Nikkor 200-500?


A good review that shows a lot of care and consideration, which encourages faith in his findings.

One thing which stood out was the the 300mm PF was noticeably sharper. (And the 400mm f2.8, needless to say.) And did I read somewhere the PF is not much different from the non-VR 300mm (which I have)? Sooooo......I'm starting to think this lens is going to have to be an addition not a replacement. Argh. :)
 
A good review that shows a lot of care and consideration, which encourages faith in his findings.

One thing which stood out was the the 300mm PF was noticeably sharper. (And the 400mm f2.8, needless to say.) And did I read somewhere the PF is not much different from the non-VR 300mm (which I have)? Sooooo......I'm starting to think this lens is going to have to be an addition not a replacement. Argh. :)

This is my dilemma too, but i never expected a zoom to be as sharp as a prime, (that is the whole point of a prime lens is it not, no compromises), the big question is, how well does it compare as i cant justify the cost of owning both
 
I'm so torn at the moment between the 200-500 and the 600mm sigma sport. The Sigma even at this early stage of testing seems to be better put together and has the edge on performance, however you can't argue that the slight weight saving and the price saving more than compensates for the small difference.
It also seems to be flying off the shelves.....I went into LCE in Bath earlier today and they had 5 delivered Monday and there all sold out already.
 
Been watching this thread with interest.

It's only £989 at Panamoz at the moment
http://panamoz.com/index.php/lens/nikon-af-s-dx-nikkor-200-500mm-vr.html

Thanks for that, I pulled the trigger on it after seeing that price although there is a slight delay in dispatch (they were kind enough to let me know) I should get it at the end of next week.
From all the reviews and images I've studied (in the most part thanks to this thread) then it looks to be a lot better image quality for the money than I thought it was going to be and half a kilo lighter and more flexible than my 300mm f2.8 VR1, a lens I love but tiring hand holding all day. It'll be interesting to see the performance difference both in image quality and autofocus speed between the two especially at 500mm (300mm + 1.7TC).
 
Only £1026 on amazon UK!
Just noticed that price, it is very tempting at that price. A few months ago I was thinking whether to sell my 200-400 f4 due to the limited use it gets and the fact as a hobby a pro lens isn't exactly needed, it's more of a luxury. Any one seen any good indepth reviews yet? It a hard decision to decide what way I should go as I don't always go out in good light and AF needs to be good and accurate. I think I would like a lens that works well for birding (owls in flight at sunrise), also mammals like deer and hares, currently the 200-400 I have does two of these very well.
 
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Great to read another positive review, however I don't know if it's just me but I'm not that blown away by those images....seem slightly off focus?
 
Great to read another positive review, however I don't know if it's just me but I'm not that blown away by those images....seem slightly off focus?

I've lost my specs now so I can't tell if it's still true, but when I looked at them yesterday or earlier today the linked images looked much better than the versions on the review page.
 
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Maybe just how they've uploaded, but if that's a true representation il be buying the Sigma instead.
 
Just look really soft but like you said the exif shows very fast shutters so wouldn't expect to be excessive lens shake. The no 2 image of walruses looks very bad paying particular attention to the tusks.
 
I have both the Sigma and the Nikon. The Nikon is a little sharper and the bokeh is smoother. The Sigma's AF is a little faster but does not feel as accurate. Both great lenses for different reasons so good luck deciding :) If I had to keep one wildlife lens it would be the 300mm pf for its small size and low weight, versatility and good macro ability. On the other hand it is the most expensive one especially when you factor in the price of the teleconverters...
 
I have both the Sigma and the Nikon. The Nikon is a little sharper and the bokeh is smoother. The Sigma's AF is a little faster but does not feel as accurate. Both great lenses for different reasons so good luck deciding :) If I had to keep one wildlife lens it would be the 300mm pf for its small size and low weight, versatility and good macro ability. On the other hand it is the most expensive one especially when you factor in the price of the teleconverters...

The big question though, is which would you keep out of the 3 zooms (Sigma & Nikon) ;)
 
Has anyone seen any more full reviews? I would like to hire one for a few days to try one out but I can't find one for hire anywhere. I'm interested to see how good it is AF 500mm f5.6/f8 as that's where I'm likely to use it for owls, especially when backlit.
 
Not sure if LensesForHire have any yet - maybe @StewartR will see this thread and be able to help. (He IS LFH!)
 
Just spotted he wrote they are getting one "any day now" on their FB page. That was on 25th Sept. so imminent I hope :)
 
nothing ever moves smoothly, its a new lens, theres going to be teething problems...

As a Nikon user it's beginning to feel more like false teeth ... use them but have to take them out regularly!
The recent Nikon record for new Nikon cameras and lenses isn't good.
 
Another comprehensive review, and also comparisons to the other Super Telephotos in the same price range (Sigma S & C, Tamron)

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Nikon_Nikkor_AF-S_200-500mm_f5-6E_ED_VR/index.shtml
That was one of the views I was waiting for. It's quite positive but it doesn't exactly cover the AF performance or flare/ghosting of shooting backlit subjects. I think I will need to hire one to try out shooting what I'm thinking of using it for. Backlit owls and birds in flight will test both of those things.
 
Does anyone actually have a UK release date for this lens as i can't seem to see anything on any site giving any sort of date yet
 
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