Nikon 70-200mm VR1 vs VRII - Cant Decide

[onlySE]

Hello All,
I am back to ask for your help.

Cannot decide whether to get the VR1 or VR2
VR1 Used with 2 years warranty - $1350
VR2 Brand New - $2300

I know the different is price is HUMONGOUS!!

Is it worth the extra $950?
Is it worth upgrading to VR2

It will mostly be on the D7000 for weddings, and maybe sometimes on the D700 depending on situation

Thanks

[thelefteyeguy]

lots of money to spend huh?

when did you take up photography btw?


just saying if you are the primary...you won't need the 70-200 a lot...unless the banquet hall is huge.

Not only is the 70-200 lens large...they are quite heavy to carry 2 cameras with you (1 with 70-200).

[craftsman]

VR2 is supposed to be one stop better for VR than VRI. Having said that, you might have a hard time telling the difference.

As for image quality, the newer lens is supposed to be better but most users won't be able to tell the difference unless you do a side by side comparison. My advice would be to get the cheaper one and a Nikon TC!

[onlySE]

lots of money to spend huh?

when did you take up photography btw?


just saying if you are the primary...you won't need the 70-200 a lot...unless the banquet hall is huge.

Not only is the 70-200 lens large...they are quite heavy to carry 2 cameras with you (1 with 70-200).


Couple months ago.
Shooting primary and secondary
Was primary at a wedding on the weekend, rented the VR2 - phenomenal lens...

Mounted a D700+24-70+Speedlight
D7000+70-200+Speedlight
On a Spider Holster

Trust me - iT was Heavyyy

[onlySE]

VR2 is supposed to be one stop better for VR than VRI. Having said that, you might have a hard time telling the difference.

As for image quality, the newer lens is supposed to be better but most users won't be able to tell the difference unless you do a side by side comparison. My advice would be to get the cheaper one and a Nikon TC!

Get a TC for extra zoom length?

[thelefteyeguy]

Get a TC for extra zoom length?

don't need the TC ;)

[thelefteyeguy]

btw...i dont understand why you used the D7000 more than the D700.

btw...are you shooting in raw yet ;)


how big was the wedding?...just seems kind of a heavy load to be lugging around with so much equipment.

[onlySE]

btw...i dont understand why you used the D7000 more than the D700.

btw...are you shooting in raw yet ;)


how big was the wedding?...just seems kind of a heavy load to be lugging around with so much equipment.

200 ppl, i was in and out of the hall alot as well since dinner was outside and people just hung out there more often...
JPEG ;)

D7000 had the tele

Back to Original Question
VR1 - $1350
VR2 - $2300

worth the upgrade?

[nagasadow]

200 ppl, i was in and out of the hall alot as well since dinner was outside and people just hung out there more often...
JPEG ;)

D7000 had the tele

Back to Original Question
VR1 - $1350
VR2 - $2300

worth the upgrade?

Well I would go with the VR2 model. Better VR system and the focusing distance is shorter. Also its a smaller lens

http://www.londondrugs.com/Cultures/en-US/Product+Detail/Cameras.htm?BreadCrumbs=Cameras;Cameras;Lenses%20a nd%20Flashes;Lenses&ProductID=4203063&ProductTab=3

Link is for the VR2 lens on sale. $2000

[lz7j]

Hands down, VRII. It is a much improved lens than its predecessor.

+ better corner sharpness, especially on FF and higher megapixel cams (the VRII is very good on my D800's, I'm confident I'd be disappointed with the VR1)
+ less vignetting
+ better VR
+ 5 years warranty

- the only thing I dislike is the focus breathing at close distances.


Other than that, it is very rare to regret to get the latest and greatest. Buy once and don't look back.

[sbbernst]

Hello All,
I am back to ask for your help.

Cannot decide whether to get the VR1 or VR2
VR1 Used with 2 years warranty - $1350
VR2 Brand New - $2300

I know the different is price is HUMONGOUS!!

Is it worth the extra $950?
Is it worth upgrading to VR2

It will mostly be on the D7000 for weddings, and maybe sometimes on the D700 depending on situation

Thanks



I just dealt with this exact same question personally. In my opinion, it is not worth an extra $950 to go from the VR1 to the VR2. I would say the main upgrade to the VR2 is the supposedly improved VR system giving you 1 stop better vibration reduction. How much of that "marketing" 1 stop is actually realized in real-life shooting situations is up for debate. Admittedly, I have not tested both lenses side by side, but I am willing to bet that you would not see a difference in the majority of your photos. The other main difference between the 2 lenses is that the VR2 has somewhat less light falloff at the edges of the frame. Whether this is imortant to you or not is a matter of preference - it wasn't to me. First off, most good photgraphs do not contain alot of detail at the edges and some may actually prefer a bit of falloff as a matter of artistic taste. Second, since you said you are mainly shooting with the crop-sensor D7000 (as am I), the falloff at the edges is a non-issue with this full-frame lens as the sensor will crop the edges anyway. You do get an extra 6" of min. focus distance with the VR2 as compared to the VR1, however you will lose focal length at that close focus, to the extent that at the 200mm setting, your effective focal length at 5 feet is only 135mm. It's up to you to decide which is more imprtance for you - close focus or maximum focal length.

If you do decide to go with the VR2, I would suggest looking for a used model. They can be had for $1800-$1850 if you are patient enough to wait for one. Still, for me, any extra benefit from the VR2 was not worth an extra 25% in price.

Hope that helps with your decision. It is a great lens and you will not be dissappointed with either version!

[superock]

Two ways I look at this

If you're doing this for a living, the VRII will pay for itself after one job

If you're just a hobbyist like myself, the VRI is more than sufficient

[craftsman]

Get a TC for extra zoom length?

Yep. Never know when the extra reach will come in handy and from all accounts, the results are very good.

[craftsman]

If you do decide to go with the VR2, I would suggest looking for a used model. They can be had for $1800-$1850 if you are patient enough to wait for one. Still, for me, any extra benefit from the VR2 was not worth an extra 25% in price.


No point in saving the $150-$200 as LD out west has it for $1999.98. If you can't get that price where you are, PM me... I know someone who can ship it out to you.

[craftsman]

Two ways I look at this

If you're doing this for a living, the VRII will pay for itself after one job

If you're just a hobbyist like myself, the VRI is more than sufficient

The difference between VRI and VRII is marketed at 1 stop. While there might be a few shots that will make that difference, for most people (even professionals) that difference comes into play very rarely. Even less so these days with bodies like the D7000/D700 and above with the great high ISO performance.

[onlySE]

Thank you guys!

Decided to go with the VR2 cause i used it over the weekend and the performance was phenomenal on my D7000.
I know the investment will pay off by itself over time so its worth it...

Thank you everyone