Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70 200mm F 2 8E FL ED VR Review | 54 Data compared

The Photography Life review defines the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR as a professional-grade F-mount lens offering exceptional center-to-corner sharpness, blazing-fast autofocus, and improved handling through reduced weight. Key advantages include significantly reduced focus breathing, robust weather sealing, and excellent flare control. However, the lens is noted for a high price tag, a reversal of the zoom and focus rings that requires user adaptation, and a visible, albeit slight, drop in sharpness at 200mm when shooting wide open.

The Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a pro-grade telephoto zoom lens designed for Nikon F-mount DSLRs that delivers stellar, legendary sharpness and contrast across its entire zoom range. According to the Digital Camera World review, the lens boasts high-spec pros including a tough, weather-sealed magnesium alloy barrel, excellent handling, and an advanced optical design featuring fluorite glass, six ED elements, and Nano Crystal Coat. It also introduces an uprated 4-stop dual-mode Vibration Reduction (VR) system with automatic panning and a "Sport" mode, alongside an electromagnetically controlled aperture diaphragm for consistent rapid continuous shooting. However, the review highlights notable cons, primarily its very expensive retail price tag. Furthermore, the addition of the new electromagnetically controlled aperture diaphragm introduces a backward-compatibility flaw, making it unusable with some older Nikon DSLR bodies. Finally, the publication points out that the rival Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports lens stands as a major catch, since it performs just as well in real-world sharpness, stabilization, and autofocus speed while being significantly cheaper to purchase.

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR lens is an outstanding telezoom upgrade for Nikon F-mount systems, earning an Editors' Choice award for its exceptional sharpness and improved versatility. Tested on a 36MP D810, the lens delivers excellent sharpness throughout its focal range, peaking at f/11 with 3,986 lines, and significantly outperforms its predecessor, the 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II. Key design highlights include a lightweight 3.2-pound polycarbonate barrel, an internal zoom mechanism, a rotating tripod collar, and customizable barrel buttons. Notably, its minimum focusing distance has been shortened to 3.6 feet, allowing for much closer shots than the older model. The lens boasts several major advantages, including superb image crispness, optical stabilization with a specialized Sport mode for tracking moving subjects, and a constant f/2.8 aperture. However, users must contend with a few optical flaws, specifically corner dimness at f/2.8 (reaching up to -2.3EV at 200mm) and pincushion distortion that curves straight lines inward, increasing from 1 percent at 100mm to 1.9 percent at 200mm. Longtime Nikon users may also need to adjust to the physical layout,...

The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 FL is hailed as a top-tier F-mount professional telephoto zoom, boasting a significantly lighter weight, a closer 3.6-foot minimum focus distance, and unparalleled sharpness with fast autofocus. Key operational advantages include four dedicated AF-lock buttons and superior optical performance throughout the zoom range. However, the lens presents cons regarding ergonomics, specifically the reversed, non-traditional placement of the zoom and focus rings, which challenges conventional handling. Additionally, its electronic diaphragm limits compatibility to post-2007 Nikon cameras, and it features a high price point.

The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a highly acclaimed, professional-grade telephoto zoom lens that delivers prime-like optical performance across its entire focal range. Key performance advantages include exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness—even when shooting wide open—and a significantly improved Autofocus (AF) tracking system that is roughly 20% faster than its predecessor. Additionally, its Vibration Reduction (VR) system operates much faster, quieter, and provides a highly stable viewfinder image. Users will also appreciate that the lens effectively eliminates "focal length breathing," keeping the 200mm focal length intact even when focusing closely up to its improved 3.6-foot minimum distance. Despite its stellar performance, the lens features a controversial physical redesign that reverses the traditional layout, placing the zoom ring at the front and the focus ring at the rear. This causes a frustrating cognitive dissonance for pros switching between this lens and the 24-70mm f/2.8E, which retains the old layout. Optically, the lens suffers from visible focus shifting when stopping down, noticeable vignetting at 200mm when wide open at f/2.8, and distinct linear distortion (minor barrel distortion at 70mm and pincushion distortion...

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a thoroughly redesigned tele-zoom lens that brings substantial physical and performance upgrades over its predecessor, the 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VRII. Built to match higher-resolution camera sensors, the lens features a brand-new optical construction utilizing fluorite elements, which noticeably improves color rendition, micro-contrast, and overall sharpness across all focal lengths at f/2.8. Physically, the lens is 110 grams lighter, making handling easier, though it features a rearranged layout with the zoom ring moved to the front and the focus ring moved to the rear. Additionally, the autofocus speed has drastically improved, dropping focus acquisition time down to 0.40–0.45 seconds compared to the older model's 0.60–0.65 seconds, and the vibration reduction (VR) engine reacts much faster for a more intuitive shooting experience. The lens excels in several key areas but carries a few prominent drawbacks. On the positive side, its primary pros include exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness at maximum aperture, a major reduction in chromatic aberration, better control over ghosting and flare in backlight, and a complete fix for "focus breathing," ensuring a...

The AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR provides outstanding and uniform optical performance across all focal lengths and apertures, significantly outperforming older lenses like the 80-200mm f/2.8D at the long end where it remains contrasty even wide open. The professional-grade lens offers an effective vibration reduction (VR) system, excellent close-up capabilities with a 1.1m closest focus distance, and compatibility with Nikon’s TC-17EII teleconverter, which delivers sharp, high-magnification results on both FX and DX camera bodies. Furthermore, unlike its VRII predecessor, this version is not a heavy lens breather, and its physical length remains completely constant during zooming and focusing. However, the lens suffers from poor ergonomics because Nikon interchanged the position of the zoom and focus rings. When mounted on a heavy body, the center of gravity rests on the tripod foot, making zooming difficult, while shooting without the foot causes the lens's weight to press into the user's hand, risking accidental focus ring adjustments. Additionally, the reviewer noted minor issues including a slight brownish color cast and a roughly 2% discrepancy in focal length at infinity compared to older...

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8E FL ED VR is a professional 2.9x telephoto full-frame zoom lens designed for Nikon DSLRs, earning Cameralabs' "Highly Recommended" award as the best in its class. Tested on a demanding D810 body, it excels with an optimized 22-element optical redesign featuring fluorite and Nano-coating to dramatically reduce flare and ghosting. Key advantages include a significantly improved 1:4.1 maximum magnification at a 1.0-meter close focus distance, four customizable focus buttons for tracking, and exceptionally low focus breathing. Furthermore, autofocus is barely audible and remarkably fast, locking in at 0.35 seconds, which easily outpaces its predecessor. While the lens offers a rugged, weather-sealed barrel and a lightweight body (1357g), it carries a few distinct drawbacks. The most significant disadvantage is its high retail price of approximately 3,180 EUR (or 2,800 USD), making it 30% more expensive than its predecessor and far costlier than Sigma and Tamron alternatives. Additionally, its 3-stop image stabilization performance—while good—did not show a clear-cut statistical improvement over the older model in handheld sharpness testing. The physical layout may also cause minor inconveniences,...

In a detailed field test of the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR conducted in Antarctica, the reviewer praises the lens for its superior construction, featuring a durable magnesium alloy/polycarbonate build and excellent weather sealing, making it ideal for harsh conditions. The lens delivers improved edge-to-edge sharpness and contrast across all focal lengths compared to its predecessor. Key performance improvements include significantly reduced focus breathing and the introduction of configurable exterior barrel buttons that enhance focus control. While generally lauded, the review notes a specific ergonomic change where the zoom and focus rings are reversed, requiring a learning curve for veteran Nikon users. Despite this, the reviewer highly recommends the lens for its performance, noting that the reversed lens hood is a practical improvement for resting the lens.

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a third-generation telephoto zoom lens that delivers uniquely high sharpness distributed evenly from the center out to the corners, even when tested on high-resolution 36-megapixel sensors. Designed for both professionals and hobbyists, its bright f/2.8 aperture makes it ideal for low-light photography—such as indoor sports and theater—while producing a beautifully soft background blur. Compared to its predecessors, this model features an improved minimum focus distance of just 1.10 meters for tight portraits, an upgraded 4-stop vibration reduction system with a dedicated "sport mode" for tracking moving subjects, and a streamlined magnesium alloy build that is both smaller and 120 grams lighter. The review highlights several distinct pros and cons for prospective buyers. On the positive side, its primary pros include exceptional image quality across the entire frame, minimal vignetting, a highly durable build with protective fluorine and Nano Crystal coatings, and excellent image stabilization. However, its notable cons are its high financial price tag, its overall large size, and a heavy weight (despite being lighter than the previous version). Additionally,...

The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR delivers exceptional optical performance when paired with DX-format cameras like the D500 or D7200, effectively operating as a 105-300mm lens due to the crop factor. The lens excels in sharpness across the entire frame right from its maximum f/2.8 aperture, with peak resolution achieved between f/5.6 and f/8. It features an upgraded 4-stop Vibration Reduction system with a dedicated "Sport" mode that keeps the viewfinder image stable without decreasing camera response times. Additionally, its closest focusing distance has been improved to 110 cm, enabling tight portrait framing and lightweight macro capabilities. The physical design has also evolved; it is 120 grams lighter and 0.5 cm shorter than its predecessor, features a robust weather-sealed build, and includes fluorine coatings to repel moisture and grease. The core advantages (pros) of this telephoto zoom include its stellar image quality, high constant brightness, upgraded image stabilization system, and sturdy, weather-sealed construction. The improved close-focus capability is another distinct benefit for sports, nature, and insect photography. On the downside, the primary drawbacks (cons) are its hefty...