Nikon 80-200mm f/4 AI-s : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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Kusanb

sent on 30 Novembre 2017

Pros: Microcontrast, color, contrast, sharpness, tonality! This lens excels in all these aspects!

Cons: Zoom creep, manual focus, hard to nail focus

Opinion: Great color, contrast, and very good sharpness! Color and contrast are much much better than the modern G lenses. Also, great microcontrast and tonality! My 50mm 1.8G and 85mm 1.8G suck when it comes to microcontrast! But this 35 years old lens excels! Its amazing! Highly recommended. One may also consider the 80-200 f/4.5! Its lighter and cheaper and great for landscape. The f/4 one seems to be more optimized for closer subjects rather than at infinity.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Maxligr777

sent on 13 Gennaio 2023

Pros: Sharpness, lenses that have made Nikon history at the highest level, solid, robust, excellent definition, magnificent portraits, on any occasion proves to be a great lens

Cons: nothing

Opinion: The average rating of 9.7 says a lot about this old generation Nikon lens, the one that made the brand famous and legendary. I use it with my D500 in manual focus and automatic aperture priority with medium reading with central or spot prevalence, and it's fun, fun, and always at the highest levels, for sharpness, contrast, colors, surprising definition. Its solidity and robustness, typical of AI-S lenses, is an unlimited guarantee. I tried multiple zooms of that range: from the AF 80-200 F. 2.8 Nikon onwards, but with a digital like the D500, if I went on this non-AF lens, there is a plausible reason: it has no rivals, also for its handling and weight contained in proportion to its characteristics.

Decris

sent on 23 Agosto 2022

Pros: Sharpness, solid construction, colors, bokeh

Cons: Chromatic aberrations, vignetting, flare

Opinion:

Oldman76

sent on 19 Dicembre 2019

Pros: definition, constancy of yield on all focal points and at all lengths, three-dimensionality of the image, ergonomics (still!!) materials and unimpeachable construction. ridiculous price compared to what it offers

Cons: none, except that they no longer manufacture it

Opinion: I bought 3, all to be restored, all 3 once restored to their former glory, I sold them to finance other goals. Well, 3 months ago I bought another one at 30 degrees, a shady dial, with lots of mushrooms to make risotto and glued diaphragm. As with the other 3 I disassembled it completely, reclaimed from fungi and mold (luckily they had not affected the lining of the lenses) replaced the felts of the zoom, and fattened the helicoid, it is back as new! I do not make the photo repairer for a living, but only for passion, I disassembled several lenses, but the quality that is found in this lens (and in general on all the old Pre Ai,Ai, Ai-s) is scary!! Yes it can disassemble and reassemble indefinitely without problems, because there is not a single part that is not metal, except the lenses( and that lenses!) the precision of processing and assembly is crazy, just think that the zoom mechanism works without lubrication without lubrication . All this makes us think even more, if we think that when it was produced there were no numerically controlled processing systems, but almost all the processes were handmade. I love this goal, because, despite being manual focus, it has an incredible operational speed, the lack of af easily compensates by closing the diaphragm, but on firm or slow subjects it also starts well at TA, where it is already a blade on the whole excursion. The colors are saturated, but never fired, plastic, full-bodied and neutral. It goes well with the sensors of 24Mp and beyond, the solvency of this lens manages even the most demanding sensors. It's a pleasure to use! Fast, fluid, the monopoly control is practical and fast. It has contained dimensions and weight. I confirm what Gsabbio said, the F4.5 version is better, especially the 80-200 f4.5 N, so to speak, the one with the rectangular mask on the rear lens, but we talk about goat wool. If you find one take it without hesitation, on digital goes great, if then taken in analog, try it on the 125 fp plus, in terms of details and sharpness is literally scary! My apple trees hold tight

Monticola

sent on 03 Settembre 2019

Pros: Excellent optical performance throughout the excursion, build quality.

Cons: Presence of purple fringing at 200mm at the edges in objectively difficult situations of strong contrasts (branches and leaves against clear and bright skies).

Opinion: Driven by positive opinions and looking for a high-quality zoom however more manageable than the already excellent, but longer and heavier, AI S 100-300 f/5.6, I found one used at 50 degrees (dated to 1982-83) that is satisfying me a lot for its versatility and optical quality (nothing new nor original from this point of view). Used for portraits, it is an excellent lens that, as already rightly highlighted in a previous review, does not forgive uncertainties or imperfections in focus (I use it on a Sony Alpha 7), a point that certainly can not be attributed to the quality of the goal... I usually use it at intermediate openings, especially at f/8 and despite the limitations imposed by the adapter rings, so far I can use it profitably in good available light conditions. Yield excels, I think, especially at short and medium distances. The level of construction quality is truly remarkable; it's a pleasure to carry it (from a certain point of view... on the other hand the almost 900 grams of weight in some cases, at the end of the day, feel...) and use it precisely for this reassuring - and entirely deserved - sense of robustness and reliability.

Gsabbio

sent on 21 Maggio 2019

Pros: Contrast and sharpness

Cons: Operating speed

Opinion: Great optics, and this has already been known for many years, has a global quality (sharpness and contrast), as the AFS 80-200 F2,8. Unfortunately it's not autofocus. Of course, whoever takes this has already put it into account, the question is that for this does not have a good operating speed. It is a 30 years ago, that goes great on DSLRs to Super Mega pixel, but they highlight every little error; For this it requires a laborious and long manual focus, which makes it difficult to use on mobile subjects. For this reason it is advisable to use it in good light conditions to exploit the most closed diaphragms and to compensate with the depth of field the inevitable errors of focus. One note: Owning them both, I must say that the quality of this optics is still at the state of the art also on 45mpix sensors, but amazingly it is inferior to that of contemporary 80-200 F4, 5 that already at full aperture shows an extraordinary homogeneity of Detail/engraving/contrast even at the edges, higher than that of brother F4 which, by the way, has absolutely similar dimensions. Rating: 9 and a half

Gian Carlo F

sent on 30 Novembre 2017

Pros: Sharpness, focus, maneuverability

Cons: nobody

Opinion: I decided to review this Nikon masterpiece because I saw the review by Camillo Barca. Of course I can only confirm his opinion, so I write as a complement. I had other glorious AI-AIS lenses at the time (85mm / 1.8 105mm / 2.5 105mm / 2.8 micro 135mm / 2 , 8 (and 3,5) 200mm / 4 normal and micro) well this zoom was never less. In the end I only kept this.rnNei days I used it, on D800, to make portraits to my niece, all f4, they are fantastic.rnVa also said that in his time it cost a fortune and that was the first pro zoom of Nikon (born in the f4.5 AI version and then improved to f4) .rnWhoever wanted to try it, I would suggest looking for an intact specimen, there are several now by the fruit ...., the monogyrants should not be left standing he must not go down.

Camillo888

sent on 21 Luglio 2014

Pros: All metal construction impeccable, f / 4!

Cons: No one!

Opinion: The photos I posted above in my gallery "sunsets" and some that you see below, speak for themselves! Objective amazing, used as new is just € 150. Zoom to pump fluid and precise, easy and accurate focusing. Built as it should, not like some of ... now! Heavy (the right) and compact, really solid! Clear to any diaphragm, warm colors but at the same time realistic! Also excellent for macro flowers or insects of a certain size. I bought the original lens hood separately (anche'esso metal and well executed). Highly recommended to all.