Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 3:39 am

Hi Rolly1... Yes, I rather like this Nikon 300, f4... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/300f4afs.htm

Its just a bit over my price range.. I need to read about it a bit more... Thank you for the information...

Bit cold down in Adelaide at the moment I would think.. Still green perhaps.. Not long before its brown and hotter than hot..

Destiny..
Sunny Queensland.. 24c and nice today.. 32c on Monday.. X9 /5 +32 =89.6f
PS.. We need our lens for the GlassHouse Mountains and views from Mt near Bris city at night.. .... and RAAF Amberley..

hi to all from Adelaide ,Destiny i would have a look at the new sigma 50 -500 with image stabiliser ( the old one was no good ) or the sigma 150 to 500 both are very good for the price ,both very good to 400 a little softer to 500 , people in the camera clubs that i'm in seem very happy with them ,the only other cheap option is nikon 300 f4 with teleconverters ,i use 70 -200 2.8 vr1 with kenko teleconverters on d800 or d7000 with good results cheers

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 4:09 am

hi desiny we have a nice day today same as you 24c sunny ,i still think you should have a look at the sigma's you can get the 150 to 500 for less than $1000,i am on holidays at the moment been very windy all week i should be out taking pics today will go out after lunch ,i am new to vr photography and forums ,cut the hood of my nikon 10.5 the other day looking forward to trying it been using d800 in dx mode since i got this lens, this is of topic but have you seen the gopro style camera at Harvy Norman for $69 i think its hd same shape, 6 of those is not to bad cost wise i am talking hobyist like me not pro

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 4:22 am

I think we am sold on this lens...
Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S
http://www.bythom.com/300AFSlens.htm

Its a tab more than we wanted to spend but.. we might have another option..

Destiny...

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 4:52 am

when you get it let me know how you find it , and how well it performs on panogear robot for gigga pixel photography ,compared with 70 - 200 and tele converters ,i had an 80 to 400 lens once now i regret selling it would have been perfect for robot oh well cheers destiny have a nice day

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:14 am

emm.. I do not own a panogear robot.. I have a VR Drive....

I wouldn't be able to compare either since I do not have a 70-200 either...

Destiny..

[mediavets]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by mediavets » Fri Oct 04, 2013 6:47 am

I think we am sold on this lens...
Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S
http://www.bythom.com/300AFSlens.htm

Its a tab more than we wanted to spend but.. we might have another option..

Destiny...

No VR?

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:54 am

Emm... I thought it did.. Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4G VR lens, I might have stated the wrong one.. They make updates which makes me confused..

http://nikonrumors.com/2013/08/21/nikon ... lens.aspx/

The next lens up from this is the 80-400 with VR, but that much more expensive.. I have found that no matter what lens, there is always some issues.. They are have good and bad..

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80-400mm.htm

Destiny..

PS.. I like this bit about that 80-400.. but.. $$$

"This Nikon 80-400mm AF-S lens is super-sharp, focuses super-fast and has amazing vibration reduction to allow hand-holding in any light."

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:05 am

I think this one must be the one without VR.. emm..

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/300f4afs.htm

Destiny...

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:00 am

I think without VR will be ok.. The feedback on this forum is very positive..
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/show ... product=81

Anything with more like the VR ie, the 80-400mm will cost heaps more.. Now that seems to be an amazing lens... But its over double the cost..

I am sure this lens will be fine for gigapixel photography too using my VR Drive.. APG will be wonderful for this..

Destiny...

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 11:05 am

I think the Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4G VR lens is a DX lens.. Oh man.. I get so confused with lenses.. I have just checked out the Nikon web site.. I really wanted a FX zoom lens.. I realise it will still fit on my D800 but it will not be a full frame image, I guess...

What is the difference between telephoto and zoom..

Destiny..

[mediavets]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by mediavets » Fri Oct 04, 2013 11:16 am

I think the Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4G VR lens is a DX lens.. Oh man.. I get so confused with lenses.. I have just checked out the Nikon web site.. I really wanted a FX zoom lens.. I realise it will still fit on my D800 but it will not be a full frame image, I guess...

What is the difference between telephoto and zoom..

Destiny..

Telephoto merely means a long focal length - it could be a fixed focal length (a prime) or a variable focal length (a zoom).

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:37 pm

destiny the 300 f4 is an fx prime lens it is not a zoom lens its a good lens but its bit old no vr a lot of people think it should be updated ,most birders like 300 f2.8 or longer ,i found my 80 to 400 sigma not long enough and too slow focus that's why i sold it, but it was sharp thats why it would be good for robot , if i get a 300 f4 i will be using with teleconverters or in d800 dx mode ,i ended up photographing spider orchids this avo still have not used 10.5 with out hood still have another weeks holiday cheers

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Fri Oct 04, 2013 2:04 pm

Thank you Rolly1.... No sooner if feel I know which lens, I get confused again... Still thinking.... You just filled in the missing bits.. Nice lens but not what I was wanting.. I guess I assumed it was a zoom.... or misread it somewhere...

Hey.... To be honest, I hate even the notion of chopping off the fins of a 10.5mm.. I love my 10.5mm I could never do that... but I have heard many doing it.. Annoying that Nikon did not design the fins to come off....

All Nikon lenes are here...

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/list.htm#zoom

This 80-400 is the newer version but very expensive..

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-AF-S-Nikk ... 0679393646

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/zo ... /index.htm

This one is perfect for the D800, its an older lens with VR but no AF.. What do you think about this one...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-AF-80-400 ... 1116632854

http://www.recommendedlenses.com/2012/0 ... d800e.html

http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/lens/zo ... mf_45-56d/

Destiny..

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Sat Oct 05, 2013 6:20 am

destiny the old nikon 80 to 400 had the same problems as my sigma very slow af .a better built lens but more expensive, again good for robot, or bird glued to tree or prefocus setup , I had a play with the new one a while ago now that's a good lens but as you say very expensive still probably not as good as 300 2.8 , so i think you are in same boat as me, can not afford what we would like , so for me it will probably be sigma 150 to 500 ,still not sure how they get away with 300 mm i found 400 to short, i guess if you spend that much money on lens you probably practise your stalking ability a lot , almost forgot one advantage the nikon had over my sigma it has a focus limit switch it stops the focus going from one end to the other cuts down the focus travel that would help probably a few good second hand ones about hope that helps cheers

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Sat Oct 05, 2013 6:35 am

Hi Rolly1.... Its so confusing.. I keep going back to the Sigma 150 to 500 too but like Nikon... I do not buy a new lens every day. When I bought my 14-24 it was really luck since my old Granny loves photography so when I ordered my D800 she said.. "Oh why not".. we we bought it.. Its a fantastic lens, I really love it, but its has zoom restrictions.. I think we have done well with buying our lenses with guidance from others in the know.. Out little 50mm is so sharp, love it and its cheap.. The only zoom lens we have is our stock standard we got with our D90, the 108.... Its really cheap for a lens but not too bad.. As you know, some of the wildlife in Aus are very timid, like most wildlife, but sometimes we see amazing thing from a distance with my Dads Binoculars.. Just too far to capture a nice image so we need a zoom lens for that.. So many other uses.. We love the option for portrait too.. A good al-rounder would be wonderful.. Wildlife would be goo, not so worried about sport but John would love to shoot RAAF aircraft flying.. I will look at the 150-500 again... its very good value.. and I can use it for gigapixel too.. Not sure about lens creep with it....

Destiny..

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Sat Oct 05, 2013 7:50 am

yes i forgot about zoom creep the sigma 80 to 400 suffered with that, every time i tried to photograph birds in flight i had to hold the zoom ring so it would not fall back in if i had kept it i would have used hose clamp on it , i am swapping over to fx i have nikon 50 1.8 tamron 90 macro lens tamron 24-70 2.8 nikon 70 - 200 vr1 2.8, 1.4 and 2 times teleconverters and now a fisheye since i cut hood of 10.5 ,all i need now is nikon 14-24 or tokina 16-28 and probably sigma 150 - 500 and that's it , yes i like wide angle lenses i realy liked my sigma 10 - 20 that's what i used on robot to do 360 by 180 but 15 pics with moving subjects was very hard ,fisheye with hood on nodel ninja nn5 7 pics much better , fisheye nn5 36 megpixel 4 pics should be great i hope , not much fun cutting of hood on $900 lens with a hacksaw I am going to get another lens cap and cut it to shape for times when i need a hood ,yes your right about the local wildlife they can be hard to get close to ,i will ask the people in the camera clubs that i know, what the 150 to 500 is like with lens creep and will let you know

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Sat Oct 05, 2013 8:03 am

I have seen this video before.. Sound impressive but, I also read other comments... I really need to go to the Camera shop to test it out..

http://www.destinyvirtualtours.com/PTPV ... eTest.html

This guy here did a comparison test.. Then I looked at the price of each lens.. Not really sure that conducing a comparison on a lens much cheaper than the other is the way to do it.. Its at the bottom of this page... http://www.michaelfurtman.com/sigma150_500.htm

This one is really relevant since it compares the Nikon 80-400mm with the Sigma 150-500mm

http://digital-photography-school.com/f ... 00-os.html

I have been reading Ken Rockwell comments for a very long time.. I think going by other comments, is rating seems to be spot on..
http://www.kenrockwell.com/sigma/150-500mm.htm

Not sure where you would buy one from but I have bought stuff from both of these places so I would use them again... Both have the best price as far as I can find..

http://www.dwidigitalcameras.com.au/ast ... nses.aspx#

http://www.dutyfreecentral.com/tbcart/p ... edium=cpc#

The features that appeal to me is the 500mm... The great optics, its has stabilising technology, its Auto Focus...

This guy here provides a no nonsense comment.. It shows images at 500mm which I am not impressed with, yet he says it performs better at 500... http://www.bythom.com/sigma-150-500mm-lens-review.htm

I think this lens has some wonderful features, but I think I want something a tab sharper at distance... I really do not know...

Giving me a headache reading so much.. haha...

Destiny..

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:50 am

OK,... finally.. I am sure my search is over.. I have read and read.. So many nice lenses but many have issues..

I looked at Nikon and to be honest, really love Nikon lenses but many of them I feel are over priced.. They often rate poorly on value for money.. I was set to buy this, Nikon Telephoto AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF Autofocus Lens but there are issues.. Still great but..

However, the Sigma has great optics and very good value for money.. I was bending towards the 150-500, but I now feel that the best lens for me is the Sigma 50-500mm.... Its a beautiful lens with great reviews.. This web site review is very extensive..
http://www.lenstip.com/244.1-Lens_revie ... ction.html

I can get it for about the same price as the Nikkor 300mm. There was an update so I must make sure that the lens I buy is the latest lens with the Nikon mount.. It has AF and Stabilisation.. My little tripod might not be good enough for it but we will see.. They said in this review that a heavy sturdy tripod is best..

I also to have feel confident that I am making the right decision and I do after reading so much about it... I really hope no one here has read a bad thing about it...

Destiny...

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Sat Oct 05, 2013 12:26 pm

YouTube about it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmMjsy0TXVY

Destiny...

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Sat Oct 05, 2013 3:40 pm

Destiny looks like one of the sigmas just don't get the old model , or you could do what I did with my 70 - 200 vr1 Nikon $2500 sold a couple of things +birthday money saved and lay bye for 3 months and get new model Nikon 80 - 400 vr , that vr drive 2 is that a roundshot had a look at there web site they make some impressive gear cheers rolly1

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Sun Oct 06, 2013 5:35 am

Hi Rolly1.. Yes, and this is why I normally buy my camera gear from our local Photography shop.. As you know we can buy Grey Market, which is not always apparent, since the shop pose as being Australian when in fact they are from Hong Kong or China.. Photo Continental seem to have a good price and are very close to where we live.. They have been around for years..

http://www.photocontinental.com.au/prod ... 8002596241

I have done more research on this lens and to be honest, I cannot find a bad report about it... And NO, I am not affiliated with Sigma, for those who might ask...

As with most comparisons which can be like Chalk and Cheese, this one is too but very interesting that a lens costing very much more $$$ has been put into the same boat as with the Nikon new 80-400mm and it still came out very well..

http://lenshero.com/comparison/Sigma-50 ... .5-5.6D-ED

The 80-400mm is a very nice lens but for me, having no AF-S is a big down side.. But apart from that its a great lens if you can afford to buy it.. But way over priced if you ask me... http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80400vr.htm

I went off the Nikon Telephoto AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4D ED-IF Autofocus, which I thought was a great lens, but as Andrew pointed out.. It has no VR... The 80-400 has VR but no AF.. To be honest, Nikon are a pain.. There is always something they miss out.. I would have thought that VR was essential for a long zoom lens...

Actually, the older version of the 80-400 looks awesome, but no AF but had VR, http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80400vr.htm and then they made a newer version with AF but no VR.. How stupid is that... and they also whacked the price up to make it very poor value for money.. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80-400mm.htm This has been stated in many reviews.. The original 80-400mm had much better ratings for value for money..

Destiny..

Last edited by Destiny on Sun Oct 06, 2013 1:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:07 am

destiny all modern lenses have auto focus , the difference is some have screw drive from the camera body and some have inbuilt focus motors the later ones are normaly faster and quieter more accurate ,there are different stages of vr (vibration reduction ) there is vr1 and vr2 ,vr1 claims 1 to 2 stops of improvement and vr2 claims 3 to 4 stops improvement whether it does or not who knows depends on the steady hand etc good for old person like me ha ha , the old 80 -400 nikon lens was the first nikon lens to have vr and like my sigma had screw drive focus thats why they were so slow focus, the new 80 -400 nikon lens has vr2 and has a built in focus motor and newer lens coatings , the same goes with sigma the newer lenses have inbuilt focus motors etc like the 150 -500 and 50 to 500 i think the old 50 to 500 might have been screw drive , only the nikon d90 and higher bodies have inbuilt focus motors, the more dearer the body the more powerful the motor the faster the focus the old 80 to 400 nikon body will work better on D4 then on D90 the D80 and cheaper bodies D3200 ETC do not have inbuilt focus motors so can only use very latest lenses i think that might be where you are getting confused about AF and no AF does that all make sense cheers rolly1

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:44 am

Not really..

..but kind of.. My brain cannot coup with all that information.. Very interesting, I did not know about VR1 and VR 2..

Thank your all your information.. I am sure others when looking for a lens, will have lots of information to read and form their own needs from it all..

I never realised how complicated it all was.. I do not think I will ever stop learning since there is just so much to know..

Thank you, you have been really helpful..

Destiny..

[rolly1]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by rolly1 » Sun Oct 06, 2013 2:37 pm

destiny that's not a problem anytime ,basically any lens made I think after the mid 1970's will auto focus on your D90 and D800 before that a small mount modification on the lens they will fit but only manual focus ,that info is a bit rough but basically correct cheers rolly1

[Destiny]

Re: Best Affordable Zoom/Telephoto Lens Option for a D800

by Destiny » Tue Oct 08, 2013 9:26 am

Hi... Today we went to the camera shop to road-test the Sigma 50-500mm... Just awesome..!! The zooooom is amazing.. We are really glad we went in person to check it out since apparently this lens, as with the smaller Sigma 150-500mm has been upgraded... The older one is very distinct with its rough/dark grey paint finish.. The newer version is just like a Nikon, really well made and beautifully finished... The AF was quick and as far as I could tell capturing a hand held as full zoom the stabilising system works very well too.. We were very impressed so we put a Lay-by deposit on it since they only had one in stock...

I realise this has been said to me many times here before about some lens but oh man.. It was heavy, for me.. But oh so sexy .. We absolutely loved it.. Close up was sharp as too was about mid.. Full zoom was good but I am sure I moved the camera.. Fixed to a tripod I am sure it will be perfect but still good...

We hope to pick it up by the end of the week... We feel this is the perfect lens for us.. Its taken a lot of research to find the perfect lens.. Not even Canon or Nikon have a 500mm... The closest to these brands and the price goes way up.. So the Sigma is very good value.. A bit above our price range but we feel it will be worth it... Here are a couple of images from the latest version....

I was talking to the sales guy about a large rubber band to prevent lens creep.. Their is a lock but thats only when fully closed up.... Some Canon lenses have a way to tighten the lens up but not Nikon..

I hope to show some photos next week..

Destiny..

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