nikon 55-200 versus 70-300 vr lens: Is the price difference justified between these 2 lens?
572666
Owning both the 55-200VR and the 70-300VR and have compared not only both but two copies of the 55-200 on two Nikon DX cameras against the 70-300. Viewing was done on two hi-def monitors (25" and 27") using close to two thousand pics. Bottom line- the 70-300 blows away the 55-200. It is not even close. The MUCH heavier 70-300 is considerably sharper, colors are balanced and accurate (as they are on the 55-200) but much richer, brighter, with better contrast and much better bokeh. Skin tones and portraits in particular are wonderful with the 70-300. Downside on the 70-300 is that it is heavier. I have read some comments that the 70-300 begins losing sharpness after 200mm but my copy is super sharp at all focal lengths. If you are a serious amature and can justify the price go for the 70-300.
305767
I had both lenses and sold the 28-300 after I got the 28mm 1.8. No contest at 28mm. Now i use the 70-300 VR for long range and switch to the 28 prime for wide angle. The flexibility in aperature is also huge for me. If you are just shooting snapshots at 28mm for 4x6 or 5x7 prints you won't be able to tell the difference, but if you are shooting for money or larger prints, the 28mm will resolve much higher clarity especially in the corners on FX.
1509566
The lens focus is not as fast as the 70-200 VR but it works well outdoors. Indoors it hunts for a focus in AF-S but is reasonable. You may want to consider a mono pod to keep motion blur out of the image in a dark church. Higher shutter speeds will be required to match the lens focal length. Also, a higher ISO may be required to keep up with the shutter and F-stop. I use it for weddings and love the images and I always shoot in manual mode. Hope this helps.
801145
I would also like to hear about this from someone who knows. I was planning on getting the kit lens and buying the 70-300mm VR Nikkor lens with it thinking that the VR technology makes them superior, but most people are very unimpressed with the kit lens. One reviewer was raving about Sigma lenses for the D90, such as Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO DG OS HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras. I am now seriously rethinking my lens purchase plan.
466805
your AF 70-300 will not auto focus on the d60. look for lenses that have "AF-S". and while the 55-200mm VR is a good lense, your best bet would be to buy the AF-S 70-300 VR. its an incredible lense for the price. Also your older lenses will work on the D60, though you will have to focus manually.
394030
agreed with the sentiments above. I have purchased the tamron 16-300, as well as the nikon 18-300 f6.3 and this lense. The difference with the nikon is noticeable. Not only in picture quality. But also in distance. the 300 on the tamron doesn't reach where the nikon does. granted the nikon 18-300 @300 doesn't match the nikon 55-300 @ 300 either. Also the movement, the tamron is much stiffer than the nikon options. A Great all day lense. Im working into prime lenses, and high quality fixed aperture lenses, but for now I still use this as my main glass.
1418843
You did the right thing with the D40. See the Lew Rockwell site.I have had mine for several months, and the more I learn about it,the better I like it.I recommend you buy the 55-200 VR lens to go with it.Unbelievable.
466982
I don't have the 200 f/2.8, but I do have the 70-200 f/4, and the 300 f/4. The 300 is an excellent prime lens. I think the primary difference is the light gathering capacity, and I can live with that.
990747
depends on your usage, i'd say the 35mm f1.8g because its a better all rounder and is a lot sharper than the 55-200 ( i have both of these ) the 35mm is great for indoors i chose the 35mm 1.8 over the 50mm 1.8 because its wider. The build quality is not that great on the 55-200 and the vr motor gives a noise also the focusing speed is slow on the 55-200mm
357732
I think the 24-120 is considerably more usable, and the f2.8 is not really necessary for low light with the D750 sensor. The f2.8 offers shorter Depth of Field, if that's the important thing to you. I have a 24-85mm f2.8-4D (I don't like the G version) that I use for this range on my D800E, mostly. It's a lot smaller and lighter than the 24-120 f4, with similar optical performance. It lacks the 24-120 VR.The 24-70 is by far the largest and heaviest of the lenses I've mentioned, a negative for me.
1669017
I have a Nikon D90 with the 18-200 VR lense And it worked great. I hope this help.
98598
I bought this lens but then returned it because it did not autofocus. I can't speak regarding its performance. You can pick up a 50-200mm autofocus VR lens on amazon for relatively cheap - I got one used for $100. It's a good lens.
1111393
I agree that 70-300 VR is a superior choice, but certainly have not been disappointed with my 55-300 VR. It didn't cost as much either.
1441507
i have the d80 with the 18-70 dx, the 70-300 ed, and the 50 1.8 d nikkors, plus the tokina 12-24 and the tamron 28-75 f/2.8. what glass you put on your d80 to start with should depend on intended uses and experience level. if all you want is an all-in-one lens, go for the 18-135 kit, unless you can afford the 18-200 vr. the 24-120 VR is another sweet after-market option if you go body-only and just want one lens, but you'd probably be better off, however, with either the 18-55 or the 18-70, plus the 55-200 vr. for the size, weight, and cost, they're very good for plastic consumer lenses. the downside is they're fairly slow for (D)SLR lenses, due to narrow apertures at the long end. if low-light photography or action sports is your bag, skip the nikkors altogether unless you can afford the 17-55 2.8 and/or the 70-200 VR. get the d80 body and grab a sigma or tamron 2.8. if w/a is your thing, i'd get one of the 18s (-55, -70, -135, -200) and pair it with the tokina 12-24 or the sigma 10-20. if you're more of a telephoto person, get the 18-55 or -70 and pair it with the inexpensive 70-300 non-vr g lens. the money you save over the ed or vr versions can go toward a good tripod -- unless you really think you're gonna be doing a lot of handheld shooting at 300mm. for macro and portrait work, consider again going body-only with the d80, getting the $100 50 1.8 prime, and maybe the sigma 30, the nikkor 60, and the tamron 90 to round out your selection, which would give you a nice, sharp range. if all of this seems too complicated, look at a fixed-zoom P&S or the d40/18-55 combo.
1041573
Are you comparing it to the lens without VR. I work for Nikon and the price was actually the same price I get with my employee discount and it didn't include the extra filters. I used the lens on my d3100 to get some incredible shots of the lunar eclipse
263537
Yes, it can. Any camera that has a built in motor can run a lens with autofocus. 70-200 vs 80-200? 70-200 has vibration reduction or vr, lighter, very sharp... Cons, it is expensive... VR1 starts from 1369 USD. 80-200 is the cheaper option, but it does not have vr, is heavy. Nevertheless, it is very sharp, and a favorite of many Photographers.
733028
Hello Richard. No, unfortunately, the older Nikon 70-300 lenses, specifically the D and G types (non-VR), WILL NOT auto-focus on the D40 family DSLR's. The newest 70-300 Nikkor G version VR lens, however, will work perfectly on all Nikon DSLR bodies, including auto-focus on the D40. I have a D40 body and it works quite nicely with the 70-300G VR. The only drawback here is cost - this latest version, released December '06, are running around $500 (6/08)! This is getting up into pro-range cost; almost one and a half that of the 70-300D, and over three times that of the 70-300G. I can tell you that the quality and results of the VR version are far and away better than the earlier ones, and there is less distortion and fringing than the now very popular, similarly priced ($600+) 18-200 VR. If you already have a small lens (the stock 18-55 is absolutely great!), you don't mind switching once in a while, you need that 300mm reach, and have about $500 to spend, the VR version is the way to go! The official Nikon product name: Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5 - 5.6G IF-ED. Good luck, and let us know here!