Nikon 80-200Mm F2.8Ed Af Zoom Nikkor D

Product Information

This isn't a big deal, but you will feel this as you shoot on the faster pro cameras like the F5 and D3.

I've got an old Kenko 1.5x SHQ that give good results with the AF 80-200/2.8D EDn and D300 but as far as I remember never used on the D700 apart from making shure it works. My old Kenko 2x converter was pretty poor with the AF 80-200/2.8D EDn even on a D100 and AF is slow as molasses.I have found that if more reach is needed without lose in IQ, I use the Kenko 1.4x PRO300 DG TC and have had excellent results. Unlike most of Nikon's lenses today, almost everything you see is solid metal. Not only is it all metal, it also is so smoothly and precisely machined that it it a pleasure just to hold it and work the controls. Stop it down to f/4 or f/5.6 and it's perfect even for that. Let's face it, most people use these lenses in ways that never have anything sharp and in focus in the corners. I have to go out of my way to test this, and when I did, this lens is still spectacular. Nikon updated the mechanics and added the "D" feature, which like all modern Nikon lenses couples the focus distance to the camera for even better 3-D Matrix metering. It is especially effective for use with flash. The N90 was the first camera to use this distance information, and all Nikons use it today. It takes the HB-7 bayonet hood.

If shooting test charts at infinity, it's a little less sharp at f/2.8 on the far sides at 80mm, and a little less contrasty at f/2.8 at 200mm, but so what; it's still super-sharp and contrasty at 80mm at f/2.8 where you need it, and if the slight (10%) loss of contrast at 200mm at f/2.8 bothers you, either pay twice as much for the newest 70-200/2.8 VR II, or stop down to f/4. This Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D (new) was still one of Nikon's most popular professional lenses in 2017, 20 years after its introduction. It remains popular because it offers fast autofocus and great optical performance, both mechanically and optically, for less than half the price of Nikon's other professional f/2.8 tele zoom, the 70-200/2.8E FL.I have spent two evenings and half a sleepless night reading through lots of posts regarding the 80-200. Again due in part to the sub-frame sensor of the D200, the 80-200mm f/2.8 showed relatively little geometric distortion, ranging from a miniscule amount of barrel distortion at 80mm to a noticeable 0.3% pincushion at 200mm. It's important to note though, that the average distortion remains quite low, even at 200mm. This indicates that the distortion is limited to the outer edges and corners of the frame, not extending very far into the image area itself. The Nikon 80-200's collar never comes off, which is good, because it's so well designed that you'll never want to remove it. Flip it out of the way for hand-held shooting, and it's still there when you need it. Breathing. I intend to use my lens in the tropics and that means a lot of moist air. All zooming is internal with the 80-200 so breathing will only occur in the focusing elements and this is a fairly small movement. On the 18-200 the zoom accounts for an extension of several inches, so I reasoned that this would mean the intake of a fair amount of moist air and the longer term risk of fungal growth. The zoom mechanism is entirely internal: nothing moves or pumps in and out as you zoom. Therefore, no air, dust or gasses get pumped in and out of the lens (or your camera) as you zoom.

The lens was targeted at professional users and consequently the build quality is superb. Most outer parts are made of metal and carry the crinkle finish typical for professional grade Nikkor lenses at that time.Nikon specifies 6.93" (176mm) extension from flange (7.09" [180mm] overall) by 3.37" (85.5mm) diameter. The optics are still the same as the excellent original AF version of 1988, and used the same HB-7 bayonet hood as the previous D version.

Then I considered distortion. This lens has very little distortion compared to what has been written about the 18-200 VR. I use this lens with my D50 and although it uses the mechanical linkage to achive focus, the speed is very good with virtually no hunting in most light conditions. One day when I upgrade this to a higher megapixel model, I am confident I will be in posession of a lens which will enable me to fully appreciate any improvement in definition. The Nikkor AF-S 80-200mm f/2.8 IF-ED, introduced late in 1998, was one of the first AF-S lenses. In fact it was the first zoom lens that featured the then new sonic wave driven autofocus. It was discontinued and replaced by the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm VR less than 5 years after its announcement. Not for: AF is slow, so for sports I'd get the newest model instead. This lens will not autofocus with the cheapest D40, D40x and D60; get the 55-200mm VR (or 70-200mm f/2.8 VR) instead for those cameras.The left side of the lens barrel carries two control switches. The upper one switches between AF (with manual override) and purely manual focus modes. The second switch is a focus limiter. Between the zoom and focus rings the lens carries a set of buttons distributed around the barrel. Unlike on higher end prime lenses, those buttons are not configurable and only provide AF stop functionality. The lens has flaws but at the end of the day, the images you get with it are amazing and sharp enough. As I said, its pros outweigh its cons IMHO. Macro: Nikon plays a joke here, as there is no special macro range, just an orange band on the focus scale between 6 feet and 5 feet. I'll explain more later under Macro. I've owned the nikon 70-300mm VR once before and it was perfect for a compact telephoto travel lens. However it's no where near the 80-200mm in terms of build quality. The VR feature was really nice to have, but it did not help me when I was photographing anything that moved, like my two-year old son. And the small aperture (4.5-5.6) was its biggest hinderance. I think this lens is still being produced by Nikon and is made only in Japan. Talk about legendary.