Although one usually thinks of the 180mm f/2.8 as being Nikon’s leading lens at around that focal length, the company has made numerous 200mm models over the years. These include the world’s first AF version to feature an internal motor, several years before the advent of Canon’s EOS system, and an ultra-fast f/2.0 IFED version that saw serial production in 1977 to complement the all-manual mechanical F2A. That particular lens rarely featured in sales brochures at that time, most likely being available only through Nikon Professional Services (NPS).

During 1982, Nikon undertook a huge lens upgrading program altering nearly every single one of its 70-plus models to the Ai-S specification for compatibility for the then-unannounced multimode FA. In most cases, however, the changes were made to the mount and aperture operation, with few of the models undergoing optical improvements.

It wasn’t until 1985 that the third and final manual focus variant appeared with features that wouldn’t seem out of place today, including a front protective glass, drop-in filters and a rubber-armoured front ring.

Nikon stopped manufacturing that particular model in the late 1990s, but it may have survived in inventory for a long period. Optical performance was first rate.

In 2004, a completely revised version was introduced, and my partner and I worked with Nikon on its introduction in NPS magazine. It was a landmark lens signalling the addition of VR for the first time in a pro-level telephoto prime. At that time, Nikon pro digital SLRs were DX only, so the AF-S VR 200mm f/2 IFED would effectively be working as a 300mm equivalent. The VR 300mm f/2.8 followed shortly after.

Apart from the addition of image stabilisation, the optical construction was unusual in that it featured three ED glass elements as well as a single Super ED element. Although Nikon has never formally acknowledged the use of fluorite in its SLR lenses in anything other than the 105mm f/4.5 UV Micro-Nikkor, it’s believed by some industry pundits that they have. Nikon says its Super ED glass has similar optical characteristics to fluorite, but without the susceptibility to cracking under extreme temperature fluctuations. Fluorite is also prone to damage through excessive vibration, and it’s thought to be one of the reasons various space agencies, NASA and the Russian FSA in particular, continue to use Nikon.

Crystal clear
In any case, many users swear the original 200mm f/2 VR model is one of Nikon’s sharpest, and the VR II, reviewed here, is, in effect, a minor upgrade. With 13 elements in nine groups and a minimum focus of 1.9m, the optical design hasn’t changed, but it adopts Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat, a new internal anti-reflective coating, applied to an unspecified number of elements (likely one or two at most).

While the lens is well baffled internally, the new coating delivers an outstanding high-contrast image at full aperture. And throughout the test period, I barely felt it necessary to use the hood. In any case, the combination is intimidating for portraiture, and a meniscus lens safeguards the expensive ED glass.

Build quality is to Nikon’s usual pro standard with an all-metal magnesium alloy body; only the focus ring is made from plastic. Externally, the new lens is distinguished by the gold VR inscription, as opposed to the red lettering of the original, and there are one or two other minor cosmetic differences. If you’ve never seen one before, it’s about the same length as 70-200mm f/2.8 but with a much wider barrel and truly huge 122mm front filter. The supplied metal hood is enormous too though. Since it was designed to be reversible, it has to fit over the tripod collar, itself placed very far forward directly under the heavy ED glass elements.

A new VR II unit has been installed, bringing the new lens into line with Nikon’s other recent lens upgrades, notably the 300mm f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8, claimed to allow users to shoot at shutter speeds up to four times slower than normally required. That means either 1/30s or 1/15s, depending on where you agree to start from and with very good technique. And, of course, depending on your definition
of what’s acceptably sharp. Certainly, after you’ve spent some time getting yourself accustomed to the handling, the latter speed is achievable for most newspaper reproduction.

Pros and cons

While Nikon is well known for its optical prowess, it has garnered something of a poor reputation for the design of its tripod collars. At least that’s the case with its more recent AF lenses and this is one of the weaknesses with the new 200mm f/2. While four locking screws hold the foot, the collar is not removable and must be moved out of the way for
successful handheld use.

However, the main issue is that the locking mechanism just isn’t particularly effective. The locking knob appears to apply pressure by its tip, much like the AF-S 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II, making it especially difficult to deaden vibration on a tripod without over-tightening. While you could argue that this lens isn’t likely to be used on a tripod, there are times when it might.

Even though it’s a G type Nikkor without an aperture ring, which means limited backwards compatibility with film cameras, this lens is still a tempting proposition for videographers as well as an ideal candidate for teleconverters, so a decent tripod collar is a must.

Weighing nearly 3kg, it’s also a surprisingly heavy lens, so the rather insubstantial-feeling locking screw is likely only to worsen over time. Handholding the lens for any amount of time is tricky due to the weight being right at the front, with the centre of gravity in the middle of the larger cone-shaped manual focus ring with a D3 mounted. It’s a bit too heavy to constantly manually focus while supporting the lens with your fingers; you have to shift the weight between thumb and forefinger and rotate your wrist to use it.

That may be a moot point, though, as AF operation is a real highlight for sports and action shooters. The first thing you’ll notice is the SWM in this particular lens is extremely responsive and well suited to tracking fast-moving subjects. It’s also quicker to focus than any 70-200mm f/2.8 and there’s none of the distracting hunting back and forth.

Autofocus isn’t totally silent, however, as it has a high-pitched rasping sound when adjusting over distance, but it is low in volume. Short-distance adjustment is silent but if there’s any wavering from being handheld, unless you’re relying on focusing tracking, re-activation of AF is likely to result in an out-of-focus image.

This makes it a difficult lens to use for portraiture, for example, where you’ll be focusing on one eye, unless you’ve thoroughly steadied the lens first with a tripod or monopod. Full-time manual override is available but the shallow depth-of-field at f/2 and f/2.8 is not revealed by the standard focusing screens of current DSLRs and the focus confirmation light in the viewfinder can’t be relied upon either. Focus accuracy is critical so I would advise double-checking the lens with the AF Fine Tune option on each camera. Live view in Tripod mode, which discounts any AF adjustment set, would be one way of confirming accuracy. Like the other recent lens upgrades from Nikon, the addition of an A/M position on the focus control slider means the full-time manual override is less sensitive to accidental adjustment than the standard M/A option. Although it will be down to personal preference, in my view the old M/A option is now superfluous.

Edge performance
The 70-200mm f/2.8 is often used for portraits, I use one now myself, but I found the 200mm f/2 and its 12.2º angle of view on an FX-format D3S to be constantly tight. At £4500 +VAT for a fixed focal length with a one-stop advantage, this is a niche choice and image quality has to be exceptional.

The lens performs best at f/2.8 but there’s little difference at f/2 with only edge performance being behind slightly at the maximum aperture. Between f/4 and f/16, other than depth-of-field, there’s nothing really to be gained in terms of resolution or edge performance. On the 12-megapixel D3S, the effects of diffraction can be seen at f/22. Current Nikon cameras remove some chromatic aberration in JPEGs, but chromatism of any kind was extremely low wide open. A trace of pincushion was noticed, but even the inevitable loss of illumination to the corners, of around 0.7 stops, is simple to remove in post. I shot the lens alongside the new AF-S 85mm f/1.4 G and the colour between the two was indistinguishable. Thankfully, that’s one less step to correct later in post.  

After getting used to weight and balance of the lens, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s an impressive performer. The nine-bladed aperture is near circular at all f-stops, and defocused areas have smooth transitions with a similar drawing to that of the new fast 85mm. It’s a particularly fine example, though the older version was no slouch either and could be bought until recently for a little over £2000 +VAT. While that price was obviously to make way for the new version, it had been far lower than new Canon offerings for some time, but the upgrade has seemingly given Nikon the opportunity to re-align the pricing. Nevertheless, I doubt that will stop photographers from buying the latest version, or any of the others that will doubtless follow.

Visit: www.nikon.co.uk