This field test report on the new Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens is by Roy Mangersnes (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram, click on images for larger view):
Due to efficient logistics and a good friend I was lucky to receive the new Nikkor 200-500mm f/5,6 lens a couple of days after I arrived in the Arctic. The next morning, September 14th, I embarked on a 10 days photographic expedition around the Svalbard archipelago. Like many times before I was hosting photographers from around the world to this magical destination on top of the world for our travel company WildPhoto Travel. I was really looking forward to using the new lens in these conditions and my expectations were very high. I realize the 200-500mm lens is not competing in the same league as my preferred long lens, the 400mm 2,8, or other high-end lenses from Nikon, but I was expecting it to perform just as good as the competing brands with equivalent zoom ranges.
The entire test was done using the 200-500mm lens together with the Nikon D4s handheld.
Polar bear north of Svalbard – Nikon D4s, 200-500mm @ 420mm, 1/2000sec, f/8 and ISO 800
