Is not from Nikon but is from Tokina: 70-200mm f/4

I just read the announcement myself, it's a good buy if it is cheap enough but will it be cheaper than the older Nikon 80-200/2.8...mine is brilliant I don't have a need to update from that. Still good to see other brands bringing different glass out though, greed kudos to Tokina!

Glad to hear Tokina is coming out with a 70-200 IS but not if it's f/4. The point of IS is to let you handhold in lower light or lower shutter speeds than you could without it. But by going one stop slower than their 70-200 2.8 (which I have), you're throwing away one stop of the advantage that IS would bring. If they added IS to the 2.8 and I could handhold it at 1/125 rather than 1/250 without worrying about camera shake, that would be an improvement. But if I'm still going to have to be at 1/125 because I've lost a stop, what's the point? Even if the IS gives me a two or three stop advantage, I'd still rather be starting from the same point and being able to handhold at say 1/60 or 1/30 rather than backing up an f-stop before the equation even begins.

Canon's 70-200 f/4 L lens with IS runs almost $1,300 so if this lens measures up and is priced right, it should certainly claim a chunk of the market as well as providing Nikon users with something not previously available.

As the similarity of the prices for Canon's 70-200/4 IS and 70-200/2.8 non-IS demonstrates, it can be expected that Tokina's 70-200/4 will be priced similar to Nikon's 80-200/2.8 non-VR lens. That leaves you with a lighter lens with AF-S and VR vs one that is one stop faster. While I can understand Craig's reasoning - one thing he is missing is that a f/2.8 70-200 with AF-S and VR is also about twice the cost of a f/4 version. And not everyone is willing to spend that much, or carry such a heavy lens, or need f/2.8. And VR certainly still has an advantage over a lens without one - even if (or especially when) the lens starts at f/4.

I have the Nikon 80-200/2.8 - and I only use it for special occasions when I need the f/2.8- certainly not often enough to warrant the expense of a 70-200/2.8 VR. If the Tokina has similar performance, I will be very tempted to trade - the AF-S and VR would be the most compelling reasons to do so - and so would the expected reduction in weight. In my case, I would expect the f/4 zoom to be used a lot more.

I expect though that the main competitor to the Tokina 70-200/4 AF-S VR will be a used Nikkor 70-200/2.8 VRI....

on a slightly different subject
when clicking on the link I see that Tokina is also coming out with a new version of the 11-16 in March
I just picked up one of those in January that is on it's way back
The new version has better glass and an internal motor
I have a D7000 but I also have a D40 for a backup
Release:
A very good news for DX users: Tokina announced a new version of their very popular 11-16mm f/2.8 lens. The updated lens includes an aspherical element, new coating for improved performance and a Silent Drive-Module autofocus motor. Now one can use this lens even with Nikon DSLR cameras that don’t have an integrated AF motor (D40, D3100, D5100 etc). Nikon version of this lens is supposed to start shipping in March, 2012.

This lens will bring for sure butter on bread to DX shooters! Bravo Tokina!

Well this lens is definitely of interest to me. I currently own a Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 non AF-S/non VR. A great lens but as a landscape photographer its weight and size often times deter me from lugging it with me on those long hikes. I don't need a max aperture of f2.8 as I mostly shoot from a tripod and am stopped down to f8 or smaller. A smaller lighter f4 version of this focal range is something I've wanted for awhile now. Thanks Tokina.

The new version has better glass...

Do you have any info you can't point to on this? I'm considering the Tokina so I'd love to check this out.

IMHO it is very interesting the way goes Tokina. They launched recently a 17-35mm f/4 FX zoom that seems to be better for landscape and architecture than Nikon 16-35/4 VR, with about half distortions degree, also in a smaller package. Now they bring a 70-200/4 that seems to be very interesting and at least for Nikon users is greatly welcomed considering that canonistas have great Canon offers in this range. What's next? Probably a 24-70/4 or a 24-105/4 with stabilization? Not so bad at all!

John, Dennis is quoting from the original article you can read here that the new lens includes an aspherical element, new coating for improved performance and a Silent Drive-Module autofocus motor...

Life is good for DX users!