I ordered the new Nikon AF-S 80-400mm lens from Smifu late on Wednesday, and it was delivered the following Monday morning. Mark from Smifu in Brisbane was so very pleasant and helpful, both on the phone and via emails. I have already recommended Smifu to some of my photography friends.

Gary Wolstenholme reviews the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR II lens.

Excellent sharpness; Fast silent focusing; Very low CA; Low distortion; Weather sealed; Effective VR system

Could be considered expensive at current prices

Optically this lens is excellent, producing very sharp photos on both full-frame and sub-frame cameras even at wide-open apertures throughout the zoom range. Other image quality factors like chromatic aberration, distortion and vignetting were all well behaved and minimal.

The Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is a versatile and feature-packed premium-quality telephoto zoom

5x zoom range; Sophisticated VR system; High MTF results; Fringe-free images; Reliable AF system; Focus limiter; Weatherproof design; Tripod mounting collar

Rather heavy; Costly

As the Nikon AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR's £2500 list price suggests, there is a lot of technology packed into Nikon's latest telephoto zoom. With 20 elements (including four with ED glass and one with Super-ED glass), AF-S focussing, four-stop VR and technical test results that are consistently...

5x zoom range; Sophisticated VR system; High MTF results; Fringe-free images; Reliable AF system; Focus limiter; Weatherproof design; Tripod mounting collar

Rather heavy; Costly

WOW ! I have been waiting YEARS for this lens.... Having owned the older "D" version 80-400mm for many years, this is what I have been waiting for. The older version was a great piece of glass except for the slow focus. Now that the lens has it`s own focus motor it is super fast and accurate.

Of all the lenses in Nikon's range, their 80-400mm offering has been long overdue an update for quite some time. The old lens had a reputation for being slow slow and clunky. Thankfully this new lens couldn't easily be labelled as either of these thanks to the inclusion of a silent wave autofocus...

Back in 2000, Nikon introduced the original 80-400mm/f4.5-5.6 as their very first lens with vibration reduction (VR). While it was a technological break through for Nikon at the time, that lens does not have an internal auto-focus motor such that its AF speed is notoriously slow.

Considering that this opticis only a tad slower than the Nikkor 200-400mm f/4, with a drop of a stop when you zoom out, has a 5x zoom range, is lighter, and costs about half of the near $7000 price tag of the 200-400mm f/4, it is certainly worthy of consideration for those who can appreciate what it...

I traded my 70-200 f 2.8mm lens for this new Nikon 80-400mm lens and in some way am a little disappointed with the decision, as the quality achieve with this lens despite what others may say, is still a mile off the quality you will be able to achieve with your prime lenses.