Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G VR: A Travel Photographer’s Take

When I’m on the road, the lenses I find myself reaching for most are often wide-angle lenses and primes like the Nikon 24mm f/1.4, Nikon 50mm f/1.4, or the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8. They just suit how I usually like to take photos. I often prefer to get in close and capture some environmental elements in the frame than shoot from further back or isolate single elements. And I just prefer to use primes when I can.

But there are a lot of times that no amount of cropping in post can replace having a good telephoto zoom on hand. That’s especially true if you’re out shooting wildlife. But even in travel photography in urban places, it can be nice to pick out architectural details or compress perspective. And when shooting events, you often can’t get in close to the action.

The catch, of course, is that good telephoto zoom lenses are often heavy and bulky. And they can be darn expensive.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

I’ve spent a lot of time shooting with the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR, the version Nikon introduced in 2013. It’s still the lens a lot of Nikon DSLR shooters land on for reach, and plenty of them are buying it used now.

It’s quite a different lens from the original AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED, announced in 2000 as Nikon’s first VR lens. The old one had no focus motor of its own and drove focus off the camera body’s screw drive; this one uses a ring-type AF-S silent wave motor. The new version is sharper, has much better and faster autofocus, a much-improved vibration reduction system (VR II, if you’re counting), focuses closer, and has a better manual focus override. It’s also bigger, heavier, and considerably more expensive.

This lens is really designed as a versatile telephoto zoom. It’s not really designed for professional sports or wildlife photography — there are much higher-end, faster, and more expensive lenses for that. It’s also not really an all-in-one walking-around zoom lens, because even at 80mm, you’re in moderate telephoto territory. And even if the broad specs aren’t that far apart, it’s a much better lens than the Nikon 70-300mm.

For me, it’s a choice between this and the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8, which is priced similarly. I’m a big fan of the 70-200mm — I’ve taken some of my favorite photos with it. It’s an extra 1-2 stops faster than the 80-400mm and is a reliable workhorse lens. Under 200mm, the 70-200mm has a clear advantage in speed and sharpness. But if the extra reach between 300 and 400mm appeals, you’ll need to add a teleconverter. You lose the extra stops’ advantage while narrowing the gap between the maximum focal lengths but also losing the lower focal lengths. Good teleconverters also aren’t cheap. I’ve found that for all-around versatility for general travel photography, the 80-400mm works for me better than the combination of a 70-200mm and a teleconverter.

While I haven’t personally used this lens with teleconverters, this is worth knowing if you’re thinking about using it with them: unlike the old D version, which wouldn’t take one at all, the AF-S 80-400mm does. With a TC-14E, it becomes a 112-560mm f/6.3-8. The catch is that f/8 at the long end — autofocus only works on bodies that support f/8, which Nikon lists as the D800/D800E, D810, D850, D750, D610, D500, D7100/D7200/D7500, Df, D4/D5, and the Z 6/Z 7. On anything else the combination is manual focus only.

Performance

I typically use this lens handheld or with a monopod in available light, shooting on a Nikon D850/D810/D800 full-frame (FX) camera. You can use in a body with a DX sensor, in which case you’ll get the equivalent of an extra 50 percent boost in focal length, making it the equivalent of 120-600mm.

This lens is sharp. If you were to run it through lab tests, you’d likely find something to gripe about, but in real-world shooting, I’ve found nothing to complain about in terms of sharpness through the entire zoom range. That’s including wide-open.

The vibration reduction works well. Nikon rates it at 4.0 stops under the CIPA standard, measured on an FX body at 400mm, and that’s about what I’ve seen when hand-holding or on a monopod.

The newest generation of Nikon’s vibration reduction (VR II) is a marked improvement over the old one. But it’s not going to work like magic in every scenario, especially when you’re shooting at the 400mm end of the dial. So I use it in combination with Auto ISO. On Nikon’s higher-end cameras, you can also have the minimum shutter speed vary according to the focal length of the lens. I set that to one mark above the default. I’ve found that combination to be very effective with this lens when used with the right technique and reasonable expectations. The excellent high-ISO performance of the D800 also helps.

There is definite vignetting, but it’s no more than I would expect for a lens in this combination of price range and focal length. It’s most noticeable at the widest apertures. The vignetting is also over quite a smooth gradient, which makes it much less objectionable than lenses that have very sharp vignetting. Here’s a test chart, with the shots taken in quick succession of plain blue sky at 400mm.

I’ve found that with Lightroom’s lens profiles or just the vignette tool, it can be eliminated or greatly reduced quite well. Here’s a before and after of the same image, shot at f/5.6, before the Lightroom profile, and after applying it.

Without Lightroom ProfileWith Lightroom Profile

I’ve found no real issue with chromatic aberration. To the extent there’s any, it’s minimal.

There are two features of this lens that will suck a lot more power out of your camera’s battery.

One is the vibration reduction system. The other is autofocus. I find myself reaching for a spare battery more often when I’m using this lens.

Zoom range

The zoom mechanism is smooth and easy to use. Zooming extends the lens — it’s not an internal zoom (but the focus is internal).

Some zoom lenses perform better at one end of the zoom range or the other. I’ve found that this lens performs well throughout its zoom range.

At 80mm, it’s down into medium telephoto portrait lens length. The maximum aperture of f/4.5 isn’t ideal for portraits, where a larger aperture like f/2.8 or even f/1.4 on a dedicated portrait lens might provide better effects, but it’s certainly serviceable if you find yourself doing only occasional portrait shots.

Zoomed to 400mm, the maximum aperture becomes f/5.6. Again, there are faster lenses at that focal length, like the Nikon 400mm f/2.8, but you’re then looking at a completely different price range.

Handling

It’s well built, falling closer to the high-end Nikon models than some of the cheaper plastic kit lenses. It feels solid. I haven’t had a problem with the zoom slipping as you do in many cheaper lenses — it’s smooth and tight. And it’s made in Japan.

You wouldn’t accuse it of being petite, but it’s also nowhere near the size of some telephoto zooms. It’s also not light, weighing in at around 3.5 lbs. But again, that’s lighter than some telephoto monsters.

The zoom ring is large and true. The manual focus ring is a bit smaller and rotates smoothly. Being in the “G” series, there’s no aperture ring (aperture changes are all handled on the camera itself).

Tripod collar

The tripod collar that comes with the lens isn’t as good as the one that comes with some of the lenses in Nikon’s “pro” range. It’s fairly lightweight, and doesn’t rotate as smoothly, and doesn’t have as smooth a graduated lock as the ones on, say, the Nikon 70-200mm or Nikon 400mm. The plate is also smaller, giving less flexibility on finding the balance point. That said, it does work well enough.

I replaced the standard one with a Kirk Arca-Swiss collar designed specifically for this lens. It’s bigger, offers better support due to the addition of an extra brace, and, well, is compatible with Arca-Swiss quick release plates. It’s also much better made, longer (to help with finding balance point), includes locks, and also includes a regular tripod thread. If you use Arca-Swiss plates on your tripod or monopod, I highly recommend getting this collar.

Lens hood

The lens comes with its own hood, the HB-65. It’s plastic, light, and is designed specifically for this lens. It’s also pretty big and makes the lens quite a lot longer, but you can also attach it reversed for when you’re carrying the lens in your bag. The catch is that when the hood is reversed, it blocks the zoom ring, so it’s not really practical just to leave the hood on reversed. Frankly, I find myself just leaving the hood at home when I know the camera will be going in and out of my bag a lot (which is most travel shooting).

The HB-65 works well in preventing lens flare, locks into place securely, protects the front lens element from light rain and is compatible with screw-in filters on the lens. And if you lose it and break it and need to replace it, you’ll have the dubious privilege of paying an exorbitant amount for what is essentially a piece of plastic with a locking pin.

I ended up replacing mine with a Vello HN-31 Dedicated Lens Hood, which is smaller and stronger (aluminum). Being smaller, it doesn’t offer quite as much shading as the original, but I find that it’s convenient to leave it on all the time, so I end up using it far more than with the original lens hood.

The lens also comes with a very good quality lens case (model CL-M2). It’s kind of bulky, and I rarely use it, but it’s nice to have when packing the lens for travel. And it has a belt strap and various clips in case you’re inclined to wear it or strap it to your bag.

More sample photos

I have a larger collection of sample images I’ve taken with this lens here.

Would I recommend it?

If you’re earning money from sports or wildlife photography, you’ll probably want to look at the higher-end lenses designed for those. And if you’re only taking family snapshots, the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G might be a more cost-effective option.

But overall, I’m very happy with this lens for general travel photography. While it’s not perfect in every way, it’s a very good lens, and the extra reach at the 400mm end helps me get shots I wouldn’t otherwise be able to get. So, yes, if you’re looking for a versatile telephoto zoom lens and the price works for you, I’d say it’s a very good option and would recommend it. There are some compromises, especially in terms of maximum aperture, but it’s sharp, relatively compact, and snappy. If your camera has some room to move with usable high ISO images, this lens can work well in a surprisingly wide range of lighting.

Tech specs of the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

• Mount Type: Nikon F-Bayonet
• Focal Length: Range 80-400mm
• Zoom Ratio: 5x
• Maximum Aperture: f/4.5-5.6
• Minimum Aperture: f/32-40
• Format: FX/35mm
• Maximum Angle of View (DX-format): 20°
• Minimum Angle of View (DX-format): 4°
• Maximum Angle of View (FX-format): 30°10′
• Minimum Angle of View (FX-format): 6°10′
• Maximum Reproduction Ratio: 0.2x
• Lens Elements: 20
• Lens Groups: 12
• Compatible Format(s): FX / DX
• VR (Vibration Reduction) Image Stabilization: Yes – VRII
• Diaphragm Blades: 9
• Distance Information: Yes
• Nano Crystal Coat: Yes
• ED Glass Elements: 4
• Super ED Glass Elements: 1
• Super Integrated Coating: Yes
• Autofocus: Yes
• AF-S (Silent Wave Motor): Yes
• Internal Focusing: Yes
• Minimum Focus Distance: 5.74 ft. (1.75m)
• Focus Mode: Auto, Manual, Auto/Manual
• G-type: Yes
• Filter Size: 77mm
• Accepts Filter Type: Screw-on
• Compatible with Nikon AF-S Teleconverters: Yes (refer to the product manual for details)
• Approx. Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 3.8 in. (95.5 mm) x 8.0 in. (203 mm)
• Approx. Weight 3.5 lbs (1570 g) (including tripod collar)

Accessories for the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-f/5.6G VR ED

Filters. It takes standard 77mm screw-in filters: Polarizer | UV/Haze | ND

Lens Hood. The petal-style lens hood is model HB-65.

Lens Caps. It takes the standard Nikon lens caps. For the rear, it’s model LF-4. For the front, it’s model LC-77. For both of those, aftermarket versions will usually work just as well and are often lower priced.

Case. It comes with a semi-soft case included. If you want to pick up a replacement version, it’s model CL-M2.