Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII... still an essential purchase or do you think it will soon be replaced?

Caporegime
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I am now looking to buy a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII to cover events, zoos etc and after looking at the Sigma and Tamron versions I have really decided that for this specific focal length, the Nikon is the clear winner overall. I can live with the 4.8 feet minimum focusing distance, focus breathing and weight as a trade-off for the great sharpness/IQ and AF speed. I am not really interested in the 70-200 F4 model despite the reported great IQ and of course the lower weight.

I can get a new one with full Nikon 3 year warranty for £1170 in my local store so am already saving a small fortune over standard EU prices (USA it costs £1500 and in UK it costs £1580) so it seems a bit of a no-brainer especially as they do hold value... I am just worried that as it has already been out for Nikon is going to release a new and updated version maybe with PF and VRIII later this year or in 2016. I know 2016 is 2016... but it's not so long in the grand scheme of things.

So, should I just shut up and buy one, or hold on a bit to see what the end of the year brings? :)
 
Buy one, then sell it for zero loss when the VRIII is realeased :D

I was thinking similar, but it won't be zero loss it will be a couple of hundred quid I guess as the market price here is so competitive, and I'm leery of shipping internationally in case of any issues. Still, I guess at some point you just have to put concerns like that to the side and buy the lens you really want. Still I'd be gutted if they announced a successor soon after!
 
Would you really want to hold out for over a year just to save £100-200 on an amazing lens you could be shooting with the whole time?
 
Well it's arrived... and yeah it's a beast! Taken a few snaps around the house and it seems to give some lovely images, but need to take it out for a real trial this weekend. One thing I notice is that the VR does make a little noise... will research to see if this is normal for this lens or not.

Also have a Kenko 1.4 TC on the way (£100 from Amazon USA) which I have read very good things about, so really looking forward to getting out in the nature and trying to snap some animals etc.

In current exchange rates the lens cost me £1131.52 with 3-year Nikon warranty... now that is a silly bargain and well worth the investment! :)

EDIT -

A few shots at 70mm and 200mm f/2.8... all can be viewed in original size.

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Fan chain 70mm f/2.8 http://www.richimaging.ch/photos/i-pT5NxnS/0/X2/i-pT5NxnS-X2.jpg

Fan chain 200mm f/2.8 http://www.richimaging.ch/photos/i-BDfw8jz/0/X2/i-BDfw8jz-X2.jpg

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Candle 70mm f/2.8 http://www.richimaging.ch/photos/i-HMcFsSn/0/X2/i-HMcFsSn-X2.jpg

Candle 200mm f/2.8 http://www.richimaging.ch/photos/i-qWh2WzT/0/X2/i-qWh2WzT-X2.jpg

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Not looking too bad!
 
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