Sharpness at 200mm

Our sharpness tests are carried out by photographing a real-world subject rather than a test chart. The Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens was attached to a Nikon Z 7, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. Self-timer mode was activated to steady the camera completely. Any slight tonal changes you may see across the crops are a result of slight changes in natural light during the shooting session.

The full frame at 200mm

At the longest focal length, sharpness is excellent at the centre, but perhaps a touch softer than at the shorter focal lengths. The sharpest results can be seen between f/4 and f/8. At the edges of the image, the sharpest results can be seen between f/5.6 and f/16. Again, although ever so slightly softer than at other focal lengths, the overall impression of sharpness is excellent at normal printing sizes.

Aperture	Centre Crop	Edge Crop
f/2.8
f/4
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22