Review Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR II (DX)

6 May 2013

We have already published a Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR II review, carried out with the full-frame Nikon D800E as a test camera. Given the size and weight of this Nikon 70-200 mm 2.8 VR II lens, the large Nikon D800E camera is a more obvious combination than the much smaller Nikon D3200. Yet the crop factor of 1.5 of a Nikon DX camera like the Nikon D3200 makes such a lens an attractive partner. You will have a fast f/2.8 lens with a field of view which is equal to that of a 300 mm f/2.8 lens at a full frame camera, but at a lower price and vibration reduction included.
In terms of resolution, the Nikon D3200 camera is even more demanding on a lens than a Nikon D800E, due to the larger number of pixels per mm2. The number of pixels per mm 2 of the Nikon D3200 corresponds to an FX sensor containing 58 megapixels. Clearly, such a camera has extremely high demands on the resolution of a lens.

Nikon-70-200-28-test


Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR II review @ Nikon D3200
Nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor @ 200mm, f/2.8
Thanks to the fast constant f/2.8 aperture, combined with a long focal length and crop factor of 1.5, this lens in combination with a Nikon DX camera is well suited to bring subjects close to you and to isolate their environment. The 3x zoom range of this lens on a DX camera offers the same field of view as a 105-300mm f/2.8 zoom lens on a camera with an FX sensor.
Construction and autofocus
The lens body is built very solid, and mostly of metal. The lens mount has a rubber seal against moisture. The lens design consists of 21 lens elements in 16 groups. A number of these lens elements are of ED-glass, in order to prevent chromatic aberration. The front lens element is pretty close behind the front of the lens, which has a rubber coating so you can rest the lens upright. This is useful when changing lenses. There is a large tulip shaped lens hood included, which you can put on the lens reversed. We found the confirmation and release of the lens hood not really easy. Because of the shape of the hood, the camera does not remain firmly when you rest the lens upright, but that applies to most lenses with this type lens hood. Both zooming and focusing is done internally, so the front lens does not rotate and the lens will not be shorter or longer. This prevents the sucking in of dust. Of course the constant f/2.8 aperture to a considerable diameter of the front lens, the filter size is 77 mm. There is a removable tripod mount included.	{insertgrid ID = 289}
Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II Image Stabilization
We have tested the image stabilization / vibration reduction of this lens in combination with the Nikon D800E, at a focal length of 70 mm. The results are shown here. With a 70 mm focal length we realized an actual gain of 3 – 4 stops, depending on the shutter speed. Which is very good. Due to the crop factor of 1.5 of the Nikon D3200, you must use a 1.5 x faster shutter speed to obtain similar results when using this lens on a camera with a DX sensor.
Vignetting
This lens is designed for a FX sensor. If this Nikon 70-200mm zoom lens is used on a camera with a smaller APS-C / DX sensor, you use only the center of the lens. Therefore you will not see any vignetting in the jpg files, regardless of aperture or focal length. In terms of vignetting, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 on a camera with a DX sensor at a 200 mm focal length will be just as good as a much more expensive Nikon 300mm f/2.8 telephoto lens on a camera with a full frame sensor.
Distortion
As with almost all zoom lenses, there’s a light barrel distortion at wide angle and a pincushion distortion in the telephoto range. We found that the distortion at the telephoto range in JPEG is somewhat larger than in RAW. An explanation for this observation we can not yet imagine. But in both cases you will practically never have the need to improve distortion by correcting it with software. Move your mouse over the image to the Imatest results for distortion in RAW files.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II @ 70mm, f/16
Flare
This lens is supplied standard with a lens hood, but you can virtually unpunished leave the hood at home as you would like. There’s almost no flare. Even if you are shooting in the dark right up against a light source. Here comes the advantage of various nano-coatings (also behind the lens!). It makes the Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR II an ideal lens for concert photography.
Resolution Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II
The resolution of this lens using the 24 megapixel Nikon D3200 is lower than in combination with the 36 megapixel Nikon D800E, but still stunning. The corners remain at f/2.8 a bit behind (but a 1500 LW/PH is still a good result), but after stopping down one stop you get over 2000 LW/PH. This zoom lens draws sharper than many professional fixed focus lens! Click the chart for measurements at different focal distances.
Chromatic aberration Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II
A few of ED glass lens elements are included in the Nikon 70-300 mm lens design, in order to prevent chromatic aberration. The Nikon D3200 also corrects any residual chromatic aberration in jpg files. However, that is not necessary in this case. Lateral chromatic aberration by the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II is virtually absent. This applies to all focal lengths and apertures. Click the chart for measurements at different focal distances.
Conclusion Nikon 70-200 mm 2.8 VR II review
	See our list of tested lenses or the lenses with a Nikon mount tested by us to compare the performance of this lens to other lenses.
WYSIWYG score: This table shows the performance of this lens when you store the files in the camera as jpg, with all available in-camera lens corrections applied. This score gives you for this lens/test camera combination: “What you see is what you get”.	{insertgrid ID = 308}
Pure RAW score: This table shows the performance of this lens when the file is stored in the camera in RAW format. This score approaches the intrinsic quality of the combination of lens and test camera.	{insertgrid ID = 309}
Pros Excellent image quality Ruggedly built Effective image stabilization Fast and accurate autofocus Internal zoom and autofocus	Cons Large and heavy Costly
Our conclusion is almost equal to that of our previous Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR II review, carried out with the full-frame Nikon D800E. This lens is an absolute winner, whether you’ll use it on a camera with a FX or DX sensor. It is a mechanically very solid lens, which meets the highest optical standards at all focal lengths and apertures, with good autofocus and effective Vibration Reduction. If a 300mm f/2.8 and a full-frame camera is too expensive for you, this lens is a cheaper alternative without ever compromising visibly to (image) quality.