Customer Rating: 
Summary: Terrific lens - lousy service
Comment: First, I have to say that this is an absolutely fantastic lens...anyone considering one will know that already, so I'm not saying anything new here. I had the prior-generation 80-200 (which itself was a tremendous lens) and I have to say that this one is better in every category. If you're wondering, yes, it's definitely worth the money to upgrade.
My complaint was with Amazon's partner JR. I purchased this lens through them, even though it was more expensive than some other vendors, because they advertised it as "in stock, but takes an additional 2-3 days". Well, it wasn't in stock at all - and they couldn't tell me whether it was a few days, or six weeks. I ended up having to go through the hassle of canceling my order and hunting the lens down at another merchant.
In fairness to JR, this lens is very popular among pros, and it was just before the 2008 Olymipcs, so apparently a worldwide backorder situation existed for this particular product. Still, advertising it as "In Stock" when it's not seems deceptive to me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A proper piece of glass
Comment: I recently bought this lens to get some sports shots at the Beijing Olympics, and I must say that so far the hefty price has proved to be justified. I primarily use it on a D200, and it focuses really fast, silently, and accurately. Colours, bokeh, and resolution are all great. It is, in a word, great. It is a bit big, though. It's size and weight makes it less than convenient to carry around your neck, but, that said, it is easy to support it with one of your hands while walking around, and it's quite thoroughly thought through in the ergonomics department, making it easy to use.
The VR is a big bonus, and does work quite well. It definitely makes a big difference when shooting indoor sports. I hear Nikon've made an updated version of their vibration reduction technology that's supposedly even better, but the one used in this lens is still good.
I join the already big crowd of reviewers who say that this is one good lens and definitely worth the price. I do, however, think, that if you don't shoot handheld, the Sigma 70-200mm would probably be just as good an investment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another fine lens from Nikon
Comment: Nikon, like Canon and other manufacturers, produces their fixed aperture zoom lenses to their highest standards of quality. This lens is no exception; most reviewers, and certainly most professional photographers, will agree.
Since you already know this is a good lens, before you buy, ask yourself how you're hoping to use it. This is not a casual walk-about lens; it is heavy, and will make your arm(s) tired. If you're not willing to lug it around, you're not going to use it; any camera lens, no matter how good it is, does nothing for you while sitting unused on your shelf.
If you plan on using this lens exclusively at apertures smaller than f/4, you're not making the best use of your money-- you can spend half as much money, and buy a variable aperture lens that provides the same fundamental imaging capabilities. While this lens is probably sharpest at f/5.6, that's not where it truly shines.
Shooting wide open at f/2.8, this lens performs beautifully. Portrait photography (especially candid photos, such as one might take as a guest at a wedding), medium-distance wildlife photography, outdoor sports photography-- these are all fabulous uses for this lens. I am always pleased to put this lens on my camera and start taking pictures, because I naturally lean towards single-subject compositions, and this lens is perfect for making high-quality images while picking out a subject against an interesting background.
That's not to say it can't take fine images stopped down-- of course it can. When taking landscape photos, I regularly make several images with this lens in addition to what I capture with a wider angle lens.
Buy this lens because you plan to use its unique capabilities, not because you feel you deserve the best. If you won't be pushing the boundaries of a 55-200mm, f/4-5.6 lens (which, for what it does, Nikon's version is a fine lens), you certainly won't be leveraging what the 70-200 f/2.8 has to offer, and would be better off with the smaller, lighter, and cheaper lens.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great fast distance zoom!!!
Comment: Fantastic lenes..use it with my D300. For longer reach I use a Nikon 2x extension...still running only 5.6 at 400 mm. VR really helpful at that range. Note that MSRP on this lens is $1795. Do NOT get ripped off; do not pay a penny more.
Customer Rating:
Summary: biggest and baddest
Comment: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
This is, by far, the best lense available, regardless of brand, in the 70-200 mm class, INCLUDING prime lenses. This is the best piece of glass I have every owned. Yes, it's long, it's heavy, but hey, I need the excercise. Being a slide shooter, I bought in to the argument that digital sensors take images that simply have to be sharpened. No way around it. HA! Hook this lense on the front of a D3 and forgetaboutit!
Think this lense is hard to find? If you can't find it at Amazon, do what the professionals do and "dial for dealers". Call up your local dealer, more than likely he has one on the shelf. I did. And my dealer agreed to meet the price given by the NY mail order houses just above their message "out of stock".
Summary: Terrific lens - lousy service
Comment: First, I have to say that this is an absolutely fantastic lens...anyone considering one will know that already, so I'm not saying anything new here. I had the prior-generation 80-200 (which itself was a tremendous lens) and I have to say that this one is better in every category. If you're wondering, yes, it's definitely worth the money to upgrade.
My complaint was with Amazon's partner JR. I purchased this lens through them, even though it was more expensive than some other vendors, because they advertised it as "in stock, but takes an additional 2-3 days". Well, it wasn't in stock at all - and they couldn't tell me whether it was a few days, or six weeks. I ended up having to go through the hassle of canceling my order and hunting the lens down at another merchant.
In fairness to JR, this lens is very popular among pros, and it was just before the 2008 Olymipcs, so apparently a worldwide backorder situation existed for this particular product. Still, advertising it as "In Stock" when it's not seems deceptive to me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A proper piece of glass
Comment: I recently bought this lens to get some sports shots at the Beijing Olympics, and I must say that so far the hefty price has proved to be justified. I primarily use it on a D200, and it focuses really fast, silently, and accurately. Colours, bokeh, and resolution are all great. It is, in a word, great. It is a bit big, though. It's size and weight makes it less than convenient to carry around your neck, but, that said, it is easy to support it with one of your hands while walking around, and it's quite thoroughly thought through in the ergonomics department, making it easy to use.
The VR is a big bonus, and does work quite well. It definitely makes a big difference when shooting indoor sports. I hear Nikon've made an updated version of their vibration reduction technology that's supposedly even better, but the one used in this lens is still good.
I join the already big crowd of reviewers who say that this is one good lens and definitely worth the price. I do, however, think, that if you don't shoot handheld, the Sigma 70-200mm would probably be just as good an investment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Another fine lens from Nikon
Comment: Nikon, like Canon and other manufacturers, produces their fixed aperture zoom lenses to their highest standards of quality. This lens is no exception; most reviewers, and certainly most professional photographers, will agree.
Since you already know this is a good lens, before you buy, ask yourself how you're hoping to use it. This is not a casual walk-about lens; it is heavy, and will make your arm(s) tired. If you're not willing to lug it around, you're not going to use it; any camera lens, no matter how good it is, does nothing for you while sitting unused on your shelf.
If you plan on using this lens exclusively at apertures smaller than f/4, you're not making the best use of your money-- you can spend half as much money, and buy a variable aperture lens that provides the same fundamental imaging capabilities. While this lens is probably sharpest at f/5.6, that's not where it truly shines.
Shooting wide open at f/2.8, this lens performs beautifully. Portrait photography (especially candid photos, such as one might take as a guest at a wedding), medium-distance wildlife photography, outdoor sports photography-- these are all fabulous uses for this lens. I am always pleased to put this lens on my camera and start taking pictures, because I naturally lean towards single-subject compositions, and this lens is perfect for making high-quality images while picking out a subject against an interesting background.
That's not to say it can't take fine images stopped down-- of course it can. When taking landscape photos, I regularly make several images with this lens in addition to what I capture with a wider angle lens.
Buy this lens because you plan to use its unique capabilities, not because you feel you deserve the best. If you won't be pushing the boundaries of a 55-200mm, f/4-5.6 lens (which, for what it does, Nikon's version is a fine lens), you certainly won't be leveraging what the 70-200 f/2.8 has to offer, and would be better off with the smaller, lighter, and cheaper lens.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great fast distance zoom!!!
Comment: Fantastic lenes..use it with my D300. For longer reach I use a Nikon 2x extension...still running only 5.6 at 400 mm. VR really helpful at that range. Note that MSRP on this lens is $1795. Do NOT get ripped off; do not pay a penny more.
Customer Rating:
Summary: biggest and baddest
Comment: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras
This is, by far, the best lense available, regardless of brand, in the 70-200 mm class, INCLUDING prime lenses. This is the best piece of glass I have every owned. Yes, it's long, it's heavy, but hey, I need the excercise. Being a slide shooter, I bought in to the argument that digital sensors take images that simply have to be sharpened. No way around it. HA! Hook this lense on the front of a D3 and forgetaboutit!
Think this lense is hard to find? If you can't find it at Amazon, do what the professionals do and "dial for dealers". Call up your local dealer, more than likely he has one on the shelf. I did. And my dealer agreed to meet the price given by the NY mail order houses just above their message "out of stock".
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Reviews: Page 2 of 7
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