ASK COREY: What’s Your Favorite Telephoto Zoom Lens?

Corey,

I have a Nikon D750 and I’m looking to build out my lens quiver. What is your favorite telephoto zoom lens? 

Keep up the good work!

—Martin

I’m a guy who wants the right tool for the job. You can use a handheld skill saw for most cuts. But when you’re building furniture or cabinetry, a table saw—while much heavier and more expensive—is going to do a much better job at making those cuts.

The same idea applies to my two favorite telephoto zoom lenses: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens and the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens.

In this case, the f/4 is like the skill saw: about two pounds lighter, cheaper by about $1,000, and suitable for most shooting situations. If I’m going to be hiking with a backpack in the mountains, where I have to carry a lot of weight, and I’m mostly shooting still photography and minimal video, the f/4 is fantastic.

For video applications, I prefer the f/2.8 because its manual focusing is much, much better than the f/4. Plus, I get an extra stop and more stability.

If I have the luxury of bringing both lenses, I will. I often find myself shooting on the f/2.8 and then having the f/4 set up for a time-lapse. Or, I’ll use the f/4 on a second camera for tight shots during interviews.

If you have to choose just one, I’d say go big and get the f/2.8. You can do some cool stuff with that shallow depth of field. But I bet that within a few months, you’ll be wanting to add in the f/4, too, so you can give yourself that extra bit of light-and-fast versatility.