Nikon AF-S 70-200 mm f/2.8G VR: A closer look

Sharpness on the Nikon D3

Below, you can see crops from images taken with the Nikon D3 full frame camera. The images have been taken with a cable release and mirror lock-up. The camera was on tripod and the lens' vibration reduction was disabled. Focusing has been done with the aid of live-view (highest magnification, manual focusing).

Full image with crop positions at 200 mm:



Full image with crop positions at 180 mm:



Crops:

At 200 mm
At 180 mm

Lens sharpness can vary over the whole image in a very strange manner and the crops sometimes just can't show this. Sharpness at left / right edge doesn't mean sharpness in the center or in the outermost corners. That's why I've included some full resolution images:

Full resolution sample (at 200 mm f/2.8)
Full resolution sample (at 200 mm f/4)
Full resolution sample (at 200 mm f/5.6)
Full resolution sample (at 200 mm f/11)

Full resolution sample (at 180 mm f/2.8)
Full resolution sample (at 180 mm f/4)
Full resolution sample (at 180 mm f/5.6)
Full resolution sample (at 180 mm f/8)

Use a good monitor and open them in Photoshop or any other program with color managment. Open two pictures at the same time and zoom in to 100 %.
Vignetting on the Nikon D3

The following images show a part of the sky at different apertures (images taken on tripod, showing the same part of the sky). The images also demonstrate the effect of filters and lens hoods. Follow the link below to see the amount of vignetting:

At 70 mm
At 200 mm