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Charles Loy
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Registered: May 3, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1293
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Review Date: Dec 6, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,400.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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VR that works! I like the normal and active VR setting, well done Nikon. Well balanced lens, good enough tripod mount and a decent hood.
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Cons:
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None
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I have banged around with Nikons for over 25 years, owning more lenses then I can recall. I am serious when I state this is the best zoom lens I have ever owned.
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 Dec 6, 2005
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LarryFRCGP
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Registered: Oct 4, 2005
Location: China
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Oct 7, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,580.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Reference-standard sharpness from 70-200mm. Superb colour rendition. VR mechansim is extremely useful and reduces wastage shots. Built is tank like. In all, a dream. Worth every cents, even 2x the list price!
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Cons:
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I would prefer a crinkled finish personally.
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I have owned 3 AF 80-200mm zooms prior to this one and I was never convince Nikon can do it right for that focal length. All until I tested out this 80-200mm VR after a long wait and I found myself paying it before I realised!
Zooming is silent and lightning fast. Focusing is dead on and with VR, you can be sure of the focus even down to 1/15s. As pointed out by other professionals, there seem to be a sweet spot with VR--Set to Normal, it works best when exposure ranges from 1/15 to 1/30. Below 1/5 well, you need God's hand to assist you.
The lens hood is a plus and I find I am using it 95% of times.
I was about to buy a $400 Glitzo tripod gor this babe but the more I experience with the VR, the less I find myself needing it.
Literally, the ultimate of Nikon's three non-DX AF-S Zoom Kings.
Larry
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Oct 7, 2005
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summergoose
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Registered: Jan 18, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Oct 3, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,595.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Wonderful available light pictures with 2.8 & VR - this lens constantly amazes me with the colors and light that it captures.
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Cons:
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Its big and expensive, but worth every penny.
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I'm constantly amazed at the beautiful available light pictures that this lens captures. The unity candlle at the front of the church between the bride and groom or capturing the falcon in flight this is one amazing lens.
The color reproduction is outstanding. The focus ring and all controls are a true joy. My 80 - 200 is gathering dust.
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Oct 3, 2005
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maximage
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Registered: Jan 24, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 96
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Review Date: Oct 1, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality beats the primes it covers. Super fast and silent AF. VR works as advertised (3 stops). Beautiful silky smooth bokeh. Great lens body design (tripod mount, hood, weather seal, etc).
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Cons:
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none. absoltely NONE
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If you can afford it, by all means get it. Image quality is every bit as good as the primes it replaces. It's simply the best 70-200 out there on the market today. I've been constantly amazed by the images this lens captures for me.
Only negative aspect I can think of is that it will make many of your other lenses sit on the shelf for the most of the time.
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Oct 1, 2005
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Kari Post
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Registered: Jan 9, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 657
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Review Date: Sep 25, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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great image quality, good shots in low light thanks to VR, beautiful bokeh, sharp, good colors
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Cons:
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size, price
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I am absolutely amazed by this lens. The colors and sharpness are by far the best of the lenses I have, and I've found myself carrying this huge (at least by comparison to the rest of my lenses) lens around a lot more than I thought I would. Focus is usually spot on and very sharp, and AF-S is a dream - this lens is quite fast and very quiet. VR works well and I can definately see a difference when shooting in low light or at ridiculously slow shutter speeds. I haven't tried using the "active VR mode" used for shooting from a moving vehicle nor have I done a lot of work with it mounted on a tripod, so I don't feel I should comment on its tripod collar or active VR mode. This lens is much bigger and heavier than the others I own, but for the most part I haven't found is so much so that I can't handhold for an entire football game or so. I'm not sure I'd be super excited to carry this lens hiking with me, but it does take excellent photos that make it well worth the extra weight and bulk. The bokeh is great and OOF elements look really nice in photos. I think the color of this lens is the best in my lineup. I've used this lens for mostly sports and some animal and people portraits, and I love it. I can't wait to use it more.
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Sep 25, 2005
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James Markus
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Registered: Jul 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 3874
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Review Date: Sep 19, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very Sharp, fast & quiet focusing, excellent VR, pleasing bokeh, stunning results!
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Cons:
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Big, and expensive
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I have shot Nikon for over 35 years, and this has become my new favorite lens. I didn't like the price, but I now think it well worth every penney. Two thumbs up from this Photog.
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Sep 19, 2005
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andydeGroot
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Registered: Jan 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 16
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Review Date: Sep 10, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp, VR, bokeh, tripod mount removable
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Cons:
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would prefer a hood that is built in.
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After 9 months this lens continues to amaze me with its performance. Even while using either the 1.4 or the 2.0 teleconverter the lens is excellent. It isn't always mounted on my D2x, but I do always carry it.
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Sep 10, 2005
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Bill_K
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Registered: Aug 19, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 12
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Review Date: Aug 26, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,375.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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very fast, razor sharp; VR is superb
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Cons:
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On the heavy side, But itis worth it for sure
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I took this lens out for the first time to the San Francisco Zoo and was very impressed with my keepers, I got almost 100% keepers out of about 300 pictures, You can find a sample picture here http://jeffgordon-24.com/Bird1.jpg
Go for it, Well worth the money.
Bill K
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Aug 26, 2005
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bradleys83
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Registered: Feb 13, 2005
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 65
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Review Date: Aug 13, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, Fast AF, Great Contrast, VR Works
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Cons:
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Big + Heavy
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AF is Fast, Images are Razor sharp, VR Works well, enjoyable lens to work with, built tough with great handling. A lens I use often and has not missed a beat. It is heavy, it is expensive but it is a professional F2.8 zoom.
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Aug 13, 2005
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Alpinestars
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Registered: Apr 12, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 563
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Review Date: Jul 25, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,600.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Blink focus, nice contrast, outstanding OF, as sharp as the 180mm prime that it replaced
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Cons:
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Tight focus ring, a bit pricey
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This is the lense that renewed my faith in zooms, or at least Nikkor's R&D.
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Jul 25, 2005
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gogol
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Registered: Aug 1, 2002
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 175
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Review Date: Jul 20, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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very fast, razor sharp; VR is superb
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Cons:
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expensive, but worth every cent!
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....it took me some time to make the final decision to spend quite a big sum for this lens. After I got it, I argued with myself for not having made the purchase earlier.....
The lens is rather big, however, it is still very easy to handle. VR is superb! I would recommend it to friend without any hesitation.
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Jul 20, 2005
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darman
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Registered: May 10, 2004
Location: Spain
Posts: 44
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Review Date: Jun 4, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,250.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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it is exactly what looked for. I make sport photography and of action and is a true jewel as far as rapidity of approach and vr works very well at low speeds. I have gotten to do tennis to 1/125 and perfect.
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Cons:
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weight much but with good monopié solved problem.
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Jun 4, 2005
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jb_va2001
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Registered: May 12, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: May 18, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, fast, a quality lens in every way. VR is effective.
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Cons:
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Large, heavy, expensive.
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Large, heavy, expensive and worth it. Another outstanding Nikkor zoom. It's sharp and fast. VR is effective but I use it on a tripod most of the time reducing the need.
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May 18, 2005
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Julius
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jan 26, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 878
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Review Date: Apr 27, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,599.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent built quality, great ergonomics with removable tripod foot, sharp with pleasant bokeh
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Cons:
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None
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This is a replacement for the Canon 70-200 IS lens I had before I switched back to Nikon (D2X). While the Canon lens I had easily outperforms this lens wide open, the rest of the f/Stops are comparable and the bokeh of this lens is nicer, smoother. I really like the ergonomics of this lens with the removable tripod foot which makes hand holding a lot easier.
My opinion is the VR not quite as efficient as the IS in the Canon equivalent, where I could easily gain 3 f/Stops vs a max of 2 with this one. However all in all I am very pleased with this lens and the pictures it produces.
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Apr 27, 2005
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obelix
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Registered: Jun 21, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 194
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Review Date: Apr 11, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,570.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Great color, sharpness and bokeh, at every aperture and every focal length. VR works.
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Cons:
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Cost, heavy.
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Has every thing you need in a lens and two you don't (price, weight).
Extremely sharp, very contrasty pictures, great bokeh and very usable in every aperture and every focal length.
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Apr 11, 2005
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molson
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Oct 29, 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 8978
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Review Date: Mar 25, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Superb image quality in every respect - sharpness, contrast, color rendition, "bokeh", and no light falloff. Much improved tripod collar.
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Cons:
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Expensive - but you get what you pay for!
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I switched from the Canon system, and bought this lens (used from B&H) to replace my Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens. The difference is noticeable, especially in terms of contrast, color, and bokeh - the Nikon is clearly superior. Not having to deal with Canon's exclusive BackFocus™ was a nice bonus!
Even though this is a relatively heavy lens, it is very solidly built, and it handles very nicely. It actually feels lighter than it is. The new tripod collar is a nice improvement over the old 80-200mm f2.8 AF-S lens, too.
This lens makes an acceptable substitute for a macro lens when combined with a Canon 77mm 500D close-up lens. The creamy smooth out-of-focus backgrounds with this combination really make your subject stand out.
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Mar 25, 2005
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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95
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228875
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Nov 12, 2012
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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91% of reviewers
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$1,625.72
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.86
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8.56
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9.6
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