How can I identify which Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 version I have?

Asked 12/24/2011

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I’m trying to identify a Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens before selling it. It looks like the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D ED shown on reference sites, but my lens does not say “Macro,” and it does not have an orange bar with an “M” on the focus ring.

It does have a focus limiter switch labeled “Full” and “Limit.” When set to Limit, the focus range is restricted to the longer-distance part of the scale.

Which version of the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 is this, and does the lack of a “Macro” label mean it is a different lens?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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If it looks exactly like that lens, why wouldn't it be that lens? I don't know what Ken Rockwell is on about when he says "Nikon calls this the Nikon AF NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8 D ED Macro", when Nikon does not actually appear to do any such thing. This appears to be the official page from Nikon for that lens:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Camera-Lenses/1986/AF-Zoom-NIKKOR-80-200mm-f%252F2.8D-ED.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

And as you can see, no mention of macro.

I think the moral of the story here is "when it's important, don't trust Ken Rockwell's site". A lot of his writing on photography is very good, but he also throws up a lot of junk without bothering to fact check or do quality/editorial control, and then he hides behind the "It's all a big joke" claim instead of being responsible. That wouldn't be so bad (just another crazy guy on the internet) except that so many people assume that he's an authority.

Update: in the interest of practicing the honesty and editorial review I am preaching... Further down on the page, he says Nikon mentions "macro" on the box and in the instructions because this lens has much closer focusing than Nikon's 1982-1988 manual-focus 80-200/2.8. And, indeed, Ken provides a picture of the box, where the word Macro certainly appears. But Nikon doesn't appear to really call the lens that officially, so I still think his warning is over-prominent in a way that is misleading, and he shouldn't put that name (constructed from multiple lines on the box) at the top of the page saying that it's the name Nikon uses.

Complaining that macro shouldn't be used in this way is legitimate, as the lens has a very-not-macro maximum magnification of 1:7.1, but with the page as it is, he's propagating the labeling of the lens as "macro" rather than combating it.

Nikon's real macro lenses, by the way, are labeled Micro, not Macro.

Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1943

14y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

The missing “Macro” marking does not mean you have a different or unusual lens. For this Nikon 80-200mm line, “macro” was often used loosely in descriptions, and Nikon’s own naming did not consistently include it.

From your description, the key identifier is the focus limiter switch. Common versions are:

  • AF / AF-D push-pull zoom
  • AF-D ring-zoom with a focus limiter marked Full / Limit
  • AF-S ring-zoom with a different limiter marking

Because your lens has a Full/Limit focus limiter, it most likely matches the AF-D ring-zoom 80-200mm f/2.8D ED version, not a separate “macro” model.

So the main takeaway is: don’t rely on the “Macro” wording. Identify the lens by its physical design and controls, especially whether it is push-pull or ring zoom and how the limiter switch is labeled.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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