Nikon 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto Lens

[31 of 31 customers found this review helpful]

Nikon 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto Lens Review

odd yet incredible lense

"I bought this lense for macro use on spiders, but found it's actually useful for birds as well. it will work for things in between, but that's not it's forte. It's ultra sharp for either use, and well built. I actually carry and use my camera stuff wherever I go, so durability and not filling with dust and garbage is important. As a 200mm lense, it's far smaller than my 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S which is simply not practical to lug around. This 200mm macro can actually carried around all day on a D700 or N80 with no problems. If I can't use a lense to take pictures because the only practical place for it is at home, it's useless. I used to carry around a Kodak DCS760, so I tend to cry a bit less than most people about things being heavy. On a camera body that's not tall (F5 is out here), this 200mm will lay flat on you and not lever into you, or beat you up if you move around, which is good.



The focus screw has to spin forever to focus which makes the autofocus SEEM slow and useless, but this isn't really the full story. You just need to help it along- it's a limitation of how macro lenses work, and it's really not that big of a deal.



Once you are close in focus, it will track faster than you ever could (yay). I just switch the focus ring to manual, focus on what I want, then switch back to A and let let the camera take care of the rest. If you're really close, locking focus and moving in and out with the camera will let you get dead on to what you want. It's hard to maintain focus with even minute amounts of shift in distance to the subject with a macro lense, and that's true for any of them. No AF system knows which eye or leg of a bug you want to be focused on so you actually get to do your job for things like these. This applies to things about 1 foot away, which is around the closest you can focus.



In the macro world it seems using f/16, 22, even 32 are necessary as the depth of field becomes almost exponentially smaller the closer you get. It's the opposite say a 20mm wide angle that's pretty much always in focus no matter what you do with it as long as you can decide between 3 feet and the infinity mark a fraction of a turn away.



Compared to the 60mm f/2.8 AFD, this one is way longer and heavier, and can't focus as close, but you can't always be just inches away from everything.



It's actually less ackward to haul around than the 17-35mm f/2.8 AF-S which is really fat and chunky and wants the hood broken no matter how you attach it.



Except for some telephoto-ishness, there's really nothing equivalent to this thing, unlike an 85mm which you can duplicate with probably any 3 of 4 random zoom lenses out of any pile anywhere."

Nikon 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto Lens Review

Best Macro Lens ever

"I have owned this lens for almost two years and have used it extensively. Primarily for macro but also for landscapes. It excels at small critter photography because the working distance is such that you don't encroach on the subjects space.

I have used it hand held but primarily with a tripod and focusing rail."

Pink Calla lily shot with 200 mm Micro Nikkor lens

• Made with Product

Dahlia close up shot with 200 mm Micro Nikkor lens

• Made with Product

[25 of 32 customers found this review helpful]

Nikon 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto Lens Review

Superior

"Superior image quality. I have won more awards with this lens than any other. Due to superior optics and versatility this is THE lens for nature shooters. Fantastic macro images. There none better and few equal to this lens. Anytime I go into the field this lens comes with me. Although I wish for a lighter weight, the images this lens produces makes it worth the sweat and muscle aches. Great bokeh. If you have to ask what bokeh is, then pass on this lens."

[10 of 10 customers found this review helpful]

Nikon 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto Lens Review

Fantastic lens!!

"I use this absolutely fantastic lens for macro and general photography purposes. When this lens is in stock, get it. Don't even think about it. Just get it. It produces some of the most consistently beautiful shots of any Nikkor lens I own.



I think I read in another review that the autofocus for this lens is slow. Somewhat true if you trying to go from focusing on a bug and then trying to focus on a baseball player, for example. If you are using this lens for anything that needs super fast autofocus you are using the wrong lens anyway. Just go to manual focus mode, get it close to where you want it, go back to autofocus mode and let the camera do its thing if you must. I find this technique works really well for me.



Like I said, just get this lens. The smile will not leave your face when you see your results!"

[15 of 15 customers found this review helpful]

Nikon 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro Telephoto Lens Review

Solidly built.

"The 200mm. Micro Nikkor is a tack-sharp lens that is great for capturing close-up photos of skittish animals. One can fill a camera frame from several feet away VS several inches with one of the smaller macro lens. If you are planning on taking lots of macro shots, you should consider this lens. Also very good for taking portrait shots."