This question has been asked a lot. So a post will be created to address this based on personal experience and several reviews that have been done. Starting with the reviews that have been made. According to various online reviews and tests, the Nikon 200-500mm lens produces excellent sharpness throughout most of its aperture range, with a slight drop-off in sharpness at the widest and narrowest apertures. At the wide end of the zoom range (200mm), the lens is reported to be very sharp from f/5.6 to f/8, with some reviewers suggesting that f/8 may be the sweet spot.
Taken with the Nikon 200-500mm
At the mid-range of the zoom (around 300-400mm), the lens continues to be very sharp from f/5.6 to f/8, with some reviewers suggesting that f/7.1 or f/8 may be the sharpest apertures.
At the longest end of the zoom range (500mm), the lens may start to show some slight softness at f/5.6, but is still very usable. Some reviewers suggest that stopping down to f/8 or f/11 can improve sharpness and depth of field.
Taken with the Nikon 200-500mm
Speaking from personal experience, I have never had problems with lens sharpness of the Nikon 200-500mm. Any blurriness was caused by user error, or environmental factors (heat, fog, wind, etc.). Usingthe lens a nice sweet spot for me was found at between 200-300mm at f/5.6. Most of the time the lens was locked in at 200mm because the more you zoom out, the less sharp it becomes. Such is the cause with all non-prime lenses. Another very important thing to note is to never use a teleconverter with non-prime lenses. The photos will be significantly less less.
Taken with the Nikon 200-500mm
Of course, every lens is different and may have slight variations in sharpness at different apertures and focal lengths, so it's always a good idea to test your own lens in different shooting situations to find the aperture that works best for your needs.
Taken with the Nikon 200-500mm
To anyone thinking that the lens is not sharp because it is just over $1000, all photos added were taken by myself with the Nikon 200-500mm. So, to answer the question: Yes, the Nikon 200-500mm is a sharp lens and is worth well over the price of what it is currently being sold for. Amazon has a few for just over $1000, down 24% of the original price. So, if you are on this fence about this, take advantage of this sale and save yourself a good $200 by grabbing one from Amazon. Good luck in your photography journey!