Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Ill start with the pros first: 1.) sharpness: Sharp wide open at every focal length. The 200-500 is sharper at 5.6 (at every focal length) than the Sigma C & the Tamron 150-600 is at f8 and beyond. On an FX body there is noticeable corner and edge softness (at least on my copy) of the 200-500. DX shooters wont be affected by this due to the crop factor. 2.) Build Quality: The build quality is good. What I really like is the fact that the lens has a stationary rear element, (something that the Sigma C & the Tamron does not have), so you dont have to worry about pumping dust inside of your camera as you zoom in and out. 3.) Weight: Even though its slightly heavier/bigger than the Sigma C, and the Tamron 150-600mm, I find the weight to be more evenly distributed and better balanced for hand held shooting. 4.) Contrast & Saturation: Excellent! Far superior than the Sigma C and much better than the Tamron 150-600mm. Cons: My only con is the auto focus performance. Its slow (70-300 VR G ED slow), some what sluggish, often hunts and Im shooting on a current high end FX body. I would rate the auto focus performance as a solid C+. Im waiting on my D500 from Adorama to be delivered and will update auto focus performance (depending on a significant improvement) at a later date. Overall Im happy with the lens. Good image quality, good build quality and excellent VR.

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If you want to do serious wildlife photography, "big glass" is inevitable. But the price of a 500mm or 600mm prime lens can set you back half the price of a new car! The Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR is a serious prosumer "budget" solution for those who cant justify such a massive cash setback - and even for many who could. 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 dont have a lot of leeway on depth-of-field. The silent wave motor and vibration reduction are truly silent; unless youre looking through the viewfinder, you wont 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 *isnt* a five-figure super-prime lens. It doesnt have the latest nano-coating for flare protection; because its an externally extending zoom, it doesnt have the environmental protection of Nikons 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 its 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. Ill finish off with a few more personal observations. First and most important, it doesnt fit in any camera bag I own, nor many that I could find in my local camera store; I had to buy an Ape Case ACPROLC18 from Amazon just to have something to protect it and carry it around in - the dust cover that comes with it is frighteningly thin. Second, unlike some reviewers, I dont have any problem with the lens hood; it locks on great when following the alignment symbols, though I do not feel a lock when its reversed for storage. Third, I found my camera with this lens had a tendency to under-expose in difficult lighting (backlight, haze); Ive had the camera set to a full +1.0 stop exposure compensation for many of my early experiences, but set to normal in good light. Fourth, 95mm is not a universal filter size; B+H does not list its latest nano-coated filter for this size lens, for example. Lastly, I will re-iterate: this is a big lens, and it takes practice to hold it and use it properly. Until you get the hang of it, there will be a lot of blurry shots; before you give up on it, take some extra time to verify the problem isnt behind the camera rather than in front of it, learn the ins and outs of the lens, and if necessary take the time to micro-adjust the focus. 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.

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First the delivery : fast but the Nikon box looked like ... used (loose opening, inside parts not tight - I know Nikon well, everything inside is pretty tight when new), so no 5 stars. Whatever ... the content (lense, accessories) are ok though. The lense : very good surprise. All along the range its tack sharp with my D5. The barrel is wide (so.. quick zoom full ramge is a bit tricky) and extend (no good for the dust but, yah, I knew it). The 200-500 is surprisingly portable and shooting without tripod will be no problem (even if the cam + lens is around 8.8 lbs). VR is very good. Zoom is quick without being stunningly fast. Ill update the review and plan to use it for fast sports, in the dust. But Nikon really made a good job, in keeping all that glass, at a pretty good aperture for the range, in a quite lightweight package and mostly for a very useful range (per comparison the 70x200 + TCIII starts at 5.6 too and the 70-200 F4 + TCIII at F6 ! ... for a maximum reach of 400mm).

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