Upcoming Nikon 70-200mm f/4 Said to Feature 5-Stop Vibration Reduction
We reported last week the Nikon is set to fill a gap in its lens lineup by introducing a new Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/4G ED VR lens — a lens that should be smaller and cheaper than its f/2.8 counterpart. As we move closer to the lens’ announcement (rumored to be sometime this week), new details about it are starting to emerge.
[…] Nikon’s exclusive Vibration Reduction technology offers the perfect solution for reducing the image blur caused by camera shake. It provides you with up to four stops of “hand-holdability,” delivering dramatically sharper images in a wide range of conditions.
[…] the benefits of Nikon VR aren’t limited to shutter speeds. Consider shooting on an overcast day at a medium ISO where greater depth-of-field might be desirable. Because using a Nikon VR lens means you’ve got up to four extra stops available, you can choose an aperture of f/8 rather than f/2―and there’s your depth-of-field. And having up to four stops to work with also offers the possibility of shooting at lower ISO settings, thus maximizing image quality.
The current Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 has an efficiency of up to 4 stops, so the new 70-200mm f/4 will lose a stop in maximum aperture but gain a stop in terms of image stabilization. Interesting.
It’ll also have a filter size of 67mm (down from 77mm), and a weight of just 850 grams (making it far lighter than the 1540 gram 70-200mm f/2.8. We said that this would likely be the case in our post last week.)
As for price and availability, it will reportedly cost in the ballpark of $2,000 over in Japan — but should be a good deal lower here in the States — when it’s released in November 2012.
Image credit: Vibration Reduction by dawvon