I bought and shot this lens for 2 weeks in Europe this December of 2015, going after airplanes, trains and birds. I left my 300 2.8 at home because it's slightly smaller in my carry-on and more versatile zoom-wise. Optically very good but not as sharp as my 300.

After using 3rd party lenses for a long time, I made the decision to switch over to this lens. And boy, ain't I glad I made the switch? There is a vast difference in the image quality.The f 5.6 is a just apt for making beautiful images at a long end 500 mm.

This lens takes very clear, spectacular pictures. I was amazed at the picture quality. The lens is also surprisingly very fast. I was a bit reluctant at first, but once I got it and played with it a bit, I was happy to have made this purchase. The lens is a bit heavy, but for a good reason.

Consistent Output; Durable; Easily Interchangeable; Fast / accurate auto-focus; Nice Bokeh; Rugged; Strong Construction

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.

I would highly recommend this lens to anyone who does what it's designed to do: wildlife photography, distant landscape and architectural detail. It's not too hard to carry, even with the neck strap, although some kind of sling would help.

Extremely sharp; remarkable VR; excellent contrast and color rendition; reasonable price

Heavy; long; clumsy

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

The announcement of the AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens in August 2015 came as a pleasant surprise for Nikon camera owners. Not only is it the only genuine Nikon zoom that goes out to 500mm, but it also costs less than some comparable third-party offerings, at least in certain markets.

It's been a tempting couple of years for sports and wildlife photographers, with a flurry of very affordable super-telephoto zoom releases. First Tamron impressed with its game-changing 150-600mm f/5-6.3, then Sigma released its own brace of widely acclaimed 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lenses.

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

Very good lens from Nikon. Affordable for wildlife photography. Optical quality is very-very good. VR is the best I've had on any Nikkor. Focusing speed is fine but not a race engine. All in all a home run from Nikon.