I know that many of our readers have been patiently waiting for me to publish my upcoming Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR Review (Update: the review has been posted right here). While the review is under way, I have a lot of gear in my hands that I need to test and hence, it is a little delayed. Thanks to my friend David Bassett, I had a chance to play with the 70-200mm f/4 for the last couple of days until I receive my copy from B&H (should be arriving later this week, along with the Sigma 70-200mm and Tamron 70-200mm). One of the first things I did after I got the lens, was mount the lens on my D800E and test it in a lab environment for its resolution capabilities. As you can see from the below comparisons with my beloved Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, the 70-200mm f/4G VR performed incredibly well. I am stunned and seriously in love – wife said that she doesn’t mind :) Once again, Nikon produced an absolute winner, a true gem that will quickly become a favorite lens by many. First, we had the 50mm f/1.8G, then the 85mm f/1.8G and now the 70-200mm f/4G. As I have said before, it is a good time to be a Nikonian! Superb camera bodies, excellent lenses – a great system overall.
So here is the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR @ 70mm:
And the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II @ 70mm:
The Nikon 70-200mm f/4G looks weaker in the center, but take a look at the corners – it clearly resolves more details in comparison.
Zoomed in to 105mm, we get the following results from the 70-200mm f/4G:
And the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II @ 105mm:
Once again, the 70-200mm f/4 shows excellent performance throughout the frame and its center sharpness at f/5.6 is quite remarkable.
Lastly, here is what 200mm looks like on the 70-200mm f/4G VR:
And the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II @ 200mm:
Again, the Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR shows superb performance. It might be a bit weaker in the center, but its corners clearly look better, which is something I did not expect to see.
Please note that I have not fully completed performing other tests such as bokeh, vignetting, distortion, flare, etc – I am saving those for the final review, which will be posted within the next few weeks. Also, these are preliminary test results that I performed very quickly, so the final results in the review might look a little different. Is the new Nikon 70-200mm f/4G VR perfect? No, of course not. It has its share of problems with heavier vignetting, more distortion (especially at 200mm), etc. But considering its weight, price and sharpness performance, it sure looks like another winner.
Meanwhile, for those of you who are impatient to see my review, B&H has just received a new stock of the 70-200mm f/4G VR lens for you to enjoy during the holidays.