In article
[about 70-210 f4-5.6 AF Nikkor - most of post deleted]
> .........................................I have a couple of
> Sigma 75-200:3.8 constant speed and much prefer them to the
> Nikon. If you can find the Nikon 70-210:4.0 constant speed
> for AF, that is a great lens. At present, Nikon is telling
> us that if we want a good lens in that range, it's the big
> 80-200:2.8 or the big 80-200:2.8. Rather than the Nikon
> version, I use the Tokina 80-200:2.8 which is my second
> copy of this, the earlier is a non-AF and my friend is now
> happy to put it on his F-3. The Tokina has the tripod
> mount that is sadly lacking from the Nikon version. It is
> an ED/APO, but not IF. Of all these, my general purpose
> favorite is the Sigma 75-200:3.8. The 70-210 varispeed
> Nikon is not even in the game -- more like it's in the
> infirmary. A truly forgetable lens.
I generally agree with this, since slow variable aperture lenses
in this range are of limited usefulness, and the Nikkor 70-210
f4-5.6 (except in the best sample of this lens I have seen, which
was still not wonderful in the corners at the short end at the
"widest" two stops), is pretty mediocre (unusual for a Nikkor).
The "E" series 70-210 f4 (same optics as AF constant f4), and
80-200mm f4 Nikkors are excellent MF alternatives to the slow AF
zoom. I found the MF 80-200mm f2.8 Tokina unacceptably soft near
close-focus in the early (?) version I used, though hard to tell
from the Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 AF near infinity (quite excellent).
There are several moderate-but-constant-aperture (or, at least
faster, if variable-aperture) non-Nikkor MF zooms available in
this range with good performance (this is a relatively easy
focal-length range to design for), like the Tamron SP, Vivitar
Series I, Sigma APO, Tokina, etc. I usually do not recommend alternatives to Nikkors, but in this case, the alternatives can
be unusually good, and the Nikkor unusually poor, so the
alternatives can about equal or surpass the Nikkor equivalent.
Hope This Helps