light then I won't think twice about getting a 70-200 f4 again even over a 70-200 f2.8. The 70-300 isn't in the same league as the 70-200 f4 or f2.8. Also the 70-300 starts to drop off IQ wise from 200/250mm.
 
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rob-nikon said:
The 70-200 f4 is a great lens if you don't need f2.8. The 70-200 f4 is slightly sharper than the f2.8 versions! It's very excellent across the frame, AF is good and is light too. I've had both the 70-300 and 70-200 f4, if I didn't use f2.8 in low light then I won't think twice about getting a 70-200 f4 again even over a 70-200 f2.8. The 70-300 isn't in the same league as the 70-200 f4 or f2.8. Also the 70-300 starts to drop off IQ wise from 200/250mm.
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Thanks I will be chopping in what I've got and waiting for the right 70-200 f4
 
The 70-200 f/4 is excellent but it's interesting that you mention predominantly using the lens at f/8+ because at that sort of aperture I think both lenses will be singing and I'm not sure there'll be such a huge difference. Wide open, no contest.
 
gad-westy said:
The 70-200 f/4 is excellent but it's interesting that you mention predominantly using the lens at f/8+ because at that sort of aperture I think both lenses will be singing and I'm not sure there'll be such a huge difference. Wide open, no contest.
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The 70-300 is a very good lens for its price especially second hand. The 70-200 f4 should be sharper across the frame but like you say it's whether the user can notice the difference. I used the 70-200 f4 for both wildlife and landscapes so I used it throughout f4-f11, if it's only to be used at f8-f11 then there may not be as much difference.

These reviews are some that I read previously, I've found them to be pretty accurate.

https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-70-200mm-f4g-vr

https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-70-300mm-vr
 
rob-nikon said:
The 70-200 f4 is a great lens if you don't need f2.8. The 70-200 f4 is slightly sharper than the f2.8 versions! It's very excellent across the frame, AF is good and is light too. I've had both the 70-300 and 70-200 f4, if I didn't use f2.8 in low light then I won't think twice about getting a 70-200 f4 again even over a 70-200 f2.8. The 70-300 isn't in the same league as the 70-200 f4 or f2.8. Also the 70-300 starts to drop off IQ wise from 200/250mm.
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It depends, the f2.8 VRII is sharper in the centre stopped down so at f4 is sharper than the f4 lens, but the f4 lens is better in mid frame and corners. For me centre sharpness is important but for the OP overall frame sharpness would be more important as would be taking landscapes.

It would be interesting to see the 70-300mm vs 70-200's at f8 though, I bet there's not that much in it.
 
gramps said:
70-200 IQ will knock spots off the 70-300 :)
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Not at 201mm - 300mm though!

Not sure how much difference can be seen in normal use (in terms of IQ) such as prints up to A4. (Pixel peeping and big prints aren't what I would call normal use!)
 
Depends on the camera too, my 70-300VR was sharp all the way to 300mm on my D700, less so on a D610 at 100% - it depends how much magnification you put through it.
 
snerkler said:
It depends, the f2.8 VRII is sharper in the centre stopped down so at f4 is sharper than the f4 lens, but the f4 lens is better in mid frame and corners. For me centre sharpness is important but for the OP overall frame sharpness would be more important as would be taking landscapes.

It would be interesting to see the 70-300mm vs 70-200's at f8 though, I bet there's not that much in it.
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Have at look at the sharpness test graphs on the links I posted above. There are graphs for all 3 lenses that can be compared. I was surprised how close the f4 version is to the f2.8 version in the centre, it's closer than I thought it would be at f4-f8. Like you say mid frame and corners the f4 smashes it. I was impressed with the f4, I only swapped back to the f2.8 as the larger aperture allows the use of 1.4tc teleconverter and the stop faster was useful for wildlife. Not so much of a problem for landscapes but the f4 doesn't focus breath like the f2.8 vr2 does.

For landscapes the f4 version is great, it's sharp across the frame and doesn't weigh that much.
 
rob-nikon said:
Have at look at the sharpness test graphs on the links I posted above. There are graphs for all 3 lenses that can be compared. I was surprised how close the f4 version is to the f2.8 version in the centre, it's closer than I thought it would be at f4-f8. Like you say mid frame and corners the f4 smashes it. I was impressed with the f4, I only swapped back to the f2.8 as the larger aperture allows the use of 1.4tc teleconverter and the stop faster was useful for wildlife. Not so much of a problem for landscapes but the f4 doesn't focus breath like the f2.8 vr2 does.

For landscapes the f4 version is great, it's sharp across the frame and doesn't weigh that much.
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Agreed, if you don't need f2.8 then the f4 lens is a no brainer.
 
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