Photography Life

PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels

  • Reviews
  • Learn
  • About Us
  • Forum
  • Search
Home โ†’ Reviews โ†’ Cameras and Lenses โ†’ Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR Review

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR

By Nasim Mansurov 91 Comments
Last Updated On July 2, 2020

«»

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR vs Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II

How good is the sharpness of the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR when compared to its predecessor, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II? Let’s take a look at each focal length individually and compare the two lenses side by side:

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR MTF Performance 70mm

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II MTF Performance 70mm

We can clearly see that the new 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR has better sharpness not just at the center of the frame, but also in the extreme edges. Once stopped down, the older 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II definitely shines, but still lacks quite a bit at the edges of the frame.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR MTF Performance 85mm

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II MTF Performance 85mm

Zoomed in to 85mm, the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR continues to dominate. It produces much better sharpness throughout the frame and its center performance is remarkable at all apertures. Note how much worse the previous generation 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II is, especially at the edges of the frame.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR MTF Performance 105mm

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II MTF Performance 105mm

The new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR continues to impress at 105mm, showing superb wide open performance – there is simply no comparison here.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR MTF Performance 135mm

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II MTF Performance 135mm

And at 135mm, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR is at its best, significantly surpassing its predecessor at every aperture from the center to the edges of the frame.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR MTF Performance 200mm

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II MTF Performance 200mm

Lastly, at 200mm, we can see that the previous generation Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II performed slightly better wide open in the center of the frame. The mid-frame and the corners, however, are still lacking. Once stopped down to f/4 and smaller, the two lenses are comparable in the center of the frame, with the 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR outperforming its predecessor by a huge margin in the mid-frame and the edges.

If we summarize the results of this comparison, we can conclude that the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR sets a new benchmark in terms of overall sharpness performance.

Use with Teleconverters

As expected from the above sharpness numbers, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR performs very well with all three teleconverters. The Nikon TC-14E III teleconverter has very little impact on lens sharpness, so if you want to extend the reach of the lens to 98-280mm focal length, definitely add the 1.4x TC to your camera bag. The Nikon TC-17E II teleconverter works pretty well as well, as long as you use the latest generation Nikon DSLRs that can focus better in low light conditions. The 1.7x teleconverter results in a 119-340mm f/4.8 lens and once stopped down to f/5.6 can make another attractive combination with very good sharpness. The Nikon TC-20E III is a mixed bag (140-400mm f/5.6 resulting focal length) – stopping down to f/8 results in acceptable sharpness, but the lens will hunt in low-light conditions and might end up focusing inaccurately. So keep that in mind when using the lens with teleconverters. Overall, I would say that teleconverter performance with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E FL VR is pretty similar to what I experienced with its predecessor, with slightly better sharpness results.

Nikon 70-200mm f2.8E FL VR Image Sample (29)
NIKON D810 + 70-200mm f/2.8 @ 200mm, ISO 64, 1/200, f/5.6

Table of Contents

  • Overview and Specifications
  • Optical Features
  • Lens Sharpness and Contrast
  • Lens Comparisons
  • Summary
  • More Image Samples
  • Reader Comments
«»
Disclosures, Terms and Conditions and Support Options

Learn

  • Beginner Photography
  • Landscape Photography
  • Wildlife Photography
  • Portraiture
  • Post-Processing
  • Advanced Tutorials

Reviews

  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews
  • Best Cameras and Lenses

Photography Tutorials

Photography Basics
Landscape Photography
Wildlife Photography
Macro Photography
Composition & Creativity
Black & White Photography
Night Sky Photography
Portrait Photography
Street Photography
Photography Videos

Unique Gift Ideas

Best Gifts for Photographers

Subscribe via Email

If you like our content, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly email updates using the link below:

Subscribe to our newsletter

Site Menu

  • About Us
  • Beginner Photography
  • Lens Database
  • Lens Index
  • Photo Spots
  • Search
  • Forum

Reviews

  • Reviews Archive
  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews

More

  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Workshops
  • Support Us
  • Submit Content

Copyright © 2023 ยท Photography Life

You are going to send email to

Move Comment