Nikon has always been known for their high-quality lenses and their ultra-fast AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens has been the go-to workhorse for many photographers, professional or otherwise.
Now, Nikon promises that the latest version of this lens announced yesterday will take that performance to the next level.
The new 70-200mm features six ED glass elements, one Fluorite and one High Refractive lens elements and a Nano Crystal Coat that will “all but eliminate distortion and glare and maximize contrast and sharpness, even in difficult backlit situations”.
It also features four focus function buttons located on the lens barrel itself, and the zoom and focus rings have been reversed for what Nikon says will give shooters a more comfortable and stable zooming experience.
Nikon has also improved the close focus distance taking it down by about a foot from 4.6 feet (1.4m) to approx. 3.6 feet (1.1m).
An all new nine-part weather-sealing design covers every movable part of the lens barrel, sealing it for dust and moisture, and, as with other newer high-end Nikon lenses, the front lens element is coated with Nikon’s non-stick Fluorine coat making it resistant to dirt, fingerprints and smudges.
The VR image stabilization has also been improved, taking it from 3.5 stops to up to ~4.0 stops.
It also has a specialized Sports Mode which has been optimized for camera pans and fast-action sports, and a tripod mode that is supposed to eliminate any subtle ground vibrations that can travel up through a tripod or monopod.
When mounted to a fast DSLR capable of high-speed continuous shooting, such as the full frame D5 or D500, the new lens’ electromagnetic diaphragm will sync with the camera shutter producing a consistent exposure, even when using a teleconverter.
AF tracking has been improved as well and features Nikon’s Silent Wave Motor which provides ultra-fast, near-silent internal focusing with “no breathing effect across the entire zoom range”.
While the new AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm may look similar to the previous version, there are enough new features and improvements for people to take a serious look at upgrading.