Customer Ratings & Reviews

I purchased this lens after carefully reviewing all the reviews and more importantly, the photographs taken with this lens by the average hobbyist on sites like flickr. The pictures taken with the Nikkor 200-500mm looked a bit better than the third party lenses it competes with. You can get sharp pictures with any of the 150-600mm offerings but the Nikkor 200-500mm has more natural looking out of focus areas to my eye. I've been using this lens with and without a Nikon TC-14e III teleconverter. I'm amazed at how well the lens works with the teleconverter! Of course, you have to shoot at F8 or smaller aperture but if the light is there it auto-focuses fine on a D750, examples included.

Provides splendid quality pictures. It allowed me to get pictures from all angles during my son’s baseball game of him and all his teammates. It did take some getting use to holding as it is large and has some good weight to it. But the handle allows for good grip and hold. I am looking forward taking so many more pictures. This is a quality product and would suggest to others pending their need.

I did a lot of research on this Lens before buying it, and I'm glad I pulled the trigger on it. The Image Quality is very good and sharp especially in the central areas. I think the Lens is well made, about the same quality as the Nikon 80-400mm. For what your getting I feel the price is fantastic, this Lens has upgraded my Bird and Wildlife Images a lot. This Lens is a bit of a Beast, it's large and it's heavy. If you are going to use it all day put it on a Tripod.

First of all, I'd like to say kudos to Best Buy. (BB). My first copy of this lens had a coating defect on the front element. Even though I thoughly checked the lens before leaving the store the defect could not be seen under the flourescent lights. A BB associate followed me outside where the defect could be seen under sunlit conditions. BB then exchanged it with a new lens no questions asked. Awesome. Now, as for the lens itself the image quality is outstanding. This lens with its vibration control really locks on and produces stunning images. I like to handhold rather than place the lens on a mono/tripod and the only complaint is that this lens is heavy. This lens is a great value. With it's constant aperture and vibration reduction this lens should easily cost $500-800 more. Next on my list, a solid tripod.

Great lens, super sharp, superb auto focus, fixed aperture a plus. Rather heavy to carry especially attached to a large camera, but completely manageable for hand held shooting.

Great lens for the price. Respnsive and sharp photos. Really only con is it's quite heavy

Purchased this lens for my fiance for our honeymoon. She loves animal photography and this lens is able to capture extraordinary detail from extended ranges. The only con is to be expected, with the extent of the zoom comes at the cost of extra weight. This paired well with her D7100.

I mostly photograph birds. Before purchasing the 200-500, I was using the 70-300mm G lens on a D850. The 70-300 wasn't able to lock on focus fast enough to nail crisp eye shots. As soon as I put on the 200-500, I started nailing shots. The autofocus is faster than 70-300g and locks on to subject well. The only issue is the weight and size of lens. The camera is nicely balanced carrying it by the collar and foot. My hand does cramp after carrying lens for 2 hours.

This lens is amazing, particularly for the price. Its auto-focus is fast, the image quality excellent and the VR works like a charm. Much to my surprise, I was able to hand hold at 1/160th of a second at 500mm and get a sharp, clean image. It is large and heavy, however, so don't expect it to handle like a 200mm lens. If you're looking for a super telephoto lens that doesn't cost five figures, be sure to give this one serious consideration.

Lens appears to be quite sharp wide open. Focus speed is good. VR can work great with proper technique. Well built. Heavy but light for a lens of the focal length. Both photos are hand held images.

Pro, affordable, sharp image and quick focus con, heavy, my arm sores after a few shots. I go to gym five times a week BTW

Excellent long-range lens. I use for wildlife photography. Quick focus. Clear images. Nikkor is the best lens.

I had rented this lens several times over the last few years and was very impressed with it. The only issue I have with it is that it is quite heavy and difficult to hand hold for any period of time. Thankfully I am a firm believer in using a tripod for almost every situation. The lens focuses quickly and is tack sharp and for the price it just can not be beat in my opinion.

This is my second time reviewing this lens...I used it on my D7200 my D610 and now my D500 and it works great... NOTE if you use this on a crop body you must keep your apature at f8 or below...for some reason f5.6 just does not take a good picture...but on the D610 the f5.6 is amazing and for the price your not going to get a better lens... Bad thing...its heavy...but I'm a bird photographer and always on a tripod so weight isn't to big of a deal since I'm generally hauling 10 to 12 lbs of gear with.... If you compared this to the 5 or 600 nikon prime which is almost the cost of a car this lens is not as sharp, but it's 1399 not 13000.00... Buy it you will be happy with it The only reason it got 4 starts is from the weight and the inability to use the 5.6 on a crop body and I have had 2 copies and it isn't a defective lens...do your research on this lens.

Awesome lens. I was looking for a lens that would be perfect for the wildlife. This lens offers the ability to zoom in, without getting to close to the subject. The only con I can think of is the weight. Kinda heavy. Other then that it gets the job done

This Lens is so Versatile and Sharp, Used it on Nikon D7100, D500, D4 and D800E and performs beautiful on all, It Tracks great, used to take Professional pictures during NBA playoffs with Lebron James, Wildlife Birds in Flight, Fashion Shows, Concerts, and Even have the Macro Extension tubes so its also now a 200 0r 500mm Macro Lens...you do the math on how much that cost or exist.(only downfall is that this lens is the newer Nikon Electronic style Aperture which is silent and more accurate but make the tubes that have Mechanical lever skip sometimes, and this lens doesnt work 100% with older Cameras pre D90 that well cause newer electronics, and that its a F5.6 so when the light gets low, Higher ISOs are needed(which no problem for D4,D4s,D5)

Lens works great. Shot some full moon pictures on a crop sensor Nikon DSLR. Pictures were sharp and color was terrific. Shot handheld and on a tripod. Luckily the moon was bright enough to let me shoot handheld and use VR - worked great. Have taken other shots using the zoom - birds, flowers etc. All terrific. The lens is ever so slightly soft at 500mm but not a hindrance to taking the picture. I like the locking function where the lens locks in the 200mm position for travel etc. It's nice little detail that I use all the time.

I’ve wanted this lens since it first came out some 2 years ago. It is a great value at the regular price for a Nikon telephoto zoom that reaches 500mm and has a reputation for being sharp wide open. When Nikon discounted the lens in July 2018, I broke down and bought it. It is fantastic - very sharp and contrasty - and my only regret is that I didn’t buy it sooner. I’ve used it for capturing outfield action at baseball games. It is a great lens for wildlife. Is it big and heavy? Yes. Is it hand holdable? Yes - but not for extended periods of time. I put a Kirk lens plate on mine and it balances fine on an arca-Swiss system ballhead or monopod head. I recommend that you use a safety strap (such as a Blackrapid strap) when carrying the lens.

This lens fills a gap. The zoom goes from 200 to 500 and that nicely complements my 55 to 200 zoom lens. It's heavy weighing in at 5 lbs 1 oz with the tripod collar. You'll want at least a monopod to support it in the field. The price is reasonable for this size lens. It's typical Nikon quality; very good.

This is a fantastic lens for wildlife - birds specifically - the only downside is it IS large and heavy but it takes fantastic shots, even hand held! Amazing lens