Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8E vs Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S
Last year I came across a pretty good trade-in deal at my usual camera store for my 70-200 FL to upgrade to the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S, so without hesitation I sold off the FL to them as I was more than happy to say goodbye to the FTZ adapter.
Not that the FTZ adapter was underperforming, or that the lens was not up to standard - it’s just that the added length and bulk from the FTZ adapter does make the Z6 slightly unwieldly, and also it does require a bit of a nudge to fit into my bag as well.
So yea, with the new Z lens, my set became leaner, fitting into my bag nicely, and handling was much improved as the overall weight balance and length of the set makes handholding much more comfortable.
I had been very happy and satisfied with my 70-200 FL as it does perform as expected, and I had made over 200,000 clicks on that lens. Until the day I parted with it, it was a phenomenal workhorse lens which I had created countless stunning images with; even more so when coupled with a Z body as front/back focusing issues inherent with DSLRs were no longer a concern.
Hearing that the Z lens performs even better than the FL, I was really looking forward to owning it and putting it through its paces.
However one thing that caught my attention when I first got the lens was that how its performance varied with subject distances; at close distances it performs as I had expected it to - sharp with plenty of details and contrast, whereas at medium to long distances, I find that the FL seemed to have better performance, especially for reproducing minute details.
I thought that it might just that I have not grown into the lens and perhaps I need to change my techniques a bit to get used to it, so I put that aside and just concentrated on using it as much as possible to learn more about its strengths, weaknesses and quirks.
But after 100,000 clicks or so on it, I am quite certain that my lens might have an issue with sharpness - it’s either decentered, or the VR unit is causing motion blur, or a mixture of everything.
Sigh, I should have trusted my gut feeling and exchanged it for another unit when the window was still open.
Guess I’m going to have to pay the service center a visit soon.