So I got permission from the misses to upgrade my 80-200 2.8 to a newer 70-200 version. I am perfectly happy with my 80-200, with the exception of AF speed. I occasionally shoot some outdoor sports, and it quite keep up with the action. I have used the 70-200 F4, and it is definitely a good lens, but I'm not too sure that it will be fast enough for indoors or low light situations. Any help/opinions are appreciated.
With the ISO capability of the D800 and VR, you should be able to keep your shutter speeds up enough to do just fine. If the extra $700+ doesn't make a difference, the only downside of the f/2.8 VRII is weight.
Weight was the main reason I upgraded from my 80-200, and I couldn't be happier with my f/4 (though I don't shoot sports).
VinnieJ wrote:
Your own tendencies will answer the question better BUT answer why you want to upgrade from the 80-200 and you might find your answer.
He stated in the first post it was AF speed. Any of the options he's got will have faster AF than the screw-drive 80-200, but I think there isn't one that is clearly faster to give him a reason to choose on that basis.
If the weight of the 80-200 hasn't bothered you, f/2.8 is nice to have for nighttime/indoor sports. If you want to save a full pound, I'm thinking you'd be surprised how well you can do with the f/4.
I have an AF-S 80-200 and an AF-S 70-200 VR, both f/2.8 Nikkors.
The earlier lens gives better image quality on a FullFrame DSLR.
On a DX the 70-200 is better. More comfortable grip, better sealing, more range, and VR.
Not sure about the f/4 version as I have not tried it.
CanonGolfGuy wrote:
sb in ak, I hadn't reay considered the Tamron. I suppose I could look into it, but I would probably rather have either Nikon lens over the Tamron.
M635_Guy, the weight hasn't really bothered me, but at the same time a lighter lens wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
Roger Cicala from Lens Rentals.com had a pretty favorable view of the Tammy.
I don't know if he's gotten his hands on the Nikon version yet though.
Mar 14, 2013 at 11:25 PM
Andre Labonte Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
I have the PRO DX bodies and the D3x FF PRO body. I use my 70-200 VRI on both with remarkable results. Prior to making my 14-24 purchase, I considered swapping out he VRI for the VRII with that money.
I borrowed the VRII from a friend for about 30 days and placed about 2000 images on it swapping out between the 2 for comparisons. It's my conclusion that this designed and optimized around the FF sensor for the VRII is SO overrated and yakked on about I could puke.
If you can only afford the VRI. Buy it and be really happy. You''re not loosing out on anything except the huge price tag. And although this part is just opinion, the build quality on the VRI is hands and feet over the build on the VRII.
I FedEx the VRII back to my friend and haven't looked back.
I had F/2.8 I, upgraded to II, for the last twoo weeks was playing with f/4.
Due to the minimal difference in the images F/4 will stay (so much lighter)
If you cannot tell the difference between the image quality of the 70-200 versions,
why not buy the cheapest/lightest one?
By the way, the vignetting of the 70-200 VR I is so slight that it bothers me not.
But the image quality of the new VR II is noticeable, especially with the TC-2.0 III
I agree with RRRoger's comment about these lenses in combination with the TC-2 III. Also, I found the VRII had a noticeable improvement with 1.4 and 1.7 TCs.
The VRI is soft at the edges and corner, which might not be a problem for you. The VRII is very good across the lens. The VRI doesn't breath down like the VRII. To me, this isn't a big issue since I don't shoot minimum focal distance at 200, so, the VRII doesn't bother me.
As to the $700 difference: This is $70 a year over the next 10 yrs, which is about how long I owned the VRI. You would assume a VRI purchased today will depreciate faster than a VRII moving forward.
I'd go with the VRII, it is the best buy going forward.
If money is a concern, get the VRI. If you are going to use TC's, get the VRII. If you care about weight, get the f/4. That's just about it.
I have the VRI with the D800. Under no circumstance have I ever looked at any pic out of the VRI and thought 'this picture would be noticeably better with the VRII'.
Most pictures I see out of the VRI are along the lines of "damn... that's sharp."
