This was Nikon¡¯s first professional telephoto zoom of 1988. It is built like a tank, has superlative optics and even today is an excellent top-drawer professional lens. Be careful though, zooms can wear with age (or being dropped) and I¡¯ve almost bought used ones that weren¡¯t sharp. If you have a good one, it is extraordinary.
The same optics, with different mechanics, are still made today in the 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D.
I explain all the variations of this lens at 80-200mm f/2.8 History.
This 80-200mm f/2.8 AF was Nikon¡¯s top pro zoom from 1988-1992. Optically this lens is unsurpassed and the same optical design is still sold today.
Newer lenses add features like ¡°D¡± distance coupling for slightly more accurate metering, especially with flash, or they autofocus much faster, or they add image stabilization (VR).
The lack of VR is significant: without it, and without being sure to use fast shutter speeds, your hand-held shots will not be as sharp as they could be.
If you don¡¯t need fast auto focus (for instance, for tripod shots with a D3x), Nikon makes no better tele zoom, even today.