Help with choosing a long lens please.

DoubleT

DoubleT

Suspended / Banned
Messages
1,318
Name
Matt
Edit My Images
Yes
hey guys , this question again!

my longest lens(e:lol:) is a 80-200f2.8 AF-D.

ideally i would like about twice that length, but not as a prime because i prefure the flexibility of zoom lenses.

ive thought long and hard about the Sigma 50-500 but although ive heard alot of good about it and it looks a beast im not sure if im going to be completly happy with it as its known to be soft past 500mm and very slow becasuse of its small apature of f6.3

now i know canon users opt for the 100-400L but nikon doesnt have an equivalence appart from the 80-400 ( which hasnt been rated all that well)

my 80-200 HAS to stay without question.

so im looking for a good long lens(e:lol:) for around 700quid.

do you think the 50-500 is my best option?

oh i have a Nikon d80 but will be upgrading to a D300 at the same time i buy the lens(e:lol:)
 
i have a d80 and brought a 50 500 last week i tryed it out this am with mixed results ,its the first big lens ive owned and technique may come into it,mine isnt as sharpe as some pics that are posted even with a tripod .maybe mine has a fault.i will let you know
 
The only lens I'd probably consider to accompany my 70-200 is the Sigma 120-300mm f2.8. A bit more than you're budget but I've heard very good feedback. I was talking to a Goodwood photographer recently and he rates it.
 
I have a Nikon 70-300 VR but I believe the 70-200 is a 'must have' Where's the best place to buy and am I daft having to two lenses. The 70-200 is f2.8 across the range I think. Any opinions
 
mervyn said:
I have a Nikon 70-300 VR but I believe the 70-200 is a 'must have' Where's the best place to buy and am I daft having to two lenses. The 70-200 is f2.8 across the range I think. Any opinions
Click to expand...

I have the 70-200 VR and yes, it's f2.8 across the full focal range.

I cannot live without it! I do a lot of motorsport and no other lens (IMO) comes close to it's capabilities and quality. Some consider the 80-200 to have sharper image quality although that might be nitpicking. The speed of the 70-200 makes it definitely worth having.

Some full frame users say it's underwhelming on full frame cameras even though it's supposed to be full frame compatible.

Have a search of my 'Goodwood' threads and you will find many examples from my 70-200. :)
 
shak, ive heard the 120-300 to be good to, but its just not long enough.

i have an old 70-300 so i know what focal distance 300mm will get me but i sill need more! lol
 
The Sigma 120-300 f2.8 isn't good, it's excellent ... but a bit out of the price range of the OP.

May be, though not a zoom lens, you could look at the Nikon 300 f4. This along with your existing lens and a 1.4 TC will give you a whole range from 80 all the way to 420; but of course you lose the convenience of the all-in-one option.
 
sigma also do a 120-400 OS and a 150-500 OS, but again, both of these arent too great.

compared with the 50-500 anyway.

but even if it comes to the need to spend a little more money, what is there thats a good lens that can reach 400-500mm? that will be talking about tripling my budget :shrug:
 
The 80-400 nikon is not a bad lens once you learn its limitations and adjust for them.
 
I am sure that with a bit of practice you'll be able to get some really good shots with any of the "upto" 500mm zooms; otherwise why would Sigma, and others, make such long range lenses?

As it so happens, pro. grade glass hardly cover that range in a zoom (there are very few exception) .. still, surely these market players (Sigma, Tamron, etc.) aren't making these lenses for playing with ... these are serious lenses at serious money. The thing is, it's just harder to get something great out of them, but with practice I am sure you can master this.

I have seen great results from the Nikon 80-400VR AF that beat the hell out of the best that I've got out of my 70-200VR AF-S; so much so that I - on many occassions - thought of ditching my "pro." zoom for the "lesser" one.

Buy the one you really like, go out and practice a lot, and I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.
 
fabs said:
I bought the sigma 50-500 for polo and I've been very happy with the decision. Yes, f6.3 is a little on the slow side, but that's where ISO comes in. I average between 640 and 1000 ISO at a speed of 1/640th and, with a little help from Noise Ninja, noise isn't an issue.
Click to expand...

have you got some samples?

* looking on your flickr now *
 
Sounds like the Nikon 200-400mm is just what you're after:)

Back in reality, the Sigma 100-300mm f/4 or 120-300mm f/2.8 are both great lenses - add a 1.4* TC to the latter for a 430mm-ish f/4 lens....
 
I have the Sigma 170-500 APO and am very pleased with it. See my bird photos in my Gallery.

Pete
 
Hi,

Hope this of use to you.

While in Kenya I took a couple of photo's just to test out the Sigma 150-500mm lens that I have.

Here are a couple of photos I took as a quick test (the shady bit in the middle is a leaf btw). If you want any more photos I can uplaod some of the leopard so you can see the quality etc.

150mm
2754393102_63ac35477f_b.jpg

500mm
2753555811_ce9ae205f0_b.jpg


Hope this of help.
 
Here is one of a leopard.

2753584669_491e4f4266_b.jpg


Note: these are compltly unedited pictures.
 
DoubleT said:
hey guys , this question again!

my longest lens(e:lol:) is a 80-200f2.8 AF-D.

ideally i would like about twice that length, but not as a prime because i prefure the flexibility of zoom lenses.

ive thought long and hard about the Sigma 50-500 but although ive heard alot of good about it and it looks a beast im not sure if im going to be completly happy with it as its known to be soft past 500mm and very slow becasuse of its small apature of f6.3

now i know canon users opt for the 100-400L but nikon doesnt have an equivalence appart from the 80-400 ( which hasnt been rated all that well)

my 80-200 HAS to stay without question.

so im looking for a good long lens(e:lol:) for around 700quid.

do you think the 50-500 is my best option?

oh i have a Nikon d80 but will be upgrading to a D300 at the same time i buy the lens(e:lol:)
Click to expand...

What are you planning to shoot with this new lens? The 50-500 and the other Sigma stuff around that price are too slow for the likes of motorsport, but for nature shots should be ok.

Have you considered the Tokina 80-400?
 
Hi DoubleT,

I have seen this same question asked on another forum and whilst I am not experienced enough to give my own thoughts I can tell you that the general opinion on there, would be to go for the lens you already have with a 1.7 converter.

I would have thought at the price it may be worth giving a try as the 1.7 will give you good reach even if you do buy another lens.

Best regards

Chris
 
I really think you are limiting yourself by not going prime. That is the way to get sharp, long optics. OK, I'm a Canon user but I find a 400/5.6 a perfect compliment to the 70-200/2.8.

The other option would be the Sigma 100-300 f/4 which would also take a 1.4 teleconverter.
 
grumpybadger said:
I really think you are limiting yourself by not going prime.
Click to expand...
Or perhaps what you really meant to say was that the OP is limiting himself by not going Canon? ;)

The "wildlife / birding / aircraft telephoto" market is one in which Nikon don't seem to be trying very hard. They really don't have anything to match the 300mm f/4 L IS, the 400mm f/5.6 L, or the 100-400mm L IS.
 
have you taken a look at the 80-400 vr it is faster at foucasing than the sigma
 
thanks for your replies guys.

ill be using it for wildlife, i have my 80-200 for action photography.

i have seen a t/c for my 80-200 af-d with the built in af motor so that should do the trick.



the only time when ive needed the extra length is for garden birds really as the 200mm is long enough for most of the things i do, maybe i should look into the tc converter for the 80-200 and think about getting a macro lens instead!



damn i hate having money burning a hole in my pocket!!
 
DoubleT said:
thanks for your replies guys.

ill be using it for wildlife, i have my 80-200 for action photography.

i have seen a t/c for my 80-200 af-d with the built in af motor so that should do the trick.
Click to expand...

Do you mean you have seen a tc with a built in af motor or that your 80-200 af-d had a built in af motor? :thinking:
 
The polo action shots in this gallery are all with a Sigma 100-300 F4 often with a 1.4x extender giving a 420 F5.6 lens. Great lens. I'd like a 120-300 2.8 but it's too pricey for me.

The 100-300 F4 was £644 with some negotiation at Jessops.
 
Flash In The Pan said:
Do you mean you have seen a tc with a built in af motor or that your 80-200 af-d had a built in af motor? :thinking:
Click to expand...

i found this http://www.mir.SPAM/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/f3afbasic/f3aftc16/index.htm

its a teleconverter with a built in motor, unfortuantly not for use on new nikon cameras :'(
 
Tobers said:
The polo action shots in this gallery are all with a Sigma 100-300 F4 often with a 1.4x extender giving a 420 F5.6 lens. Great lens. I'd like a 120-300 2.8 but it's too pricey for me.

The 100-300 F4 was £644 with some negotiation at Jessops.
Click to expand...

The Nikon 300mm f/4 prime can be had (when there isn't an Olympics on) for not much more, or just over £500 if you want to go grey...
 
Flash In The Pan said:
The Nikon 300mm f/4 prime can be had (when there isn't an Olympics on) for not much more, or just over £500 if you want to go grey...
Click to expand...

Unfortunately a prime can be quite limiting when you've got horses galloping towards you at up to 40mph. At the last tournament I did, there was a chap there with a 40D and a 300mm f2.8 and he quickly realised that he was often gettig close up shots of the horses nostrils!:lol:
 
fabs said:
Unfortunately a prime can be quite limiting when you've got horses galloping towards you at up to 40mph. At the last tournament I did, there was a chap there with a 40D and a 300mm f2.8 and he quickly realised that he was often gettig close up shots of the horses nostrils!:lol:
Click to expand...

Neigh bother :coat::lol:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top