Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

This is my favorite lens. I love doing outdoor portraits with this. It produces a nice soft bokeh with a sharply focused subject. The images are stunning. I use it for weddings and glamour photography. It would be great for high school sports photography too. For bird or wildlife photography you would probably need 400mm or longer. But when I am working within the 70-200mm range then this is my baby.

Be aware that this lens is for DX sensors, such as with the D300, D200, D80, and so on. If you are getting a lens for the D3 or the new D700 then this is the wrong lens. I use it with the D300 and I wouldn't give up this lens for anything.

As everything good on this lens was already said, I would only reaffirm that this is really an awesome lens, though hard on the pocket, it is really worth it.

I purchased this lens to reach out a bit further and to complement the wide angle 12-24mm recently purchased. The 70-200mm lens sports an f2.8 so it captures a lot of light, however I have found indoor photography near impossible with this lens with automatic settings. The 12-24mm lens is "only" an f4, yet seems to do much better capturing light for indoor photographs.
The two understatements in other reviews are this lens is big. It is not just big, it is an unweildy appendage. Forget about putting your camera in a bag with this lens. However, the sharpness of this lens is trully amazing. The 12-24mm lens also produces excellent photos, but nothing like the 70-200mm lens. For outdoor photography the 70-200mm lens is really extraordinary. The VR feature is also generally very helpful in capturing tack sharp photos handheld. I took a photo of a plantation in south Louisiana from a distance inside a car handheld. Zooming into the picture later revealed the entire field was tack sharp across the entire photo.

In summary this is a trully extraordinary lens for outdoor photography. I'm very glad I purchased it despite the gargantuan size and hefty price. I'm using this with a Nikon D80.

I've used this lens for almost two years now at my job at a daily newspaper. It is far from perfect. It is, however, very good. Quality of lens build is not perfect as it has needed repair to the mount. The rubber grips around the barrel has worked itself loose, and stretched itself and is in danger of coming off. The VR is audible in quiet situations, but works excellent. I feel the lens barrel itself is too narrow, and the lens, for my tastes, is too long when capped and in my bag. Image quality is very good. I used a Tamron 70-210 2.8 LD for nearly 10 years before purchasing this Nikon. The Nikon auoto focus is not any faster or more accurate than the older Tamron. Image quality is slightly better with the Nikon over the ten year old Tamron. The Tamron is much heavier, however. Overall, for the price of the Nikon I am disapointed in what I get for a flagship 2.8 big zoom. UPDATE - 11.21.08 lens still in use with above problems, one of the screws holding the VR control plate to the lens barrel has gone missing and now will have to be replaced. This is a ticky-tat problem for sure, but screws should not fall out of a camera lens, period. Maybe on a Sigma, a cheaper Vivitar, or some other no-name brand you may expect this, but on a top of the line big zoom from Nikon? No wonder so many of my fellow Nikonians are jumping ship to Canon. Quality control still matters, and it is a MUST for pro equipment at these prices.

So much has been written about this lens, I don't know how much I can add. All I can say is, if you're thinking about getting it, don't hesitate. I shoot it on a Nikon D300 body - I was previously using the Nikkor 18-200mm VRII to shoot swim and water polo meets outside and in daylight, but needed something for indoor venues, low light, and fast action. Man, it was hard to put down all that money, but after shooting it the first time, any thought of "should I really have done this?" went out the window. I love this lens. Exceeded all my expectations.

Yeah, it is heavy, especially with a D300, but the way it's built and the way it performs, I carry it gladly. The sharpness, the color, the speed, the bokeh... just... beautiful... Happy and proud to own this piece of equipment.