Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I own both this new f/4 lens and its f/2.8 VRII counterpart, as well as the older non-VR AFS version. For those of you considering this over the f/2.8 version, I'll compare my experience with the two and point out what I feel are the relevant characteristics: 1. First, the obvious, this lens is $1,000 less expensive and 1-stop slower. If you are shooting film, that 1 stop will probably be important. With today's better digital cameras, that extra stop is largely irrelevant, the ISO setting can be adjusted well above film speeds with no discernible noise. 2. This lens only weighs about half of its f/2.8 counterpart. It's also a bit shorter and because of that, the controls fit a bit nicer in hand. The weight reduction is in part to a reduction in the amount of glass in the lens, both the number of elements and the diameter of the elements but also an increased use of plastic in this lens. I'm not being critical of the use of plastic, just pointing it out. 3. The filter size is 67mm, down from 77mm on the f/2.8. This is a much more common filter size and also more economical. 4. This new lens has a reduced close focusing distance; 3.3 feet as compared to 4.6 feet. If you shoot primarily sports, no big deal, but if you use the lens for nature/people photography it is very much a big deal. 5. Performance. In a nutshell, I don't think you'll be able to tell them apart. That's a big statement because the f/2.8 has always been known as a stellar performer in terms of sharpness and distortion. I made a couple of quick comparisons with the lenses on a tripod and VR off. The center sharpness was superb on both lenses - this new f/4 even outperformed my f/2.8 at certain apertures! Edge sharpness was very comparable on both with the f/2.8 very marginally outperforming this lens at most f-stops. Corner sharpness was a give and take by both -- it just depended on the aperture. In summary, I don't think you'll see the difference. At most working f-stops, f/5.6 to f/11, this lens is superb. At f/4 there's a little softness in the corners but it's hardly worth mentioning. Beyond f/11 or f/16, diffraction is becoming an issue -- but again, it's not a major issue. As far as distortion goes, there's some pincushion and some barrel where you'd expect it but, unless you're shooting brick walls straight on, it's just not an issue. This lens certainly has less distortion than many other zooms out there. In summary, I'm delighted with this lens! It's performance is superb and I'm very picky about sharpness. I really appreciate the reduction in weight and the lens simply feels better in hand than the longer f/2.8. I'm not about to give up my f/2.8 yet because I also shoot film, but I'll be using this on my digital Nikons from now on. Highly recommended.