Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus VR Zoom Nikkor Lens

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 6.7 x 6.7 inches ; 5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item can only be shipped to the 48 contiguous states. We regret it cannot be shipped to APO/FPO, Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico.
• ASIN: B00005LEOO
• Item model number: B00005LEOO
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

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  Camera & Photo > Lenses > SLR Camera Lenses

• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 14, 2002

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Lens-making is an art--Nikon artisans craft Nikkor optics from the finest materials, taking pride in adding their intellect and technique to bring the world's finest lenses to life. They push the leading edge of lens-making in their effort to provide the "glass" that makes the world's greatest pictures.

AF Nikkor lenses work with Nikon SLRs for optimal performance, even the very latest. The Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED AF VR is a compact, lightweight 5x telephoto zoom with Vibration Reduction. VR operation offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed three stops (eight times) faster. VR is automatically detected during panning operation with two modes of VR: Image plane and Viewfinder. VR for the viewfinder is cancelable to conserve battery power. Three ED glass elements ensure superior optical performance and high contrast even at maximum apertures. Filter does not rotate during zooming. The nine-blade rounded diaphragm achieves a natural blur for out-of-focus elements.

ED glass: An essential element of Nikkor telephoto lenses
Nikon developed ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass to enable the production of lenses that offer superior sharpness and color correction by minimizing chromatic aberration. Put simply, chromatic aberration is a type of image and color dispersion that occurs when light rays of varying wavelengths pass through optical glass. In the past, correcting this problem for telephoto lenses required special optical elements that offer anomalous dispersion characteristics--specifically calcium fluoride crystals. However, fluorite easily cracks and is sensitive to temperature changes that can adversely affect focusing by altering the lens' refractive index. So Nikon designers and engineers put their heads together and came up with ED glass, which offers all the benefits and none of the drawbacks of calcium fluorite-based glass. With this innovation, Nikon developed several types of ED glass suitable for various lenses. They deliver stunning sharpness and contrast even at their largest apertures. In this way, Nikkor's ED-series lenses exemplify Nikon's preeminence in lens innovation and performance.

Nikon Super Integrated Coating ensures exceptional performance
To enhance the performance of its optical lens elements, Nikon employs an exclusive multilayer lens coating that helps reduce ghost and flare to a negligible level. Nikon Super Integrated Coating achieves a number of objectives, including minimized reflection in the wider wavelength range and superior color balance and reproduction. Nikon Super Integrated Coating is especially effective for lenses with a large number of elements, like our Zoom-Nikkors. Also, Nikon's multilayer coating process is tailored to the design of each particular lens. The number of coatings applied to each lens element is carefully calculated to match the lens type and glass used, and also to assure the uniform color balance that characterizes Nikkor lenses. This results in lenses that meet much higher standards than the rest of the industry.

Distance information
D-type and G-type Nikkors relay subject-to-camera distance information to AF Nikon camera bodies. This then makes possible advances like 3D Matrix Metering and 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash. Note: D-type and G-type Nikkors provide distance information to the following cameras: Auto exposure; F6, F5, F100, F90X, F80, F75, F70, F65, F60, F55, F50, Pronea S, Pronea 600i, D2 series, D1 series, D100 and D70s/D70. Flash control; F6, F5, F100, F90X, F80, F75, F70, D2 series, D1 series, D100, and D70s/D70 cameras.

Vibration Reduction (VR)
This innovative VR system minimizes image blur caused by camera shake and offers the equivalent of shooting at a shutter speed three stops (eight times) faster. It allows handheld shooting at dusk, at night, and even in poorly lit interiors. The lens' VR system also detects automatically when the photographer pans--no special mode is required.

VR operation works with the Nikon F6, F5, F100, F80, F75, F65, D2-series, D1-series, D100, D70-series, and D50 cameras.

What's in the Box:
Lens, 77mm snap-on front lens cap, rear lens cap LF-1, bayonet hood HB-26, soft pouch CL-M1.

Product Description

Nikon is a precision optical company with worldwide manufacturing, research and marketing capabilities. The Nikon name is equated with extraordinary photographic performance, innovation, precision and optical quality.PRODUCT FEATURES:Result of VR (Vibration Reduction) is equivalent to using a shutter speed three f/stops faster;VR is automatically detected during panning operation. Two modes of VR: Image plane and Viewfinder;3 ED glass for high resolution and high contrast even at maximum apertures;Filter does not rotate during zooming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

287 of 289 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific but pricey hand-holdable tele zoom, December 21, 2004

By	Douglas A. Greenberg (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Many photographers who purchase telephoto lenses wind up disappointed in their lenses' performance; they achieve subpar results and then swear that the lens is "not sharp." Some lenses indeed might not be optically outstanding, but even in these cases the major cause of soft images, particularly when camera and lens are handheld, is camera/lens shake. People routinely try to take highly magnified photos at shutter speeds that are simply too slow.

Nikon has come up with a (partial) solution to this problem through its innovative "vibration reduction" series of lenses. These optics are designed to compensate, at least partially, for the camera shake/movement that is inevitable when a lens is hand-held. According to Nikon, the VR mechanism adds two or more "stops" worth of steadiness, meaning that a 400mm. lens that previously might be adequately handheld at 1/500 second now will (often) produce good results at 1/125. Out in the field this can make the difference between a successful photo outing and a frustrating one.

Does this technology work, and is this 80-400mm. lens a good product overall? To both questions I offer a qualified "yes." As long as one realizes that VR is not magic and has definite limitations, this feature is definitely worth paying some extra money for, particularly if one's photographic style prevents the regular and disciplined use of a tripod. The other thing about VR to keep in mind is that since camera shake itself is variable, it's a good idea always to take multiple photos to ensure that at least one of them is optimally sharp (a slow-mo record of how much one 'vibrates' while holding a camera would reveal that from instant to instant there is considerable variation).

But what about this lens' performance overall? There definitely are some drawbacks and compromises of which potential buyers should be aware. The lens is fairly heavy, and since it utilizes what is now an "old-fashioned" screw-drive AF mechanism, autofocus can seem very slow and noisy. It would be nice if someday Nikon replaced this version of the lens with an AF-S model, but there apparently is no current plan to do this. To minimize the maddeningly slow "searching" that a slow AF lens can exhibit, Nikon has included a "focus limit" switch. This makes it possible to cut the focus range in half, essentially. If one is taking pictures that are all at a distance or are all reasonably close-up, setting the switch to "limit" will restrict the lens' focusing range, allowing proper focus to be achieved more quickly.

Another drawback is that the removable tripod mount that comes with the lens is simply not very good. Photographers intending to use the lens on a tripod regularly are advised to purchase a third party mount such as that offered by Kirk Enterprises.

Optically, the lens is actually quite remarkable. This is a 5:1 tele zoom, and one would think that given the "jack of all trades" nature of such a beast there would be severe optical compromises. Not so. As with just about all lenses, there is a slight loss of sharpness at full aperture, but once the lens is stopped down even one stop, sharpness at all focal lengths is quite satisfactory. As a bird photographer, I use my lens mainly at 400mm. As compared to my older, manual focus 400mm. Nikkors, the 80-400mm. is not quite as sharp and contrasty, but in practical terms the differences are truly minimal. This lens produces fine images exhibiting good contrast and excellent color rendition. Optically, it's a winner.

One caveat: because this is a complex zoom built from a large number of optical elements, it does NOT perform particularly well with teleconverters. With certain 1.4x teleconverters such as those in the Kenko Teleplus Pro line, the lens actually will still autofocus (even more slowly, however) and the VR mechanism works, sort of. But there is a notable deterioration of sharpness. With a 2x teleconverter, there is no AF, no VR, and even further reduced sharpness. If working with teleconverters is something you are counting on, stick to a single focal length tele.

Overall, however, for photographers bent on getting sharp photos at longer focal lengths hand-held, this is a fine lens to try and buy. For walkaround bird photographers like myself, it's nearly ideal. It's very likely that in a few years this early version of a VR lens will seem antiquated and quaint. For now, however, it represents a very good investment for Nikon users.

210 of 213 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You love it you hate it (updated), June 14, 2006

By	Martin R. Manning "bird watcher" (CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the absolutely best lens I have ever used but it can also be the most frustrating. After 6 months, with this lens on my D70 most of the time, I have hundreds of magnificent bird and animal photographs including hand held shots in fading light with an effective 35mm focal length of 600mm at f5.6 and 1/100 sec that are razor sharp thanks to vibration reduction. A bonus is that the magnification outweighs the longer focusing distance and you can actually get great close-ups of butterflies etc. As far as I can see you are never going to be able to fault the optics with a 6 Mpixel sensor. The VR technology gives you 2 stops most of the time and 3 stops enough of the time to be always worth a go. But there is a big cautionary tale. The focusing on this lens is slow! It can also get confused and seemingly refuse to focus for no good reason. (You have to refocus on something totally different and then switch back to your subject hoping it is still there!) I have lost a lot of shots while the focus motor is whirring backwards and forwards and then cursed the lens until I see the next really great shot and all is forgiven. It took me about 3 months and 1000 shots to get really familiar with the lens and the shooting techniques needed. On the D70 I generally push the ISO speed up to 400 when I mount the lens to compensate for the narrower f-stop range and I switch to central spot focus to get the best chance of controlling the slow focus problem. For the sort of subjects I like, aperture priority is usually the best approach - sometimes switching to full manual when there is time to set things up. Manual focus is always an option but the D70's "eyes" are sharper than mine so persisting with auto focus remains my preference. I use the focus limit option switch a lot and I leave the full VR option on nearly all the time. With my other lenses I generally keep about 1/3 of the shots I take, with this lens the ratio drops to about 1/4 or 1/5 but stick a big CF card in your Nikon and just take everything many times. This lens has revolutionized my photography and I love it much more than hate it.
POSTSCRIPT: This lens just got a bit better. I spent my kids' inheritance and bought a D200 which now improves the focusing issue. While the basic lens focus speed remains slow, the D200 is obviously quite a bit smarter at homing in on the right focus and hunts backwards and forwards less often than the D70, particularly in low light conditions. I still miss some shots due to slow focusing but definitely less often with the D200 than with the D70.

102 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great lens as long as you understand the limitations., March 21, 2005

By	R. D. Smith - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great lens and takes simply amazing pictures. The results are much better than what you will get with the "plain" 70-300 telephoto lens.

That being said, there are a few things to consider.

1) the lens is expensive. It cost more than my D70 did...
2) the lens is HEAVY. When lugging this baby around, you know *something* is in that camera bag...
3) the focus is SLOW, particularly compared to the 70-300.

However, using the tripod mount as a "handle" (an awkward but effective use of the mounting bracket), I got some shots that simply blew me away given the amount of perceived camera shake. I do not have very steady hands (particularly with something so heavy) so the VR feature is invaluable.

I would recommend this lens, but don't throw away your 70-300 just yet...