04-28-2011, 05:00 PM
[quote name='compleatangler' timestamp='1304007277' post='7951']
Several other reviews would seem to disagree with your findings. Possibly you had a bad sample. My 80-400 is very sharp at 400mm. All the best!
[/quote]
Most reviews do not test the lenses technically (measuring) like photozone does. Most "reviews" are written by Nikon-only buying people. ColorFoto does measure, and found the 80-400 VR to not be too impressive either. They especially didn't like the big loss of contrst at the long end, and were not too impressed by the resolution at 400mm either.
I think it is highly unlikely that they tested the same sample as photozone.
SLRgear also does real measurements. Even though I do not trust their findings often (the often write weird stuff), their findings are not all too positive about the 400mm performance either.
It does not mean this lens is unusable of course, it is very compact for its reach and includes VR, making it still an interesting, albeit expensive, package, even if its AF is too slow for tracking and its contrast and resolution at the long end are a bit of a disappointment.
Several other reviews would seem to disagree with your findings. Possibly you had a bad sample. My 80-400 is very sharp at 400mm. All the best!
[/quote]
Most reviews do not test the lenses technically (measuring) like photozone does. Most "reviews" are written by Nikon-only buying people. ColorFoto does measure, and found the 80-400 VR to not be too impressive either. They especially didn't like the big loss of contrst at the long end, and were not too impressed by the resolution at 400mm either.
I think it is highly unlikely that they tested the same sample as photozone.
SLRgear also does real measurements. Even though I do not trust their findings often (the often write weird stuff), their findings are not all too positive about the 400mm performance either.
It does not mean this lens is unusable of course, it is very compact for its reach and includes VR, making it still an interesting, albeit expensive, package, even if its AF is too slow for tracking and its contrast and resolution at the long end are a bit of a disappointment.