What is the best zoom lens for a Nikon F2?

[Malcolm M]

Has no-one mentioned the 80-200 mm f4? Whether or not it’s the best choice I wouldn’t know, as I have no experience of anything else. Big and heavy, as a proper Nikkor should be, but if it’s light and compact you want don’t start with an F2. The only Nikkor that covers the required 50-200 mm is the huge and slow 50-300 mm f4.5, so a telephoto zoom and 50 mm prime are probably the best choice.

 

[splitimageview]

The 80-200 f/4 is a slightly better performer than the 75-150. Whether that is visible in standard use is debatable. It’s about 300g heavier.

It was *the* pro zoom back in the day.

I have had later versions of the 80-200/2.8 which are excellent but prefer the f/4 as it’s lighter and uses 52mm filters along with all my other Nikkors.

 

[Corran]

The obvious answer is the 80-200 f4.5, second version. Very light, very sharp, and inexpensive. The only down side is focus creep. With that lens, it's more of a focus race. Most are very loose and will slide easily unless you hold the zoom/focus ring. The other suggestions - the 75-150 and 50-135 are both excellent, but they don't reach the 200 range you were asking for. If you want a lens that doesn't creep, the above suggestion of a two-ring 80-200 AF lens is great. It is, however, much heavier than the 4.5.

THIS

An amazingly underrated lens, with a smooth rendering that few lenses have. This and the 25-50mm are the hidden gems of mf zooms. Focus is indeed difficult so pair it with a good focus screen and a battery pack to shoot lots of film.

 

[J enea]

I will second the 80-200 f4.5, second version. great lens, much smaller than my dads old 2.8 and takes 52mm filters. I got mine for $50 and could be my best low cost buys ever

 

[raid]

I still have the 80-200/4.5 Nikkor. It is an excellent lens optically.
Heavy. Zoom moves easily. By itself 🙂

 

[shorelineae]

Great information, thanks everyone!
I like the sound of the 80-200 f4.5 N and the 75-135 E. I think one of those paired with my 50mm prime should be sufficient for my needs. I can live without the 200 focal length but it would be nice to have...

Now the challenge is to find a good version without the aforementioned creep issues... or I will consider the Vivitar or Tamron ones. It is possible I would use this on a tripod or monopod for a specific (outdoors) personal project. I have been using primes exclusively so this would be my first zoom.

I don't plan on using it on a digital camera at all.

 

[J enea]

Great information, thanks everyone!
I like the sound of the 80-200 f4.5 N and the 75-135 E. I think one of those paired with my 50mm prime should be sufficient for my needs. I can live without the 200 focal length but it would be nice to have...

Now the challenge is to find a good version without the aforementioned creep issues... or I will consider the Vivitar or Tamron ones. It is possible I would use this on a tripod or monopod for a specific (outdoors) personal project. I have been using primes exclusively so this would be my first zoom.

I don't plan on using it on a digital camera at all.

when I spoke with the salesman at the used cameras dept and my former crack house (local camera store that had to close due to internet stores) as well as a former news person, the lens was designed to have the push pull zoom and focus creep, or move easily with a finger or two, for speed of use. So if you do find one that is stiffer, I would be careful of it needing a good cleaning. a friend uses a small piece of gaffers tape to keep it stiffer.

 

[Pál_K]

Which screen are you using on your F2? If you have a central split-image screen, some situations may cause half the image to go dark with a f/4.5 aperture (though typically I don't see this until I mount an old f/5.6 or f/8 lens).

 

[Dogman]

I still have an 80-200 f/4. It's left over from my F2 outfit from the late 80's. I also used the Series E 36-72mm zoom. The little Series E lens was surprisingly sharp although it was so lightweight it was hard to take seriously compared to the other Nikon gear I was using at the time.

 

[shorelineae]

Which screen are you using on your F2? If you have a central split-image screen, some situations may cause half the image to go dark with a f/4.5 aperture (though typically I don't see this until I mount an old f/5.6 or f/8 lens).

A K screen and an E screen is also on the way... good tip thanks.

 

[shorelineae]

Folks. Thanks everyone. I got both the series e 75-150mm and the 80-200mm f4.5 N.

The former is dusty and has fungus but I got it for a shocking price ($20) and having had great results from a fungusy lens, im not bothered.

The latter has slight dust and in great condition. Both have gentle zoom creep but I now realize it is to be expected.

I am now hunting for a Nikon F100 haha.

 

[jarski]

Better question is what is a bad telephoto zoom that I should shy away from. There are a ton of good Nikkor zooms and even some other brands.

f2.8 80-200, "pump zoom" version. barrel distortion on long end is noticeable. its that old lens that wont probably have correction profiles for LR et al.