Introduction
Having a state of the art 70-200mm 2.8 zoom is something very important for the camera manufacturers, as these are extremely popular lenses. This Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR is the last one that has been released for the F-mount and after the predecessors – that all had at least one outstanding drawback – this one finally hit the mark. Let’s have a closer look!
Sample Images
You can find most of the sample pictures in full resolution here.
Contents
Specifications / Version History
There have been three different 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon lenses for F-mount:
- Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G IF-ED VR
21/15 design, 5 ED, 1.5 m MFD, 1:5.6 magnification, 1468g, 2003-2009 - Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G ED VRII
21/16 design, 7 ED, 1.4 m MFD, 1:8.3 magnification, 1532g, 2009-2016 - Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR IF
22/18 design, 6 ED, 1 FL, 1 HRI, 1.1 m MFD, 1:4.1 magnification, 1427g, 2016-2018(?)
What you do not see from these specifications: the VRII only features a first generation SMW similar to those found in the AF-S 80-200mm 2.8D or the AF-S 28-70mm 2.8D which are very prone to failing. Looking for a lens like this, I noted there are many samples of the VRII circulating with broken AF. Furthermore the VRII has disastrous focus breathing, at the minimum focus distance it is merely a 135mm lens at the 200mm setting, which is also the reason for the comparably bad maximum magnification of only 1:8.3. The latest FL ED VR was supposed to fix all these issues – and it did.
This is a review of the last generation 70-200mm, often called “FL ED”, it has the following specifications:
- Diameter: 89 mm
- Field of view: 12.2° to 34.2° (diagonally)
- Length: 203 mm
- Weight: 1427g (without hood, caps and tripod collar)
- Filter Diameter: 77 mm
- Number of Aperture Blades: 9 (rounded)
- Elements/Groups: 22/18
- Close Focusing Distance: 1.1 m
- Maximum Magnification: 1:4.1 at 200mm (measured)
- Mount: F-mount
The lens you see in all the product pictures is a limited edition version that has been released to celebrate Nikon’s 100th anniversary. It features the same optics as the normal version, only the casing looks different.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $2347 (new) or starting at $1000 (used)
Disclosure
This Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR was kindly provided free of charge by one of our readers for review purposes. Thanks a lot!
Handling / Build Quality
The build quality of Nikon’s professional f/2.8 zooms has always been top notch and this one is no exception.
Compared to the first generation Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G IF ED VRI the position of focus ring and zoom ring has been switched, which means here the zoom ring is situated at the front of the lens and the focus ring closer to the camera. Personally, I prefer the configuration of the older lens here. The focus ring is mechanically coupled and rotates ~110° from the minimum focus distance of 1.1 m to infinity.
The zoom features markings for 200, 135, 105, 80 and 70 mm.
Both rings have a nice resistance, the zoom ring’s resistance does vary a bit when pointing the lens upwards or downwards though.
On the left side of the lens we have a host of buttons. An AF/MF switch, a focus limiter, an On/Off/Mode button for the VR (optical image stabilizer) and a switch to define what the lens buttons should do. Interestingly the lens buttons are back after they weren’t available on the Mark II version.
The lens shipped with the big HB-78 bayonet style hood. As this is a tele lens I think it is generally a good idea to use it and it is also good protection should you be shooting in the rain.
The lens also comes with a removable tripod foot. I think exchanging it for one that features an Arca Swiss profile is generally a good idea. The one I bought for the VRI version (Sunwayfoto LF-N3) also fits here, but there are also many more manufacturers (e.g. Kirk, iShoot) that offer such replacement foots.
Compared to the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G IF ED VRI this latest version is slightly shorter but also fatter, especially close to the bayonet. You can also see in these pictures that the positions of focus and zoom rings have been switched.
On Nikon’s analgoue cameras you cannot change the aperture value of this lens due to the electronically controlled aperture diaphragm.
Autofocus/Stabilizer
I am not shooting sports or fast moving animals/humans so if you want to know if the lens is fast enough for this, or how it compares to other lenses in this segment, you may have to look for a different review with a more detailed assessment of this aspect.
All of Nikon’s 70-200mm 2.8 zooms are widely known for their fast AF speed. This still holds true when adapting this lens via a Monster LA-FE1/2 adapter to a Sony camera and of course the same is true when using it via an FTZ adapter on Nikon Z-mount cameras. In everday use I found the AF to be fast and snappy.
However, because of vignetting issues caused by the Monster adapters (see next section) I wouldn’t recommend getting this lens to use it on Sony E-mount cameras.
I usually don’t test the effectiveness of the optical in lens stabilizer, but in case of this lens I have to say that it is amazingly effective. Even on a D810 without IBIS it is easily possible to take pictures at 1/13s at the 200mm setting with a near 100% hit rate (for non-moving targets only obviously).
Vignetting
Light Falloff
| 70mm | 105mm | 135mm | 200mm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 1.7 EV | 1.4 EV | 1.7 EV | 2.0 EV |
| f/4.0 | 1.0 EV | 0.8 EV | 0.9 EV | 1.3 EV |
| f/5.6 | 0.4 EV | 0.3 EV | 0.3 EV | 0.5 EV |
| f/8.0 | 0.3 EV | 0.2 EV | 0.2 EV | 0.3 EV |
| f/11 | 0.3 EV | 0.2 EV | 0.2 EV | 0.2 EV |
Usually I use all lenses on the Sony A7rII to check for the vignetting for the results to be comparable. Here I noticed that the Monster adapters add additional vignetting though, therefore I used the Nikon Z6 instead. In this graph you can see the difference quite well:
At the longer focal lengths this newer 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR shows a bit lower vignetting figures than the earlier 70-200mm 2.8G IF ED VRI, but only in very few scenarios the difference amounts to more than 0.5 EV, usually it is much less.
It is recommended to have a look at this article first to get an idea how this brightness graph works.
Optical vignetting
Fast lenses usually show a noticeable amount of optical vignetting. Without going too much into technical details optical vignetting leads to the truncation of light circles towards the borders of the frame.
In the center of the frame almost every lens will render a perfect circle, but only lenses with very low optical vignetting will keep this shape in the corners.
So in the following comparison we move from the center (left) to the extreme corner (right) and see how the shape of the light circle changes.
Compared to the first generation Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G IF-ED VRI we see slightly less optical vignetting and in some cases more natural shapes off center. Not a big difference, but still a welcome improvement.
Sharpness
Focus Shift
The minimum focus distance does not change as you zoom, so you get the shallowest depth of field at the long end, therefore I checked for focus shift at the 200mm setting. Luckily I did not see any focus shift with this lens – as was already the case for Nikon’s first generation 70-200mm lens.
infinity (42mp Sony A7rII)
The first generation 70-200mm 2.8G IF ED VRI didn’t show a great performance in this category when used at wider apertures. This FL ED is a completely different story. Already at f/2.8 it shows an impeccable performance at all focal lengths everywhere in the frame. It also easily outperforms some of the recent mirrorless designs like the Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 G2 here.
At these distances heat haze and vibrations can have a big influence.
close (1.1 m, 1:4.1, 42mp Sony A7rII)
A maximum magnification of almost 1:4 is something very nice to have in a fast 70-200mm lens. This is a clear improvement over the predecessors, where the second generation was especially bad, only featuring one of 1:8.3. This makes it easy to forgive that the picture is a bit soft at f/2.8 and improves considerably on stoppng down to f/4.0.
Distortion
Often modern lens designs allow for higher distortion as (in most cases) it can be easily corrected digitally anyway. Traditionally the 70-200mm 2.8 zooms showed noticeable barrel distortion at the wide end, noticeable pincushion distortion at the long end and no distortion somewhere inbetween.
This Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR shows almost no distortion at the 70mm end and from there on increasing pincushion distortion that peaks at the 200mm end. As you can see from the comparison above the profiles do a very good job at correcting this.
Sunstars
In my experience, the longer the focal length of your lens, the more unlikely you are to encounter sunstars in your pictures. Nevertheless 70mm may still be used for more intimate cityscapes or landscapes with the sun on the edge of a mountain, so we have a closer look here.
Nikon’s first generation 70-200mm 2.8 didn’t do a particularly good job here. The situation didn’t improve a lot, as it takes stopping down to f/16, better f/22 to create distinct sunstars.
As this is a highly subjective topic may have a look at this article to see which kind of sunstars you prefer.
Coma correction
70mm
200mm
We already saw in the sharpness section that the infinity performance is really good, even at wider apertures, so it doesn’t come as too much of a surprise that coma is corrected really well. Some people like to use these 200mm 2.8 lenses for deep sky astrophotography, this one wouldn’t be a bad choice for that application.
Bokeh
The 70-200mm f/2.8 telezoom lenses are often the primary choice of those portrait photographers, that are willing to give up some subject separation capabilties – compared to e.g. an 85mm 1.8 or 135mm 1.8 lens – for a lot of added one-lens-flexibility.
Obviously you get the highest amount of subject separation at the 200mm end. I also found that at the 70mm end the bokeh often looks slightly more nervous whereas it already looks a lot nicer when zoomed in to at least 100mm.
Out of Nikon’s 70-200mm 2.8 F-mount lenses this one also offers the highest magnification of almost 1:4. Which allows for near-macro close up shots.
I can hardly find any flaw with this lens here, if you don’t manage to take nice portraits with it, it won’t be the lens’ fault.
Honestly, I would be hard pressed to tell any of Nikon’s 70-200mm 2.8 lenses apart solely by their out of focus rendering. What this one has going for it is that it has the highest contrast and resolution though, which can lead to an even higher perceived subject separation.
Flare resistance
This is a section where the (fast) telezooms always have a bit of a hard time, and it seems this one is no exception.
At 70mm it is very easy to encounter a bunch of ghosts. They are a bit more obvious with the lens stopped down, but already easily noticeable at f/2.8.
Stopped down to f/8.0 the situation isn’t exactly better at the 70mm end.
At the longer focal lengths veiling flare becomes the main issue. Admittedly: I didn’t come across a 200mm lens that actually performs well here.
I checked if using the big hood makes at least a difference with the sun outside the frame, but it did not make enough of a difference to get excited about.
A typical performance for a 70-200mm 2.8 lens, I wonder if one day we will see a major improvement here.
Chromatic aberrations
Lateral
Despite a whole lot of special glass elements we can still see a low amount of lateral CA. This is still a big improvement over the first generation Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G IF ED VRI. The small remains are easily fixed in Lightroom.
Longitudinal
Nikon’s f/1.4 primes from the AF-S era show pretty strong longitudinal CA, but these f/2.8 zooms are well corrected for it. Even in backlit scenarios I hardly encountered any fringing.
Conclusion
good
|
average
|
not good
|
The history of Nikon’s 70-200mm 2.8 F-mount lenses, it sure is an illustrious one. The original Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G VRI was one of Nikon’s first lenses to feature a built-in image stabilizer, but it got bad reputation for too high vignetting and too bad corner sharpness, also in comparison to its predecessor, the Nikon AF-S 80-200mm 2.8D ED.
The second generation Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G ED VRII improved on corner sharpness and vignetting, but it had ridiculous breathing turning it into a 70-135mm lens at closer distances – also resulting in the subpar 1:8 maximum magnification. As said before for a strange reason it uses a first generation SWM prone to failing. And for another strange reason they also removed the lens buttons.
Then, in 2016, Nikon released this Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR. And this time, they did not cut any corners. In terms of optical performance, this one is easily the best: no more breathing, but the best maximum magnification of all of them instead. The lens buttons are back and it also received a very effective VR.
In 2018 Nikon released yet another successor, the Nikon Z 70-200mm 2.8 S for Z-mount, which on paper again features improved corner performance. Looking at the results I have seen from this lens, I really wonder what there was to improve though.
If you find a good deal on this Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8E FL ED VR, you will end up with a lens that will serve you well for years to come, no matter whether you are using an F-mount or Z-mount camera.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $2347 (new) or starting at $1000 (used)
Alternatives
I will only be talking about the currently most popular alternatives for Sony E-mount users. For Nikon F-mount there have been a plethora of 70-200mm 2.8 lenses from Nikon, Sigma and Tamron.
F-mount
Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G IF ED VRI
The first generation of Nikon’s 70-200mm 2.8 does not perform as well at infinity at wider apertures and its VR isn’t nearly as effective. For the typical applications for a lens like this I don’t think that matters a lot though and it can be found for bargain prices these days. I also prefer its ergonomics, as the zoom ring is where it should be.
buy from amazon.com | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) starting at $450
Nikon AF-S 70-200mm 2.8G ED VRII
I haven’t used this lens personally yet and there are some good reasons for that: it has ridiculous breathing turning it into a 70-135mm lens at closer distances which results in the really bad maximum magnification. On top of that its SWM motor which – going by all the broken samples on the used market – does not seem to be the most durable.
buy from ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) starting at $500
There have also been a bunch of 70-200mm 2.8 lenses from Sigma and Tamron, but I have no personal experience with any of these.
Z-mount
Nikon Z 70-200mm 2.8 S
The first 70-200mm 2.8 for Z-mount was released shortly after the lens being reviewed here. It looks to me like they recycled quite a bit and their fluorite elements look extremely similar. According to the MTF graphs the Z-mount lens shows an even better performance and I would actually be surprised if that wasn’t the case.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $2297 (new)
Nikon Z 70-180mm 2.8
This is a relabeled first generation Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 (see next entry). The Nikon version features a few benefits (compatibility to Nikon’s teleconverters, AF also works at closer distances), but you also pay a noticeable premium for the Nikon label.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $1047 (new)
E-mount
Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 Di III VXD:
Thanks to its successor (next lens on the list) this one got a bit cheaper on the used market. I wasn’t happy with the lack of buttons and its build quality, but if you can overlook these things this is a great affordable fast telezoom.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $1099 new or $750 used
Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 Di III VC VXD G2:
For the second generation it looks like Tamron’s engineers had a look at my review of the first one, as they addressed all the things I wasn’t happy about. The price also increased a bit, but if you are looking for a compact, capable fast telezoom it can be very well worth it.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $1299
Sony FE 70-200mm 2.8 GM OSS II:
Sony improved a lot on its lackluster first generation 70-200mm 2.8 when they came up with this one, as it has become a worthy flagship fast telezoom. It comes at a very substantial price though, putting it way out of reach for most people.
If you are mainly shooting sports and you need the most reliable tracking on your Sony A9 or A1 series camera this is the lens to get – if you can and want to afford it.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | B&H | ebay.com | ebay.de (affiliate links) for $2798
Sony FE 70-200mm 2.8 GM OSS:
I cannot really recommend this lens, it was never as good as the price suggested, the successor being a much better lens makes this really clear.
buy from amazon.com | amazon.de | ebay for $2598 (affiliate links)
Sample images
You can find most of the sample pictures in full resolution here.
Further Reading
- All Nikon Lens Reviews
- Technical Knowledge
- Review: Canon EF 70-200mm 4.0L USM
- Review: Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF – The World’s widest AF lens
- Discuss this review with our Discord community
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I have had a 70-200 f2.8 VRII since 2014 and it has and continues to perform well on my D850, D750 and F6 bodies. It is sharp at all focal lengths and has been reliable, but it is very heavy and front weighted.
Was interested in getting this FL version until I found it has an electronic aperture that limited its usability on my F6 bodies to wide open.
After getting a Z9, I thought about getting the Z 70-200. However, after finding out about and buying a Megadap ETZ21 Pro adapter to mount Sony E lenses on my Z9 with virtually native performance, I bought a Sony 70-200 f2.8 GMII instead because it is at least as sharp, faster and more silent focusing and weighs almost 3/4 lb less with better balance than the Nikon Z. The Sony is about as large as the Nikon Z bersion, but feels like a feather in comparison.
One thing to mention is that not only is this E lens not fully compatible with film cameras (F6 included), but you also need D3/D300/D700-era or more recent DSLRs to control aperture.
Regarding the VRII version, breathing or MFD were not a problem for my uses (mostly sports photography) but AF reliability was a concern. AF would often fail when the lens had not been used for a while. Manually twisting a few times the focus ring would resurrect operations, at least while I had it.
It works with every full frame DSLR ever made by Nikon, only doesn’t work with a few lower end and very old Aps-C ones. Don’t think that is a meaningful limitation as I doubt anyone who has this lens or is interested in it is still rocking a pre D300 era Aps-C camera.