Updated: August 2002, November 2002.
INTRODUCTION
I am reviewing the Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED w/ Tripod Collar (the 2-ring one with separate focusing and zooming), and I will call it in this review as Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED.
In this review, I would like to express my opinion about the performance of this zoom lens, optically and mechanically. This is a wonderful lens. With the focal range of 80-200mm, it offers great flexibility for virtually all types of photography in the medium telephoto application. I have been using this lens for over 2 years now and I think this is the best zoom lens in its class, offering superior optical quality. I am very pleased with the results it delivers. I have used other zoom lenses in the past, particularly the Tokina AT-X 80-200mm f/2.8 SD and the Tamron 70-210mm f/2.8 LD, and I personally think Nikon's optics is superior. This is part of the reason why I have decided to update and rewrite this review, so that I can fully convey my experience and impression as a result of using this wonderful lens, and recommend to those who plan to purchase one.
IMPRESSION ON ITS DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION
Cosmetically, the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED is moderate in weight and size for a fast zoom in this range, very comfortable to hand hold. The tripod collar is reasonably small and very smooth in operation. This is extremely helpful especially when the lens is securely mounted onto a tripod and you want to change your framing from horizontal to vertical. Although, the tripod collar does not allow a full 360 degree free rotation (roughly about 300 degrees), it does offer quite enough space to be rotated out of the way (if desired) when hand holding.
In terms of built, I think this lens has no comparison. This is no surprise, since Nikon is well known for making a tough lens that can handle tough punishments. It is virtually an all-metal body construction, with rubber on the front barrel--a very clever design for using filter so that it won't accidentally unscrews itself off the lens.
Starting with the design, the placement and operation buttons are very well thought out. For example, the separate zooming and focusing rings are well placed, with the MF/AF ring in between them. The M/A switch is at the right location where your thumb can reach without looking. This will provide an instant MF/AF operation without taking your hand off the lens. This also means you don't need to switch the focus mode selector on the camera body. The zooming and focusing action are very smooth and well damped with excellent texture and rubberized grip to ensure optimum handling.
The lens also has a focus range limit switch (FULL/LIMIT) on the front barrel next to the plastic window for distance scale information. When the switch is set to FULL, the lens will focus from about 5 feet to infinity. In AF operation, this might be a bit slow. So if you are in a situation where you would expect to focus on a distant subject more than 10 feet away, the LIMIT switch should be used instead. This would speed up the AF operation a bit. In this mode, the lens will focus between about 9 feet to infinity. An excellent feature of this lens is the twist-lock (Bayonet) mounting style of the lens hood HB-7. The hood can also be twisted in reverse for quick and easy storing.
HANDLING & PERFORMANCE
The AF response is quick, smooth and reasonably quiet, especially with Nikon F100 and F5. Its AF response is also reasonably fast with N90s, but slow and loud with F4. It is therefore the camera body and its ability to see and turn the mechanical focus clutch to drive the lens that accounts for fast or slow AF operation. The only effect possibly contributed by the lens is its AF mechanism, being less or more friction that might retard the camera's AF motor. However, I have noticed that with a lighter camera body (such as the F100 or N90s, without their MB battery pack), there is a slight feel of counter torque in AF operation, especially when you focus on something at infinity and then quickly refocus on something close. This slight jerk is quite understandable since the big front glass elements get swung back and forth in opposite direct between the two extremes. With the F5, the lens' AF response is very fast and quiet, and virtually no counter-torque feel, understandably due to the big massive body of the F5.
I want to mention a few technical details here with regards to the counter-torque issue. During focusing, the front glass elements (three of them) rotate and move back and forth inside the big front (non-rotating) barrel. You don't really see any physical change of the lens, because the front barrel is constructed in such a way to cover the extension of the front glass elements. This design yields two very useful features: 1) the ability to twist-lock the lens hood HB-7 in a flash and 2) the use of polarizing filter.
At close focusing, the front elements move to the front barrel and about 0.5inch back into the barrel when set at infinity. Therefore, during focusing the center-of-mass of the lens changes dramatically, by shifting its weight distribution and causing a slight jerk (or counter torque) on a lighter camera body (particularly on the Nikon F100 due to its super fast AF motor and AF response). I stress again that this counter-torque problem is not a big issue at all or that it will effect your images in terms of sharpness, because you cannot fire the camera (in S mode) while the lens is still focusing. What about when the camera is set to shoot in C mode while the lens is still searching and focusing on a selected subject? Here the lens is continually focusing and shifting its front elements, but the shifting is so gradual and small or so little to produce a counter torque. In fact, the lens performs so well in this category—in continuous shooting mode.
In terms of optical and mechanical performance, in spite of the issue outlined above, this lens is without a doubt the best one yet. This lens balances so well with Nikon F5. In terms of sharpness, color and contrast, this lens offers a first class result. Images are consistently sharp virtually at all focal lengths and at all apertures from 8 feet to infinity; its sharpness extends throughout the entire frame from center to corner especially between f/5.6 and f/11. However, at wide open at f/2.8, there is light falloff causing a slight underexposure at the corner of the frame, probably about 1/3 stop difference on slide film. Stopping down the lens by just one stop, everything works wonderfully!
There is very little barrel distortion at 80mm. Pincushion is slightly visible between the 135mm & 200mm range, but still very small, unless you intentionally search for it and with straight lines near the edge of the frame. This lens seems to have good control of flare. Although it is recommended that its matched lens hood HB-7 be attached at all time, you can still shoot without it, unless the bright sun is very close to the edge of the frame. There is ghosting, of course, when the bright sun is in the frame. However, the lens handles very well for backlit subject; it produces almost no flare or ghosting.
Besides using this lens for landscape photography, I love shooting portraits with it at f/2.8. This is a great portrait lens! Of course, it is much heavier and 1 1/3 stops slower than the standard portrait lens Nikon 85mm f/1.8D (or the much more expensive Nikon 85mm f/1.4D), but its ability to fine-tune the framing not having to move close to the subject is indeed superior.
Perhaps the Nikon 85mm f/1.8D is sharper and faster in AF operation (due to its fast f/1.8 and Rear Focus technology) and with the ability to focus at 3 feet as well as the ability to render a pleasing out-of-focus effect at f/1.8, I still cannot dismiss the fact that the 80-200mm is more versatile. In fact, I cannot really distinguish the sharp images produced by these two lenses, and in terms of AF operation the 80-200mm is already fast! Of course, the 85mm f/1.8D is a specialized lens (designed for portraiture), and I originally acquired one merely for that specific application. I think depending on the background relative to the main subject (in portraiture), the 80-200mm set at 135mm or 200mm at f/2.8 or f/4 already offers such a pleasing out-of-focus effect.
Of course, if we really want to achieve a good out-of-focus effect, then the specialized portrait lens like the Nikon 105mm f/2D DC (Defocus-image Control) or the 135mm f/2D DC should the better choice. I further realize that I often shoot portrait at 105mm and 135mm, or even at 200mm at a farther distance, and rarely need my fixed-focal-length 85mm f/1.8D. Now, I normally carry this zoom for all my shooting purpose; it also replaces my 85mm f/1.8D portrait lens.
COMPARISON TO THIRD PARTY LENS
The Nikon lens is very well built compared to the Tokina AT-X 80-200mm f/2.8 SD and the Tamron 70-210mm f/2.8 LD that I mentioned above. The Tokina lens I used was the old version of the new AT-X PRO. It has a rotating front barrel, not to mention that it does not have a twist-lock lens hood like the Nikon. Its AF operation is quite loud and slow (compared to the Nikon), because the whole section of the front barrel (almost half of the entire lens’ body) moves and rotates during focusing, thus retarding the AF motor of the camera body.
If the Nikon’s counter torque issue I mentioned above is considered to be a problem, then the Tokina problem is much worse! But surprisingly it does not produce much counter torque because of its very slow AF operation. The Tokina’s optics seems very soft wide open.
The Tamron has a different problem. Its design and construction, in my opinion, is poor. The zooming ring has a smooth, silky touch but I often feel does not provide enough friction or grip to zoom, even though I never slipped my fingers while zooming. The zooming action is smooth and well damped, but the focusing ring is very small. In terms of counter-torque problem, Tamron does not seem to produce much at all.
The Tamron’s optics is a little bit on the cool side in terms of color. It is sharp (when stop down to about f/5.6), but does not seem to have the right color (or the color I like) compared to Nikon. Images at close focusing for these two lenses are not that impressive.
Both Tokina and Tamron have slight noticeable barrel distortion and pincushion. Nikon seems to produce less distortion. In terms of flare, Tokina seems to suffer more than Tamron, possibly due to the front glass element sticking out to front, and therefore its hood must be put on at all time. For backlit situations, Tamron seems to handle better than Tokina in terms of being prone to flare or ghosting effects. Among the three zooms I have used, Nikon performs better.
As a side note, it may be unfair to make comparison between these three lenses. The reason being that the Tokina is the oldest among the three. The new Tokina AT-X PRO currently available on the market received much improvement since then. Therefore, the construction, the design and handling of the new Tokina is probably compatible to Nikon.
Update: November 2002
Recently, I had an opportunaty to try the (new) current model of Tokina 80-200mm, model: AT-X 828AF PRO 80-200mm f/2.8. The new Tokina is indeed a delightful lens and is much improved, mechanically and optically; it is to be commended.
If you are interested, please read my review at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_80092171908
CONCLUSION
The Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED is truly the best zoom lens on the market offering top optical and mechanical quality. Its optical quality never ceases to amaze me. You can't go wrong with this lens. I will not hesitate to recommend this lens to anyone looking for an impeccable optical quality in a lens. In terms of price, it is not that expensive compared to the Tamron or the current model of Tokina AT-X PRO.
See my review of the AF-S version at:
http://www.epinions.com/content_64414125700
Adorama
