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	Username   Password FM Forum Rules Nikon SLRs, primes, and zooms lenses reviews FM Forums | Nikon-mount SLRs | Join Upload & Sell    end    Archive 2011 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200

wbunnell Offline • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #1 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 Hi, I"m in the process of selling my Canon gear and switching to Nikon. My question is on replacing my 70-200 f/2.8 L IS with a Nikon equivalent. I know the latest version is the 70-200 2.8G ED VRII AF-S but will probably not be able to afford it to start out with. I shoot mostly sports and quick AF is a priority. I've seen some older versions of the Nikon 70-200 and a 80-200 and was wondering how the AF compares to the newer version. Any help is appreciated. Nov 27, 2011 at 09:55 PM

Go4Long Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #2 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 The 70-200 VRI is still a very good lens, the VRII's main advantage was on full frame cameras as the VRI was notorious for vignetting. the VR on the VRI is still good, but not as good, and the image quality is still stellar. The 80-200 AF-S is also quite fast to focus from what I've been told, and very good optically, but I have no personal experience with it so I can't say much beyond that. Nov 27, 2011 at 10:06 PM

lukeb Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #3 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 The 80-200 AF-S is also quite fast to focus from what I've been told, and very good optically, but I have no personal experience with it so I can't say much beyond that. Outstanding lens - outstanding optically. However, replace the foot when you buy. Not one of Nikon's better ideas. Nov 27, 2011 at 10:20 PM

AndreasE Offline • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #4 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 By far the best deep dive into the working of the 3 lenses discussed here is Pierre Toscani's website. http://www.pierretoscani.com/echo_telezooms_english.html My recommendation: The younger lenses are overall seen better. Go as "high" as you can afford and enjoy a great lens. All 3 are remarkable lenses, but it would be wrong to say they are equal. Andy Nov 28, 2011 at 01:23 AM

lukeb Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #5 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 AndreasE wrote: By far the best deep dive into the working of the 3 lenses discussed here is Pierre Toscani's website. http://www.pierretoscani.com/echo_telezooms_english.html My recommendation: The younger lenses are overall seen better. Go as "high" as you can afford and enjoy a great lens. All 3 are remarkable lenses, but it would be wrong to say they are equal. Andy Nov 28, 2011 at 01:42 AM

bblanco Offline • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #6 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 wbunnell, I've used both the 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-S and the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR 1 and even I used them side-by-side for a short time (always on full-frame D3 bodies). As far as AF speed, I didn't notice a difference between the two. I took both to a couple of sporting events and tried to find a difference, but the older lens was every bit as fast, sharp and color saturated as the newer one. In the end I chose to stick with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR 1 simply because I got such a great deal on it and because it was slightly lighter and significantly "slimmer" which, for me, was worth switching. Bottom line: don't be afraid of the older 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-S as it is still a great lens, but since it is such a great lens and people appear to be after sharp copies on the used market, you'd be surprised how little more money you'd have to spend to get the newer 70-200mm f/2.8 VR 1. Nov 28, 2011 at 01:46 AM

wbunnell Offline • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #7 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 wow, great link. I'm not sure I digested everything it had to say to I'll have to go back and look it all over again. Thanks everybody for the info. Its kind of nerve racking making a big switch like this so I appreciate the help. Nov 28, 2011 at 02:22 AM

Bubble Online • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #8 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 keep in mind that pricing between version 1 and version is VERY close (in used market). Why not getting version 2? 80-200 is good but heavy. Nov 28, 2011 at 08:31 AM

Alan321 Offline • • • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #9 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 wbunnell, put some info in your profile and we'd know what camera you're using, or at least whether it is DX or FX. Some people prefer the newer 70-200 on FX because the outer parts of the full image have better IQ, but then others don't like the extent to which it loses focal length as you focus closer. If your sport subjects are mainly central in the image and if the surrounding scene is mainly at a different distance then peripheral image quality is nothing to worry too much about. VR may not be a high priority if you're able or forced to use fast shutter speeds. - Alan Nov 28, 2011 at 02:43 PM

wbunnell Offline • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #10 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 Alan321, good point! I actually am without camera right now as I'm in the process of selling all of my Canon gear. Its a bad feeling not being able to shoot. The reason I'm asking these questions is to help in my decision making as to what gear to buy. I'm leaning towards a FX body, probably a D700. VR is actually not a priority but AF would be. If the lenses are close that's fine, I just want to make sure one lens isnt dramatically different in AF speed from another. Nov 28, 2011 at 05:18 PM

utildayael Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #11 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 Go4Long wrote: The 70-200 VRI is still a very good lens, the VRII's main advantage was on full frame cameras as the VRI was notorious for vignetting. the VR on the VRI is still good, but not as good, and the image quality is still stellar. The vignette is quite overstated by folks. In real world use, its a non-issue. I still use my v1 70-200 on my D3s with no issues. If I shoot a blank white frame I can see it but again, in real world, you never notice it and if you DO notice it, you can correct it in Lightroom easily. Nov 28, 2011 at 06:10 PM

domdog31 Offline • • • Upload & Sell: On p.1 #12 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 Not sure if anyone mentioned it but the new VRII takes TCs much better than VRI - especially the 2.0TCIII Also at 200mm wide open the VRII is clearly better than the VRI (near MFD you will see a reduction in magnification) but again if cost is an issue save the $600 or so bucks and get a clean mint VR1 - Nov 28, 2011 at 06:46 PM

utildayael Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #13 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 I run the VR1 with the 1.7x TC and the 2.0 TC III with no issues. Nov 28, 2011 at 07:00 PM

Baywing Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #14 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 I currently have all 3. You can also look at the reviews at bythom.com, he compares all Nikon's 80-200/70-200s very well. All three AF about the same, as said above any difference isn't obvious. The 80-200 AFS is, IMHO, the sharpest of the three with the most contrast. They hold their value well (very few for sale) but the lens hood is no longer available and as it's getting older, I'm not sure how much longer Nikon will supply repair parts. The 70-200VR is good, just tends to flare a bit more than the 80-200 AFS. I just got the VR2 (70-200) and haven't had enough time to run a complete test, but it seems similar to the original VR as far as IQ. The VR2 does have the smallest hood of the lot and does seem subject to flare more than the 80-200AFS. Hoods for the 70-200VR will fit the 80-200 AFS, but the VR2 is unique. All of them take my TC14EII very well. Nov 29, 2011 at 07:45 PM

dj dunzie Offline • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #15 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 I have owned all three and agree to some extent with many posters - and also that all three are excellent for specific reasons. The 80-200 AFS was way ahead of its time. It has very good AF performance, especially in terms of initial acquisition where it is very impressive. Colors and contrast are good, and the lens is still a very viable option even against the other two newer lenses, especially on FX bodies where I'd take it at least even with, if not ahead of the VR1. The VR1, if you are shooting on DX bodies, is likely without any significant flaw. I find AF tracking better with it than the 80-200, and smoother too. It's extremely sharp, and I like the bokkeh better on this lens than the 80-200. However, on an FX body I did start to question the lens in two ways... performance at 200mm and full-frame IQ at the corners and edges. These two niggles only became an issue for me in any way on switching to FX bodies full-time. The VR2 is the best of the three for my tastes. Better on the long end, better on FX, the same great bokkeh as the VR1, and really exceptional AF performance. The breathing issues that seem to always get pointed out on threads like this are really a non-issue for my shooting since I use the lens for sports and haven't run into a situation where very close focus at a full 200mm has ever been required. I have a macro lens at 150mm if I need that. If you plan on using the lens with teleconverters, might I also add the VR2 does the best of all three - maybe even significantly so - with them in my experience. The good news is that all three lenses are impressive. However if there isn't much of a price difference you're looking at on the used market, the VR2 is my pick of the three. Nov 30, 2011 at 03:17 AM

Jammy Straub Offline • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #16 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 Are repair parts readily available for the 80-200 AFS? Nov 30, 2011 at 03:19 AM

Baywing Offline • • Upload & Sell: Off p.1 #17 · switching from Canon, need help with 70-200 Can't say by my own personal experience as my 80-200 AFS has never been in for repairs. I've heard from others that Nikon has said they won't be supporting repairs for that lens for much longer. How that equates to a specific time I don't know, likely Nikon USA doesn't know either. The lens has been out of production for at least 8 years, so parts availability would be a concern for me if I was in the market for one. Biggest concern is the AFS motor, but I don't know if it's unique to that lens or is shared by other lenses in the line-up. As of this moment, I have not heard of any 80-200AFS lenses returned due to lack of repair parts. Nov 30, 2011 at 05:52 PM

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