Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens

Product Information

And here is a a graph that shows the spread of light falloff across the image frame at 135mm, f/4 (worst vignetting levels): You'll see some difference at two stops difference, but from one stop to the next, it's negligible — and not worth hauling an f/2.8 lens that weighs and costs twice as much! The Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR has more noticeable distortion when compared to the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. It suffers from both barrel and pincushion distortion at short and long focal lengths and pincushion distortion is most pronounced at 200mm. Here are the measured distortion results from Imatest:

The most popular and well-known configuration of a 70-200mm lens is a 70-200mm f/2.8. These are the best choice, with their fast, constant f/2.8 aperture that gives you plenty of latitude to work in low light and also allows for the creation of shallow depth of field. The Nikon 70-200/4 VR has a lot of distortion; twice as much as the 70-200/2.8 VR II. The good news is that recent digital cameras like the D4, D800, D800E, D600, D90, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100 and D7000 can be set to correct the distortion automatically in-camera. Thanks to Nikon's Nano-crystal coating, incidences of flare and ghosting are very rare indeed. Contrast holds up incredibly well, even when shooting into the light at maximum aperture. A deep circular hood comes supplied with the lens, which does a decent job of shading the lens from extraneous light that may cause issues.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Sample Photos

However, these lenses are designed for pros, and as such they tend to come with hefty pro-level price tags. If you're looking for something a little more budget-friendly, 70-200mm f/4 lenses can also be a good choice. They have the advantage of being lighter to carry, so can be a great choice for keeping your kit relatively lightweight and mobile. Some 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses, as we'll see, are seriously hefty bits of kit! IS: yes, the new version 3 of Nikon’s VR system. Nikon claims it gives you up to 5 stops of stabilization, one stop more than with the previous version 2. [+] of these are ED (Extra-low Dispersion Glass), and one is HRI, with a very high index of refraction.

No air pumps in and out with this 70-200, so there is no air blowing out of your eyepiece or blowing dirt into your camera..Let’s take a look at how the lens compares to the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 and Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Macro that I used in this comparison: Feature Weighing 850g, the AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/4G ED VR is significantly lighter and more compact than Nikon's other pro-level telephoto zoom lenses. We found that it balanced well on the Nikon D4 body and proved to not be too much of a burden when used all day long.

Just like the MTF charts showed, the lens shows excellent performance in the center, with a slight degradation of image quality in the mid-frame and the corners. Everything works perfectly on every digital Nikon ever made, both FX and DX, from the best D4, D800, D800E and D600 to Nikon's cheapest digitals like the D40, D40x, D60, D3000, D3100, D3200, D5000, D5100 and D5200.I value portability and utility over ultimate laboratory performance. If all I wanted to do was shoot test charts, this 70-200/4 is the way to go for you tripod and NEF guys — it's undefeated for sharpness. I wouldn't bother with this new tele-only lens if you already own the 28-300mm VR, 18-200mm VR or 18-300mm VR. If you do own one of those other lenses and get this 70-200mm VR, do not carry both at the same time. See Assembling a System. The Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/4G ED VR is Nikon’s newest addition to the popular range of 70-200mm zooms. But this time it is not a replacement for an older lens but an alternative to the top of the range AF-S 70-200/2.8G ED VR. The not yet released Tamron SP AF 70-200mm 2.8 Di VC USD: The cheapest listing of around 1500 EUR certainly is not a real street price yet. When used on a DX camera, it gives angles of view similar to what a 105-300mm lens gives when used on an FX or 35mm camera.

There are a couple of differences worth noting here. While the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G has a maximum aperture of f/4, its minimum aperture is also smaller at f/32 (versus f/22 on the 70-200mm f/2.8G). Next, it obviously has a simpler optical design with 20 elements in 14 groups, while the 70-200mm f/2.8G has 21 elements in 16 groups. The new Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR also comes with a brand new, third generation Vibration Reduction (VR) technology, which Nikon claims can provide up to 5 stops of image stabilization. This is interesting, because while the new 70-200mm f/4 lens is one stop slower than the 70-200mm f/2.8, in some situations it regains the light loss with better VR control. After playing with the lens for sometime, I must admit that the VR on the 70-200mm f/4 is in fact better. I am sure Nikon will be using this new VR system in all future lenses, because it really works. The number of ED elements in the 70-200mm f/4G lens design is fewer: 3 versus 7 on the 70-200mm f/2.8G. A big advantage, in my opinion for the 70-200mm f/4G is its closer focusing distance of 3.28 ft versus 4.6 ft on the f/2.8G version. Because the barrel size is smaller, the filter size is also smaller – 67mm versus 77mm. And lastly, it is a smaller and significantly cheaper lens. But what about everything else? Looks like the rest of the features are pretty much exactly the same. Both lenses have a 9 blade diaphragm, both are coated with Nano Coated glass, both have Super Integrated Coating, AF-S motor and Internal Focusing. MTF and Sharpness N: Magic Nano-crystal coating, meaning a coating which varies its index of refraction continuously to achieve even greater reflection reduction. It's probably only on one surface, and is used mostly for marketing purposes. Closest focus distance/max. magnification: 1.0 m (3.3 ft) / 1:3.6. In my test I was able to go down to almost 1:3.3. This is pretty useful for capturing nature close-up – see one of my images from the gallery. And it also means that the effective focal length shrinks only some 12% when focusing close. [+] Filter size of 67mm is a definite disadvantage for the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G – it is the only one in the group that does not have the standard 77mm filter thread. Given the smaller size of the lens barrel, I can understand why Nikon went with a smaller filter, but for many of us that rely on filters, it means buying additional rings to accommodate filters and filter holders. If you happen to use filters a lot, just get a 67mm to 77mm filter adapter and keep it on the lens for convenience. Now 5 feet is obviously too close, so let’s do slightly more realistic numbers. When doing my lab tests, I measured that the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II at 200mm is equivalent to the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR at 170mm, both at a distance of 13 feet. If I plug those numbers to the same calculator this time, I end up with 0.29 feet of depth of field for both lenses. What this all means, is that the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G yields shallower depth of field than the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G from the closest focusing distance to about 13 feet, again because of difference in focal lengths. Past 13 feet, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G starts to take over, because the lens breathing effect starts to wear out and the lens recovers most of its focal length. Again, this shows that the 70-200mm f/4G would be much better suited for close-up work than the 70-200mm f/2.8.In spite of the Nano Crystal Coat element, claimed mostly for marketing purposes, with 20 elements in 14 groups, if you point this in the sun and look in the darkest parts of the image, you'll see some ghosts. Weighing only 850g, this lens is relatively lightweight and compact, especially when compared to Nikon's f/2.8 70-200mm lens, which weighs almost twice as much. The lens barrel is constructed form high quality plastics and the lens mount is metal, with a rubber gasket to help prevent the ingress of dust and moisture into the camera. Unfortunately the lens itself is not weather sealed though. The lens balances well on the Nikon D700 used for testing and should feel right at home on even Nikon's more compact entry level bodies due to the light weight. Measu ring 78x179mm and weighing 850g, this is a travel-friendly lens that’s easy to stow and carry, and is comfortable for prolonged periods of handheld shooting. It’s also light enough to not require a tripod mounting ring for shooting with a tripod or monopod, although Nikon offers one as an optional extra. The lens is also compatible with Nikon’s 1.4x, 1.7x and 2.0x teleconverters although, with the last of these, the widest available aperture narrows to f/8. Coated optical glass elements certainly help with handling ghosting and flare on the 70-200mm f/4G VR. Take a look at how it handled direct sun when compared to the rest of the group: