Nikon AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR

Nikon AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR

This is quite possibly the very best zoom lens ever produced. I have wanted the AF-S 200-400mm VR ever since it was first announced. I was able to use one several times since its introduction, which only led to me wanting it even more. That being said, this is not a bread and butter lens for me obviously. Taking into account the sizable investment needed to obtain one, I just couldn't immediately justify it. I really, really wanted this lens though, so I have been putting a little money aside for a while separate from my normal 'upgrades and replacements' fund. I was finally able to pull the trigger for it whilst in the US recently - note though, I may have finally had the money to buy it but finding somewhere that would sell it to me was another issue entirely...

So what is it that makes the Nikon AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR so special? It is a moderately fast lens, but there is a big difference from a sexy f/2.8 to a f/4 aperture beyond what the single extra stop would indicate. The AF-S 200-400mm VR may only be an f/4 lens, but it has an incredibly useful range that picks up perfectly from where the other Nikon professional zoom's leave off.

So on the one hand you can have a 300mm f/2.8 VR lens and add a teleconverter to get to a similar focal length and aperture, but the ease and utility of having the zoom instantly available can be priceless when seconds count. It has all the technological wizardry of Nikon's newest professional lenses, so there are no concern's you are giving up anything if those are important to you. But no matter how handy a zoom may be, if it doesn't hold up when compared to a comparable prime in the image quality, the conversation is over as image quality is always the first concern for most people and certainly for me.

Needless to say, the AF-S 200-400mm VR hold's its own very well indeed. This lens has been designed to shoot exceptionally well from the get go. At f/4, it is incredibly sharp and I doubt anybody, no matter how critical, could have cause to complain. I will not claim that the 200-400mm VR doesn't get sharper still when stopped down to f/5.6, but in my tests there is no reason to go any further as it doesn't get noticeably better stopped down beyond f/5.6.

The focus speed on my D300 and the D3 I occasionally use when in Florida is very quick. There is no cause for concern there, even when adding a 1.4 tele the focus speed holds up well, although a touch slower than when its used without the convertor. The colour and saturation is everything you'd expect from the best of Nikons modern professional lenses - excellent. The only hiccup in this otherwise perfect score, is a slight propensity to flare in extreme situations, but it is really only a small issue in the worst of situations in my experience and not something I'd personally hold against the lens.

The Nikon AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR is built to the very best of Nikon's professional lens standards. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that of the current lenses available in the Nikon lens line-up, this is the best zoom lens made. The craftmanship is fantastic, it all just works. The zoom ring is the closer of the two rings which makes sense and the focus ring is a little wider which makes it easy to distingush; although its not a lens that is easy to confuse which ring is which anyway. The number of switches and dials on the side of the lens looks like a command centre, but they all have a purpose and will hardly be used once you've got the lens set-up to your liking. I for one, was a little surprised by how narrow the lens is, but it is slightly longer than the AF-S 300mm f/2.8 VR which can be deceiving as the 200-400mm VR seems to be a smaller lens than it is in reality.

The Nikon AF-S 200-400mm f/4 VR is a remarkable lens in every sense. I love this lens and look forward to having a reason to use its abilities. The build, sharpness, lack of CA, saturation, usefull and unintrusive vibration reduction all add up to a lens that makes being a Nikon user a whole lot easier of a decision. There is no finer zoom lens available from any manufacturer and what more can you say than that.