Field Test Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED AF-S VR

I have tried the 200-500mm f/5.6 AF-S VR on field during my trip to Costa Rica this winter. That was  the perfect opportunity to photograph nature and especially wildlife and see what this lens has in its . I have had a good time shooting with this lens and the quality of the images went beyond my expectations. I used it mounted on my D750 which shows excellent performance in low light conditions and thus was an excellent addition to the lens which has a relatively small max aperture of f/5.6. The pictures have been taken mainly in aperture priority mode. Iso values used are between 200 and 5000, so keep your attention on these numbers since they have an important impact on the overall image noise. The settings of each shot is shared in the captions and a crop is given to judge the sharpness and crispness of the pictures. If you want another field test of this lens, have look at the stunning photos taken by Roy Mangersnes in Svalbard, Norway:

https://roymangersnes.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/field-test-nikkor-200-500mm-f56e-ed/

For the persons interested, here's a short history of the lens:
Since 2014 Tamron and then Sigma offered interesting super tele with impressive reach (150-600mm f/4.5-6.3), but Canon and Nikon remained quiet with their semi-pro 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM (II) and the 80-400mm AF-S VR respectively.
In august 2015, Nikon launched the 200-500mm f/5.6 AF-S VR,  which has everything to compete (and certainly beat) its competitors but not enough to cannibalise Nikon’s Pro range lenses because of the lack of tropicalization which is required to shoot in extreme weather conditions. 
In other words Nikon has launched a versatile optical weapon with an electronic comparable to pro lenses (AF-S and VR) but without the mechanical finish that characterise them (and that justify their high price). This is a great opportunity for wildlife and even sport photographer looking for a super tele with excellent sharpness and good focus speed and image stabilisation.
Let’s see the results on field.

Northern Jacana @420mm 1/1250s, f/8.0, ISO 640

100% crop

Little Blue Heron @440mm 1/1000 s, f/5.6, ISO 640

100% crop

Green Heron @500mm 1/2500s, f/5.6, ISO 640

100% crop

Collared Aracari @270mm 1/100s, f/5.6, ISO 800

100% crop

Hermit Crab @500mm 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO 4500

100% crop

Central American Whiptail @500mm 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO 640

100% crop

Back-cheeked Woodpecker @420mm 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO 1000

100% crop

Green Iguana @500mm 1/500s, f/5.6, ISO 1000

100% crop

Spider Monkey @500mm 1/800s, f/5.6, ISO 1600

100% crop

Brown Pelican hunting @500mm 1/4000s, f/5.6, ISO 320

100% crop

Brown Pelican striking fish @500mm 1/4000 s, f/5.6, ISO 320

100% crop

Brown Pelican @380mm 1/4000s, f/5.6, ISO 560

100% crop

Brown Pelican starting its descent to catch a fish @500mm 1/s, f/5.6, ISO 250

100% crop

Slot climbing @500mm 1/640s, f/5.6, ISO 640

100% crop

Howler Monkey @500mm 1/500s, f/8.0, ISO 5000

100% crop

Brown Pelican at take-off @500mm 1/4000s, f/5.6, ISO 560

100% crop

Sungrebe (very rare) @500mm 1/160s, f/5.6, ISO 1000. This is the only bird specie where the male has two marsupial pockets under its wings to carry his chicks both on the ground and in the air.

100% crop

Variegated Squirrel @460mm 1/100s, f/5.6, ISO 1600

100% crop

Canal in Tortugero @200mm 1/160 s, f/10, ISO 200

100% crop

Jesus Christ Lizard @500mm 1/800 s, f/5.6, ISO 800

100% crop

Great Green Macaw @500mm 1/2000 s, f/8.0, ISO 1600

100% crop

Royal Terns @280mm 1/320 s, f/14, ISO 220

100% crop

Sanderling @500mm 1/2500 s, f/5.6, ISO 400

crop 100%

Black-throated Trogon @500mm 1/320s, f/5.6, ISO 1600

crop 100%