For subjects that hold still, shooting this 16-35mm at f/4 with VR hand-held gives much sharper images than shooting a faster lens at a wider aperture, because more is in focus at f/4 than at f/2.8 or f/1.4. I have no problem shooting this lens hand-held in the darkest light outdoors on digital, and therefore I will recommend this lens to every Nikon users.

Reasonably priced lens that significantly improved the quality of our photos. We're set to release better looking, more professional products to our customers.

I bought this lens for replace the lower end of my kit lens that came with my D90. So far, I am very pleased with this lens. I think it blows away the kit lens. Very sharp, accurate/fast focus, and very easy to hike with all day. I bought it primarily for landscape images, but I was also able to use it for some closeups on flowers.

I just brought this lens two week ago. I plan on using it for landscape and nature photography. However, I was in New York City last weekend and this lens performed fantastic on some of NY's tight and busy streets as well as shooting some of NY's famous landmarks. I also took the Staten Island Ferry and while moving the VR did not let me down. The lens hood kept flare off the lens from the evening sun. The lens is bright and the pictures were very clear. I was torn between the more expensive 17-35mm/2.8 and this lens. Although this lens is expensive for a f/4 G VR, it is well worth it because of its performance. I have not yet taken it off my D700.

Purchased this lens almost as soon as it came out and it is an improvement over my 17-35. I do not miss the one stop while on the tripod. The quality is excellent so I do not feel as though I have really lost anything there either. When looking at D3x image previews in Lightroom, I usually have to look at the metadata if I want to know if I used my 24-70 2.8 or this lens, so I again feel no sense of loss. The improvements for me are in how I work in the field. Most of my work, probably 90%+, is on the tripod but I do have a project that I have been working on that requires me to hand hold while shooting in dark, confined spaces. Flash is generally not practical for these scenarios. I can dial my D3 or D700 up to 3200ish but sometimes that is still not enough. This lens gives me an additional 2-4 stops (depending on how stable I am on a give day) to work with in these situations. This lens is also an improvement for me in my camera bag while in the field as it is nearly identical in size to the 24-70 2.8. This spring I was shooting in the rain out in the Olympics. If I needed to switch lenses, I could put the 24-70 2.8 (which is usually attached to the camera body) in the spot where the 16-35 had been and then put the body back in the bag with this lens, with no adjustments in my bag required. No need to do another lens change in the rain. So, is it an improvement over the 17-35 2.8? Well yes, provided you have a need to shoot hand-held in low light conditions and provided you are also a 24-70 2.8 user when in the field. In a studio environment? Well, maybe not although, I would not hesitate to use this lens in the studio either. This lens has effectively retired my 17-35mm.

Wow, sharp, fast focus, VR. Amazing lens. While you can't get all the above without it, the lens is big and heavy.

Love it..

I got hs lens as part of a kit with a D700. It is a great combination for any Pro/Am Landscape shooter. This lens has great DOF when cranked downa and is super sharp. It focuses fast too if you are trying to get some abstract lifestyle photos of moving people. While not the fastest f:stop wise it works for me.

Though heavy, this lens was an obvious step up in dealing with my not so steady hands. Spectacular clarity in these pics. VERY PLEASED!

Wonderful edge to edge sharpness, low distortion and high contrast results in existing light conditions where tripods are not allowed or practical. Most useful for church, museum, architectural, corporate imaging. Minimal fare when strong light sources are in portions of the photo. VR II is very helpful. As it is f4, not a lens for fast moving subjects.