Any questions about the nature of these reviews? Visit my Ethics Statement. It’s all quite simple!
I purchased the Nikon 70-200mm at the following link — B&H Photo. The official name is the Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 G-AFS ED-IF Autofocus Lens (Vibration Reduction). I mean, who names these things? You gotta be kidding me. How they they expect non-photo-nerds to figure this stuff out? I guess they are counting on plain-speakin’ dudes like me to boil it all down for you.
In short, this is a wonderful lens that will take care of most of your slight zoom and distance needs. Below is a description of the various aspects of the camera:
- 70-200 means that you have a very good lens that will take care of 90% of most of your zoom-needs. To give you something to hang your hat on, this means you can fill up a frame with a human that is 15 feet away (70mm) or 150 feet away (200mm).
- The “VR” bit means “Vibration Reduction”. That means that when you press the shutter halfway down, the image stabilizes. It quite amazing and I am always impressed by it. I feel like a sniper. It gets so steady, in fact, that I feel like I’m cheating! I have no idea how the technology behind this works, but its quite remarkable. This VR is very important when zooming, because the further away you are aiming, the more shake there will be. This may go without saying, but if you have not shot with a big zoom lens before, then it will quickly become apparent.
- The f/2.8 means that the lens lets in a lot of light, which lets you take quick, sharp photos. This 2.8 is a really big deal, actually. Lesser lenses have a higher number here, which makes them slower. Speed is extra-important with a long zoom lens like this because you need the subject to be sharp. The f/2.8 also creates a very nice bokeh, which is simply another word for “blur”. It keeps the subject sharp and blurs out everything else. It always looks cool.
Now, I could go on and on about all sorts of technical details on the product, none of which matter as much as just getting out there and shooting with the dang thing. You want the best zoom lens for most situations? This is it.
So, the three lenses that meet the triumvirate are the Nikon 12-24, the Nikon 24-70, and the Nikon 70-200. With these three lenses, you can take care of 90% of photography situations! You will need a BIGGER lens (like a 300+) if you want to shoot birds from faraway or jungles in the mists of Africa. Another little lens I use for portraits is the Nikon 50mm.
The Nikon 70-200 is a very large and long lens. When this thing is attached to your camera, you will feel like a rock star. That is sort of a nice tangential thing, I suppose, since something photographers like to impress other photographers by carrying around a lot of stuff. I don’t know why this is, but, if this is the case with you, then you will certainly turn some heads with this long cannon attached to your camera body.
What do I use the lens for? Photographing people from a distance, school plays, animals, the details of landscapes, and a myriad of other unexpected things. The f2.8 also lets me shoot inside with no fear of not having enough light for a quick and sharp photo.
Below are a few shots that I have taken with this lens. many of these utilize a special post-processing technique that I review in my HDR Tutorial.
June 15th, 2009 01:06 | Zim
Interesting. Though I don’t own a reflex camera, I learned something about lenses here and that’s very nice!
June 15th, 2009 07:04 | Facebook User
Trey, I love this lens as well. Have had it since back in the D70 days, and am not too concerned with the slight vignetting others seem to attribute to its use with the FX bodies. Quick question for you – how often do you actually travel with this. Reason I ask is that it does add some weight/inconvenience to the bag, especially when I find myself traveling with family. Still, I find that, more often than not, it is in my bag on trips, though I often find myself leaving it in the hotel when trekking about some of the places we have traveled. So, in short, just curious to see how often you travel with it. I’d still love to hear a bit more about what kind of gear you take with you on your out of USA jaunts. I tend to pack all my stuff into a Kata 103 GDC pack, and carry the D700, the triumvirate you mentioned above, the 50mm Sigma 1.4 (love it), my Macbook Pro (recent convert from PC), and a back up pocket camera (previously G9 and G10, most recently the Leica Dlux 4). Great review and pics, my friend! Cheers.
June 15th, 2009 09:00 | John Rogers
Trey, Ditto on all you said. I love my Nikon 70-200. Like all Nikon lenses, it’s not cheap. I looked at the other manufacturers 70-200’s and they just did not compare. Another case of you get what you pay for. I’m glad I purchased mine before Nikon increased their prices a few months ago. I paid about $1600 & I think the price now is over $2000. (I just wish I would have bought a Nikon 14-24 at the same time…) Although I would not mind at all if the laws of physics & technology would allow it to be a bit less obtrusive. I would call the 70-200 my people & animal lens. I tend to like the really short depth of field that the combination of a fast long lens gives you on shooting portraits whether they be of people or pets or like in your example above an occasional sheep. (My example of a Scottish sweater factory): http://johnrrogers.com/united-kingdom/sexy-legs-sheep/
Thank you again Trey for all the inspiration & information.
John
June 15th, 2009 09:16 | Ivan
Sorry, but where si advertized FULL review of 70-200 ??
… This 2.8 is a really big deal … You want the best zoom lens for most situations? This is it. … The Nikon 70-200 is a very large and long lens …
June 15th, 2009 12:14 | Cole
Hmm now I have a hard choice to make. How do I spend my summer job money? this lens or a mac pro
June 15th, 2009 23:43 | Dave
Cole, mate, you could buy at least two of these lenses for what the Mac Pro would cost
Both worthy candidates of summer job money, tough call!
June 18th, 2009 00:09 | It’s Recital Season for Kids… and a new review of the Nikon 70-200mm Lens
[...] Nikon 70-200 Review [...]
June 18th, 2009 18:59 | Misael
Thanks Trey! Cool lens by all means, a tad expensive, yes, but totally worth it!
PS: How is the tripod legs, head and backpack review coming along?
June 19th, 2009 14:45 | Stuck In Customs
Thanks!
Well… those might be a while still… !
June 26th, 2009 10:08 | Dave Wilson
This is definitely my second favourite lens after the 50mm f1.4. It’s beautifully built, tack sharp and a joy to use. The only downside is the weight. I had the “pleasure” of handholding mine during a 5 hour shoot a couple of weeks ago and my left wrist is still complaining to me about it today.
July 2nd, 2009 13:12 | The Airstream Chronicles Continued › Separating the wheat…..
[...] his latest. And from his newsletter I learned he reviews things too, specifically he did one on a Nikon lens. What I loved with this particular post was his disclaimer at the start, and I’m going to [...]
August 12th, 2009 15:20 | Caleb Kadrmas
I just got the Canon version of this but I think that this question is universal. I have never owned a lens big enough to have trouble mounting on a tripod. How do I use the lens mount ring? I have a SILK AMT tripod. Thanks!
November 12th, 2009 21:38 | colene
I loved my lens for what i got out of it before it broke! now i have to take it in to have it fixed..are these your photos? they are great reguardless
November 29th, 2009 15:08 | Steven Carvotta
This is a lens that you get what you pay for, and Nikon has done it again. I carry four lenses when I am on a shoot in my Think Tank Bag. 14-24mm, 24-70, 70-200, 105mm for Portraits and Macro.
January 5th, 2010 07:16 | Sanz
Hi
Could u plz suggest me a 300+ nikkor lense for bird photography in jungle. Thanks in advance. And one more thing your website is as cool as ur photography. u r genius.
January 5th, 2010 08:33 | Sanz
Also plz tell me the 2 best lenses from Nikon for Macro Photography.
Thanks again.
January 22nd, 2010 12:48 | Eleanor Maw
I use the AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 G-AFS ED-IF mainly for portrait & sports photography, always with great results, Landscapes are not this lens strong point on a Nikon FX body like a Nikon D700 but very good on a DX camera body like a Nikon D200, my suggestion would be for those who do landscapes use a Nikon 80-400mm VR lens and if you can’t afford that buy the Nikon 70-300mm VR lens that takes Excellent Landscapes on a Nikon FX body, all the same the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 G-AFS ED-IF is still my favourite Telephoto zoom lens.
February 4th, 2010 10:02 | Facebook User
This one is my baby. Loving it.