My Nikon 70-200 F2.8 VR arrived ... Hope to take a few pictures this weekend to give it a proper road test.
L-R: Nikon 70-200 F2.8 VR, Sigma 70-200 F2.8, Ferrari 348
First impressions:
- It is about 4 inches longer and about .3 lb heavier. The length and extra weight means that it is a bit more cumbersome than the Sigma. You can definitely sense the extra weight. But this is something one gets used to after some time.
- Placement of the zoom and focus ring - the placement for the Sigma lens was: Camera body --> focus ring --> zoom ring (i.e. the zoom ring was the furthest away). In the Nikon, the arrangement is Camera body --> zoom ring --> focus ring. The Nikon arrangment is a lot more logical and you can use both controls pretty easily with the same hand. The focus ring was awkwardly located - you needed to slide your hand closer to the body to focus and then slide it back to hold the camera steady. Of course this wouldnt be that important if AF was used only and no manual adjustments
- Construction - like the Sigma, this lens looks solid - can take a beating
More impressions later. I made a quick comparison of the two lenses to check out if the VR works - I will post it separately