Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Above from left to right: Nikon 80-400mm + 200-500mm, Sigma 150-600mm Sports + Contemporary, Tamron 150-600mm Oddly my D810 will attempt to focus when used with my TC-20E III or original TC-20E, which makes this into a 400-1,000mm f/11.
As much as I like the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 lens’s optics, one feature brings its quality down a bit. What is that? The autofocus speed. The motor can’t focus as fast as on some telephoto lenses – not on the Nikon D500, nor even the D5. To put things into perspective, even the highly-regarded Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR II, known for its impressive close-focusing capabilities, has a similar MFD of 2.3m (7.5 ft). However, the Nikon 200-500 outperforms it since it has a 200mm advantage. This allows you to fill the frame more with stunning detail. A few paragraphs above, I praised the Nikon D500’s autofocus, and now I want to throw dirt on it? Well, I kind of do. Granted, most of my issues with the D500’s focusing are directed at DSLRs in general, not so much this particular camera.
Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR review – In use
On my F6 (2004) and F5 (1996), AF, VR, 3D Matrix Metering and auto exposure modes all work perfectly, except that the only auto or manual aperture setting available is f/5.6. Otherwise the finder displays and everything works perfectly.
Since it covers a broad range of focal lengths, the 200-500mm f/5.6 is great for these spontaneous situations. Optical PerformanceAs you can see from this review, the 200-500mm VR outperformed both Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary and Tamron 150-600mm VC at 500mm. What’s more impressive, is how the lens behaves when coupled with the Nikon TC-14E III 1.4x teleconverter. Unlike the 80-400mm VR, the 200-500mm VR worked admirably with the 1.4x TC, with fast and relatively accurate autofocus performance. This means that the lens could be compared to both Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary and Tamron 150-600mm at 600mm as well. And as I have demonstrated, the 200-500mm VR with the 1.4x teleconverter is capable of actually challenging the two lenses in sharpness, something I honestly did not expect to see. Binoculars Vortex Binoculars Canon Binoculars Swarovski Binoculars Hawke Binoculars Celestron Binoculars Nikon Binoculars Steiner Binoculars Zeiss Binoculars Binocular Accessories In my field and lab tests, I found the vibration reduction of the Nikon 200-500mm VR to be very effective. The lens provided sharp results even when shooting 3–4 stops below the reciprocal rule recommendation, which is what one would normally get with the latest generation Vibration Reduction system on Nikkor lenses. As usual, letting the lens stabilize and using a solid hand-holding technique was important in reducing the number of blurry images due to camera shake. The D500 has a very capable sensor that has enough resolution for most applications, excellent dynamic range, and good performance at high ISOs. The tripod-collar and mount weighs 208g and looks much sturdier than the flimsy collar of the Nikon 80-400mm zoom. It can be completely removed from the lens when you’ve detached the lens from the camera. Unfortunately my tests showed that the shutter slap of the D810 still introduces unwanted blur at shutter speeds around 1/25. So be careful and use electronic first curtain to eliminate this source of shake if you shoot from a tripod.
Unlike the new Canon 100-400mm II that focuses so close that it replaces 70-200mm and macro lenses, this Nikon 200-500mm can't zoom wide enough or focus close enough to replace a general-purpose telephoto.Shot full-frame on D810 at f/5.6 at 1/250 at 500mm. Camera-original file to explore on your computer. According to Nikon’s own claims, the 200-500mm f/5.6 lens is not weather sealed. Many times, I have watched with concern as water droplets ran down the lens – worst of all when I’m zoomed to 500mm, and the barrel is extended – but so far, it has bravely endured everything I put it through. Unlike me, it has never developed any water damage during a trip to the tropics.
This gave me a some time to acquaint myself with the lens. Undoubtedly, tipping the scales at 2.3kg, this is a beefy lens. Despite its weight, it is possible to shoot handheld, thanks to the addition of Nikon’s Vibration Reduction anti-shake system, which claims handheld shutter speeds of up to 4.5EV slower than normal. As seen with a few other Nikon lenses in the past year or so, there’s also the inclusion of a Sport mode, designed for shooting moving subjects (including panning), which delivers a smoother display in the viewfinder, and allows you to shoot at a faster burst rate. On my F3 (1980), focus is of course manual, and VR doesn't work on manual cameras either. Metering and exposure work perfectly. This 200-500 is strictly a long-range lens. It's also big and heavy, so get this 200-500 for airshows, birds, surveillance, intelligence gathering, sunsets and other long-range uses, and you'll still need your regular telephoto along with it.A and M modes indicate P mode in the finder—and everything works at f/5.6 just fine with auto or manual exposure and meter modes as you've selected. Optics: 19 elements in 12 groups. This is pretty low compared to the 150-600 Sports with 24 elements in 16 groups. The lens has three extra-low dispersion elements but no Nano-coating. [+] Humidity of the tropics? Not a problem for the D500 (a bigger problem for my underwear). I regularly lay the D500 in dust, dirt, wet moss, and mud. No issues. The camera sealing apparently works.
Great Deal 
New Comment