The Nikon 80 400mm Lens – Telephoto Performance Without The Bulk Of A Telephoto Lens

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

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The Nikon 80 400mm Lens is a popular lens that does not look like a 400mm lens to the naked eye. The picture quality is sharp, the weight is light (compared to say a Canon 100-400mm IS) and the size of the lens will have you thinking you are using wide angle or general purpose zoom lens.

This lens by Nikon is perhaps the only 400mm lens going around that can boast the fact that it has very little flare and distortion combined with a superb vibration reduction (VR) feature which enables you shoot with this lens handheld in all sorts of situations.

Those photographers out there who will be thinking this lens is perfect for sports shooting or low light motion photography will be a disappointed unfortunately.

A combination of slow automatic focusing and f stop issues will make life difficult capturing motion in subjects, but more on that later.

Who this lens is good for – people that like to wander around the place, you know, landscape photographers/nature photographers and the like who will appreciate the large zoom range and VR functionality and the fact that your arm won’t feel like it’s going to drop off after 15 minutes of use.

It’s also good for people who aren’t very tripod disciplined and prefer to handheld most of the time.  Of course, because camera vibration is such a random thing, the vibration reduction setting won’t save you every time, but you can go along way to making sure it does by holding the camera correctly and steadily before taking the shot.

You can certainly hear the vibration reduction engage with a rather noticeable clunking noise, but it is as smooth as silk once engaged and for me this wouldn’t put me off buying the 80-400mm or indeed any other lens. As mentioned in an earlier review, I sometimes enjoy knowing that functions are working rather than simply relying on the fact.

At a glance…

• Color: Black
• Diameter: 3.58 in
• Length: 6.73 in
• Weight: 2.86 lb
• Diaphragm Blades: 9
• Features: Internal focusing system, ED glass, VR (Vibration Reduction), AF stop
• Filter Size: 77 mm
• Focal Length: 80 mm – 400 mm
• Focus Adjustment: Automatic, manual
• Lens Aperture: F/4.5-5.6
• Lens Coating: Nikon Super Integrated Coating
• Lens Construction: 11 group(s) / 17 element(s)
• Max View Angle: 30.2 degree(s)
• Min Focus Range: 2.3 m
• Mounting Type: Nikon F
• Optical Zoom: 5 x
• Zoom Adjustment: Manual

The Good

made of plastic primarily, but it is high quality plastic and definitely not Mamiya plastic comparatively lightweight and small for its capabilities freedom from a tripod in a lot of cases thanks to vibration reduction. Note: this vibration feature only works with the following bodies – D80, D200, D2H, D2X, D1/X/H, D100, D70, F5, F100, F80/N80 and the F65/N65. But do check your instruction manual as the list is always being added to. sharp image quality especially on DSLR bodies little to no flare and ghosting despite large number of lens elements (17 in total)

The Bad

slow autofocus, if you want faster autofocus consider reading the Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review not compatible with any Nikon teleconverters, not that you should be using teleconverters with a 400mm in my opinion. There is a teleconverter called the Kenko Pro 300 2x that will enable the VR but manual focus only – don’t say I didn’t warn you however.

Remember how I mentioned the slow auto focus system earlier on? Some of the more thoughtful photographers out there might be wondering why this lens doesn’t incorporate some sort of modern AF-S technology.

So why not? No-one really knows except the manufacturer. Possible explanations may be that there isn’t simply enough room in the lens or that the price would be out of reach for many had it incorporated a decent AF-S motor.

My gut feeling is that the lack of decent auto focus is because this lens was one the first in a long line of Nikon lens improvements stretching back a decade. Usually but not always the newer lens is the better performing and technologically refined.

Again, if you want faster autofocus at the expense of reach then have a look at the Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review or the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Telephoto Zoom Lens

Overall Rating:

This does not detract from the fact that the Nikon 80 400mm Lens is a great lens that does the job it is designed for. It offers itself to a great range of mostly stationary or slow moving subjects in the field and is the perfect companion to a wide angle lens in your camera bag. Check it out!

Related posts:

1. Read The Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review And Discover A Hidden Gem Of A Lens