D40....AF-S or AF ?

Yardbent

Yardbent

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John
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I have Nikon D40 with 55-200AF-S VR
although interested in landscapes, I would like to take a few bird shots occasionally but feel it's a little 'short'

read the Nikon 70-300 VR and Sigma 200 thread and comments

so to get up to 300mm, i could............
1..buy TC 1.4 but Nikon AF-S seem to be £300 - out of my budget
2..sell the 200VR and buy a 300VR used @ £300? - maybe
but the 200VR is such a good lens

or lets consider - I will shoot on sunny days, no in-forest stuff
tripod - so VR turned Off
concentrate on 'perched' shots .. manual focus OK ? .. so no AF-S

so - can I use a Nikon 70-300 AF f4-5.6 G......found @£99
or a Sigma APO f4 DG Macro ........."here"...@£109

i think I'm right - neither Auto-focus nor IS/VR on D40

thanks for comments or advice - even if negative ....:(
 
Hi John,

'tis a dilemna I know ... been there, done that :)

Sigma make several versions of the 70-300 and at least one of these has a built-in motor that will allow your D40 to auto-focus. I can't tell from the pictures in the link you provided but that sounds about the right price. I have this lens and can recommend it - very sharp, quick and quiet to AF.

You might also like to consider the Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 TC's. Amazon have them for about £140 but you can find them used for a lot less. They are fully compatible with the D40 and allow AF and metering to function.

HTH :wave:
 
Bristolian said:
Hi John,

1...Sigma make several versions of the 70-300 and at least one of these has a built-in motor that will allow your D40 to auto-focus.
2.. I have this lens and can recommend it - very sharp, quick and quiet to AF.

3..You might also like to consider the Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 TC's. Amazon have them for about £140 but you can find them used for a lot less. They are fully compatible with the D40 and allow AF and metering to function.

HTH :wave:
Click to expand...

thanks for quick reply
1..Sigma has to have HSM in the lens code to AF on the D40 - my link at £109 does not
a new Sigma APO HSM "from" W/Exp is £178 but I'm aiming to spend £100 as it will be a "sometimes" lens
2.. which lens do you have ?
3..thanks - will investigate

cheers
 
any comments on the Nikon ?

"can I use a Nikon 70-300 AF f4-5.6 G......found @£99"
 
As far asI know there is no HSM version of the Sigma 70-300? (I have the version with the inbuilt motor but it's not HSM)

For the money it's a decent lens, but if I were you I'd sell the 55-200 and put the £150 towards a 2nd hand 70-300 VR. As for the 70-300 G I'd forget it - the Sigma beats it.
 
Yardbent said:
any comments on the Nikon ?

"can I use a Nikon 70-300 AF f4-5.6 G......found @£99"
Click to expand...

Yes, but only in manual focus. AF-S lenses are the only ones that Nikon produce that will AF on the D40.

Sigma do produce one with a motor in the lens, but it's not HSM so you need to be careful if buying one to make sure it has the motor. They're £158 on Amazon.

Personally I'd sell the 55-200mm and go for the 70-300mm VR, cracking lens.
 
Yardbent said:
any comments on the Nikon ?

"can I use a Nikon 70-300 AF f4-5.6 G......found @£99"
Click to expand...

Yes, you can use it, but it would be manual focus only and tbh it's not a terribly good lens - your 55-200 VR is more modern.

The 70-300 VR is an excellent lens if you can get one at the right price, it might even be worth pm'ing Ian (Kerso) and seeing what he can do for you, I bought my 70-300 VR from him (my first "good" lens" :D) and he did me a cracking deal on it :thumbs:
 
ok - going the Sigma route means spending more money - up to £178 for an APO lens

and if so, may as well put the money into upgrading to a 70-300 VR as per the last 3 posts

I was hoping to hang onto the 55-200 VR - a cracking walkabout - and just get something for the occasional 300mm

FITP - is the Nikon AF f4 a duffer ? @£99
Ken Rockwell says "The 70-300mm G is very lightweight and has a broad zoom range. At 200mm - 300mm it's soft at large apertures, which may be great for portraits but bad for landscapes"...(C) .....so I imagine that rules it out for sharpness at 300mm F4....???

thanks
 
Yardbent said:
ok - going the Sigma route means spending more money - up to £178 for an APO lens

and if so, may as well put the money into upgrading to a 70-300 VR as per the last 3 posts

I was hoping to hang onto the 55-200 VR - a cracking walkabout - and just get something for the occasional 300mm

FITP - is the Nikon AF f4 a duffer ? @£99
Ken Rockwell says "The 70-300mm G is very lightweight and has a broad zoom range. At 200mm - 300mm it's soft at large apertures, which may be great for portraits but bad for landscapes"...(C) .....so I imagine that rules it out for sharpness at 300mm F4....???

thanks
Click to expand...


One caveat though, the 70-300 VR looks quite large on the D40 :nuts:
 
Flash In The Pan said:
One caveat though, the 70-300 VR looks quite large on the D40 :nuts:
Click to expand...

back to square 1 then ............:bonk:

time for dinner - MUST get OFF this forum

thanks all for the advice/comments - will sleep on it .....
 
You sould see my D60 with a Sigma 100-300 f4 plus 1.4x cov. :bonk:
 
Yardbent said:
1..Sigma has to have HSM in the lens code to AF on the D40 - my link at £109 does not
Click to expand...

My 70-300 has "built-in motor" in the description on the box but nothing on the lens itself. I used it many times on my D40. I bought mine from UK Optics almost exactly a year ago and got change from £100 :clap: I hadn't realised they'd gone up that much in a year :gag:

Not sure that helps you very much :shrug:

EDIT: Just looked in UK Optics and their price is now £189!
 
Bristolian said:
My 70-300 has "built-in motor" in the description on the box but nothing on the lens itself. I used it many times on my D40. I bought mine from UK Optics almost exactly a year ago and got change from £100 :clap: I hadn't realised they'd gone up that much in a year :gag:

EDIT: Just looked in UK Optics and their price is now £189!
Click to expand...

Not a bad investment............
done another look
you, and people are right, not all motor Sigma lens say HSM
"here" my latest thought .. consensus is the APO lens is far better = £178

then to throw yet another spanner
Jessops come out with this Tamron "on sale" at £99
USA reviews indicate it's sharper at 300mm than the Sigma

decisions !....:bang:
 
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