The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II and the Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II is the longer of the two lenses at 204mm. The Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II with a length of 83mm, is 121mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II also has a larger diameter of 124mm compared to the Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II's 71mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II weighs 335g, 88% (2595g) lighter than the Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II's weight of 2930g.
Filter Threads
Both the Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II and the Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II have the same Filter thread size of 52mm.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Focal Range
Nikon 200mm f2G ED VR II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 200mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
300mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 55-200mm f4-5.6G VR II has a focal range of 55-200mm and 3.6X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 82.5-300mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
