Nikon 70-200 mm VR Review for Documentary Photography -

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Vibration Reduction

One of the most interesting aspects of this lens is the inclusion of Vibration Reduction. Below are two examples of the results that can be achieved with VR at slow shutter speeds. While not conducted under the highest scientific standards these examples do demonstrate the sort of performance that a general user can expect from day to day use with VR.

In these examples I've been unable to resist the temptation to demonstrate the abilities of VR beyond its stated three stop advantage. The fact that I've taken usable images at four stops below the conventional hand holding ideal is very impressive - remember that's a shutter speed 16 times slower than conventionally optimal!

VR can only be activated through the shutter release. I only use the rear AF-On button for autofocus. For me therefore, making an exposure involves a combination of both buttons. Either may be activated first or continually pressed depending on the situation, as long as the VR has time to stabalise before making the exposure. When I first learned that VR activation couldn't be assigned to the AF-ON button I thought it would be anoying having to press both buttons in combination. But in fact this isn't an issue. I'm never aware of any undue fumbling to activate focus and VR in this way and it's never caused me to feel like I've missed an opportunity while executing this button pressing combination.

There is of course no problem in keeping your index finger half depressed on the shutter release to maintain VR while refocussing with multiple presses of the AF-ON button (or manually focussing). In this respect keeping auto-focus and VR activation separate is a distinct advantage, although the longer VR is on the greater the battery drain.

The movie below left shows the finder image during VR activation; initially VR is not active, then VR activates (and the red veiwfinder grid lines are illuminated), I then deactivate VR as a further comparison. Finally I reactivate VR and make three exposures at 1/13th of a second. In order to keep the movie file to a reasonable size I've had to reduce the quality, but this short clip does give a reasonable idea of how effective VR can be.

The image below right (Test Image 1) is one of those taken during the movie clip.

Short movie of VR in action

Test Image 1 Aperture: f/4, Shutter Speed 1/13th, focal length: 170 mm (equivalent to 255 mm on the D200's DX sensor), ISO: 200

For Test Image 1 the focal length was set to 170 mm using a Nikon D200, which equates to 255 mm on FX or film body. Conventionally therefore to get an acceptably sharp result you'd ideally chose a shutter speed of 1/250th. In this example I've shot at around four stops slower (1/13 th) and captured a usable image.

Below are three 100% enlargements of Test Image 1 taken from the positions shown in red. These are JPEG conversions of the origional RAW files with no post processing.

Test Image 2 is a second example showing the ability of VR to improve sharpness at slow shutter speeds. This was made with the focal length set to 200 mm (equivalent of 300 mm on the DX sensor). The aperture was set to f10 (so not too much potential for quality loss through diffraction) resulting in a shutter speed of 1/15 of a second.

Again this image was made hand-held with good hand holding technique.

The 100% enlarged sections below are reproduced as JPEG conversions of the original RAW file without any sharpening or other post processing applied. I consider the detail reproduced to be very impressive given the slow shutter speed.

Test Image 2 Aperture: f/10, Shutter Speed 1/15th, focal length: 200 mm (equivalent to 300 mm on the D200's DX sensor), ISO: 100

The 100% enlargements of Test Images 1 and 2 give an idea of what's acheivable using VR. You can decide for yourself whether you consider this sharpness acceptable. By way of showing what is possible with some post processing, the reproduction below shows the result of sharpening and a levels adjustment (remember...it's at 1/13th of a second with the lens at full extension at 200mm).

It's generally accepted that the Nikon D200 has a strong anti-aliasing (AA) filter. The effect of the strong AA filter is to produce files that look quite soft straight out of the camera. The 100% enlargements shown above to demonstrate the effectiveness of VR should be viewed with this fact in mind.

Sea Sickness?

When I first started to use VR the unusual motion viewed through the viewfinder did give me difficulties. This hasn't taken long to get used to - but it's worth making sure you're fully aware of the effects of VR and the potential for dizziness if you're predisposed to such things.

VR Activation Noise

When VR is activated there is an audible click followed by a low hissing sound. When VR is released the same click is heard. You can hear these sounds clearly in the movie clip above. This sound could be considered quite loud but in real world use it's substantially quieter than the sound of the shutter release - again clearly the case in the movie.

Wider Benefits of VR

Once you start using VR a host of additional benefits come to light other than reducing the effect of camera shake at slow shutter speeds, here are some of my favourites:

◆ Smooth pans - in "normal" mode the lens automatically detects panning and only takes out camera movement in the opposite plane to the pan. This means you get more pleasing straight lines if you're using the pan to emphasize motion of the subject (see below left).

◆ In a similarly vein, when using slow sync rear curtain flash to capture a sense of movement, VR is useful to prevent jagged distortion in light trails during the ambient exposure (below right). This is possible because VR works regardless of the duration of the exposure - as long as the shutter remains half depressed.

Using VR to smooth panning shots has potential to render background blur more naturally*

Background light streaks in rear sync flash photography can be rendered less jaggedly by using VR*

◆ VR allows small apertures to be used to increase depth of field and still renders the subject sharp despite the resulting slower shutter speed.

◆ Focus accuracy - both with manual and AF. The stabilization of the viewfinder image means it's far easier to focus manually. When using AF it's also easier to keep the focus selector on the subject. This is particularly important with a heavy lens like this since it can cause muscle fatigue leading to camera shake. Therefore in situations where the light is good enough to allow fast shutter speeds there's still an advantage in using VR to improve focussing accuracy. This will however, affect battery performance due to the extra power drain.

◆ If you wish to use a polarizing or graduated filter that reduces the amount of light entering the lens, the VR can provide a good buffer against the potential for camera shake.

◆ The use of good solid hand holding technique should always be used to minimize the effect of camera shake. However, sometimes hand holding stability can be restricted e.g. as a result of working in difficult, cramped conditions or when you've been running to get into position and you're out of breath. In this case VR assists to make up for your compromised hand-holding technique.

◆ Improved framing accuracy - reducing vibrations viewed through the viewfinder gives a considerable advantage to framing accuracy (although this is negated by a camera that doesn't show 100% finder coverage - as with my D200).

* these images are only used to demonstrate the principles that I describe - they're not taken with the 70-200 VR I've not had the opportunity to do much panning with the 70-200 yet - but I'll replace these images as soon as I have more relevant examples