Is the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR Lens sharp? This page visually answers that question. Shown above are 100% crops from a lab-captured 80mm f/8.0 test image. Observe the contrast and resolution of these results.
Is the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S VR Lens set to 80mm f/8.0 sharper than the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens set to 350mm f/6.3? The image quality comparison above also answers that question. Switch between the results to see the sharpness differences between these lenses.