Nikon 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

by Nikon

• Lens Construction - 8 elements in 6 groups (1 ED)
• Picture Angle - 13 degrees 40 minutes
• Minimum Focus Distance - 5 ft.
• Maximum Reproduction Ratio (Macro Setting) - 1 - 6.6
• Attachment / Filter Size - 72mm

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches ; 1.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005LEOI
• Item model number: 1940
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Nikon 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF Nikkor Lens - A high performance, fast telephoto lens that is ideal for photojournalism, sports, & portraiture.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A sleeper in the Nikon line August 11, 2009

By Carl E. Feather

This lens is legendary, but due to its sloooooooow focusing, doesn't have much value to sports shooters these days. It is a great lens for landscapes and portraits on FX and could make up for any issues with the 70-200 on FX, which frankly, I feel are way overblown. At any rate, if you need a fast medium tele and can't afford the 70-200, this is worth a look. No VR and no AFS make it very antiquated, however. The sharpness and bokeh are superb, however. Look for a used one.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid build, excellent optics, great for certain sports/portraits May 22, 2010

By C. Kevit

I purchased the 'non-D' version of this lens, used. It is clear my copy was made some time ago and well used, but it feels very tight and sturdy. I love Nikkor build quality. The other reviews are accurate in that this lens' strength is its optics- very sharp, even wide open, with great bokeh. These attributes are nice when isolating the subject for strong portraits. One thing to keep in mind is that your working distance for portraits will be pretty far; maybe 10-20 feet, depending on sensor crop and compositional choices. I would say with my D300 I typically shoot headshots about about 15 feet- great for outdoor stuff, but maybe harder to manage in the studio. I find it very comfortable to shoot with, especially with the vertical grip attached.

One could also use this guy for certain sports like tennis, volleyball, track, etc. I would not try to use it for soccer or basketball where you have a more dynamic selection of subjects. As noted before, the autofocus is a bit slow; probably slower than my 24mm AF-D or 50mm AF-D. However, I will note that it varies noticeably depending on the body used. My D50 turns it slower than my D300, and my F100 actually focuses very quickly. I have read that Nikon film cameras have very strong AF motors, and now I see the difference.

As always, a good approach is to try to find a used one at your local shop and try it out!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A True Classic - But Not Perfect July 12, 2012

By Damien Feldspar

This is an very nice and compact telephoto lens, especially on DX bodies like the D300; nice and sharp even wide open and by f/4, performance is approaching world class. This lens produces sharp, high-contrast images on the D300 and bokeh is excellent, with a soft and pleasing out of focus area rendition.

The lens starts to show it's age on full frame cameras however, including the D700 and especially with the D800. Pixel level acuity is marginal on the 36MP sensor of the D800 and while downsampled images look great, the 180mm f/2.8D just can't keep up with the demands of the newer high resolution camera. Purple fringing is on an extreme level with high contrast subjects and extends out from the edges of transition areas for 5-8 or more pixels. I found this to be unacceptable and very distracting and therefore will no longer attempt to use the lens on the D800. On the D700, the situation is better, though still not perfect as there is softness that never quite goes away outside the central image area, even when stopped down.

Others have complained about the M/A focus mode switch, but in my opinion, the lens is a mechanical marvel considering the older design and lack of a built in focus motor. The lens is very solid and has a wonderful manual focus action - the best manual focus of any autofocus lens I own, with a very precise and positive action. Build quality is exceptionally high. Autofocus is slower than a modern AF-S or shorter focal length AF-D lens, but totally acceptable for most shooting situations. Internal focus keeps the length consistent.

Another great `feature' of this lens is its relatively small size and light weight. It is much less obtrusive (and sharper IMHO) than the 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D, making it a great high-quality carry-around telephoto. For perspective, it's about as long as the 18-200 DX VR (with hood attached) and so fits nicely in a medium sized bag.

On the down side, it's a little expensive, but if you want to own a classic, and especially if you shoot a higher end DX Body (with the required built-in autofocus motor), this is it.