70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AFS VR Zoom-Nikkor review by Darren Lau Introduction The 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AFS VR Zoom-Nikkor has been a long time coming, but has the wait been worth it? When it was first announced, the lens was simultaneously greeted with fervent equipment-lust as well as scepticism that Nikon was too little and too late to the VR/IS game. Only the second Vibration Reduction (VR) lens to come out of Nikon (the first being the venerable 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 ED VR Zoom-Nikkor), it was true that there was a general perception that Nikon's VR technology was somewhat behind Canon's IS technology. However, when it came out, the 80-400VR provided a 3-stop "VR Effect" advantage, compared to the 2-stop "IS Effect" in the equivalent Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens (note: these are "claimed" advantages by the respective manufacturers, users can (and do) achieve better than 2-stop/3-stop reduction in shutter speeds when combined with proper hand-holding techniques). The 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AFS VR Zoom-Nikkor also provides a 3-stop "VR Effect" and thus is on par with the new Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens, which also claims a 3-stop "IS Effect" correction. The 70-200VR lens thus brings with it some technologies that are welcome, such as AFS and VR in a single lens, and some changes that were not so welcome, such as the removal of the aperture ring, and with that single change, rendering the lens inoperable with older Nikon cameras other than the F5, F100, F80, F75, F65, D100 and the D1-series (with some limited functionality on the Nikon F4). Incidentally, prior to this lens, a lot of nay-sayers were predicting that this was not possible given the "limitations" of the F-mount. Good thing that Nikon proved the nay-sayers wrong, in fact, most current AFS lenses have 10 contacts on the mount, compared with only 8 on camera bodies, thus Nikon may have more tricks up its sleeve for the veritable Nikkor F-mount yet. Construction, Ergonomics and Handling The 70-200VR lens is deemed to be a replacement for the current 80-200mm f/2.8 ED-IF AFS Zoom-Nikkor, and in a side-by-side comparison, several key design changes are apparent. Firstly, the 70-200VR design in noticeably thinner in diameter, but is slightly longer in length (note the 80-200AFS on the left has a filter attached while the 70-200VR does not). Secondly, the 70-200VR has a satin-smooth finish and is slightly more shiny compared to the crinkle finish and more matte look of the 80-200AFS. These cosmetic differences aside, both lenses comprise of 4 ED (Extra-low Dispersion) elements and the 70-200VR has slightly more glass elements (21 elements in 15 groups for the 70-200VR; 18 elements in 14 groups for the 80-200AFS). In use, the 70-200VR holds well in the hand, perhaps due to its slightly slimmer profile whereas the 80-200AFS required a beefier hand/palm to give it more support. Also, the slightly lower weight (70-200VR is 100gms lighter) of the 70-200VR helps when hand-holding the lens for an extended period of time. The zoom/focus rings of the 70-200VR has been reduced in size, and it took some getting used to. In addition, the focus lock buttons have been moved further forward to the front of the lens, and this is one design change that I couldn't quite get used to in the short while that I had the 70-200VR lens. Another design difference between the two lenses are in the tripod collars and mounts - the 70-200VR has a unique, removable mount which slides off easily, compared with the tripod collar on the 80-200AFS which has to be unscrewed completely before removal. One can easily envisage a situation where the 70-200VR when mounted on a tripod, can be quickly unmounted, leaving the foot on the tripod. The design of this unique mechanism presents a "cleaner" profile for hand-holding, as I can attest to personally having to re-position the tripod collar when hand-holding the 80-200AFS, which in the heat of the moment, can cost several precious seconds (removing the tripod collar is a non-option as it takes too much time, its much easier to use Arca-style mounting plates and a corresponding tripod head). Having the tripod collar as an integral part of the lens also makes it much smoother and subjectively more sturdy than previous tripod-collar designs of the older 80-200mm lenses.   The lack of an aperture dial, while causing consternation and adverse comments from some, is a non-issue for me as I have always used the control dials on the camera body to control aperture. Indeed, all my lenses are permanently locked at the smallest aperture setting (which is required for most of the Auto modes anyway), and the sub-command/main-command dials are used to quickly dial in the aperture required. Nonetheless, the lack of a manually-set aperture will limit the use of this lens to the latest generation of Nikon SLRs (F5, F100, N80, N75 and N65) and D-SLRs (D100, D1x and D1h) which are the only cameras that can take full advantage of the AFS and VR functions. Using the 70-200VR lens on other bodies will result in limited functionality (eg. no AFS and/or VR). Lens Performance - Optical, Focusing, Vibration Reduction The 70-200VR carries the tradition of excellent optical performance of the 80-200mm f/2.8 line and provides outstanding performance throughout the entire range. Rather than write a lengthy diatribe on the optical performance, here are a series of images to demonstrate the quality of the lens. Ashley - Focal length 200mm 1/125s @ f/4 Statue - Focal length 200mm 1/125s @ f/2.8 Lizard - Focal length 200mm 1/25s @ f/5.6 Hummingbird - Focal Length 200mm 1/180s @ f/4 The two images truly epitomises the capabilities of the 70-200VR. The hummingbird landed on the flower behind me about 10-12 feet away, and I just had time to swing around, bring the camera up, focus and fire off a couple of shots before it flew to a different flower. The AFS brought the bird into sharp focus almost instantaneously and the VR function took care of any "shakes" that could have spoilt the picture. Suffice to say that the shot would not have been possible without either AFS or VR capabilities. The lizard shot was taken handheld at speeds that would have been unusable otherwise. The VR function makes the image possible. The static shot of Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore was taken with the 70-200VR lens mounted on a tripod and the lens renders the fine detail of the fur very well. (VR function turned off). Summary and Recommendations Overall, the lens is a worthy addition to Nikkor's 80-200mm range of lenses, and its VR/AFS capabilities are truly outstanding. When compared to the 80-200mm f/2.8D ED-IF AFS-Nikkor , AFS and optical performance are equally matched and arguments over which is better is just mere semantics. A photographer out to get the maximum optical bang would not go wrong with either lens. Where the 70-200VR lens wins out is with the inclusion of Vibration Reduction technology, allowing images to be captured in situations where the usage of a tripod/monopod may be limited. Coupled with the new tripod collar design and slimmer profile, it seems as though that Nikon's designers have designed the 70-200VR to be a lens that begs to be handheld and yet able to provide high-quality images. If you have been lusting after a 70/80-200mm lens with a fixed f/2.8 aperture from Nikkor, your choices now available encompass three versions - the veritable 80-200mm f/2.8D AF Zoom-Nikkor; the legendary 80-200mm f/2.8D ED-IF AFS Zoom-Nikkor, and the new kid on the block, the 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AFS VR Zoom-Nikkor. For those who do not have a f/2.8-class lens in this range or who are currently using the non-AFS version, the 70-200VR is the obvious choice for a new purchase or an upgrade, but for those who already have the AFS version, it would be down to whether the VR function justifies an upgrade. More details, technical specifications and pricing available at Nikon Singapore website.