Sharpness at 80mm

The sharpness tests for this review were carried out using a real-world subject rather than a test chart. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens was attached to a Nikon Df body, which in turn was mounted on a sturdy tripod. We also used a release cable and mirror lock-up to prevent any blurring that may result from camera or mirror movement. The 100% crops represent about 1/400th of the total frame area.

The full frame at 80mm

Centre sharpness is excellent wide open and remains usable down to f/16.

The border areas are impressively sharp at f/4.5 and improve further on stopping down. Peak performance is achieved at f/8.

Aperture	Centre Crop	Edge Crop
f/4.5
f/5.6
f/8
f/11
f/16
f/22
f/32