NIKON Z 70-200MM F/2.8 VR S

As with Nikon’s other ‘trinity’ zooms, the 70-200mm packs in some seriously up-market features and handling exotica

THERE’S AN IMPRESSIVE AND CONSISTENT LOOK AND FEEL TO NIKON’S TOP-END TRINITY ZOOMS. AS WITH THE WIDE-ANGLE AND STANDARD ZOOMS, THE 70-200MM INCLUDES AN OLED DISPLAY FOR VIEWING VARIOUS SHOOTING PARAMETERS, INCLUDING THE EXACT

FOCAL LENGTH, APERTURE, ISO AND FOCUS DISTANCE WITH DEPTH OF FIELD

INDICATION. YOU CAN CYCLE THROUGH THE OPTIONS SIMPLY BY PRESSING

THE ADJACENT ‘DISP’ BUTTON. THERE ARE ALSO DUAL CUSTOMISABLE L-FN

(LENS FUNCTION) BUTTONS, AS WELL AS A THIRD CUSTOMISABLE, STEPLESS

CONTROL RING, IN ADDITION TO THE USUAL ZOOM AND FOCUS RINGS.

THE OPTICAL DESIGN INCLUDES TWO ASPHERICAL ELEMENTS, SIX ED

(EXTRA-LOW DISPERSION) ELEMENTS, A FLUORITE ELEMENT AND AN SR

(SHORT-WAVELENGTH REFRACTIVE) ELEMENT. DUAL COATINGS INCLUDE

BOTH ARNEO AND NANO CRYSTAL COAT, TO KEEP GHOSTING AND

FLARE TO A MINIMUM.

AUTOFOCUS IS INCREDIBLY RAPID YET VIRTUALLY SILENT, BASED ON TWO

SYNCHRONISED STEPPING MOTORS. THERE’S A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE 5-STOP

OPTICAL VR, BASED ON VOICE COIL MOTORS, WHICH WORKS A TREAT ON

THE DX FORMAT Z 50 AND IS EVEN BETTER WHEN USED WITH THE INBODY STABILISERS OF NIKON’S FULL-FRAME Z-SERIES CAMERAS.

IT’S THE SHARPEST LENS IN THE GROUP, BY QUITE A MARGIN, NOT ONLY

IN THE CENTRE OF THE FRAME BUT RIGHT INTO THE EXTREME EDGES AND

CORNERS. THAT HOLDS TRUE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ZOOM RANGE, EVEN

WHEN SHOOTING WIDE-OPEN AT F/2.8. VIGNETTING AND CHROMATIC

ABERRATIONS ARE MINIMAL, WHILE DISTORTIONS ARE NEGLIGIBLE AT ALL

ZOOM SETTINGS AND THERE’S EXCELLENT RESISTANCE TO GHOSTING AND

FLARE. IT’S PHYSICALLY LONGER THAN THE OTHER LENSES ON TEST BUT

HANDLING AND ALL-ROUND PERFORMANCE ARE FABULOUS.