Chris Court Offline Upload & Sell: On
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On this side of the fence we have the (out of production) VR1 and (current) VR2 versions.
The main complaint about the VR1 is corner softness on full frame bodies. The VR2 has better sharpness across the frame, uprated VR system and handles teleconverters better, however some dislike the lens due to a fairly strong tendency to "focus breathe", meaning that at close focal distances, the focal length of the lens decreases, down to something like 135mm at maximum zoom, MFD. This is not something that bothers me, personally, but something to be aware of.
There are also several, older, 80-200 variants. The 80-200 2.8D is still in production (I believe) as a lower-cost alternative fast tele zoom. It is a much more basic lens than either 70-200, with no stabilisation and focusing coming from the camera body rather than having a built-in AF-S motor. Aside from those caveats, it's still a good, solid choice. There is also a (discontinued) 80-200 AF-S which has a certain following, although I have no personal experience with this lens.
As with anything in life, your choice will likely come down to how much you are prepared to spend. By almost every metric, the VR2 is the best lens in this class on Nikon bodies. If you are using a crop sensor body, the VR1 is still an excellent choice. I have no experience with the off-brand equivalents, but I gather that they are all somewhat lacking in various areas (sharpness, build quality, weather sealing, stabilisation, focus speed etc.), so I would personally be inclined to stick with Nikon for this particular focal range.
Hope this helps!
C
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