Long-reach lenses

[VoidRaven]

So I am working on putting together my Amazingly Insane Wish-Dream list of things and am working on the photography section (yeah, I make lists of stuff I would like to eventually have as goals to shoot/save for...and so I don't forget about good stuff for my hobbies!).

Anyway, I'm looking to add a lens to the list for longer-reach photography. I already have a nice Nikon 80-200mm but it just doesn't get me far enough. I would like a zoom that goes to maybe 400mm or better but isn't $5K. Any recommendations??? I know a few of you have some nice long-reach lenses...I'd love to hear your thoughts/feedback on them!

My current DSLR body is a Nikon D200.

 

[louist]

If you are not looking to spend too much $$, then a zoon would be the way to go.

However, keep in mind that zooms that goes to that range tends to be slow, and their optical quality aren't exactly stellar. Yes, they will take good photos, but in comparison to their prime brothers, they are far behind. But then a large 400 prime is a logistic problem that some buyers do not forsee before they buy, and end up selling it later due to lack of use.

What exactly are you wanting to photograph with a long telephoto?

 

[gregr]

Nikon makes an 80-400VR that would be a great addition to your bag. Upsides are it's very good optically, especially considering it's a zoom with a fairly long reach. Supposed to be very light too and it has minimal distortion. Downsides- it has a few but of course; there will always be compromises. The autofocus is supposed to be very slow and there's no full-time manual focusing, and the minimum focus distance is pretty long.
The old saying 'you get what you pay for' is especially true in telephoto lenses- speed and quality come at a high price. Ideally you would get the 600f4 and 4002.8... but that would cost you $17000

 

[petpoor]

Check out the Sigma 80-400 OS lens, that is most likely going to be my next purchase and bhphoto has them for right around a grand I believe it is. I would love the nikkor 200-400 but alas I am way toooooooooooooo poor for that any time soon.

Tom

 

[jeffbrig]

Check if the Sigma 50-500 ("Bigma") is available for your mount. I think they support Nikon, but I'm a Canon guy, so I don't know for sure. For ~$900 it's pretty reasonable, and optical quality is surprisingly good considering the zoom range it offers. Not prime quality (what zoom is?) but very popular nonetheless.

 

[VoidRaven]

Thanks everyone for the responses.

Yeah, I understand the optical quality issues when one starts getting into zoom lenses. They tend to have a "sweet spot" and beyond that the image quality can start to suffer. Usually I've seen this occur at the long end of the zoom. This is partly why I'm a little hesitant at buying something like an 80-400mm lens...just seems like TOO far of a spread between the short and long focal points versus, say, a 200mm-400mm zoom which is a bit more stable.

The reason for my search for a longer telephoto is simple really...I can never seem to get as close as I want with a subject! Particularly at zoos, in the field, etc....I often find myself coming up short with my 80-200mm lens (which I do love dearly) for the type of shot I want or if they are simply too far back in the enclosure, in a field, on a tree, etc.

I also appreciate the old adage of "you get what you pay for" which makes me think that I might have to shell out for some glass like this:

Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF Zoom Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 G-AFS ED-IF VR (Vibration Reduction) Autofocus Lens
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...488&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation


or maybe something like the one that gregr mentioned:

Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus Lens (Vibration Reduction)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...360&is=USA&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation



petpoor.....yup, poor-ish here too, but that's why these things get put on my Amazingly Insane Wish-Dream List. Someday I WILL have the money for them. Of course, by the time that day comes perhaps something better will be available (or these will be cheaper!).


BTW...are the Sigma lenses in that range really that good? What about Tamron?

 

[jeffbrig]

I know what you mean on the 80-200. I have a Canon 70-200L which is a fantastic lens, but could stand to be a bit longer. I'm eyeing a 1.4X extender, which actually combines quite well with the 70-200. Most lenses give up some amount of sharpness with extenders, but some are better than others. With the XT's 1.6 crop factor (I think Nikons are 1.5), 200mm would be effectively 448mm with this setup.

This site may be worth a look, it has in-depth tests/evaluations of many of the lenses mentioned in this thread. There is a disclaimer that you shouldn't compare cross-platform results, and most of the 3rd party lenses are tested on Canon bodies. If nothing else, you might be able to identify lenses that are worth searching on Nikon specific sites/forums.
http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html

You also mentioned Tamron, they make a 200-500 that might suit your needs. I think it goes for ~$800.

Remember, crop sensor dSLRs use a smaller area at the center of the lens. This is where the lens is typically at its best in terms of sharpness. A lens that has poor edge performance when tested on a film camera (or full frame SLR) may provide completely acceptable results on a cropped dSLR.

 

[astrogazer]

The 80-400mm Nikkor AF VR lens is very nice piece of glass, course if you had the money thier 200-400mm f/4 AFS VR lens would take care of you for life. Then again you might be paying for it for life too ... hehehe

 

[Frisco]

might as well throw the 300-800 sigma on the list as well

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7718128#post7718128 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Frisco
might as well throw the 300-800 sigma on the list as well

The Sig-"MONSTER"

 

[mystic7]

Yes, Sigma is compatible with Nikons.

I have what is considered to be a crappy zoom lens, a Nikon 70-300mm "G" series, but I get a lot of compliments on my pictures, even at full zoom, which is where I usually keep it. 300mm may not sound like enough to you but you can crop down to your subject and still get a clear, pretty noise free picture, depending on what you plan to do with them, of course.

 

[VoidRaven]

They *make* a 300-800mm lens??? Wow!

jeffbrig...thanks for the comments. I'll check that site out. I had thought about an extender, but wasn't 100% sold on the idea yet. Might be a good short-term fix.

astrogazer...yeah, as much as I would love the 200-400mm you are right about paying for it for life. But it would be a nice piece of glass to have!!

So it looks like I'm leaning towards making the Nikon 80-400mm the number 1 on the wish-list lens for my next piece of glass. Appears that it will be the best option, both in price and flexibility, that will suit my particular photography needs. Plus it's the most realistic in price in regards to being able to get my hands on one within the next 3-5 years versus a $5K lens that would take considerably longer! (unless I won the lottery!!)

Now I need to get some shorter lenses. Looking at the Nikon 18-70mm or the 18-55mm. My shortest right now is a 24-105mm w/macro switch. I'd like something shorter/wider with a little bit of zoom for things like classic car shows, family events, etc.


On the topic of Sigma, I see that they also carry a 135-400mm lens, a 170-500mm, as well as the 300-800mm (which is WAY out of my price range...even more than the 200-400mm Nikon lens). I wonder how well some of these perform?

Sigma Zoom Telephoto 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 APO DG Aspherical Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...636&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation


Sigma Zoom Telephoto 170-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG Aspherical Autofocus Lens for Nikon AF-D
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...525&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation


They also have a 50-500mm but I think that that much of a focal length spread is too much.



mystic....my wife has the Nikon 70-300mm lens (not the "G" version) for her Fuji FinePix S2 Pro and she loves it. Actually, she sometimes pulls better shots than I do with her lens. It's a great all around lens with a lot of reach in a nice, light-weight package. Had I not gotten the 80-200mm lens I would have probably picked up another 70-300mm for my bag (we don't share too many lenses).

 

[Frisco]

here is the 300-800 next to a couple other telephotos

 

[astrogazer]

I have the 18-70mm 'kit' lens and I really like it.

 

[VoidRaven]

I'm at a total and complete loss for words..........that's...just...HUGE!!!!

I think I want it j/k I could never even imagine trying to carry that around. But it would gaurantee that I get noticed at the zoo!!!

What's the focal length of the "Bigma"? Is that the Sigma 170-500mm???


astro...thanks for the feedback on the 18-70mm. The missus likes it too which is why she wants one (as do I). She read the reviews and thought it would be perfect.

 

[jeffbrig]

The bigma is the 50-500mm, check out some reviews before you discount it due to the large spread. I've seen some great pictures taken with this lens. It offers a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[VoidRaven]

Fair enough...I'll take that into consideration then.

 

[BlueCorn]

I've got a Canon mount version of the Tamron 200-500 and like it a lot.

 

[hyacinth]

There is a Bigma 50-500 HSM non-DG and a Sigma 170-500 APO--different sellers selling for 600 each in www.nikoncafe.com - i think you may have to register to see the "for sale" posts but it's a very reputable forum w/ many longtime members and a place where i've obtained a few lenses for very decent prices. The last lens i got was a 70-200vr and coupled w/ either a 1.4 and 2.0 tc, it takes great shots even in the hands of a very mediocre photographer like me.

 

[opie]

What I noticed about the Tamron was its slow AF speed - if you were tracking birds flying actively, it was just about useless. However if you are shooting a perched bird, it delivered excellent results with surprising sharpness from a super-telephoto zoom.
I have not tired the BIgma 50-500 and I think I will just splurge on a 400/5.6 USM if Canon does not announce a replacement @ Photokina.