Which lens am I actually reviewing? Good question. There are several versions of this lens, and it can be difficult to keep them all straight. This is the "Nikon Nikkor 80-200mm 2.8D AF Macro Zoom ED" lens (description from the box that came with the lens). It was not sold with a tripod color, it is not the internal focus model, and it has only one large ring for both zooming and manual focusing. It DOES have ED glass. This particular lens is now only available used, for approximately $450-$550 (US) depending on the condition. It is made in Japan.
Features
Weight: approximately 46 oz.
Size: 3.4" x 7.4".
Accepts 77mm filters.
Accepts Nikon HB-7 lens hood (not included).
Accepts Nikon CL-43A hard case (included).
Accepts 77mm front and Nikon rear lens caps (included).
Compatible with all Nikon SLRs.
Performance
This lens inspires confidence as soon as you pull it out of the box. It immediately appears very rugged and substantial. It is made mostly from metal, with plastic used only for the aperture ring, inner lens barrel, focus limiting switch, and a few other very minor places where metal isn't required. Thank goodness, because the plastic helps keep the weight down a little. Nikon really does a great job of knowing where to use metal and where to use plastic in their higher-end lenses.
Handling
The ergonomics of this fairly large lens are superb. The zoom/focus ring is very large (hand-sized) and well-texturized for a good grip every time. The plastic aperture ring is easily accessible, despite the large width of this lens, and also has substantial texturization to assure a good grip. Near the front of the lens, a sufficiently large focus-limiting switch is easy to locate and use. Manual or auto focus is easily selected (but not too easily) by pressing a small metal release pin on the inner barrel and then rotating the barrel slightly in one direction or the other.
The size of the lens is manageable. Seven and a half inches isn't small, but it's still fairly easy to maneuver and it'll fit in any decent size camera bag. The ONLY not-so-great characteristic of this lens is its weight. I prefer slightly heavier lenses because they help to balance the camera for steadier shots. That being said, this is a bit more than slightly heavy. However, it's easy to get accustomed to. I can take sharp, hand-held shots at 200mm without too much effort. Beyond this focal length and/or beyond this weight, I'd usually want a tripod. I would love to have this lens be about 12 ounces lighter, but that's tough to come by for this optical and mechanical quality. Despite its size and weight, I have no trouble mounting it easily to my
Nikon FM3A. Mounted on my Nikon F100 with a MB-15 battery grip, its handling improves slightly and it feels a bit more balanced.
Some quick notes about the included hard case. It's very sturdy and does a fine job of protecting the lens. The soft, fleece-like lining prevents cosmetic damage, while the leather-covered (fake leather-covered?) case board and foam inserts protect from harder hits. An all-metal clasp keeps the lid fastened, and a reasonably thick and adjustable nylon strap allows the case to be slung over your shoulder.
Mechanical performance
Both the zoom and focus are nearly perfectly dampened, although not quite up to my ultimate standard of the
Nikkor 135mm AIS. There is "zoom-creep" when the lens is pointed toward the ground, but this is of little consequence - this is an internal zoom lens (meaning, it does not increase or decrease in external length when zooming). This is a "push-pull" type zoom system. Some photographers prefer the one ring approach offered by this lens - zoom by sliding the ring forward or backward, then focus by twisting the ring without removing your hand from the barrel. This does take a little getting used to. Other photographers prefer the two ring approach that is found on the newer version of this lens - zoom with one ring, then move your hand and focus with the other. Obviously, the latter requires more time than the second, which is a significant advantage of the one ring design. Personally, they both work fine for me, but I do like the speed of the one ring approach.
Manual focusing is easy and is made even easier by the ability to limit the focusing range. This is important for a lens this size because you're not just moving your fingers to focus, you're moving most of your hand. Still, I keep the limit selector in the "full" position most of the time and I have no trouble focusing quickly and accurately.
The aperture ring easily clicks into each stop without moving too easily or with too much effort. For comparison, it works much better than the aperture ring on the
Nikkor 60mm 2.8D macro.
Optical performance
For almost all versions of this Nikkor 80-200 zoom lens, MTF ratings are very high, usually between 3.9 and 4.1 overall. In my opinion, any lens with an overall MTF of 3.7 or higher is usually of professional optical quality. This is based on my experience over several years with over a dozen lenses. My experience with this lens makes me think that some of the published MTF ratings could actually be a little low. This is by far one of the sharpest lenses I have used. It is certainly sharper than any zoom lens I have ever used and rivals my Nikkor primes for overall resolution and corner-to-corner sharpness.
One of the ways I tested this lens was to shoot a familiar scene. In this case, it was my car sitting parked in the driveway. I see it there everyday and have therefore become very familiar with the characteristics of the scene. I took a few test shots at 80mm, 135mm, and 200mm, as indicated on the inner barrel of the lens. In each case, my photos felt "transparent", in the way that good audio speakers should feel transparent; you don't hear the speakers, you here the music. With this lens, I felt like I was looking out the window, even with a
Nikon L37C filter on the front. I couldn't see the lens in any respect, except for the compression associated with the longer 200mm focal length. Further analysis of my test shots under a 10X loupe confirmed the high optical quality of this lens; corner-to-corner sharpness throughout the zoom range at a variety of apertures.
Nikon identifies this lens as the "world's fastest zoom lens", referring to the constant f2.8 maximum aperture throughout the entire zoom range. Indeed, this by itself makes it fast enough for available light use. Combined with its superb handling characteristics, it's a fast shooter as well. But just because f2.8 is available on a lens, doesn't mean it's useable; in many instances, I've seen lenses with poor optical quality at this wide aperture. I'm happy to report that this lens is one exception. Wide open at 2.8, images are sharp, contrasty, and have excellent color reproduction. Even at the limits of the zoom range (80mm and 200mm), f2.8 is very useable. Not quite as sharp as it is down the middle, but certainly better than I've seen on any other zoom lens.
"But it doesn't have vibration reduction / image stabilization!"
There has been a lot of interest in vibration reduction (VR) lenses lately, and rightfully so. These lenses allow for sharp hand-held shots several stops lower than non-VR lenses. I've tried these lenses on both Canon and Nikon bodies and I've been mostly impressed with their performance. While this technology affords the use of slower lenses in low-light situations, it does not allow for the same shallow depth of field on slower lenses that can be obtained by faster lenses (although some pro lenses are now being made with both large apertures and VR). The other drawback with VR is power consumption. Both Nikon's and Canon's VR lenses can quickly drain a large set of batteries. For these reasons, in addition to the increased cost of VR lenses, I'm more than happy with a fast, high-quality lens like this Nikkor 80-200, for the time being. If you feel that you could significantly benefit from VR and have a large pocket book, they are definitely worth looking into. Just remember that VR does not improve optical quality.
Conclusions
Regardless of the manufacturer, it's almost impossible to find a better zoom lens anywhere. This truly is a professional piece of equipment. Nikon got everything right with this lens. The only trade off for superior optical and mechanical quality is weight. If you're willing to deal with a few pounds worth of lens, you'll be rewarded every time with exceptionally sharp photographs.
