Whats wrong with the Nikkor 70-200 4.0 VRIII ?

Steve Bingham wrote:

In a word. Awesome. The sample I tested is as follows:

Camera body: Nikon D7000

1- 200mm at f4. I struggled to see any difference in resolution between the center and corners. Incredible.

2- 200mm at f5.6, f8, and f11. Same as above. I was really surprised how well f11 worked!

3- 70mm at f4. I struggled to see any difference in resolution between the center and corners. Incredible.

4- 70mm at f5.6, f8. and f11. F11 a little weaker than at 200mm but extremely useful. It took some serious 100% pixel peeping to see a resolution difference - barely.

The CA looked incredibly well controled, especially at the long end. PS CS6 with ACR was easily able to correct it, however, not automatically.( Need a lens profile.)

I learned a little more about the VR on this lens. It can be an iffy thing because of its extreme resolution and length, and depends a little on luck, and certainly is not 100%. For serious shooting I would recommend a monopod to get CONSISTENTLY close to the tripod (and timer) resolution. I had to shoot at 1/500 at 200mm and 1/125 at 70mm to get close to tripod resolution. Would the hand-held formula of 1/focal length x 1.5 work.? Sure, but leave the VR on. Even with VR this lens is not easy to hand hold - pretty long.

Although I used to shoot rifles competitively I would not consider my self super steady because of my age. Youmight be able to do better. The point being, there IS a difference when you use a solid tripod - and I hate the things! My monopod produced much better results than hand held, even with VR on.

Conclusion: One of the sharpest lenses I have ever used on a DX body - which would include my Nikon 105 VR macro. I was impressed.

Note: I tested with my DX body, the D7000. I am sure with a FX body the corners won't be so unbelievably sharp. I mean, I was flat amazed!!! I won't hesitate to use f4 to f11 with this lens.

I will post the full rez ISO 12233 resultson my web page when time permits.

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Steve Bingham
www.dustylens.com
www.ghost-town-photography.com