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hotline
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Registered: Apr 26, 2008
Location: Belgium
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 27, 2010
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Sharp enough the tc-20E III , good build
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Cons:
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expensive
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Test nikkor 70-200 VR2 N with the new TC-20E III
with a Nikon D300. the crop with 1.5, we have 210-600 mm
F-5.6 to ISO 200 This is not the sharpness but I think the quality still adequate. Euro 499.00 to 701.00 USD
The teleconverter stops me to get another goal. I think the result is acceptable. Your comments are appreciated. ;-)))
Some pictures: http://www.pragstorage.com/photos_8/test_nikkor_70_200_vr2_tc_20e_iii/
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 Jan 27, 2010
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Richard GT
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Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Feb 18, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 85
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Review Date: Jan 17, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, fast AF, color, contrast, bokeh & VR
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Cons:
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Weight (but you know that before buying it)
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I've had a long career as a photographer (now retired) and used many lenses by many makers over the years. This lens, the Nikon 70-200VR, might very well be the best of them all.
Yes it is heavy but it balances well on my D300. It's worth every ounce. Love it for the reason sated above.
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Jan 17, 2010
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hotline
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Registered: Apr 26, 2008
Location: Belgium
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 13, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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the *** NEW *** 70-200 f 2,8 VR2 : sharp, sharp, fastest AF, build like a tank, very good bokeh
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Cons:
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like this kind of pro lens: expensive but the price paid is for quality; heavy with a D700
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A long wait for this lens but it is the best in town ... Using the D300, it is a benefit of a x1,5 (frame crop); I'm waiting the new TC x2,0 III (but expensive € 590,00 !). BUT the AF is not so fast without the continuous shot as setting.
Obviously, a "Highly recommended" zoom lens for serious guys or professionals.
one example:
http://www.pragstorage.com/photos_8/showdog_2009/showdog_2009_11_jpg_orig.html
_________________________________
Pour nos amis francophones: il est clair que ce zoom EST la référence ; sans doute cher mais définitivement un investissement que l'on ne regrette pas. Il n'y a rien qui ne soit pas bon ... incontournable.
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Dec 13, 2009
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Arnstein
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Registered: Sep 7, 2009
Location: Germany
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Sep 7, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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image quality, build quality, VR, AF
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Cons:
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no aperture ring
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The best lens, I own. Although it is quite hefty in size and weight, it is always in my photo bag.
It is so sharp, I can make 1 MP crops, which still look good. Anyway, my next investment will be the tele concerter TC-17A for wild life and events.
Thanks to VR, you can use it hand hold. Due to its weight, you would like to use a monopod for longer sessions, but it is not mandatory at all.
It was hard for me, to name a negative aspect, because I don't think, that such a lens is too expensive, large or hefty compared to its outstanding performance and joy looking at the results.
However, the G design means, that it has no aperture ring anymore. The lens replaced my AF 80-200/2,8 of the first generation, which I could use at the F3. Now, I can sell the F3 and look for an F100.
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Sep 7, 2009
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mosier
Online
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Registered: Feb 1, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 760
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Review Date: Jun 16, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,729.99
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image Quality, Built like a tank!!
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Cons:
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None
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Ridiculous image quality! Love the compression. This is my favorite lens in the bag. I use it on a D700 and I've made sure the vignetting feature is turned off. I'm a portrait photographer and I love this lens. To me it's worth more then I paid 
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Jun 16, 2009
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spentomuch
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Registered: Oct 3, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 191
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Review Date: Jun 10, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,799.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great pics if u have dx body
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Cons:
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vignetting if u have fx body
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I read about the vignetting thing,,, but on fx (D700/d3)
The corners or way to soft.
I'll keep this lens for my DX bodys and get a 80-200-2.8 for my D700,or maybe nikon will come out with a new FX 70-200
(I'm holding breath)!
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Jun 10, 2009
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darman
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Registered: May 10, 2004
Location: Spain
Posts: 44
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Review Date: May 1, 2009
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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the focus is correct. rapid approach.
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Cons:
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fx vignetting in the corners are soft and of quality.
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dx excellent lens. when I bought the nikon d3 disappointed me. is a low quality fx, dark corners (vignetting) and low quality, the center of the image is very good. 1700USD a lens should be perfect. I have also designed f/2.8dy nikon 180mm is better. I want to take an urgent new nikon nikon 70-200.
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May 1, 2009
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CSBAlexPowers
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Registered: Apr 13, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 8
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Review Date: May 1, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp and contrasty. Fast, sleek and quiet.
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Cons:
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Mechanized hood, needlessly intricate foot.
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The paper that I shoot for owns multiple copies. I used this lens affixed to a D2Hs covering sports and general news for the better part of a year and have virtually no complaints. It's a great choice for an all-around, go-to medium-length lens.
Image quality is impressive, even by Nikkor standards. Yields always are sharp and contrasty.
The build is tough — this lens can and does stand up to professional abuse and adverse shooting conditions. It also manages to be relatively sleek and light for 2.8 glass with an image stabilizer.
Focus is fast and accurate on a D2Hs — great for tracking — while full-time manual focus and AF-stop buttons improve the lens' versatility.
Nikon uses a locking mechanism with a push-button release on the lens hood, as opposed to a hood secured by good ol'-fashioned friction. For me, the button is too easy to bump and the design is a bit finicky.
The lens foot is a composite design that doesn't fare well with dust or dirt. At times, the latch must be washed with compressed air or water or it will freeze.
Despite these minor complaints, the lens fares well against competition. I've used the 70-200/2.8 L IS and the Sigma 70-200/2.8 EX APO, but the Nikon is just a shade better.
In fact, it easily is the greatest zoom lens that I've used. This lens is a pleasure to work with an a necessary part of any Nikon shooter's kit.
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May 1, 2009
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1953hogan
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Registered: Feb 15, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 497
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Review Date: Apr 5, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very sharp throughout focal length even at 2.8. Fast focus. Heavy duty build quality.
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Cons:
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Vignetting on full frame D3 or D700. Hood can fall off when reversed.
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I have just recently moved to Nikon and this is my first Nikon zoom, and I have to say I'm very impressed with it. The lens is nice and sharp at every aperture and focal length. At least as good as the Canon 70-200 f/2.8L I used to own. I also like the natural colors it renders.
I will also say that I've used it mostly with the VR turned off and I am still getting nice, crisp shots.
However, if you are using a full frame body like the D3 or the D700, the vignetting at the corners is very noticeable, especially zoomed in. I shoot sports and most of my shots are cropped so this isn't a big deal for me, but in shots you don't crop you will definitely see it.
My only other complaint is a minor annoyance, and that is that the lens hood doesn't seem to hold tight when affixed in the "reverse" position. I've had it fall off on me a couple of times now and I've learned my lesson. I don't reverse it except for storage. If I'm going to be walking any distance with this lens on the body, I make sure the hood in in it's forward position, where it attaches nice and tight.
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Apr 5, 2009
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rk-d
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Feb 26, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 63
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Review Date: Mar 3, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Exceptional sharpness, Beautifully saturated colors with natural contrast. Removable tripod mount.
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Cons:
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Necessarily huge, expensive, apparently optimized for DX.
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This review applies only to use on a DX body (which I owned when using this lens)
On a DX body, this lens had the deepest color saturation I've ever seen in any lens. Sharpness is as acute as I've seen in any lens. Bokeh is absolutely beautiful, beaten only by the 85mm 1.4 in my experience. VR is excellent and the lens handles very well, despite it's large size.
Build quality is as good as Nikons get. The gold badge is a nice touch.
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Mar 3, 2009
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Raphael T-M
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Registered: Jul 7, 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 72
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Review Date: Dec 25, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Fast Autofocus, Sharp, Manual Override (some seem to suggest this is almost a given, but only one out of my other three lenses has this, and i quite enjoy it), VR both active and normal, detachable tripod foot, smooth zoom ring and focus ring.
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Cons:
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Distance scale could be better positioned and bigger. I don't like the way the lens hood locks into place. When using a battery grip to shoot vertically, the focus lock buttons don't align well with one's fingers (without the battery grip, they're perfect)
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I haven't had very long to use it yet, but have already fallen in love with this lens. Its sharpness, wide open, is equal to or better than any of my other lenses (85 f/1.8, 80-400 f/4.5-5.6, 18-70 f/3.5-4.5) and makes most women worry about even the slightest imperfections in their skin.
Contrarily to the previous reviewer, i expected this lens to be a bit bigger than it is. I expected its average diameter to be equal to that of the 80-400 VR, it is considerable thinner, though somewhat longer. In terms of length, this lens is comparable to the 80-400 at 400mm.
Its 3 most useful features in my opinion are the constant 2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range, the fast SWM autofocus and the wonderful detachable tripod foot.
Some might say it's heavy. Personally, i disagree. It may be heavier than some other lenses, but those other lenses are light. This shouldn't fatigue anyone who's even just reasonably fit/strong.
Overall, this lens is an absolute beauty and i would recommend it to anyone.
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Dec 25, 2008
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eeyore_dave
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Registered: Dec 22, 2008
Location: Australia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 25, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,600.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Build quality. Optical quality.
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Cons:
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Bulk/size. Cost. Drains battery quick. Closest focus is not that close.
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This is one monster of a lens. For me, it certainly looks a lot bigger in real life then in photos. I have only used a Canon 70-200/4L prior to this lens (in the telephoto zoom type), however, using this on a D700 has certainly been worth the pain of the cost (cost above in AUD) and carrying it around. This lens performs so well in practical use. The images it produces are stunning. Obviously part of that has to do with the focal length range, however, the combination of a f/2.8 aperture with VR makes this a wonderful lens for so many applications. The out of focus areas are very smooth and makes a very nice backdrop to portraits and/or pictorial shots. When stopped down, the lens is fantastic at capturing details.
Looking at 100% crops there are some, but minor CA/LCA. Some softness in the corners and some minor vignetting. However, I don't see that as a major problem. When shooting at f/2.8, I am trying to focus the attention in the center of the frame, and the natural vignette helps. The softness also makes the central part more prominent. At smaller apertures, these issues are really not present. Running this through a demo of DXO has showed what it is really capable of, however, I found the DXO results looked a bit too much like over sharpened images, and lacked the naturalness of a manually sharpened image. However, the distortion corrections and CA/LCA corrections worked a treat. Last comment is that I would've like the closest focusing distance to be more like 1.0m rather than 1.5m or even closer. This would allow me to make even tighter portraits and have this lens double up as a pseudo-macro.
Overall an excellent lens and optic, and would sure to be a long term keeper for me. It allows me to make stunning images in a variety of conditions (including low light indoors, D700 @ 3200+ and f/2.8 with VR) as well as architectural/urban shots.
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Dec 25, 2008
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