Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/4G ED VR £950 / $1,399
A fairly new lens that fills a hole
Until late 2012, a 70-200mm f/4 lens had been a glaring omission from Nikon’s extensive range of SLR lenses. This filled the gap, taking on the Canon 70-200mm to the left. They’re the same size, have the same 67mm filter thread and cost about the same. The Nikon features a weather-sealed mounting plate and similar all-round specs, although it’s 90g heavier.
A switch is fitted for AM/M focussing: the AM mode enables autofocus with full-time manual override. There’s also a focus limiter, which locks out autofocus distances shorter than 3m, and two Vibration Reduction switches – on/off and normal/active. Unlike the Canon lens, the Nikon has auto-detection for panning, with the active mode intended for shooting from a vibrating platform. Nikon originally claimed a five-stop effectiveness for the lens’ third-generation VR system, but has revised the claim to four stops, based on new Cipa (Camera & Imaging Products Association) testing. This was borne out in our own testing.
Performance
The Nikon features good glass, including three Extra-low Dispersion elements and a High Refractive Index element. But while colour fringing is well controlled, sharpness is less inspiring around the middle of the zoom range. We found this to be particularly true with the lens on a D7100, although we’ve seen better sharpness using this lens on full-frame bodies. Autofocus speeds match the Canon lens.