VR ( vibration reduction ( Nikon )) or IS ( image stabilization ( Canon )) is a technology that helps to get sharper images by reducing lens shake. Gyrosenors quantify the amount of camera shake and little motors drive a lens element in a way that the resulting image on film or CCD remains exactly in the same position. This is amazing but even more amazing is that it works! This technology is the only way to get sharp images with telephotolenses under less than perfect conditions i.e. if its windy.

AF VR Zoom-Nikkor ED 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D

Why now?

When I first saw the lens in the shop 2 years ago I did not like it because Nikon dropped the AF-S for marketing reasons and I didn´t want to buy a new telephotolens without hypersonic AF. I also didn´t like the "plastic" feel of the lens compared with my 2.8/80-200 or my old 4/300. So what made me buy this lens now?

I took a lot of bird pictures out of my car and used a beanbag rested on my window to support my lens ( 4/300 with 1.4TC which gives a 630mm on my D1 ). At home I discovered that most of the shots are blurred. Even with the beanbag ( maybe the best support for a lens ) every image with a shutterspeed slower than 1/1000 sec was unsharp.

I discovered that the wind was responsible because he shooked the car during my exposures. Its like taking pictures on a small boat - a tripod or beanbag makes no sense if the whole boat turns up and down in the waves. Shooting speeds 1/1000 sec or faster is not an option because there seldom is enough light for these speeds.

Solution: VR or IS lens. If you have a Canon system you have a lot of lenses to choose but if you use Nikon you don´t have any choice so far. The only lens is the 80-400 VR. On a film based camera this isn´t enough telephoto at all and there is no way to use converters with this lens but on a D1-series camera it becomes a 120-600 lens with the size of an 2.8/80-200 and this IS nice.

How is it built?

I mentioned a kind of plastic feel when I first saw it but I think this is not fair. Nikon changed the Design from the old, full metall lenses to a metall, magnesium and plastic mix to make the lenses lighter. Solid steel is nice as long as you don´t have to carry it around the whole day. This lens has about the same weight as the 2.8/80-200 or the 4/300 and it has about the same size too.

The tripod collar has been discussed a lot but I think that Nikon has improved it a little. This is just a feel because I think if you tighten the knob it is steady enough to avoid shaking of the lens. Anyway this is an VR-lens and you can rely on VR even if the lens is attached on a tripod. Yes VR has not to turned of when using a tripod. It works great on a tripod too.

The lens hood is not integrated but long enough to work efficient. Zooming is smooth enough and the lens would not turn to maximum tele by itself if holded upside down. I had a 135-400 Sigma once and this drived my crazy. The ring to switch between AF and MF is well located and as you need not push a knob and turn the ring at the same time like on the old 2.8/20-35 or 2.8/80-200 it is faster on use. AF-S would still be the better option ( you can´t always get what you want ).

AF-performance:

As mentioned no AF-S. This is a shame and this lens would be close to perfect with AF-S. I´m not sure that the cut in the cost where that dramatic. Instead of the integrated AF-motor there is a very fancy AF-MF switching ring that will cost a lot too.

Anyway no AF-S. So how is AF-perfomance of this lens. It could be better but it is not that worse - it´s close to my 2.8/80-200. It is by far better than on my 4/300 especially if used with the Sigma 1.4TC. The focus limitter is just a switch so the lens will focus from 2.3 to 3.5m or from 5 to infinity. As I´m taking pictures of birds I would prefer a third setting that works from 15 to infinity. This would be great if taking pictures of birds in flight where AF hunts wildly if you loose your subject for a second.

But beside this AF is fast enough to track an animal. OK but just if your subject is a turtle. I have a different point of view regarding AF-speed after I get used to the speed of my AF-S 2.8/300. Switching to MF is fast. I need this very often when shooting birds in the reeds. Manual focusing is smooth and accurate.

AF-performance is good enough on a D1/F5/F100 but may be way to slow on a low budget body! AF-perfomance is not good ebough for fast moving action or flightshots.

VR - Does it work?

YES! It works. I was impressed how I can see the image stabilzation works before I take the picture. I you handhold the lens on its long end the image in the viewfinder jumps up and down - then you touch the trigger - the image stands still if you were using a tripod. This is great and protect me eyes from getting tired. I don´t use the full capability of VR because my main subject now are birds and I have to keep shutterspeeds at 1/250 or faster to avoid blurred images by subject movement. I tried it down to 1/60 at 600mm and even down to 1/8 at 120mm and get useable results.

I would never ever buy a telephotolens without image stabilization again. Hope Nikon catch up with Canon and bring out some primes. Never say never again. I bought a AF-S 2.8/300 ED as an 80-400VR replacement. I would rate lens speed and AF-speed over VR now though would like to have VR-feature especially with the TC20 attached.

Image quality:

This is not easy to do for me because I didn´t shoot slides till now. I think watching slides on a lightbox with a quality loupe is the only way to do if you want to talk about the image quality of a lens. Anyway I don´t want to shoot slides anymore thats why I switched to digital. But I can compare the results with what I get from my other lenses.

Well it is no prime BUT for a 5 times telezoom the imagequality is extremly good. I used my 4/300 wide open most of the time and it gave me extreme sharp and clear images. With the 80-400 on the long end I mainly shoot at 8 or even 11 to gain sharpness but have no problem to use it wide open if I want a blurred background. Because of its 9 blade design the subject pops out very good from the background. More than I expected from a lens with a 5.6 aperature wide open.

Two stops down from wide open this lens is as sharp as a prime! At 5.6 it is slightly softer comparable with the 2.8/80-200 on the long end at 2.8. Which is still good. Vignetting on a D1 is zero and should be because a todays digicam sees only through the middle of the lens. Contrast is high and colors are very nice.

I found out that the quality of images taken with 400ASA are very much the same than the qualtiy of pictures taken with 200ASA. So I switch to 400ASA in low light situation and shot with 8 to gain depth of field and sharpness.

Conclusion:

Would I recommend this lens. For film based cameras I would NOT because:

1. 400mm is not long enough for wildlife or birds. Teleconverters makes no sense on a 5 times zoom

2. The lens is too slow. Shooting Velvia at 40ASA would not be fun with this lens.

3. AF would be too slow on every camera except F5 or F100

BUT on a D1-series camera this lens is really great. AF is fast enough and the image quality is very good.

You can do most of your landscape shots ( beside wildlife or birds ) without changing lenses ( dirt on CCD ). You can compensate the slow 5.6 with higher ISO-settings without effecting image quality very much. The D1/80-400VR combo is light enough to handhold if taking pictures of birds in flight or to carry along in the field.

Like many photoenthusiasts I loaded me down to often by carring to much equipment when in the field. Now I take my D1 with the 80-400 attached and some CF-cards in a small pocket. If I like to do some closups I add my 3.5/180 HSM Sigma ( I use the wonderful bag that comes with the 80-400 on a strap ) and my tripod.

This lens helps you to get professional results whitout a tripod or beanbag. No matter if you are stalking an animal or shooting from a boat the results were sharp.

I recommend this lens for the D1. Together with this camera it is one of the most powerful combinations when shooting wildlife or even birds.

Buyers of the forthcomming D100 should test AF-performance in the shop before buying.

Using this lens on a D1 makes photographing what it should be - FUN !

I guess I was a little bit too enthused about this lens. I think it´s a perfect lens for travel and landscape but would recommend it only for wildlife and birds if traveling light is really important to you.