Nikon Nikkor AF-S 80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR review - Autofocus

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Nikon Nikkor AF-S 80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR

4 August 2015

Arkadiusz Olech

10. Autofocus

The tested lens is equipped with an ultrasonic autofocus motor called SWM. Running through the whole distance scale and finding the focus takes the Nikkor about 0.9-1.0 seconds. That time is slightly longer when you increase the focal length. However, it can be also a bit shorter when you pass from infinity to the minimum focusing distance. We have to admit those results don’t impress us at all. The new Canon 100-400L II was faster even though it set the focus from 1 meter, not from 1.5 meters like the Nikkor.

Of course all the problems are solved if you employ the focus limiter and choose the range from 6 meters to infinity. The focusing time decreases to about 0.3 of a second; still once again the Canon is better here. It kept the same working tempo but its focusing range after using the limiter was wider, from 3 meters to infinity.

Still we don’t have any reservations concerning the accuracy of the mechanism. While attached to both, the D3x and on the D7000, the lens performed very well; in studio condition the number of misses didn’t exceed 1-2%. It is a very good result.

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