|
|
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens with 2 Pack 32GB SanDisk Memory Card + Tripod + Backpack + A-Cell Accessory Bundle
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens with 2 Pack 32GB SanDisk Memory Card + Tripod + Backpack + A-Cell Accessory Bundle
Add review
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens with 2 Pack 32GB SanDisk Memory Card + Tripod + Backpack + A-Cell Accessory Bundle
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens with 2 Pack 32GB SanDisk Memory Card + Tripod + Backpack + A-Cell Accessory Bundle
Once you get used to steadying it and using your camera with it, it really can resolve almost to the pixel level - even wide open at 500mm, even hand-held. I already have several bird pictures where the tiniest feather details are crisp and clean at 100%, and I am by no means an expert at wielding this thing yet! Focus with my D810 was dead-on to where I was aiming; I found the hardest part to be the aiming bit - at 500mm and f/5.6, you don't have a lot of leeway on depth-of-field. The silent wave motor and vibration reduction are truly silent; unless you're looking through the viewfinder, you won't know either is operating. Out-of-focus backgrounds are largely smooth and clean, not harsh; color and contrast expose fine gradations and subtlety.
Of course, this *isn't* a five-figure super-prime lens. It doesn't have the latest nano-coating for flare protection; because it's an externally extending zoom, it doesn't have the environmental protection of Nikon's most rugged lenses; as many reviewers note, the zoom ring has a *lot* of travel between 200mm and 500mm; auto-focus, while sufficient for most wildlife and for focus tracking, does not instantly acquire its target; and it's an f/5.6, not an f/4, so you have to bump up the ISO an extra step in poor lighting. But these are minor compromises for a major cost reduction, without sacrificing a lot of sharpness. It handily beats out my old 80-400mm ED VR in every measure, and in my opinion also bests the newer 80-400mm G VR-II that I rented from BorrowLens last year.
Nikon really hit it out of the park with the 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR. Tack sharp and sufficiently fast in use, it will be on my camera for many future wildlife adventures.
This is a great lens (Nikon 200-500) for nature and sports photography. I did learn the hard way, if you use any filters on this lens, they must be of good quality. I used an inexpensive Circular Polarizer Filter that caused fuzziness in any photo I took with this lens. It also caused auto focus issues sometimes, and I found when I removed the filter, everything worked well with excellent picture quality. For the money, it's a bargain. Note it is very heavy for us older folks, so I would recommend using either a monopod or tripod if possible. The Vibration Reduction does eliminate any shake if handholding the lens. I was quite pleased with how fast the auto focus is.
This lens is sharp! The VR is very effective as well. It allows me to hand-hold the lens to below 1/100s at any focal length and get sharp results, provided the subject isn't moving much. Being able to focus on subjects close or far away and being able to zoom in or out is also a bonus. I shoot a lot of wildlife, birds in flight, surfing and so on, and needed a longer lens. I was using my 300mm f/4D AF-S plus Nikon 1.4TCII, which got me to 420mm at f/5.6. This combo works really well due to sharpness, light weight, smaller size and good reach. That being said, I'm shooting with the D750 which is full frame, so I've always wanted just a little more reach than that and something I didn't need a TC for.
I would highly recommend this lens to any Nikon shooter needing more reach. This lens delivers even with a 1.4TC attached! I've only tried it with my 1.4TC II (which holds up really well though it was first announced in 2001!), but plan on buying the 1.4TC III for improved focus, optics and VR with this lens. The TC brings you to 700mm at f/8.
This Nikon 200-500mm lens fits a special niche to complement my assortment of other shorter telephotos. For the price, the lens sharpness is on par with much more expensive prime telephotos. The constant f/5.6 aperture is great when zooming out to 500mm without losing another stop of light and slower shutter speeds, especially for outdoor sports or birding.
Focus is a concern. For birds in flight I'm disappointed. But overall it's a very solid lens that delivers very good image quality at a very competitive price. The 80-400 has slightly better image quality and much faster and more predictable focus but is 100mm shorter and costs quite a bit more. I was concerned with this lens' size and weight but in the field it doesn't seem significantly more unwieldy than the 80-400.
I bought the Nikkor 200-500mm Lens and the tripod which was actually very handy for my wildlife shoots.
A little heavy but easy to use
Once you get used to steadying it and using your camera with it, it really can resolve almost to the pixel level - even wide open at 500mm, even hand-held. I already have several bird pictures where the tiniest feather details are crisp and clean at 100%, and I am by no means an expert at wielding this thing yet! Focus with my D810 was dead-on to where I was aiming; I found the hardest part to be the aiming bit - at 500mm and f/5.6, you don't have a lot of leeway on depth-of-field. The silent wave motor and vibration reduction are truly silent; unless you're looking through the viewfinder, you won't know either is operating. Out-of-focus backgrounds are largely smooth and clean, not harsh; color and contrast expose fine gradations and subtlety.
Of course, this *isn't* a five-figure super-prime lens. It doesn't have the latest nano-coating for flare protection; because it's an externally extending zoom, it doesn't have the environmental protection of Nikon's most rugged lenses; as many reviewers note, the zoom ring has a *lot* of travel between 200mm and 500mm; auto-focus, while sufficient for most wildlife and for focus tracking, does not instantly acquire its target; and it's an f/5.6, not an f/4, so you have to bump up the ISO an extra step in poor lighting. But these are minor compromises for a major cost reduction, without sacrificing a lot of sharpness. It handily beats out my old 80-400mm ED VR in every measure, and in my opinion also bests the newer 80-400mm G VR-II that I rented from BorrowLens last year.
Nikon really hit it out of the park with the 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR. Tack sharp and sufficiently fast in use, it will be on my camera for many future wildlife adventures.
This is a great lens (Nikon 200-500) for nature and sports photography. I did learn the hard way, if you use any filters on this lens, they must be of good quality. I used an inexpensive Circular Polarizer Filter that caused fuzziness in any photo I took with this lens. It also caused auto focus issues sometimes, and I found when I removed the filter, everything worked well with excellent picture quality. For the money, it's a bargain. Note it is very heavy for us older folks, so I would recommend using either a monopod or tripod if possible. The Vibration Reduction does eliminate any shake if handholding the lens. I was quite pleased with how fast the auto focus is.
This lens is sharp! The VR is very effective as well. It allows me to hand-hold the lens to below 1/100s at any focal length and get sharp results, provided the subject isn't moving much. Being able to focus on subjects close or far away and being able to zoom in or out is also a bonus. I shoot a lot of wildlife, birds in flight, surfing and so on, and needed a longer lens. I was using my 300mm f/4D AF-S plus Nikon 1.4TCII, which got me to 420mm at f/5.6. This combo works really well due to sharpness, light weight, smaller size and good reach. That being said, I'm shooting with the D750 which is full frame, so I've always wanted just a little more reach than that and something I didn't need a TC for.
I would highly recommend this lens to any Nikon shooter needing more reach. This lens delivers even with a 1.4TC attached! I've only tried it with my 1.4TC II (which holds up really well though it was first announced in 2001!), but plan on buying the 1.4TC III for improved focus, optics and VR with this lens. The TC brings you to 700mm at f/8.
This Nikon 200-500mm lens fits a special niche to complement my assortment of other shorter telephotos. For the price, the lens sharpness is on par with much more expensive prime telephotos. The constant f/5.6 aperture is great when zooming out to 500mm without losing another stop of light and slower shutter speeds, especially for outdoor sports or birding.
Focus is a concern. For birds in flight I'm disappointed. But overall it's a very solid lens that delivers very good image quality at a very competitive price. The 80-400 has slightly better image quality and much faster and more predictable focus but is 100mm shorter and costs quite a bit more. I was concerned with this lens' size and weight but in the field it doesn't seem significantly more unwieldy than the 80-400.
I bought the Nikkor 200-500mm Lens and the tripod which was actually very handy for my wildlife shoots.
A little heavy but easy to use