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Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens
This is the first 2x super telephoto Nikkor lens to be fitted with both VR (Vibration Reduction) and SWM (Silent Wave Motor). The AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED features a super telephoto zoom reach with the advantages of Vibration Reduction for increased photographic opportunities in low light. Nikon HB-30 lens hood included.
Average customer rating:
(4 Reviews) 4
Rating Snapshot (4 reviews)
5 stars
4
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
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1 star
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4 / of 4(100%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer reviews for Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens
Review 1 for Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens
Really is best lens purchase ever
Overall Rating:
Ease of use:
5
5
Value for money:
5
5
Build quality:
5
5
Sharpness:
5
5
Autofocus:
5
5
Written By: Anonymous
(Essex,)
Date:20 May 2010
I've used this product for: less than a month
Expertise: Expert
"All the other reviews are spot on this really is one amazing bit of kit."
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Review 2 for Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens
The best there is!
Overall Rating:
Ease of use:
5
5
Value for money:
5
5
Build quality:
5
5
Sharpness:
5
5
Autofocus:
5
5
Written By: RobM
(UK)
Date:21 September 2009
I've used this product for: 6-12 months
Expertise: Expert
Pros: vr works, sharpness is incredible wide open, doesn't fit a canon haha!, sharpness, colour and contrast are exceptional
Cons: heavy but what did you expect?, tripod foot is not rigid enough, supplied bag won't hold an attached camera
"This is a huge chunk of Nikons finest engineering that just delivers beyond expectation. First thing you notice is the quality and robustness of the build, everything just glides with just the right amount of resistance and you know this is built to survive hard use. This is without doubt a pro lens that will take whatever you can throw at it and more.
That's nice to know, but it's the optical quality that you buy a lens like this for and that is even more exciting than the build quality. I have a range of Nikon pro glass (12-24, 24-70, 70-200, 85mm f1.4) and this matches or surpasses all of them and what is even more impressive is it's performance wide open. I'm fairly sure that when they were designing the optics they must have worked on the assumption that it will be used at f4 or f5.6 for most shots and as a result this lens really works exceptionally well wide open, even on a D3. There is no need to stop down for corner sharpness, it's there at f4 and is about perfect at 5.6. Wow! The quality of the image falling on the sensor is just so good, colours are vibrant, contrast is very very good and sharpness is there at all apertures. I've used this on a D300 (as a 300-600mm F4-how cool is that?) and a D3 and it is 'beyond belief' good on both sensors. This lens out performs anything you can bolt it to.
On something this big hand held shots are always going to be a challenge. I'm a fairly average sort of bloke and I can hand hold for limited periods of time but a monopod makes life much easier. For fast moving shots, especially birds you probably need to go to the gym though. But the good news is that the VR works really well and even if you're wobbling around it will give you sharp pictures. I try to keep the shutter speed as high as I can but have taken pin sharp pictures at 1/100th 400mm hand held, and that's not a one off but a consistent finding. It may have something to do with how I hold it but it does outperform the 70-200 in both stabilisation and picture quality. It will be interesting to see if the new 70-200 comes up to this standard.
A surprise was the ability to work as a macro, well almost. Closest focus is a little over 6 foot and at 400mm this gives you a really large image on the sensor, especially on a crop sensor. Don't know what the ratio is but it's not far off being a half decent macro lens. It will never replace a true macro but it's useful.
There are just a couple of things I think could be improved, and neither is about the optics. First is the tripod foot which is a bit too flexible. I believe Kirk make a replacement which resolves the issue, but on a lens of this cost it should be better. The second is the supplied bag come rucksack. It's well made and robust (although subject to a recent Nikon recall on my variant) but you can't use it to hold an attached body. I don't think it would have taken much effort to accomodate a pro body and cost would have been negligable and it's a bit of an oversight which might mean having to pay another £100-£200 for another bag that's only marginally bigger.
So how does it compare to the 200mm f2 or the 300mm and 400mm f2.8's? Not a clue, never used them but the image quality this produces can't be far off the primes as it's almost impossible to fault the images it produces. Obviously if you need f2 or f2.8 then they may be a better purchase but this gives you the versatility of a zoom with no image degradation at all.
This is a stunning piece of glass."
7 / 7 people found this review useful.
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Review 3 for Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens
Well worth the money
Overall Rating:
Ease of use:
5
5
Value for money:
5
5
Build quality:
5
5
Sharpness:
5
5
Autofocus:
5
5
Written By: jdtate101
(Midlands)
Date:12 April 2009
I've used this product for: 1-3 months
Expertise: Expert
Pros: sharp sharp sharp, brilliant iq and contrast, vr really works well, enough reach for most occations, solid build with quality
Cons: too heavy for hands free over long periods
"Expensive, but you get what you pay for. Very sharp wide open and even better stoppped down. On FX with a TC14-II you get 560mm@f/5.6 or on DX you get 840mm@f/5.6, which is more than enough reach for wildlife and sports. Combined with the VR it's a real winner. A bit too heavy to use handheld for a long time, but with a monopod its really workable.
The focus memory function can be a life saver when you are working from a fixed location and need to return to a focus plain instantly.
Cant recommend this high enough, but buy the TC14-II at the same time !!!!!"
The focus memory function can be a life saver when you are working from a fixed location and need to return to a focus plain instantly.
Cant recommend this high enough, but buy the TC14-II at the same time !!!!!"
1 / 1 people found this review useful.
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Review 4 for Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens
Best Purchase ever.
Overall Rating:
Ease of use:
4
5
Value for money:
5
5
Build quality:
5
5
Sharpness:
5
5
Autofocus:
5
5
Written By: Rami
(Vantaa, Finland)
Date:08 March 2009
I've used this product for: 1-3 months
Expertise: Intermediate
"I purchased this lens to photography wildlife.
This lens is amazing, very sharp, quick focus and
VR works very well.
It is everything the reviewers say.
I am very happy with it."
This lens is amazing, very sharp, quick focus and
VR works very well.
It is everything the reviewers say.
I am very happy with it."
2 / 2 people found this review useful.
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