Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens Imported

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I've been researching this lens for almost a year now. I was reluctant to spend the money due to all the negative reviews I read about how slow this lens is to focus. I enjoy shooting wildlife, sports, and airshows. I went to the local camera store and tried this lens out on my D7000 and took some sample photographs. I did notice the focusing was slower compared to the AF-S lenses but I was impressed at the quality of the photographs. I got tired of waiting for Nikon to come out with the overdue upgrade of this lens to AF-S, so I took the plunge and purchased this lens for my D7000. I put the lens to the test at the San Francisco Fleet Week to photograph the Blue Angels flying. I read somewhere that this lens was too slow to be photographing jets and fast moving objects. I did notice that this lens is slower to focus compared to my AF-S lenses. However, this lens is equipped with a "focus limiting switch" to assist with the focusing. I found this lens to work very well with my D7000 and did not encounter problems with this lens hunting to focus on the jets. I was very pleased with how the lens captured numerous high speed flybys of the Blue Angels, tack sharp! I wished I wouldn't have been discouraged by the bad reviews and purchased this lens earlier for the previous airshows around the state. Very happy I got this lens!! Love it!!

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I use this lens mostly for birds and wildlife. I felt sharpness was okay for the money with my D80, but when I bought my D7K, I was disappointed...couldn't get the sharpness I expected no matter how hard I tried. Then I read about AF fine tuning by Thom Hogan. I worked through testing and adjusting the camera/lens combo AF and WOW, a whole new world. Wouldn't part with it now for anything. The dated AF speed works okay for me (latest AF is definitely faster, though). My only real gripe is that it won't work with modern tele-extenders. It will with the old TC1.4 and TC2 (if you can find them), but the quality loss is pretty high and it becomes a 'dumb' lens - as in brainless; no AF or AE. But all in all, after spending a long time getting used to it, and with the AF Fine Tune, I'm very comfortable with this lens. Plus it's a real bargain compared to the next step up, which is way out of my league financially.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

excellent focal legnth for the weight and size. Wish the auto focus was a little faster, and the apeture was a little larger. Put a polarizer on it and it really slows down the shutter. Sharpness is excellent. If you dont have 6K for the 200-400, this is money well spent.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I love this lens. I use it on almost every outing. It travels well and is easy to handle. I use it on a tripod but it is also easy to hold and carry.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

Great lens. Very consistant.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I had an earlier version of this lens stolen, and couldn't wait to get the replacement in my hands. It's everything you would expect from Nikon.

Hand holding can be a challenge, but with practice (and the right shutter speed) it's doable.

I love the lens, and would definitely recommend it to others.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I purchased the lens to augment a 10-20 mm Sigma lens and a 24-200mm Nikkor lens that I have had for a while. I anticipated doing some moderate hiking in the western US and wanted something with the 400 mm range for distant landscape and wildlife.
I was very pleased with the performance of the lens in my first trials. It does weigh more than my 24-200 and takes up more room in the backpack and that is to be expected. I found that I could get good shots of wildlife with no tripod, carefull support, higher ISOs, and higher shutter speeds on bright days. Those photos would otherwise have been landscape photos with wildlife in them instead of wildlife photos.
I would suggest a sturdy tripod if one is used with this lens for lower shutter speeds. The one I have for hiking is inadequate if any wind blows before or during the exposure rendering mirror lock-up or remote exposure useless.
I have no complaints with the focusing or noise even though it is more noticable than the 24-200. The lenses costing 3 times more may be better in those respects but their cost isn't.
One small perk was that the 77mm filters for my Sigma also fit the 80-400.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

good cost benefit. used for coorp events. can close up sitting down on 400mm speech. you only carry 2 lenses and have it covered. not as sharp as fixed 300mm or 400mm.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I purchased this lens as an upgrade to another brand lens of the similar focal length. What a surprise! This lens did not measure up to what I have come to expect from Nikkor. I could not get the lens to focus very sharply no matter what I tried. After over seventy shots I got less than five satisfactory frames. I tried manual focus, VR both on and off, tripod and no tripod and nothing seemed to work. My trusty old off brand lens always out performed the Nikkor. A call to Nikon got me the suggestion to focus more carefully as the lens has a very narrow depth of field.I would have loved to keep this lens but I couldn't trust it to get the results I demand. I have been using Nikon products for a long time and have never seen such poor performance.Thinking the lens I received was faulty, I took one extra step and spoke with some peers and was surprised to find the lens did not have a very good reputation. Sorry Nikon, but you have lost some of the confidence I had in your products.I would like to report that B&H Photo took the lens back. Thank you B&H. I have another reason to deal with you exclusively.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I've been shooting sports for 2 weeks with this lens and I'm very impressed with its sharpness. Reviews have varied regarding sharpness, and while I may not have the most discerning eye, for practical purposes, this lens is excellent. Auto-focusing is good- it's never going to be perfect, but shooting with the D3S I've had wonderful results.
The only significant negative is that the zoom ring is very tight- a lens of this size/weight requires skillful maneuvering and the force needed to zoom in and out will slow you down and move your composition. I wish the fix was as easy as a simple spritz of WD-40...

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I just got my new 80-400 VR lens, but I love it so far. Took it out on a shoot and it handled beautifully. My only complaints so far are 1) that the VR makes a slight whirring noise when it engages, but it seems to work just fine and 2) it's heavy. If you have strong wrists and hands, this should not be an issue.

I have not tried this in low light, so I can't speak to that, but in bright light, it's good to go.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

If you want to put one telephoto zoom on, and get a lot of versatile zooming range, this is a good lens. Is it the sharpest lens for important shots? No. Still, there are times when you want a long lens, but don't want to deal with the bulk of an f 2.8 prime. It's good for those unpredictable situations when you know you'll need decent telephoto range, but don't know exactly how much.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

This lens with the Sony PMW EX3 has a crop factor of 5, thus acting like a 2000mm lens. Essential for wildlife.
This lens works well with the EX3. Images are sharp and colors well-rendered. No noticable aberration. Gets soft above f/11. It's best feature is the manual iris ring, obviating the need for one on the camcorder.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

One of the first things I used this lens for was photographing the full moon. Exceptional clarity was achieved. I've since used it to photograph some flying birds and got some nice shots of a Roseate Spoonbill in mid flight. Taking it next week to the Canyon Lands and can't wait.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I use it on my D90 for nature & birding. Weight is worth the benefits. Up scale tripod is recommended. Read the manual! Protect it from physical abuse, the construction is delicate.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I originally bought it to mount on my new Manfrotto tripod thinking it would be too heavy and slow for hand held. I have used it both ways with great success. Although it is slower to autofocus than my 70 - 300 Nikkor I still manage to get some great action shots with it hand held. Any new lens take some time to get used to, but I got the handle on this one fairly rapidly. I have taken a lot of bird pictures with it and fine the quality of the shots really great. I only use the 70 -300 when kayaking now and this lens for all other long range pictures. Whether autofocus or manual the shots have been really fantastic. I shoot a lot of aperture preferred, so I can get the fast shutter speeds using large apertures. After a while it gets heavy and I transfer it to the tripod with a quick release head. I am extremely happy with the lens.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

Extremely sharp. Wildlife photos are great. I could count the blades of grass hanging out of an elk's mouth from quarter of a mile away.

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

Its a great lens with good optic, great for nature photography, light and small (compare with another 400 or 500 mm lens).

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

My Nikon 80-400 mm zoom lens broke into two pieces. It broke while I was carrying it in my hand. It is held together by three tiny pieces of metal. A friend of mine who is a metallurgist for a major oil company reviewed the failure and said it was caused by metal fatigue. Nikon claims it was struck or dropped (it wasn't and never has been). Interestingly when I first called Nikon the repr. said they always say its due to damage and that they don't honor the warrantee, and this was before they even saw the lens! Is anyone else experiencing similar problems with Nikon?

Comments about Nikon AF VR Zoom-NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Lens:

I use this lense with a Nikon D80, handheld, for bird photography with truly outstanding results, including in-flight high shutter speed shots. Many reviewers here complain about slow autofocus, however I have not found the lense to limit photo opportunities with birds in any significant way due to focus speed, and I use continuous focus mode frequently. VR works very well and it is a dream to shoot 400mm so successfully without a tripod. I rarely shoot in low light so cannot comment to limits there. Its bulk takes a bit of getting used to at first but once you develop a feel for the lense it is very comfortable to shoot. I leave the tripod mount on and use it to help maintain a strong grip on the lense when shooting moving subjects. If you photograph birds you will fall in love with this lense quickly.