AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 AFS ED-IF AF

[sonicpnl]

I am almost ready to drop some serious money for me on this or

similar lens. Does anyone have any experience and knowledge on how

good this lens is. Does the VR really work? Does this lens also

work well on a tripod? Is there a similar non G lens? (I own an

FM3A). Save from dropping serious bucks uselesly. Took a lot of

time to save. Thnk you in advance.

[mskovacs]

There are a whole variety of AF 80-200/2.8 lenses available: push/pull zoom w/o tripod collar, 2 ring zoom w/o tripod collar, 2 ring zoom w/ tripod collar, 2 ring AF-S zoom w/ tripod collar. (none have VR) Personally, I'd go for one of the last two in the list above, the very last if you think you'll "go AF" anytime soon.

 

VR won't work on an FM3A or any camera without multiple AF sensors anyhow.

[chuck___3]

Forget the 70-200/2.8 AF-S VR. It doesn't work on the FM3A. Your available choices are the 80-200/2.8 AFS and various models of 80-200/2.8 AF (non AFS). The 80-200 AFS model is optically the best, being comparable to the 70-200 AFS VR. But it cost extra money for its AFS feature, which your FM3A doesn't use. The various non AFS 80-200 models are optically not quite at the very top of their catagory (but are still very good indeed), but they are cheaper and lighter, and are your best bets.<p>

 

All the non-AFS 80-200 models feature identical optics. So there is nothing to choose as far as optics go. The earlier models uses a single sliding/ratating collar for both focusing and zoomming. Later model uses 2 spearate rotating only collars for focusing and zooming. For manual focusing, the earlier model with sliding/zooming collar is probably better.

[elliot]

Zoom lenses are less than ideal for manual focus. Generally, they have shorter focusing throw than equivalent prime lenses, which makes them harder to focus critically. The 180mm lenses (AF, and manual focus), and the 85mm lenses (Also both AF and manual focus) will all work fine on your fm3a. Also, any of the 85mm lenses, even the slowest ones, have wider apertures than the zoom. Some of the 80-200mm lenses are better suited for tripod use, however, as they have tripod mounts built into the lens. Since you mention it taking a lot of time to save the $, it is worth mentioning that used manual lenses can be had for next to nothing nowadays. I have saved lots of $ buying used lenses. Just look for lenses that are clean, undamaged, and fully functional. I would say that 90% of my lenses were purchased used, and I have no complaints. Just steer clear of beat-up gear.

[cham_saranasuriya]

Hi Paul,

 

Check at http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html.

[rick_walker]

The 70-200mm 2.8 VR is an incredibly good lens, but as others have mentioned, it won't work on your FM3A. There are several ways you could go. If you want to get a f2.8 lens, I would recommend a used 80-200mm f2.8 two ring lens. They're going pretty cheap right now and are quite excellent. The two ring configuration and the built-in tripod mount make it very suitable for use on a tripod. There's no trouble using this lens in manual focusing mode - I did it all the time for about five years with this lens. I wouldn't recommend the one touch versions of this lens as they lack the tripod mount. Not only does that put additional stress on your camera body, but more importantly, it's very inconvenient when shooting verticals.

 

Another alternative if you just want a quality zoom lens in this range, but don't absolutely need an f2.8 lens is to get a used 80-200mm 4.0 AIS lens. You can find these pretty inexpensively and they work very well with an FM3A. That will enable you to save your money for a point in time that you get an AF body, and then you can get the 70-200mm VR lens. Like I said before, the 70-200 VR is a great lens and certainly worth purchasing, but you'll need a recent AF body to make it work. The VR works very well and there's no problem using it on a tripod - just make sure to flip the VR off when you do that.

[todd peach seattle, washi]

I'm quite happy with my Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AFD (w/ tripod collar). I think these are trading now for $550 - 900 (used - new). I have no difficulty using it on manual focus cameras, and the AF is pretty snappy on an F100.