The age of the relatively affordable super telephoto zoom lens is upon us. Nikon's entry into the foray, the AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR ($1,339.95), combines crisp optics with a narrow aperture that helps to keep its weight manageable and its price down to earth.

Sharp optics; Long telephoto reach; Fixed f/5.6 maximum aperture; Optical stabilization; Includes removable tripod collar

Competing lenses zoom further; Edges soft at 200mm; Not compatible with some older D-SLRs

A big lens that is actually easy to handhold with beautiful results.

SurpriseI stumbled across this lens while shopping at a pawn shop.

Affordable; Quality Lens; Great Clarity; Wide Range of Zoom

Focus ring position requires getting used to.

I borrowed this lens from my father-in-law for over a year. He says he's used it for bird in flight photography, but with the auto focus on this lens, I don't see how you could do that. It worked great for egrets and other stationary birds.

Lots of reach Spinning filter ring and hood Really sharp from 200-380mm

Kind of slow Focus is not great Not all that great above 380mm; but still plenty usable

I can't say enough good things about Buydig service it was excellent. They sent me an RMA and a return label and credited my account right away. I have been a Buydig customer for years and this is the first time I have had to return anything. The lens gets two stars but Buydig gets Five!

Well made; solid build

Focus problems that Nikon could not determine why or figure out how to correct; It continuously back focused and since my particular camera does not have adjustment for that, subjects were always soft if they were at any distance; Ran any number of tests and this lens continued to underperform.

Thanks to Tamron for lending me this lens for a day at the Cincinnati Zoo. Since I knew I would be walking a lot, I took only my mono-pod with me. I am very impressed with this lens. It can take very sharp photos.

Will give you very sharp photos; Zoom range of 500mm; Build quality felt good; Just love the design of Tamron's; lid caps

Not a hand-held lens; Should at least use a mono-pod, Wide open of 200mm could be a problem

Handling and Features Performance Verdict Specification The AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED lens is an FX format powerful telephoto zoom, ideally aimed at sports and wildlife photographers.

Quality of manufacture; Hand-holdable; Excellent even results; Excellent ergonomic design; Constant f/5.6 aperture

Weight

Nikon managed to create a very good Lens at a lower than expected price point. This lens would still be good value even if the price was 50% higher

Constant Aperture Sharp and Contrasty; even wide open Removable Tripod Foot Excellent VR; allowing hand held shots at speeds one think not possible Reasonable AF speed Excellent build for a consumer grade lens

Needs very large (expensive) front filters No drop-in filter system Lens hood needs a better securing system

The lens is heavy, but can be hand held. The the photo quality is best at close range.

What digital camera reviews the Tamron SP AF200-500mm f/5-6.3 Di LD (IF) lens...