New Nikon 200-400 VR zoom.

Has any one used this new zoom ? Any idea of the price and performance ? Would love to hear of any information regarding it. Thanks.
R. Dev.

This lens was announced about 1 month ago. It is still a month or two from being released. (Possibly longer) Although I too am extremely interested in how this lens performs, I'm afraid we are going to need to wait a little while before someone has any hands on experience with it.

On paper, this lens looks like the best medium to long telephoto zoom ever made!

What I have read is that the lens is expected to have a US price of over $8400!!!! The projected price for the UK is 5,400 Pounds Sterling (sorry, I do not know how to key in the symbol for the Pound)...Also, I do not remember the exact site, but they also showed the expected price in Yen..based on current rates, the lens would have been $8600...

Several sites have stated at least an $8K price, and ALL sites expressed concern over why a 200-400mm F/4 lens would cost more than a 400mm f/2.8 AF-S..unless the VR somehow adds several hundred dollars.

I have gotten mixed signals as to whom this lens is targeted at: apparently, it seems that PJ/Sports are the main target, while others say nature photographers.

If I currently ownded a 400 f/2.8, and the lens DOES cost over $8K, I doubt very seriously that I would be interested, unless the 200-400 was significantly better.

So, we will see when the lens actually come out eh??

Cheers,

Mark in Austin

Thanks all for the information. At THAT price it may not even be affordable ???!!! I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I beleive it weighs appx. 3.5 Kgs - barely hand holdable; so how useful will the VR function be ?
All the best.
R. Dev.

I "played" with one about 2 weeks ago for 35mins at a trade fair here in the UK. EstimatedStreetPrice was about £4500 so yep its far from cheap. When it comes out.

Its 7.2 llbs = 3Kgs ish indeed not easy to hand hold for long periods. Some of the other guys around at the time found it way to heavy for more than a short while hence I got to play for some time.

Fast focusing even in poor light.

I'm hoping to test one on the 5th of septmeber connected to a D2H at a dealership here in the UK.

Its a shame it so heavy I hoped it would replace the 300F4 for flight shots. Which will still be doable with VR but its on paper as heavy as the 500mmF4!

Hey..

My hat is off to anybody who can handhold a 7.2 lbs lens!!! Add that to a Nikon F5 (weight=2.6 lbs) and that totals a whopping 9.8 lbs!!!! Unless the price of the lens comes down substantially before its "official" release, I will be very interested in seeing who actually buys this lens: sports/PJ or nature.

I am also curious to see what your impressions will be of the D2H when you get a chance to actually see one. Supposedly, we here in the US are not going to see any until sometime in either late October or early November...and one dealer told me not until December...

Cheers,

Mark in Austin

If I were a Nikon dude, I'd be all over this lens. Heck if Nikon ever does big glass with VR, I might be one again because I feel Nikon bodies are superior to Canon bodies in some ways that are important to me. An f/4 400mm that is good optically and has fast AF is exactly what I need regardless of weight. I usually use a tripod anyway and have done plenty of flight shooting with a 300 f/2.8 which is similar in weight. Yes its a pain but it is doable and I'm not a big guy.

Well I'm guaranteed (we'll see) access to play with the D2H at pre-launch launch in the UK on the 5th of septmber. I've played with the 200-400 on a D1H and its way cool.

I'll let you know my thoughts after the 5th.

Regarding a Nikkor 400mm f/4....

That is one lens that I know that MANY Nikon shooters have been begging for for many years!! I too have wished that Nikon would make a 400mm. As a Nikon shooter, if I want a 400mm prime, all I can buy is the dreadfully expensive 400mm f/2.8.

At least Canon made a 400mm f/4 (or was it f/5.6??) that was handholdable as well as inexpensive. I understand that Canon released a 400mm (once again, please forgive my not being totally familiar with Canon glass) f/4 DO lens. But is that lens also quite pricey??

At one time, Tokina made a 400mm lens, but that is long gone. I also seem to remember that Sigma made a 400mm f/5.6 for both Canon and Nikon, but that lens is no longer on Sigma's site.

It seems like there would be a market for a 400mm f/4 (affordable and holdable) for any camera make....

If the 200-400 was several thousand $$$$$ less that what it looks like, I would most likely jump all over it as well.....but only to be used with a tripod!!!

Just some thoughts...

Cheers,

Mark in Austin

Canon makes the 400 f/4 DO but the image quality is at best mediocre and the lens is expensive for that level of quality. The Canon 400 f/5.6 is an excellent lens but does not have IS and is only an f/5.6 optic.

I'm curious whether the VR function will work properly with this lens on a tripod. Not because I'd buy this lens but because it will give a clue to where Nikon is headed with VR. A 500 f/4 with VR that works as well as Canon's IS would be very tempting