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Reviewbucket.co.uk scanned the internet for Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR reviews.
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For Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR, 90 customer reviews collected from 3 e-commerce sites, and the average score is 4.8.

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6.12.2015

I bought this lens because I wanted to extend the reach of the lenses I already had. I looked at the lab tests before I bought it and the results showed it to have sharper images than either the Nikon 80-400mm and the Sigma 150-600mm. It is also significantly cheaper than either of those lenses.The 200-500mm lens is classed as a 'consumer lens' but it is quite heavy and feels very well built. The zoom out is easy but with enough resistance to stop it sliding to the floor if held upside down. There is also a lock at 200mm (its shortest length). The manual override on focus is fast and effective too. The tripod mount comes as standard and is needed, although it can be hand held.The vibration reduction is very good indeed and worked well on the images have taken hand held.To test the sharpness of the lens I took some images at varying distances (from 50 feet up to 250 yards) of birds at a local RSPB centre. The results were quite astonishing to be frank. I heavily cropped the images taken at 250 yards and I could still see detail in the feathers of the birds along with subtle shading and texture. The nearer shots seemed to be as sharp as my 70-200mm Nikon lens that has one of the highest reputations for sharpness (part of the Nikon Triplet). So, if you want a very sharp lens at this focal length, look no further. I have only operated it at f5.6 to f8, so I cannot comment on higher f-stop results.If I was to make any criticism it would be that the auto-focus is a bit on the slow side. I am looking forward to using it at somewhere like Bempton Cliffs in the Spring / Summer period when the Gannets are flying around. If the focus is quite near to perfect the lens snaps into focus quickly onto a moving target. I think it might need to have a pre-focussed point to work from to catch birds in flight that are whizzing past. It is also a heavy lens and benefits from an over the shoulder sling strap whilst being carried.If you can live with slightly slow focus (still faster than other lenses I have used) then this is a very, very good lens to have. My images from it are extremely crisp and colourful. I have not noticed any chromatic aberrations yet on any of my images at any focus length but I haven't been pointing it at branches of trees in sunlight. I see no reason why the images taken with it could not be put up for sale it is so good. I would recommend it to anyone.
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3.11.2016

Bought mine just over a year ago from a high street camera store chain.I shoot motor sport for a website, so spend most weekends at a race track somewhere in the country and take 10s of thousands of shots per year.I've got this and the 150-600 Sigma Sport (just in case one breaks or fails which I have experienced in the past).I shoot with an old D3 and D7200 and the D3 struggles a bit with the Sigma's max aperture of f6.3 at times when the light isn't great, which is to be expected as the D3 is only rated to autofocus down to f5.6. Not an issue with the 200-500 which is great on both bodies.The 200-500 is just so sharp!Almost as good as my old 300mm F4 which is saying something (those who own or have owned the old 300mm f/4D know how super sharp that lens is).When I first got the 200-500 I had the new (ish) 80-400, which is a decent lens and great on the full frame body but for some reason I didn't get great results on the D7200. I didn't think the much cheaper 200-500 could match the gold ringed 80-400 but I was very wrong. Admittedly the 80-400 has a more flexible focal range and the Nano Crystal coating on that lens gave slightly more vibrant images than the 200-500. The 80-400 is also a lot faster to focus, but even though the 200-500 is slower to focus, it's more accurate and I got a lot more keepers this year with the cheaper lens.The sports VR is great for motor sport, but I only use it when I'm shooting at 500th of a second or slower.It's also quite light compared to the Sigma, which makes a big difference. Build quality isn't up to the standard of the tank-like Sigma, but to me it feels a lot more solid than the 80-400 Nikon, especially the extending lens barrel which (to me) feels fairly flimsy on the £2k 80-400.The bag it comes with is next to useless so I picked up a Lowepro bag from Amazon for £30 which is perfect.The Sigma Sport focuses quicker than the 200-500, at least on the D7200 (which will autofocus down to f8) and is a great lens too, but I found that mine needed a little calibration to get the most out of it. Sharpness wise, they are pretty much on a par (post calibration in the Sigma's case).If I could only own one telephoto lens then it would be the 200-500. Actually to would be the 400 f2.8, but that costs the same as the 200-500 plus a decent used car, so I'll stick to the 200-500!
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20.3.2016

Please bear in mind in this review that I only took around 100 shots before returning the lens.This lens is sharp enough at 500mm and very sharp further in. CA and other artefacts are very low, mostly unseen, and no problem (and I am a bit picky about that stuff). VR is good. AF is accurate.BUT.I cannot give 5 stars to a lens at nearly £1200 that has such slow autofocus. Birds sat in a tree are easy enough to take and the detail is excellent. Likewise shots of the moon (on a monopod and with VR on or tripod and off). But birds in flight are really hard to get sharp pictures, compared to the Nikon 70-200mm F4 lens (in my view the best Nikor zoom lens yet). I tried with and without monopod and with both variations of VR.A handful of sharp-ish shots, nothing pin-sharp though for pigeons in flight near my house. With the 70-200mm I would expect to get at least a 50% hit rate. Of course the extra weight makes panning harder too, but even when that was going well, zilch. Of course some of it may be partly down to practice, but again I never had a problem with the 70-200mm. I am ignoring a few shots where the blur was in the direction of the motion, so it has to be the autofocus.Conclusion: great for distance and small motions, tough to use for any kind of fast movement that moves through the focus plane. If you don't need the extra reach, the 70-200mm is cheaper and closer to perfection.
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5.6.2016

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.
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29.1.2016

This is my first ever semi-professional lens, having upgraded from the Nikkor 55-300mm VRII. I was so sick of the chromatic aberration I was getting from my previous lens that it encouraged me to upgrade, and I am so glad I did. This lens is very quick to focus, images are lovely and crisp, even at f/5.6, and the extra reach is what I've been desperately wanting all this time. I have yet to see any evidence of chromatic aberration and I have taken around 1000 photos with it so far. The lens is rather heavy at a hefty 2.7kg, but I am still able to handhold it if I take frequent breaks. Definitely worth the money and if you enjoy wildlife photography but are not willing to drop £5000 on a prime lens,this is the lens of choice. It gives Sigma and Tamron a run for their money.Edit: 6 months on and a lot more practice, and this lens is still just incredible.It's the first lens I reach for when photographing wildlife or days out at the zoo. I freehand everything - no monopod or tripod (and I'm a not-exactly-strong woman with fibromyalgia and carpel tunnel in both wrists). The lens IS quite heavy, yes, but as long as you go out prepared and take breaks every so often it's more than manageable. Imo the wrist pain is worth it! :P
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25.8.2017

Beats the Tamron G2 SP 150 - 600 mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A022. Cropping 500 mm to the same field of view as 600 mm gives better quality than the Tamron - see photos, but bear in mind these were taken with VR on, slight changes in light might have occurred, relatively slow shutter speeds, high ISO and rain in the second photos. The Nikon is sharper and cleaner. The pictures of the shirts look better from the Tamron at the small size Amazon shows them, but there is a lot of chromatic aberration in the Tamron's picture and the Nikon is a lot cleaner with as much detail. You could just boost the contrast in the Nikon picture and it'd look just as good - you really have to download the full photo and zoom in to see,but I'm not sure you can do that from the Amazon review.Faster than the Tamron (f/5.6 vs f/6.3 at 500 mm and 600 mm respectively, but see above).Faster focus (despite reviews grumbling about the Nikon, it still beats the Tamron for birds in flight for example)I think the VR beats the Tamron by 0.5 to 1 stop.Slightly heavier than the Tamron, but still hand holdable.
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31.10.2016

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.
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13.4.2016

Like most people, the price of a top quality long lens is way out of my price range. So, when Nikoin announced the 200-500mm, it was exciting news indeed.Pro and Magazine reviews offered slightly varying opinions on the quality of the images when used wide open at 500mm, but my experience shows this to be more an issue of RAW softening, rather than severe lens limitations. A little pre-sharpening in the RAW convertor, and you'd never know this wasn't a lens that costs 5 or 6 times the price. The f5.6 aperture sounds like it should be an issue but, with the ability of modern bodies to cope increasingly well with noise, it just isn't.The 200-500mm f5.6 lens is one of the best buys I've ever made for my bag.Yes, it adds some weight, and most camera bags aren't designed to carry such a lens with the body attached which means minor compromises, but every one of them is well worth it.A lens this good for £1000 just shouldn;t be possible, and yet Nikon have produced a classic in the making.Photos attached with the lens used on a D800E body.
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14.1.2017

This has never disappointed me. I use it for kids' sports days, wildlife and the occasional moonshot, all on a D750. Focusing is almost perfect, though sometimes could be quicker, and I get best results in single-point mode. Amazing sharpness even with quite substantial crops when partnered with my 24MP sensor.The zoom ranges of these consumer lenses is always being stretched by Sigma and Tamron. I put the long term benefit of compatibility with future Nikon bodies above e.g. having the 15-600 flexibility of the other brands. I'd being staring at the 200-400 price tag for a long time, and when this was released stopped thinking about it.I would not bother putting a teleconverter on it - I tried the latest TC-14 with it and while it works and focuses well at f/8 on my body,the gain in magnification was offset by a diminution in sharpness and contrast.Pros might prefer the speed and detail on a fast prime, I guess, but at consumer level I think it is outstanding.
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16.5.2018

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.
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19.7.2017

Earlier in the year, I dithered over whether to buy this or a Sigma 70-200 and 2x teleconveter. I opted for the latter which was a mistake for though the Sigma is a lovely lens, it is autofocus only (I'd never experienced a lens with no manual option so hadn't even looked for that feature) and I found that whatever mode, autofocus couldn't cope with what I wanted to do at the higher zoom end. I kept the Sigma - like I said, it's lovely and IS brilliant for closer subjects that aren't whizzing about unpredictably and/or a background the autofocus knows what to focus on - and bought this for the higher end zoom work. So far I've used it twice and have been very pleased with the results,despite being on a learning curve for using such a weighty lens and the frustrations of such a narrow field of view i.e. "Where did it (the subject) go?" but when those are overcome, it delivers the quality expected of a Nikon lensRead full review...
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17.6.2017

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!
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2.10.2016

This is a very well designed and versatile product from Nikon that has fast autofocus and a pin sharp image. I have used it with a D810A body in both FX and DX modes and also with a D7200 in DX and DX1.3x crop mode and all give excellent pin sharp results.It has been unfairly criticised for being heavy @ 2.3kg which is not unreasonable for such a large amount of glass. It has similarly been criticised for having a minimum aperture of f.5.6 and being of little use in poor light conditions which is quite frankly ridiculous. With the modern Nikon Exspeed 4 engine, it is simplicity itself to dial up 1600+ asa or even much higher without loss of image quality. I find the best results @ f.8 - f.11.In short,excellent image quality, engineering design and superb value for money.Highly recommendedRead full review...
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2.2.2017

This item was bought for photographing aircraft and wildlife and since it arrived (very poorly packaged ) the weather has not been that great for doing either but I can tell you what I have found so far. As other reviewers have stated it is a heavy lens and with the lens hood fitted it is very big . I have managed some hand held shots and pretty sharp at 1000 sec some reviewers have noted that the auto focus is not that quick but it's pretty fast it does not snap to focus like some lenses but fast enough for my needs its not a £5000 lens but will give you some good results . I was using a Nikon D7100 and the FX lens works well with the cropped sensor camera .

24.3.2018

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.

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