Nikon Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED Ai-S

Great lens, but... Image quality is great, build quality is almost great (except that the auto/manual focus switch ring tends to fail on these lenses), and the value is the best thing (most bang for the buck). One unexpected weakness i notice was that when you have the sun directly in your frame, the image comes out very, and I mean very hazy compared to other lenses I have. I'm not sure if it has to do with some kind of lens coating they didn't have back when these lenses were built, but I wasn't expecting that. The haze can look good for some creative shots, but it's hard to control it when you don't want it. The haze is not a problem if you don't include the sun in the frame though (which I love to do).

A GOOD LENS , BUT...... You would better be a Weight Lifter to handle this lens frequently ----- it is HEAVY ! and that ergonomic feature spoils it ! And coupled with a D700 NIKON BODY is a complete negative ! Far too unwieldy to handle . The quality is there , but living with it is another matter. I've sold mine !

Misses 5 stars because... I love everything about this lens except the M/A focus selector ring, which really is the Achilles heel of this lens. If yours is not already broken, be very careful with it. On the bright side, mine still works despite being broken; it just doesn't stay locked in A. Not a big deal because it takes a good bit of turning to go into M focus. Overall though, this lens is a great value, especially because they sell brand new for around $1200 and you can get a very nice used one for half that.