I’ve been squirreling around with the Nikkor 200-500 for the past week (sorry, couldn’t pass up the really bad pun) and have some more thoughts on it for you. Cutting to the chase, for the price, it’s a really great lens! Is it AS sharp as lenses like the 80-400VR3? No, not AS sharp but it’s just a tad less. My measure? A made some 24×30 prints and only then do you see the 200-500VR is just not as sharp. If you’re not making that large of print, then you have nothing to think about. But if you look at the eye of the squirrel that is sharp and the tail that is being blown in the wind, it does an amazing job.
You might be wondering with optics truly as sweet as these for this price, just where is the trade off? IMHO it’s with the handling and AF performance. For example, the photos you see here of the Douglas Tree Squirrel, I was shooting during one of our recent storms with winds gusts up to 24mph while it was snowing. I was shooting between 1/25 & 1/40 and while the VR did a really nice job, I was handholding and my wrist was sore after shooting. That’s because the balance of the lens is not perfect. Now if you’re shooting on a tripod, that’s not a big deal and in fact, not even really relevant. But with the more expensive Nikon telephotos, balance is a big deal. The 200-500 is built like a freakin rock and with that substantial build comes physical weight which is why I think the balance is not ideal.
The other area where the 200-500 is not like other more expensive Nikkor telephotos is its AF speed is not as fast. I sure wish there was a measure of some sort or scale to communicate AF speed. I had one person ask if it was as slow as the original 80-400 and no, it’s not that slow. But then again, it’s not as fast as like the new 80-400 or 300 PF. The big question is, is the the lens good enough for your bag and is it worth the price? The 200-500 is a performer and it would be an excellent addition to anyones bag. As for the price, I don’t think Nikon is charging enough! You want to get into telephoto photography or a versatile lens with a big range, this just might be the perfect lens for you. mtc