>>3528155sometimes are optically superior. theres lenses like the 35-70mm f2.8d, 50mm f1,4d, or 60mm f2.8d. otherwise there are also great third party from tamron or sigma, i would recommend older sigma EX lenses, many of which are optically underrated though sometimes it has slow and loud AF.
>>3528202well i bought it from my trusted local seller, it is said to be one the slowest focusing nikon lens. from my experience it has quite slow and loud but really great vr, i could shoot 400mm at 1/125th hand held with DX crop mode on the D800. i wouldn't use it for sports but its fine for still subject. i heard nikon intentionally gimped the AF to so the vr works better and to keep the size and weight. and speaking about size and weight, its not heavy as it seems, its just slightly bigger than a 70-200mm f2,8, tho for prolonged use you might need a monopod or tripod for this. and as for the optics, before i cleaned this lens it shows some sharpness, but its very soft at 400mm, which convinced enough me to buy and clean it. after i wiped and sunbathed most of the fungus, its really sharp overall, but you might want to stop down a bit at the long end.
>sample pic before fungus cleaning, pushed the lens and the camera to its limitshot on DX crop mode at iso 4000 handheld, +60 contrast and some color changes in LR
