What are your views on the Nikon 70-200VR II?


The Hulk

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Oct 8, 2009
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Hi Guys, for those who own this lens, can i have your personal opinon? I have read a few reviews but i want to know personal opinons from people who own it.

I'm thinking of buying it for indoor sport photography & maybe for football with a teleconvertor on it. I will be using it on a D300s.
 

The first noticeable thing was the vignetting. Its a lot of improvement over the previous version. The VR is amazing as well. Focusing is also fast. I use it a lot most of the time at shutter speed less than 1/100s
 

Rent the lens, use it at the areas which you would and make your own decision..
 

why not try it out at nikon showroom with ur sd card? u will love it.

take note it's only around 165mm not 200mm max when not focus in infinity. VR1 should be around 190mm max.
 

It is very good. And very expensive.
 

Very expensive to me . . . :cry:
 

since u r using it on a cropped sensor, the vignetting / corner sharpness issues may not be of great concern to you...if you wanna save $$ the VR1 version will prob be sufficient..

if u have the spare cash and can make do with the restrictions of the VRII version then why not...

VR wise shouldnt be much of a concern for sports...
 

take note it's only around 165mm not 200mm max when not focus in infinity. VR1 should be around 190mm max.

Thanks for all the input folks. I just haven't got the time to go down the showroom yet due to work. I guess alot of people seem to be very happy with the overall lens quality. :)


@baggiolee: Thanks for the tip mate.
 

I've used it on my D300s. Excellent stuff. Lens is well built. Images are sharp at f/2.8, peaking, IMO, at f/8 or so. Auto focus is fast.

Downside? It's heavy. That's about it.

IMO, the next closest rival currently in Nikon's lineup is the 70-300mm VR, and the 70-200mm VRII is vastly superior.

You can always consider the older 70-200mm VR since you're on a DX setup.
 

Can't live without it..... I hug it to sleep every night.
 

The old 70-200 VR1 should be good enough for DX, where it was originally optimized for.
for FX the VR II is better.
 

Just bought this lens few weeks back. Recently, use it for my son graduation ceremony and concert, very sharp and excellent IQ. :thumbsup:
Downside ofcourse are the weight and co$t. :sweat:
 

Best in class. Can shoot 1/15 with it and still get sharp pictures. Love it. Heavy and expensive though.
 

i agree with the rest. u probably can't tell the corners on the DX sensor. so the VR1 will be good value for money.

it's the weight that is a killer, regardless whichever version. my old VR1 spent more time in the dry cabinet than outfield. in the end, i sold it to someone who appreciates it more and use the $$$ to buy some primes. i lost the flexibility in exchange for the weight. so, see how often you will use it and decide accordingly.
 

Tried my friend's 70-200VR lens on D300s to shoot at an event and VRII version on D7000 during the recent Nikon meetup.
Both times were on DX body, no much difference in terms of SOLID build and I didn't manage to compare it both IQ. Version 1 is sharp and contrasty. :lovegrin: Remember that its has Nano coating on VRII.

Weight wise, 80-200(2-touch) is lighter than 70-200VR. But 100+g is not a huge difference. You'll get used to carry the weight while shooting and you want to focus on your subject and concentrate on your shooting technique.

To me, as long it has VR, it is very good enough to use, so you can consider getting used one for tight budget.
 

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This lens is superb.
Best lens I ever had.

This is one of the shot I took on my old buddy with D300s:)
DSC_3235.JPG
 

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This lens is superb.
Best lens I ever had.

@bornwild4: Very sharp and nice dof.

i agree with the rest. u probably can't tell the corners on the DX sensor. so the VR1 will be good value for money.

it's the weight that is a killer, regardless whichever version. my old VR1 spent more time in the dry cabinet than outfield. in the end, i sold it to someone who appreciates it more and use the $$$ to buy some primes. i lost the flexibility in exchange for the weight. so, see how often you will use it and decide accordingly.

@nightwolf75: I will have to think twice about the weight, try it out first.

Can't live without it..... I hug it to sleep every night.

@simmeow: LOL! wht about your wife!? :bsmilie:

Just bought this lens few weeks back. Recently, use it for my son graduation ceremony and concert, very sharp and excellent IQ. :thumbsup:
Downside ofcourse are the weight and co$t. :sweat:

Valuable inputs! However, do any of you have pictures taken indoors just for a sample? in low light conditions that is. :think:
 

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VR II with D90, sample shot recently taken at Vivocity (low light):

5186177576_b2ae1152e3_b.jpg

Straight out of the cam unedited: 200mm, f2.8, 1/125, ISO 200, Aperture P, VR on. Hand-held, but I leaned against the railing.

I'm still getting used to this lens - still need to improve on my technique more than anything.

The advice offered here is sound, head to NSC to test it out, weight is a great concern if you can't handle it. I did and tested the weight several times, and I felt that while heavy I believe I can manage my combo.

I opted for VRII because of the event of moving to FF someday.

I intend to use it for sports, and school stage, among other things. It is a very versatile lens but really costly - do consider carefully first.
 

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