The AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is Nikon’s long awaited successor to the venerable and now 13-year-old AF 80-400/4.5-5.6D VR. It covers a 5x zoom-range and has an improved optical design with quicker and quieter focusing and better image stabilization.
Nikon’s 80mm-400mm lens has long been a favourite of wildlife photographers and this upgrade will be very welcome. Unfortunately though, the improvements have pushed the price up. It costs over £2,000/$2,800 and prices are unlikely to fall any time soon. Mind you, it is still a heck of a lot cheaper than Canon’s new EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x, which is about 4 times the cost.
To help you decide if this cracking lens is worth a significant chunk of your hard earned cash you can read these two reviews from cameralabs.com and ephotozine.com.