Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II
To clarify a comment I made in my Dec 3 entry: I said “If you need a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom, this is definitely the lens to get on Nikon”.
That recommendation is unequivocal even though I haven’t put it through my rigorous testing yet (in progress): I can already see that the 70-200/2.8G VR II fixes the problems with the original version (special report in DAP).
That doesn’t mean I’m recommending the 70-200/2.8VR2 on an absolute basis, but I am saying that it is the best option if you need a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom on Nikon. To equate it to my converted Leica 180/2.8 APO-Elmarit-R is good for giggles, but a 70-200/2.8 autofocus zoom is a heck of a lot more versatile, and there are other qualities to be investigated too, such as distortion and bokeh. So all things in perspective!