Nikon JAA822DA 200-500 mm Lens for Camera Black

I enjoy my wildlife photography and although I was getting some decent shots with my 80-400mm, I wanted to fill the viewfinder that bit more. I have been really impressed with the results using this lens, that extra 100mm has made a big difference. The VR is very effective and the autofocus is quick; I had read some reports saying autofocus was a bit slow, but it seems fine with my D810. The lens is a bit heavy, but I've managed to carry it around for over 5 miles without any bother (I'm in my early 60s). The biggest problem I've had is getting a holster that can carry it and the camera, I've settled on a Think Tank one at the moment, but its not ideal as the lens will not fit in with the hood on (this is a wide hood and even reversed will not fit in the bag). To give an idea of quality, the image of the pigeon was the first test shot I took. I was in my garden, the bird was on the apex of the roof; the image is cropped at 100% yet is still quite sharp (500mm f8 @ 1/400th ISO200).All in all I'm very happy with the lens and consider it money well spent.

Initially I was a little sceptical about this lens, given it's fixed aperture, but now having used it on many occasions I can honestly say it's become a firm favourite. Yes it's a big lens and is quite heavy but you get a lot for your money - and not as much money as you might expect! I'm not the only convert. I know another professional photographer who, independently bought and uses this lens a lot and is equally impressed.Good quality, well priced, excellent range and quick.If you are into sports, wildlife or any area of photography that requires a long lens then this one is well worth considering.

I have owned the non OS model of the Sigma 120-300mm before this, it was big, heavy but produced great images (f/2.8). I was finding I needed more reach and to use a telephoto wasn't worth the quality loss. I knew other people who had the 200-500mm lens and swore by it. Holding the Sigma and Nikon in different hands, it was amazing how light the Nikon was.Since buying it, I have used it in many scenarios (press photography, mainly from behind a police cordon) and it is fantastic, the 5.6 is barely an issue, I used it at night and just rested it on railings and it performed brilliantly, focusing very quickly.You can easily carry this all day, or rest it on its large hood.The VR is amazing and works extremely well meaning even at f/5.6 on a low shutter speed, you'll still get that shot. One of my favourite lenses!

Spent the whole day with this yesterday (25/07/17), was surprised to find it attached to my camera most of the day out at south lakes safari park. You will get a lot of looks and comments walking around with this thing on, but its light enough that i didnt use a monopod at all and the 5.6 still delivered some really nice bokeh, i'll admit i set myself up for the day with the ISO set to auto but limited it to 1000. This covered my shots perfectly and got a lot of sharp images. with no motion blur, the VR helps a lot when hand held. I love this lens, its a beast and given some of the competitors prices a bargain for the we pay.

This lens is incredible. It might not be the fastest lens out there, but it offers some amazing sharpness. The VR built into this lens is like a missile locking onto its target, the stabilization is excellent. I'm extremely happy with it so far, I've not had any issues. It is pricy, but you get what you pay for, and this doesn't disappoint.Great lens to have in your arsenal for any photographer. The price is actually pretty decent considering the specs. I will never be able to afford lenses which are multiple thousands, but the price for this is affordable if you really want it. It's at least in the ballpark of being an achievable goal to save up for.

This lens has now been used for a while before reviewing. It has produced some impressively sharp photos even wide open at f5.6 at all focal lengths. The VR is good (but not perfect) and useful in lower light conditions. Occasionally as with many VR systems there is slight blur that is noticeable on enlargement. The lens sharpness (which is excellent) does fall off toward the 500mm end, which is not much of an issue unless the picture needs to be cropped a lot. The lens works well with the Nikon 1.4 teleconverter, but does make the sharpness falloff toward 500mm more noticeable. This may sound very negative about the 500mm end, but when I take the 200-500 out I often use it at 500mm and always take the teleconverter and use it a great deal with the lens. Bear in mind that at an equivalent of 700mm there is a lot of atmosphere there to cause distortion especially on hot days. The lens is heavy so I use a monopod a lot of the time. Definitely a keeper.

This Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR is impressive. Paid for next day delivery and got it the next day. Very smooth and reliable delivery from amazon.co.uk. My first impression is that the auto focus is surprisingly fast, even in low light, no hesitation and spot on. It was a bit heavy, but I took it out hand hold shooting for almost the whole day with no problems. I rest it in my arms when walking around not shooting, so my hand actually felt ok and not tired at all. I'm so pleased that I've found this totally hand holdable. A few serious reviews say f/32 is the weakest aperture, other than that the lens produces excellent image quality. From my first day try out, it appears to be like what those reviews say. But a casual shot at 200mm f/32 still shows good image quality. Its constant aperture is what I prefer compared with other third party competitors. Overall, it's an excellent lens. I'm happy to say I can rely on it with confidence. But I'll bear in mind it's not weather/dust sealing, so I'll sort out some handy protection.I'm not an expert in wildlife, but I attache two casual photos of birds to give an idea how good the lens focus is - the one hidden in the tree leaves may give an idea about how the lens focus effectively reaches the bird in low light.