Customer Ratings & Reviews

I had no doubts about this lens but to actually use it drives home what best means. From build quality to optical quality this is a must have lens. I'm using it on a DX D7100 where the effective focal length is 105-300 and the crop factor uses the best part of the lens. The image quality is superior. Even wide open the images are tack sharp, and minimal fall off at full zoom. There's no vignietting that I can see throughout the zoom range. One advantage on DX is that at 70mm the image is just about 1:1. The images are contrasts too which I find through the nikon lineup. I don't just recommended this lens, I insist upon having one if you are serious about shooting. It's the perfect portrait lens and versatile enough to use for sports and wildlife. Focus is vary fast though it does hesitate in low contrast situations. Let me put it this way: there is nothing out the to compare it with. This is a 77mm filter ring so it's common throughout the pro line of Nikkor pro lenses if you use filters. The lens is heavy, metal body, lots of glass, so a monopod or tripod is suggested but no required. The lens and camera combo is very well balanced on the lenses tripod foot which also acts likes great carrying handle. Price wise it seems expensive but when you realize what it is your holding in your hands, it almost seems cheap, almost. The VR works! Handheld shots at full zoom and slow shutter speeds would be impossible without it. Finally, Gold ring N lenses generally have great resale value so this lens, if cared for, will make most of your money back even many years from now. Enjoy!

While the price of this lens is expensive, the quality is worth every penny. I mostly use the lens for taking action photos and it has not disappointed. It does very well in low light. It is heavy, but after shooting with it for a while you get used to the extra weight. I would definitely recommend this lens for the serious photographer.

This is the best adjustable lens I own, and it is worthy every cent. Super sharp all across its field, corners included, regardless of setting. I use it on a Nikon 800 and with a little cropping it is just as good as a 300 mm lens.

Use it with a D810, superb results. It is heavy though.

This pro glass gives amazing sharpness, background blurr, and all around fantastic lens!

As good as a prime lens, and tack sharp! Buttery bokeh, and a very durable lens. It may seem heavy for long hauls, but it's not too heavy. Fits great into my Lowpro Flipside 400 bag too! Highly recommend, so save up!

This is my first "pro level" lens and I did a lot of research before getting it. You really do get what you pay for- a fast lens with crisp shots and the aperture you need. You can use this all-around. I've shot soccer games, marching band performances, and events in my church. The bokeh is what you want and it delivers.

The images are razor sharp with this lens. I can get crisp shots of subjects taken at a distance, crop them and still produce an acceptable close-up image. Subjects taken at more normal distances are breathtakingly sharp. This lens produces wonderful, creamy Bokeh. The sharpness and Bokeh, combined with the excellent bright color rendition of this lens, makes this one a true classic.

As an amateur photographer, this lens was a stretch to justify. However, the picture quality is absolutely amazing and worth every penny - this lens will not disappoint. The VR is also a significant feature and allows the photographer (or student) to get away with the near impossible in low light, high zoom conditions. I am using this lens on a D750 Nikon and all functions work flawlessly.

nice. fast. sharp lens. beautiful bokeh heavy. but worth it

Perfect lens with outstanding photos. Primarily used for outdoor sports. In flat or low light it's still fast. Impeccable quality. Very happy and would recommend this lens for anyone interested in action sports photography.

Second lens to my arsenal. The research I did and reviews I read didn't disappoint. If you are an enthusiast or pro, this is a must-have/go-to lens. Great for indoor/low-light sports, portraits, and weddings. Tack sharp, and at 2.8f perfect blurry backgrounds.

Lens works great as advertised. Images are tack sharp. Lens is very heavy but that's due to it being well built. This lens seems to be able to take a beating due to the way it is constructed. Auto focus is really fast. I purchased this lens to shoot pictures at high school sporting events under lights and indoors. It has really impressed me so far. If you are looking for a really fast low light lens then this is the one for you. Once you get past the sticker shock and try this lens I think you will be glad you spent the money because it is well worth it.

I bought this lens for taking indoors sports pictures of my child's activities. The lens works awesome - as many others have stated. Focuses fast. Great pictures. Yes it is expensive - but worth every dollar.

Nothing but greatness comes from this lens. Heavy but built like a tank. Sharp and contrasty I use this with my Nikon D750.

This is an amazing Lens... I have an older version the 80-200 2.8 and while it was sharp, it was never as silent and responsive as this new version. The sharpness and the clarity on the pictures is great. The fact that it also has the VR-II is also a great addition. I would recommend this lens to any photographer amateur and Pro alike. Great Speed, accuracy, sharpness and very silent and smooth.

Replacing an old 80-200AF-S. The old lens appears sharper and more contrasty in the center. It did exhibit a lot of drop-off in the corners. The new lens is MUCH better in that respect. The VR works far better than I expected and is very welcome since I use it in poor light most of the time. My tripod is getting lonely. All around, I much prefer the new lens.

Great performance on a telephoto lens. Excellent quality of photos. Vibration reductions comes in handy during night shooting without tripod.

I purchased this lens about three weeks ago and it has exceeded all of my expectations. I was skeptical about the $2100 price tag and was thing about going with the cheaper AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR for $1400. The lens is built like a tank and the picture quality is amazing. It was worth the extra $700 for the 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II.

Exceptional performance with my Nikon D610 full-frame camera. Lightning fast focus on sports events. Sharpness of the images are unbelievable. Cannot recommend a better lens for portraits. (Sample image attached is not full res due to the upload restriction of 5MB, Full res images are over 5MB)