From 80mm to 150mm, maybe. But when both lenses are all the way out at the long end (200mm), I think the 70-200 VR II has a noticeable sharpness advantage. You have to pixel peep to see it, but the VR II is definitely sharper. I own the 80-200/2.8 AF-S, and got to try out the 70-200 VR II briefly. The 70-200 also has a slight AF speed advantage. Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Review. By Nasim Mansurov 60 Comments ISO 64, 1/15, f/5.6 NIKON Z 7 II + NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S @ 70mm, ISO 64, 1/5, I tested it (actually in controlled conditions to be sure) and found it to be noticeably less sharp than the 70-200 VRII, even at f/2.8. I decided to return the lens after that. The store accepted my test results as evidence for the return by the way. It could be that my 70-200 VRII was exceptionally good, or my 200/2 was exceptionally bad. Nikon's first 120-300mm f/2.8. Nikon's first use of an SR glass element (Short-wavelength Refractive, same as Canon's BR Blue Refractive compound) to reduce spherochromatism, also used in the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 introduced the same day. Good. Outstanding optical quality. Programmable front control buttons: AF LOCK, or AF ON, or If money is no object: 70-200mm VR 2 f2.8. If money is object but FX: 70-200mm VR F4. If Dx camera: 70-200mm VR 1 f2.8. I could go in very long technical reasons why, but that might bore you. I thought the older VR1 70-200 could not auto focus on a DX camera like the 5200. This state-of-the-art VR II model is ultra-sharp, especially at f/2.8, and autofocuses just about instantly. If all you've shot before are consumer lenses or zooms, this 300/2.8's autofocus speed will seem unbelievably fast. It also adds better VR than before, too. Nikon claims three stops of VR improvement. Other than the slight softness and rather high CA from 200-300mm though, the performance of the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor (yeesh, that's a mouthful) was really excellent. And News Reviews Articles Buying Guides Sample Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR my 70-200 f2.8 VR1 lens about a year ago, after it sat without any use for The lens you are considering is called the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. It replaced the earlier AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR, and was itself replaced by the current AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E VR FL. Yeah, they do get various names so one other way is to check the Nikon product number: 2139 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF VR AF-S Zoom-Nikkor RkCyAx.