Head to head

Are you looking for high-quality telephoto shooting without the cumbersome load?

We pit a pair of compact Nikon telephoto lenses for getting in closer without breaking the bank (or your back)

Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/4g ED VR

Elements/groups 20/14 optical stabilizer 4 stops min focus distance 1m max magnification 0.27x filter size 67mm included accessories Hood, soft case dimensions (dia x length) 78x179mm Weight 850g price £1350/$1400 Marginally slimmer than the 70-300mm lens, this one is 33mm longer. At 850g, it’s also 170g heavier than its competitor. However, the zoom mechanism is completely internal, so the lens doesn’t need to physically extend at longer zoom settings.

This lens has the same zoom range as the 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses often favoured by pro photographers, but is considerably lighter at only about half the weight. It’s full-frame compatible and gives an effective maximum focal length of 300mm on DX bodies.

Based on a ring-type ultrasonic system, the lens autofocuses quickly and quietly, with the benefit of a linked focus ring for full-time manual override. Thanks to this and the mechanically controlled aperture, it’s compatible with all Nikon DSLRS.

The late-generation VR (Vibration Reduction) system in this lens gives a 4-stop benefit in beating camera-shake. As with many older Nikon lenses, it comes with Normal and Active modes, the latter for use when shooting from an unsteady platform.

We’ve always been impressed with the contrast and sharpness of this lens throughout its entire zoom range, even when shooting wide-open. Colour fringing is negligible and distortions are controlled, although there’s a little pincushion at 200mm.

Nikon AF-P 70300mm f/4.5-5.6e ED VR

Elements/groups 18/14 optical stabilizer 4.5 stops min focus distance 1.2m max magnification 0.25x filter size 67mm included accessories Hood, soft case dimensions (dia x length) 81x146mm Weight 680g price £750/$750 At 680g, this is a relatively lightweight lens for an FX (full-frame compatible) telephoto zoom. Measuring 81x146mm, it’s also quite compact and requires less stowage space than the 70-200mm, although it extends when zooming towards 300mm.

The longer maximum focal length of this lens gives you powerful telephoto reach, even on a full-frame body. On DX format cameras, you get an effective 450mm, equivalent to using a comparatively massive super-telephoto zoom on an FX camera.

This new lens uses a ‘Pulse’ (stepping motor) autofocus system that’s both extremely fast and almost silent. Manual override is courtesy of an electronically coupled focus ring. Autofocus and aperture control are incompatible with some older cameras.

With a slight improvement over the competing lens’s VR system, this brand new edition delivers 4.5-stop performance. There’s no Active mode. Instead, the lens has a ‘Sport VR’ option, which makes it easier to track moving subjects in the viewfinder.

Contrast and sharpness are great but not as outstanding as from the 70-200mm lens, and sharpness drops off more in the longer half of the zoom range. Colour fringing is minimal and there’s even less pincushion distortion at mid to long zoom settings.

Next month: Flashgun vs reflector