Nikon 200-500 mm Lens – Wonderful

This item was bought for photographing aircraft and wildlife and since it arrived (very poorly packaged ) the weather has not been that great for doing either but i can tell you what i have found so far. As other reviewers have stated it is a heavy lens and with the lens hood fitted it is very big. I have managed some hand held shots and pretty sharp at 1000 sec some reviewers have noted that the auto focus is not that quick but it’s pretty fast it does not snap to focus like some lenses but fast enough for my needs its not a £5000 lens but will give you some good results. I was using a nikon d7100 and the fx lens works well with the cropped sensor camera.

Excellent price, superb lens, lives up to reviews. Used every weekend for photographing rugby and football clubs ni the region.

Like most people, the price of a top quality long lens is way out of my price range. So, when nikoin announced the 200-500mm, it was exciting news indeed. Pro and magazine reviews offered slightly varying opinions on the quality of the images when used wide open at 500mm, but my experience shows this to be more an issue of raw softening, rather than severe lens limitations. A little pre-sharpening in the raw convertor, and you’d never know this wasn’t a lens that costs 5 or 6 times the price. 6 aperture sounds like it should be an issue but, with the ability of modern bodies to cope increasingly well with noise, it just isn’t. 6 lens is one of the best buys i’ve ever made for my bag. Yes, it adds some weight, and most camera bags aren’t designed to carry such a lens with the body attached which means minor compromises, but every one of them is well worth it. A lens this good for £1000 just shouldn;t be possible, and yet nikon have produced a classic in the making. Photos attached with the lens used on a d800e body.

Please bear in mind in this review that i only took around 100 shots before returning the lens. This lens is sharp enough at 500mm and very sharp further in. Ca and other artefacts are very low, mostly unseen, and no problem (and i am a bit picky about that stuff). I cannot give 5 stars to a lens at nearly £1200 that has such slow autofocus. Birds sat in a tree are easy enough to take and the detail is excellent. Likewise shots of the moon (on a monopod and with vr on or tripod and off). But birds in flight are really hard to get sharp pictures, compared to the nikon 70-200mm f4 lens (in my view the best nikor zoom lens yet). I tried with and without monopod and with both variations of vr. A handful of sharp-ish shots, nothing pin-sharp though for pigeons in flight near my house. With the 70-200mm i would expect to get at least a 50% hit rate. Of course the extra weight makes panning harder too, but even when that was going well, zilch. Of course some of it may be partly down to practice, but again i never had a problem with the 70-200mm.

Great value for money from nikon for a super sharp lens.

Quite a big and heavy lens, but very well made, and quality optics that you would expect from nikon.

• Fantastic lens, well worth the money
• One Of Nikon’s Best!
• Awesome Lens! Certainly turns head and delivers sharps images!

Brilliant lens but very heavy, but i’m using a tripod with gimbal attachment.

If any one is thinking of buying a second party lens don’t do it nikon beats them hands down i bought a second party lens only to return it many of the reviews are miss leading and not correct for the money this lens has blown me away well done nikon.

I have owned the non os model of the sigma 120-300mm before this, it was big, heavy but produced great images (f/2. I was finding i needed more reach and to use a telephoto wasn’t worth the quality loss. I knew other people who had the 200-500mm lens and swore by it. Holding the sigma and nikon in different hands, it was amazing how light the nikon was. Since buying it, i have used it in many scenarios (press photography, mainly from behind a police cordon) and it is fantastic, the 5. 6 is barely an issue, i used it at night and just rested it on railings and it performed brilliantly, focusing very quickly. You can easily carry this all day, or rest it on its large hood. The vr is amazing and works extremely well meaning even at f/5. 6 on a low shutter speed, you’ll still get that shot.

I enjoy my wildlife photography and although i was getting some decent shots with my 80-400mm, i wanted to fill the viewfinder that bit more. I have been really impressed with the results using this lens, that extra 100mm has made a big difference. The vr is very effective and the autofocus is quick; i had read some reports saying autofocus was a bit slow, but it seems fine with my d810. The lens is a bit heavy, but i’ve managed to carry it around for over 5 miles without any bother (i’m in my early 60s). The biggest problem i’ve had is getting a holster that can carry it and the camera, i’ve settled on a think tank one at the moment, but its not ideal as the lens will not fit in with the hood on (this is a wide hood and even reversed will not fit in the bag). To give an idea of quality, the image of the pigeon was the first test shot i took. I was in my garden, the bird was on the apex of the roof; the image is cropped at 100% yet is still quite sharp (500mm f8 @ 1/400th iso200). All in all i’m very happy with the lens and consider it money well spent.

Excellent wildlife lens, for fraction of price. Nikon quality, why go for third party lenses?. Its not a prime quality lens, but you get a very very good quality lens without paying the thousands. Just look at the tiger and barking deer image.

Features of Nikon 200-500 mm Lens for Camera

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• FX-format super-telephoto zoom lens
• Constant f/5.6 aperture
• Electromagnetic diaphragm
• Approx. Weight: 2.3Kg

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I tried this against the sigma 150-600 contemporary. It just did not perform as well as i had hoped (i may have got a bad copy of this against a good copy of the sigma) and was heavier with less range wide to narrow – i will also use the sigma mostly at 600mm. However, the additional 1/3 stop on this nikon at 500mm may tip it for you but that is not significant enough for me to lose the reach. I also noticed a bit more chromatic aberation as compared to the sigma.

This has never disappointed me. I use it for kids’ sports days, wildlife and the occasional moonshot, all on a d750. Focusing is almost perfect, though sometimes could be quicker, and i get best results in single-point mode. Amazing sharpness even with quite substantial crops when partnered with my 24mp sensor. The zoom ranges of these consumer lenses is always being stretched by sigma and tamron. I put the long term benefit of compatibility with future nikon bodies above e. Having the 15-600 flexibility of the other brands. I’d being staring at the 200-400 price tag for a long time, and when this was released stopped thinking about it. I would not bother putting a teleconverter on it – i tried the latest tc-14 with it and while it works and focuses well at f/8 on my body, the gain in magnification was offset by a diminution in sharpness and contrast.

Absolutely superb lens from thre masters of glass.

No doubt about it: the best cost benefit for a nikon long range lens. To achieve better than this: thousands of dollars.

Brilliant, up to nikon standards again, i’ve never had a substandard lens from them yet.

Works well on my d610 and works as good on my d750 for wildlife photography.

FX-format super-telephoto zoom lens

. Perfect for my airshow work. Nikon’s 55-300 got me a long way, but this is what i needed.

Spent the whole day with this yesterday (25/07/17), was surprised to find it attached to my camera most of the day out at south lakes safari park. You will get a lot of looks and comments walking around with this thing on, but its light enough that i didnt use a monopod at all and the 5. 6 still delivered some really nice bokeh, i’ll admit i set myself up for the day with the iso set to auto but limited it to 1000. This covered my shots perfectly and got a lot of sharp images. With no motion blur, the vr helps a lot when hand held. I love this lens, its a beast and given some of the competitors prices a bargain for the we pay.

It might not be the fastest lens out there, but it offers some amazing sharpness. The vr built into this lens is like a missile locking onto its target, the stabilization is excellent. I’m extremely happy with it so far, i’ve not had any issues. It is pricy, but you get what you pay for, and this doesn’t disappoint. Great lens to have in your arsenal for any photographer. The price is actually pretty decent considering the specs. I will never be able to afford lenses which are multiple thousands, but the price for this is affordable if you really want it. It’s at least in the ballpark of being an achievable goal to save up for.

Exceptional sharpness throughout the entire zoom range. Well build and comes with a good , removable tripod stand. Can be handheld for a while but better on tripod. Focus speed is adequate but might be a bit too slow for sport. Bokeh not as creamy as i hoped but even at f5. The included pouch has a hard bottom and fits well and useful. Sofar after 300 test shots i can say i am very pleased with this lens.

I use it mainly for motorsport and downhill biking shots. 6 put you off this lens is incredible. Very heavy on my d750 after a few hours but well worth it. Focus is fast enough but not as fast as my nikon 80-200 f2.

I absolutely love this lens. It is quite simply fantastic.

Constant f/5.6 aperture

Beats the tamron g2 sp 150 – 600 mm f/5-6. Cropping 500 mm to the same field of view as 600 mm gives better quality than the tamron – see photos, but bear in mind these were taken with vr on, slight changes in light might have occurred, relatively slow shutter speeds, high iso and rain in the second photos. The nikon is sharper and cleaner. The pictures of the shirts look better from the tamron at the small size amazon shows them, but there is a lot of chromatic aberration in the tamron’s picture and the nikon is a lot cleaner with as much detail. You could just boost the contrast in the nikon picture and it’d look just as good – you really have to download the full photo and zoom in to see, but i’m not sure you can do that from the amazon review. Faster than the tamron (f/5. 3 at 500 mm and 600 mm respectively, but see above). Faster focus (despite reviews grumbling about the nikon, it still beats the tamron for birds in flight for example)i think the vr beats the tamron by 0.

Having had this for a few weeks now and put it to the use i bought it for which is to shoot birds, i can say i have a mixed feeling on its capabilities. I am using this on a d750 and i have found it to produce superb images, however this lens lags in the focusing delartment and in particular moving subjects. I have been frustrated on several occasions where the subjects were in flight and the lens lost focus after initially acquring it.

Bought mine just over a year ago from a high street camera store chain. I shoot motor sport for a website, so spend most weekends at a race track somewhere in the country and take 10s of thousands of shots per year. I’ve got this and the 150-600 sigma sport (just in case one breaks or fails which i have experienced in the past). I shoot with an old d3 and d7200 and the d3 struggles a bit with the sigma’s max aperture of f6. 3 at times when the light isn’t great, which is to be expected as the d3 is only rated to autofocus down to f5. Not an issue with the 200-500 which is great on both bodies. Almost as good as my old 300mm f4 which is saying something (those who own or have owned the old 300mm f/4d know how super sharp that lens is). When i first got the 200-500 i had the new (ish) 80-400, which is a decent lens and great on the full frame body but for some reason i didn’t get great results on the d7200.

A lovely lens for wildlife and birds. It doesn’t seem heavy if you are used with tele lens (like 70-200mm, for example) but it requires some degree of strength in the arms, indeed, if you have to carry for too little long or when photographing birds. Obtained great results on my nikon d700.

I am a keen wildlife photographer but i could never afford one of the enormous telephotos you see being lugged around by the pros. When nikon announced this lens at such a crazy price, reviewers went mental. You can take handheld at 500mm. I recommend you also invest in a black rapd strap for easy sharp shooting. Maybe a beanbag too, but just a superb investment. Throw in a p900 for added long distance fun and you are made.

Initially i was a little sceptical about this lens, given it’s fixed aperture, but now having used it on many occasions i can honestly say it’s become a firm favourite. Yes it’s a big lens and is quite heavy but you get a lot for your money – and not as much money as you might expect. I know another professional photographer who, independently bought and uses this lens a lot and is equally impressed. Good quality, well priced, excellent range and quick. If you are into sports, wildlife or any area of photography that requires a long lens then this one is well worth considering.

Love the fact it focuses over a long distance excellent piece of equipment.

Electromagnetic diaphragm

There’s little more to say than this is an excellent piece of kit – anyone like wildlife photographers or aviation fans who can’t afford the £8000 for an f/4 200-400 (i would guess, the vast majority) will not be disappointed with this lens as an alternative. One minor caveat is that is only comes with a soft lens pouch which, obviously, doesn’t have a belt loop. You might need to consider an additional bag it if you’re in the position where you’d prefer, or need to carry it on your belt.

Have used this locally for birding and speedboat photography. I have just upgraded from the d7000 (used for these) to a d500 so even better results should be forthcoming.

Reasoably heavy but an excellent lens for the money.

Delighted with my purchase – excellent value.

This nikkor af-s 200-500mm f/5. Paid for next day delivery and got it the next day. Very smooth and reliable delivery from amazon. My first impression is that the auto focus is surprisingly fast, even in low light, no hesitation and spot on. It was a bit heavy, but i took it out hand hold shooting for almost the whole day with no problems. I rest it in my arms when walking around not shooting, so my hand actually felt ok and not tired at all. I’m so pleased that i’ve found this totally hand holdable. A few serious reviews say f/32 is the weakest aperture, other than that the lens produces excellent image quality. From my first day try out, it appears to be like what those reviews say. But a casual shot at 200mm f/32 still shows good image quality. Its constant aperture is what i prefer compared with other third party competitors. Overall, it’s an excellent lens.

Really good lens at a relatively cheap price.

Approx.

This lens has now been used for a while before reviewing. It has produced some impressively sharp photos even wide open at f5. The vr is good (but not perfect) and useful in lower light conditions. Occasionally as with many vr systems there is slight blur that is noticeable on enlargement. The lens sharpness (which is excellent) does fall off toward the 500mm end, which is not much of an issue unless the picture needs to be cropped a lot. The lens works well with the nikon 1. 4 teleconverter, but does make the sharpness falloff toward 500mm more noticeable. This may sound very negative about the 500mm end, but when i take the 200-500 out i often use it at 500mm and always take the teleconverter and use it a great deal with the lens. Bear in mind that at an equivalent of 700mm there is a lot of atmosphere there to cause distortion especially on hot days.

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