Nikon 200mm f/4 D ED AF Micro Review Round-Up

micro-nikkor-af-200mm-f-4-d-edIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Photo Zone

The Micro-Nikkor AF 200mm f/4 D ED is an excellent lens with no real weaknesses. The resolution figures are very good to excellent. You may argue that the new AF-S 105mm f/2.8G VR is somewhat sharper but the AF 200mm f/4 offers a longer working distance of 26cm vs 14cm – a good argument in favor of the old lens when it comes to nervous critters in macro photography. The vignetting at f/4 is not field relevant and both the distortion and CA characteristic are outstanding. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is exceptionally smooth and buttery. Typical for such oldies the build quality is superb whereas the old-style AF (driven by the camera) is very slow but then macro photographers tend to prefer to focus manually anyway. At around 1400€/US$ the entry hurdle for this lens is a bit steep. READ FULL REVIEW

Other Nikon 200mm f/4 D ED AF Micro Reviews

SLR Gear

By any measure, AF 200mm f/4 is a truly superb lens, delivering exceptional sharpness, low distortion, and uniform exposure across its aperture range. It is large and quite heavy though, and its autofocus performance is on the slow side. If you’re looking for superb macro performance and tack-sharp images, you can’t do better within the Nikon line. That said though, the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 delivers images that are almost as good (with just slightly higher distortion and a bit more chromatic aberration), at a price point that’s hundreds of dollars lower. READ FULL REVIEW

Ken Rockwell

AF 200mm f/4 is among Nikon’s sharpest and most distortion-free lenses ever. It’s also built like a tank. If you want one, just get it. It’s unbeaten for use as a regular telephoto as well as for macro. READ FULL REVIEW

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. I have owned this lens for 2 years now, and found with utter joy that the Images it produces are breathtaking, Super sharp, beautiful beyond words Bokeh, The manual focus ring simply feels outstanding. The auto focus is slow, but if used sensibly works fine, especially at further distances where its change of Focus is no slower than most of Nikon’s current line up.
    Its heavy yes, but at the same time this weight helps stabilize the lens during hand held work. Do I miss having VR? not really to be honest, I get fantastically sharp Images hand held in good light on my d800. It easily resolves my d800 sensor. and when its sharp, I mean perfectly sharp, its simply stunning. So no moans from me, At 5.6 which is where i tend to use mine most of the time, the reproduction of what comes through its glass is mesmerizing.
    Will I be trading mine in for a newer model when ever Nikon feel we need one? HA HA HA HA I DON’T THINK SO 🙂

  2. This is one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever owned. My need for it has diminished & am thinking of trading it for a nikon 200-500 5.6 for birding.

    As much as I’ve enjoyed this lens, I would get greater use out of the longer lens.

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