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Photography as with any art is subjective. Everyone has their opinion of what is a great tool or junk. This lens is one of the best built optics in a zoom lenses. All metal construction, real glass optics and precision mechanics. But can it take pictures? The answer there is yes!!! It produces uniform images over the entire zoom range from fully open to fully closed aperture. Best results are in the mid-aperture range. It works with both film and digital Nikon cameras. I use it with both old F2's and D100's. Now newer digitals may only allow use as a manual lens, it can still produce wonderful images. If you are using a normal 18-55mm zoom or 35mm to 50mm fixed lens, this will cover just about any situation requiring a long lens. Close focus is in the less than 5' range, great for filling a frame close up. It can be hand-held in normal daylight but with a max F4-5.6 a tripod or mono-pod is suggested. As far as can it take great photo's, sure it can, but can the person holding it see the picture that is waiting? That is the difference between art and just a lot of pictures. This lens gives you the opportunity to capture those images and the flexibility to be creative at the same time. For the price you will be hard pressed to find a better product! I have been using Nikon cameras and lenses since the 1960's and still have every Nikon lens purchased over that time. This has become one of my most used lenses, for close detail work to portraits and wildlife. The AF Nikkor 70-210mm is a great lens to have in the bag along with a good fixed wide-angle, you don't need more than that. Most likley you won't find a new one, they were discontinued around the end of 1999. Saying that, I expect it will be still working like the others after 40 years. Think of something else you can say that about. If you can find one, buy it.Read full review
This lens gives great overall performance, is built solidly, has a metal mount (very important for the abuse my cameras go through), and focuses fast, even for a non-D model. Images are sharp and contrasty throughout the focal range on my D700, and image acuity does not lag too far behind much more expensive models like the 70-200 f/2.8. It would take a pixel peeper to tell the difference. If you are on a budget and need a great full frame zoom at a fraction of the price of the big boys, give this lens a look.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Like many others, I bought this lens after reading Ken Rockwell's review. I can completely confirm everything he wrote - in a situation with ample light, where one does not need f2.8, this lens delivers almost indistinguishable performance in terms of autofocus and sharpness with less weight hanging around your neck. Its aperture is generous as Ken mentions - remains f/4.5 out to ~135mm and then increases to f/5.6. I have noticed a bit of a cool color cast to photos taken with this lens, but it is consistent and easily correctable with a program such as Lightroom. If you don't have Lightroom, don't worry about it (just tweak your white balance a bit warmer as you shoot). Look closely at eBay listings without the 'D' specified - sometimes people fail to note that, and the 'D' version autofocuses twice as fast. Those listings can be blazingly good deals. Considering that the used going rate on this lens has come down from Ken's boost a few years ago, in the $100-$200 range I will go out on a limb and say there is no better telephoto to put on a Nikon body. Don't even consider the 70-210 constant f/4 as an alternative; its autofocus is so slow in comparison that you would miss the shots that needed f/4 at 210mm. If you need a faster lens than this one, jump straight to the 80-200mm f/2.8.Read full review
I bought this lens for just under $150 specifically to take to the 2007 Rolex 3 day event in Kentucky. It turned out, as suggested in several on-line sites - to be perfect for capturing sports such as horses going fast across country and over fences. It is light enough to hold easily (and all day) and I had no problems with camera shake, admittedly on a bright day. It also focuses VERY fast, which is important when you are trying to capture something unpredicatable like a jumping horse. It does make some significant noise during the focusing process but I can't say that bothered me. I was extremely happy with the results, my pictures were clear and crisp, and I was able to stand back from the crush of the crowds around most jumps and still fill the frame. Overall I got excellent value for money relative to the new lenses on the market. I suspect I will be using this lens for a long time to come.Read full review
I like the fact that this lens is the older slide type with a metal body. Feels much more substantial and bullet proof than the later plastic bodied ones. It works fine for nature, which is the primary purpose of it in my bag. I also have a 300mm fixed tele, which is even longer, but has some issues with weight, length, long minimum focus range(20 ft minimum). I would recommend this lens to anyone who wants a medium-long tele in a reasonable package. Yes it's old, but it's a Nikon. Need I say more?
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