Nikon AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR : Specifications and Opinions

Nikon AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR

The Nikon AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR is a tele lens for FF and APS-C, manufactured from 2001 to 2013 (discontinued). The focus is done by In-camera AF motor, it has image stabilization. The average price was 1650 €;

23 users have given it an average vote of 8.3 out of 10.

MOUNT

This lens is available with the following mounts:

Nikon F: this lens is compatible with reflex fullframe and APS-C Nikon.

Specifications
Focal lenght	80-400 mm
Angle of view	30.3 - 6.2°
Format	FF, APS-C
Max. aperture	f/4.5-5.6
Aperture blades	9
Lenses/Groups	17 elements in 11 groups
Min. focus distance	2.30 meters
Reproduction ratio	0.20x
Features
Zoom type	Ring, external
Stabilization	Yes (built in lens)
Focus	In-camera AF motor
Internal Focus	Yes
Built and notes
Tripod ring	Yes
Extenders	Yes
Filters	77 mm
Lens hood	Yes, supplied
Weather sealing	No
Weight	1340 g
Dimensions	91 x 171 mm
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Reviews

What do you think?

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user238344

sent on 01 Marzo 2023

Pros: Very light weight, astonishingly sharp at 80mm+, usable and good IQ up to 300-350mm, good colour rendering, alltogether it has a very usable focus range, it is built stable, stabilisation available, with good luck this lens is available relatively cheap,

Cons: performance becomes poor near 400mm, AF dependent on camera motor, therfore too slow for flying or running animals, tripod clamp useless weight (but can be taken off), stabilisation very old version (it works, but creates artifacts sometimes),

Opinion: I bought an used, but excellent exemplar of that lens for less than 400 Euro, which turned out to be a bargain. But it took me perhaps a year to understand under which conditions the results can be satisfying. It is near to unuseable at 400mm, but if you work with less than 350mm or better less than 300mm, you will get fine results. It's very light to carry, which is important for me. It's no classical wildlife lens, as it is very slow. If you use it clever, you still can get some good shots, but you should not forget to find the focus point before action will start. For a long time, there were no tele lenses that light to carry. Nowadays they exist, but cost a lot. I love it on longer hikes, 80-350 go very well, and you still have a reserve of 400mm, if the two headed deer shows up. Don't pay more than 400 Euro for it.

Timk2

sent on 01 Maggio 2015

Pros: Focal length range, solid construction, tripod collar

Cons: Rudimentary VR, that takes long time to kick in and does so visibly, Weight, f22 performance, 400mm open aperture performance, closest focus, repairs expensive and slow, old type AF

Opinion: Initially purchased to turn my FX D700 more into a DX, extending maximum focal length from 300mm to 400mm. The combination of the 1kg of the D700 and this lens made for a home gymnasium! Good image quality generally but noticeable fall-off at 400mm, especially at f5.6. Highly usable long lens for many applications but some very restricting downsides. Closest focus of 2.3m isn't close enough for a head and shoulders portrait, for instance and the original VR was very agricultural, with noticeable delay and a visible movement in the viewfinder. F22 performance very soft (tripod mounted for a landscape with maximum depth of field) The lens, with generous lenshood becomes very long at 400mm too, making it very obvious. I then dropped the lens and, via the shop who sold it, Nikon took over 4 months to repair it as a part could not be sourced. On repair, I immediately traded it in for Sigma's 150-500mm, even bigger and far less well built, but better optically. I had also bought a DX D7000 by then too and so I had the 400mm focal length with my much more portable Tamron SP 70-300mm VC, which I still use for almost all telephoto applications. The new, replacement G 80-400mm seems to have addressed all the issues, such as 400mm performance and now has SWM and latest VR, BUT at a huge hike in price. BUT, if I had the money, then I would definitely buy the G as it offers a really useful extra length over the 70-300, especially on DX, but without the huge non portability of the 150-500mm, plus of course, a wider starting point.

The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

Alessandro Cioni

sent on 16 Maggio 2024

Pros: mechanics, weight, optical quality

Cons: Minimum MAF distance a bit limiting

Opinion: After years with my beloved 80-200 biferera I decided to extend the focal length with this lens, found cheaply used. I was worried about a consistent variation in weights and dimensions but I had to change my mind: by removing the plastic bayonet lens hood (which I never tolerated) and replacing it with the 77mm metal one of the 80-200 first series, the lens becomes very manageable in size and, together with the removal of the tripod collar (not as bad as described by others) it becomes easy to take out and store in the backpack, with a total weight lower than that of the 80-200. The optical performance is extremely satisfactory at all apertures and lengths and will make you want to carry it with you at all times. I didn't notice any noticeable drops in quality at longer focal lengths, probably because my specimen is of the second series (SN 4xxxxx) and clearly wants to be used at TA. The contrast is great and the shadows are legible. The colors are very natural, saturated. The mechanics are typical of those years: precise, solid, reliable, a blunt weapon. The af won't catch a fly in flight but if you exclude sports applications it almost never goes wrong (D700, D750). VR is a surprise: primitive but it works. It manages to ennoble in its use a lens that was created for photographic hunting. Extract and shoot. You get still images handheld even at 400mm at 1/50s, i.e. at least three stops of gain. In continuous mode it is also very effective in video, as long as you know how to manage the "symphony for autofocus and stabilizer". I don't regret my bighiera.

Antonello75

sent on 25 Ottobre 2022

Pros: Very vivid colors, good construction, sharp at 80 mm

Cons: Discrete AF

Opinion: Bought in January used in excellent condition, like new, I needed a tele zoom, I use it for athletics photos, with burst shots you risk not having all the photos in focus, a still bird you can compose a great photo, in flight you have to find the right time, very lively as colors, I am still satisfied, just choose the subject at the right time. Judgment, however, more than positive

Claudio Trezzani

sent on 10 Settembre 2019

Pros: Focal excursion, construction.

Cons: Sharpness at maximum opening

Opinion: Simplifying: Canon the theme of 80 - 400 f4.5 - 5.6 stabilized solved it at the first shot (sharper at maximum focal and lower minimum focus distance), Nikon no. Having said that, the first Nikonian version of this declination is not without interest, and I affirm it not disjointedly from the low price at which it can be found today. At a relatively small figure you get a well-built lens, with a very versatile focal excursion, with good general sharpness. As announced, its Achilles heel is the drop in sharpness at the maximum focal. However, the advantage is that the maximum MTF value at 400 mm is reached in the center already at maximum opening, for acceptable field results. Thus, the proof of the facts results convincingly in a wide variety of situations. There is also to consider that my specimen is a freshman with first number 4, and as another reviewer explains here since this series, improvements have been made. As for bokeh, there are negative and positive premises. The negatives: it's a wide focal excursion zoom. The positives: the blades of the diaphragm are nine and rounded. On the field the consequence is: a soft base so to speak "covered" by a structured patina. A result not entirely pleasant but not even the worst. The autofocus - which only works when controlled by the camera engine, where mechanical coupling is expected - is slow, but less so than you might think when paired with modules starting with the D800/D4 series. My opinion is therefore positive when compared to today's quote: as much as you pay it, it gives a lot, and with a multiplicity of uses.

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Nikon AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR : Specifications and Opinions

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Reviews

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Photos taken with Nikon AF 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR