This is one of Nikon’s most interesting lenses, and I hope that some time in the future Nikon will upgrade it to include an internal vibration stabilizer (VR).

A few technical details: the lens consists of 10 elements in six groups (quite a complicated design for a prime lens), a minimal photographing distance of less than 1.5 meters (!) so it produces a 1:3.7 enlargement– almost macro.
The aperture features 9 circular blades creating a perfect Bokeh. The lens quite long – about 22cm and is quite heavy – 1.4 kg.
The relatively heavy weight is an advantage, since you can take pictures by hand as the weight stabilizes it.

You can photograph with the aperture wide open, and get impressive results. This lens is one of the hidden “jewels” of Nikon. It costs less than $1,000 in the USA, and is one of the best primes of its kind.

Earlier versions of this same lens (from over two years ago) had a problem: the tripod’s collar was not sturdy enough; that is why the lens got low grades.
The upgraded versions include a bit sturdier collar, but the ultimate solution for this lens is to replace the collar.

KIRK, USA, has a supply of replacement collars for some of Nikon’s lenses, which had a bad collar design (the 400-80, the old 200-80 and so on).
You will have to say goodbye to about $150 for the collar, but it is certainly worthwhile. The KIRK collar has a base in compliance with the ARCA SWISS or WIMBERLEY systems so you do save some money if you want to install the lens on a professional tripod head.

This lens is a reasonable solution when a speedy lens is required to photograph birds or other flying objects. It is equipped with a relatively fast AFS drive motor and without a teleconverter it can focus with great speed.

It works with all Nikon’s teleconverters, as with Tamron's and Kenko. Nikon’s teleconverters have a small quality edge on the AFS lenses that is why they are recommended. With the TC-14EII there is no significant reduction in the focusing speed  - an excellent prime of 420/5.6 that focuses very fast is achieved and the results with a wide-open aperture are impressive, as we will see later on.

This is probably why Nikon is in no hurry to replace the historical, manual, 400/5.6 lens with a modern one, because a new lens (besides maybe the VR) will not have much to offer. With the teleconverter, it is not inferior to competitors' lenses.

With the 1.7 teleconverter, you can obtain a 500mm lens (and not a 510 as calculated) and an aperture value of 6.8. This combination leads to a slight reduction in the AF speed but it still works quite fast. Upon closing a 1/3 stop to 7.1, you can get superb quality for this combination.

With a 2x teleconverter, the AF speed is reduced significantly, and in poor lighting conditions, the lens “hunts” for quite a while.
You can assist the lens by manual focusing, since it operates like other Nikon AFS lenses, which enable manual control over the lens.

When the lighting conditions are fair – there is no problem in using the AF but it is quite slow. In this state, it is recommended to close the aperture by 2/3 stop (to F:10) in order to obtain maximal sharpness, but the results are very good also fully open (F:8).
Take note that together with the teleconverter we have already achieved a lens with a focal length of 600mm, which requires a sturdy tripod and a suitable head. This focal length is equivalent to 900mm on Nikon’s DSLR system with the crop factor, and it should be referred to as such.

Moving one step ahead – after some short surgical procedure over the teleconverters, one can install one teleconverter on top of another, and by connecting the 2x and the 1.4x teleconverters, one can achieve a focal length of 840mm (1260mm over the DSLR).
One can also connect the 2 x teleconverter to the 1.7x teleconverter in series to achieve 1020mm, a f:13.6 effective aperture (a focal length of 1350mm on the DSLR – completely wild).
This combination should be closed in at least a full stop.

When connecting two converters in series, the automatic focusing no longer works, and when connecting the two long TCs in series, the viewfinder is quite dark.

Finally, I did the most illogical thing – I connected the TC-20E to the manual TC-201 teleconverter in series. The combined focal length is now 1200mm before the crop factor (1800mm after) and the aperture value is 16. In the following example I photographed without a releasing cable and mirror locking, and the results look like a motion kind of blur.

This combination was made only for demonstration and is not really practical for daily use.

At such focal lengths stability is a must. I strongly recommend that also the camera be well supported (for example, with a 359 Manfrotto accessory), and operated with a releasing cable and mirror lock.

In such a focal length you should not expect fast panning, but, to my great surprise, they are very practical for static objects, only if caution measures of shooting in such a long focal length are taken.

The photographic results are good for such combinations, and although the system is somewhat awkward, it is a relatively low-cost way to reach focal lengths that are unimaginable.
This comes to prove that its optical design of the lens is excellent, otherwise the results would be devastating for such a combination.

Practically speaking, for use as a long lens it is better to use either without a teleconverter or with a x1.4 teleconverter or a x1.7 teleconverter. You can easily create a 500mm lens with it, that is fast and of good quality, having a reasonable weight, and a relatively sane price.
If required, you can also create a 600mm lens with it, with a reduced focusing speed, and a somewhat reduction in quality with an open aperture. You can further enlarge the lens by combining teleconverters, but that is more of a curiosity than a practical daily solution.

Chromatic aberrations, (CA) and flare do not practically exist in this lens, which not unexpected in long prime lenses.

This lens is well worth its price and even more.

Now for some examples:

The first thing that is obvious when photographing with this lens, is the wonderful Bokeh. Even if photographing conditions have a complex and contrasting background, it produces a wonderful Bokeh:

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/4000sec F Number: 5.6 Max Aperture Value: 4 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Spot White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2003:01:24 11:14:30 Color Space: sRGB

With a maximum aperture value 4 (open wide) you can achieve a blend of excellent sharpness (see the spider’s web) together with a Bokeh that fades away like cream:

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/200sec F Number: 4 Max Aperture Value: 4 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Spot White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2003:01:24 09:32:30 Color Space: sRGB

The colors it produces are lively and rich – as we can see in the following photo (red/green/blue…):

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/1500sec F Number: 5.6 Max Aperture Value: 4 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Spot White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2003:01:24 11:14:25 Color Space: sRGB

Its microcontrast is one of the best ones I have ever encountered. The capability to separate details of a similar dominant shade is just superb and here it is demonstrated as a “macro” lens:

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/1600sec F Number: 4 Max Aperture Value: 4 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2003:05:10 10:52:09 Color Space: sRGB

The sharpness of this lens is excellent even in maximum value aperture, and in the crop you can clearly observe even the delicate hair:

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/180sec F Number: 4 Max Aperture Value: 4 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2003:05:10 10:50:54 Color Space: sRGB

Its sharpness is further demonstrated here – a photo taken a few meters away (do not forget that this is a tele-lens):

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/1250sec F Number: 4 Max Aperture Value: 4 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2003:05:10 11:08:04 Color Space: sRGB

Connecting it to a 1.4x teleconverter (for example, the TC-14E), does not reduce the focusing speed (at least it is not noticeable) and the sharpness is maintained even when the aperture is open wide (it’s a 420mm lens here with maximum aperture value 5.6):

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/1000sec F Number: 5.6 Max Aperture Value: 5 Focal Length: 420mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.3333333 Metering Mode: Spot White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 630 Date Taken: 2003:02:15 12:44:13 Color Space: sRGB

Another example with this teleconverter (TC-14E):

Model: NIKON D100 Exposure Time: 1/500sec F Number: 5.6 Max Aperture Value: 5 Focal Length: 420mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0.6666667 Metering Mode: Spot White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 630 Date Taken: 2003:02:15 12:49:38 Color Space: sRGB

With the TC-17 teleconverter you get a lens with a focal length of 500mm (not 510mm somehow) and a maximum aperture value of 6.8. By closing the 1/3 stop only to 7.1, the sharpness “jumps into our eyes:”

Model: NIKON D2X Exposure Time: 1/350sec F Number: 7.1 Max Aperture Value: 5.5 Focal Length: 500mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 160 Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 750 Date Taken: 2005:12:10 13:11:12 Color Space: sRGB

This is, in my opinion, its optimal focal point. A high quality 500mm lens, which does not cost like a medium size car.

With a 2x teleconverter (TC-20E) you get a focal length of 600mm, and an F:8 , which here, with closing 1/3 stop to F:9 – you also achieve excellent sharpness, but a reduced AF speed. This photo was over sharpened to show the details (in the Web) in the crop. Sharpening would not do if it did not exist in the photo:

Model: NIKON D2X Exposure Time: 1/250sec F Number: 9 Max Aperture Value: 6 Focal Length: 600mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 160 Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 900 Date Taken: 2005:12:10 13:20:55 Color Space: sRGB

And yet another example of a 600mm:

Model: NIKON D2X Exposure Time: 1/160sec F Number: 9 Max Aperture Value: 6 Focal Length: 600mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 160 Metering Mode: Center Weighted Average White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 900 Date Taken: 2005:12:10 13:21:03 Color Space: sRGB

At this focal length, as in any long lens, one should have appropriate photographic and surrounding equipment (a stable tripod, releasing cable, and so on) otherwise the results could be disappointing and not because of the lens.

The last example is a photo created via two 2x connected teleconverters. The reported focal length and aperture are completely wrong (the TC-201 teleconverter does not have electrical contacts) and it was taken from the camera’s library of lenses with a similar focal length that were previously used.

The subject here is moss on a roof located about 60 meters away. The crop was sharpened to show what a combination is capable of. This is a hard-pressed solution and is certainly not a recommendation for using the lens (focal length is 1200mm and the maximum aperture value is 16). This can only demonstrate the original lens’s high quality optic design, which can produce reasonable optic results even with two teleconverters connected in series:

Model: NIKON D2X Exposure Time: 1/125sec F Number: 6 Max Aperture Value: 0 Focal Length: 300mm Exposure Program: Aperture priority Exposure Bias Value: 0 ISO Speed Ratings: 125 Metering Mode: Pattern White Balance: Auto white balance Flash: Flash did not fire Focal Length In 35mm Film: 450 Date Taken: 2005:05:13 12:27:59 Color Space: sRGB

To summarize it all, I think this lens is a good solution for someone who is searching for a long lens and does not want or cannot afford to spend thousands of dollars.
It is better than the 80-400 VR but is missing the zoom and the stabilizer. On the other hand, by replacing teleconverters, you can jump “zoom” it.
You can photograph hand held in good photographic conditions after having some practice, and the bonuses you get, besides the superb sharpness, are the good Bokeh and its ability to photo from a close distance.

This lens stands in the shade, while the whole world goes ahead towards the expensive zoom lenses, and it is well worth placing it in the spotlight.
Its sharpness is similar to that of the 70-200 AFS VR with a 1.4 teleconverter, that is why it was abandoned, but its Bokeh is much better, does not tend to flare as does the 70-200 with a back light and you can easily make it a 500mm, with a rather speedy AF, which is impossible with the 70-200.

It takes some practice to be able to use it manually although it does not have a VR.

As I have stated in the beginning of this report, I hope Nikon upgrades it to a VR version just as its peer, the wide shutter 300/2.8 was upgraded, and which costs four times more. And also the foot should be replaced.
The lens is well worth serious consideration.