2014 Upgrade, advice needed.

PBP27

PBP27

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I spent 2013 covering a local karting championship with a beginners set up which consisted of a Nikon D3100 and a AF-S 70-300 VRII lens. I was relatively happy with my results and got some great feedback from competitors and those involved in the series. For this year I wanted to upgrade my gear and aim for sharper results near to the 300mm mark, as I felt the 70-300 lacked a little especially when I didn't stop down enough (something I was guilty of early on !).
I have recently bought a D7100 and now want to upgrade my tele lens but can't decide on what is best for me ?
I have been eyeing up either a AFS 300mm F4 prime but am worried about the lack of VR at low panning speeds ?
The Sigma 150-500mm of which I have heard great things.
Or the 70-200mm f.2.8 with 14TC or 17TC , this may be a bit too expensive for me though ?
I would love the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 if I could get one cheap enough, the weight shouldn't be too much of a problem around a short Kart circuit.
I have a budget of around £800 and have seen many examples of these lenses in action although it has mostly been for wildlife purposes.
Any advice would be welcome.
 
Yes, it can be tricky to hand hold 300mm+ at low(sub 1/125th) but VR isn't the answer....nasty horrid thing that it is.

Get yourself a monopod and a belt attachment, job done with a little practice.

Nikon 300 f4 is a good bit of lightweight kit and not a lot of money to buy. I still have mine, it still does the job.

For your budget I'd choose that over all the other things you've listed.
 
I have tried the 70-300 throughout the year without the VR switched on have not noticed a lot of difference to be truthful. I have just picked up monopod so I can try that out and grab a belt too.
I'm definitely considering the f4 300 , thanks for your advice.
 
Yeah VR is a bit meh for motorsport. Don't ask me why that would be, but thats my conclusion after years of experience... I wouldn't be hung up on buying glass without it.

The monopod... you do need to have a lens with a collar for mounting it - it doesn't work so well on the camera body - all to do with pivot points.

I've just seen where you are, if you are ever at Brands for anything I'm at, you can try out my 300 f4 if you want.
 
I think I just read to much into the VR thing from wildlife togs, it maybe more important for them ?
I haven't even taken the monopod out of it's box yet but have taken onboard the need for a collar .
Yeah not too far from Brands , I did the big historic meet early summer with the 70-300 and got some nice shots , so a 300 prime should be fine, I'll pick up a TC though at some point .
 
A sample of some shots with the D3100 and 70-300mm VRII.
 
Second hand 80-400 Mk1? It's not great for snap focus, but for tracking things like karts it will be fine. I've used that one for motorsport. Also used the 120-300 Sigma in the past - I agree it would be great for karting, but they tend to go close to (above) top of budget. For a kart track I think it would be ideal. The 300/f4 is a great lens, but I'd be concerned over fixed focal length. With kart you are near then far, especially if the field gets spread, and having some flexibility would be a benefit I'd try to work in to the system.

Nice shots - that must be enjoyable for you and for those involved to have that excellent record of the season.
 
Why not sell the 70-300 and put towards a 300 2.8 af-s? Seen a few around going cheap.
Or even the 80-200 2.8 af-s and thats within your budget.
An f4 lens isnt going to be ideal for indoor karting or any indoor action.
I would favour any Nikon lens over a Sigma though
 
Graphix501 said:
I agree regarding VR, although I speak from the canon side, for panning it tries to compensate too much and you can actually feel it interfering. It's great if you're a bit shaky on stills but if you're trying for decent motion streaks it pays to switch it off
Click to expand...

Yes I have tried with and without in the past and not noticed much difference, I have experimented with slow panning down at 1/15th without VR on with some success.

Moadib said:
Second hand 80-400 Mk1? It's not great for snap focus, but for tracking things like karts it will be fine. I've used that one for motorsport. Also used the 120-300 Sigma in the past - I agree it would be great for karting, but they tend to go close to (above) top of budget. For a kart track I think it would be ideal. The 300/f4 is a great lens, but I'd be concerned over fixed focal length. With kart you are near then far, especially if the field gets spread, and having some flexibility would be a benefit I'd try to work in to the system.

Nice shots - that must be enjoyable for you and for those involved to have that excellent record of the season.
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought about that 80-400, I'll check out some prices. I had thought about the problem of the over fixed length, it would affect my positioning at vantage points that I was using last year, but I would try and use that to my advantage at others. I am thinking of keeping my D3100/70-300 for the closer stuff, or selling that and picking up a 70-300 f2.8 , probably the cheaper Sigma type. I will give the 70-300 a try out on the D7100 first, possibly next weekend to see how it compares to the D3100, I'm hoping the sharpness will improve at the longer end.
 
ChrisDonnelly said:
Why not sell the 70-300 and put towards a 300 2.8 af-s? Seen a few around going cheap.
Or even the 80-200 2.8 af-s and thats within your budget.
An f4 lens isnt going to be ideal for indoor karting or any indoor action.
I would favour any Nikon lens over a Sigma though
Click to expand...

It is all outdoor action Chris, some of the circuits are pretty impressive and quite scary when trackside behind a couple of rows of tyres, I may have been getting a bit too close to the action last year, so the longer reach of the f4 will be safer for me . I haven't looked at prices of the 300 2.8 af-s would they be around the £800 mark ? I've seen the f4 300 at £725 new at HDEW's, very tempting !
 
Ahh outdoors.
Well thats ok then, but if i were to be looking to upgrade from the gear you have , id be finding a way to get an f2.8 lens
 
ChrisDonnelly said:
Ahh outdoors.
Well thats ok then, but if i were to be looking to upgrade from the gear you have , id be finding a way to get an f2.8 lens
Click to expand...

It is worth a thought and definitely on my short list .
 
If he'd have asked "whats the best 300mm glass I can get" then of course its a Nikon 300 AFS.... I'd maybe go further and say you get better subject separation with the 400 2.8....

However, he didn't... he has 800 quid to spend, which won't get you anywhere near a 300 2.8.
 
Correct. But ive seen the Original 300 2.8 af-s go for £1200.
If he could free up money by selling other gear it would be worth the punt.
Something ive learned with gear, if in doubt wait.
He may find 12 months down the line he wants to shoot other subjects and requires quicker glass.
And trying to sell on what he buys now difficult.
 
I can't committ to more than 1k at the moment after just buying the D7100, I have just spoken to someone who managed to pick up a Sig 300 2.8 for £900, he must have been very lucky .
I know the 300 prime will be long on the crop body for karting but great for car circuits , I have just got to weigh up my options. There are 2-3 months to decide before the season starts , I'll definitely meet up with up you at Brands though desantnik possibly at the BSB if you are there, as it would be great to pick up some tips.
 
Oh I'll be there for bsb B-)
 
desantnik said:
Oh I'll be there for bsb B-)
Click to expand...

I thought you may be, it is a race I've missed for a few years watching live since a trip to Cadwell, I always catch it live on the box though !
 
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Well I tried out the D7100 over the weekend for the first time in anger and I have to say that I felt there was a big improvement in the sharpness from the 70-300VR lens. After studying the exif data most of my shots were between 200-300mm, which has left me wondering whether the F4 300 will be the best choice after all as Moadib suggested due to it's fixed length ? Maybe I should save up for a bit longer and try the Sig F2.8 120-300 or possibly the F2.8 70-200VR +1.7- TC , it is a tough call as I was just about to put a wanted ad in for the F4 300mm on here.
 
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