I had the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8 OS and whilst it's a nice lens the Nikon VRII is noticeably better. AF is MUCH faster, has nicer colours, is sharper (to my eyes) and renders nicer. The Tamron could be worth a look though if you're wanting to save money over the Nikon.lens collected before 10am this morning, emailed Panamoz to tell them..they replied in 2 minutes thanking me for my patience and saying that they'll send the tracking details for the replacement soon ( i don't expect it this week )
so..i've been thinking about needing more length ( ) and had a brief play on Sunday with a d810 and Sigma 70-200 OS HSM thingy. Asking the owner, he said it does 95% of the stuff Nikon's 70-200 does but for around £550 used. That got me thinking..is it any good ? or should i just get a VR1 ? Then, as my ( cough ) budget was going up, i looked at the Tamron g2 which is around £900 grey and is supposed to be excellent and their TC doesn't appear to degrade IQ...
Negatives- f2.8s are big and heavy, need large filters, don't need f2.8 all the time, cost ( ? )
Pros - love the ability to separate the subject and the background, can add a TC and still have a relatively quick lens
or am i mad and i should just go for the 70-200 f4 ? But its a bit short so if i add a TC it turns into f5.6 at 200mm, then i start thinking about the considerably cheaper 70-300VR again.
( m43 was much easier, i had 1 "choice" for f 2.8 with this FL )
There's no doubt that the 70-200mm f2.8 is my favourite lens, but I wouldn't say it's ideal for day long hand held panning. That being said, I'm so used to using my 150-600mm now that the 70-200mm does feel almost lightweightThe weight really is a concern of mine for the 2.8s - i remember leaving NIkon 3 years ago due to the weight of everything i'd acquired. Admittedly, i am more aware of what FLs i shoot at now so will be more careful with purchases. As you rightly say, i don't need 2.8 for panning..but it might be nice in certain situations
I've found the Nikon 70-300mm a lot sharper on the D500 over the D300S, even wide open. Very rarely used the lens wide open before, but use it wide open most of the time now. I can't compare it to the 70-200mm (v 1) as I only used it once when I hired one for the weekend.I keep wondering whether to get another 70-300mm VR for motorsport as well tbh. It's not as sharp, nor renders as nicely as the 70-200mm VRII but tbh those things are pretty much negated when you're slow panning anyway. The weight is definitely favourable as panning with a 70-200mm f2.8 all day can get a bit tiresome (I can't get on with monopods).
That surely suggests that the lens wasn't as accurately calibrated on the D300s to me then. Yes it will be sharper on the D500 due to lack of aa filter but not a lot sharper. Either way, glad you're happy with the lens, do you have any sample pics? I need to try another 70-300mm as I can't remember how good it was. Looking at some of my older pics it was OK, but I know my technique's improved since then.I've found the Nikon 70-300mm a lot sharper on the D500 over the D300S, even wide open. Very rarely used the lens wide open before, but use it wide open most of the time now. I can't compare it to the 70-200mm (v 1) as I only used it once when I hired one for the weekend.
Maybe the Nikon 70-300mm was slightly misaligned, but too late now. And I am happy now though. That said, I am waiting for a few good comparison reviews of the Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR Lens against the new Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f4.5-5.6E ED VR Lens to see if it worth upgrading.That surely suggests that the lens wasn't as accurately calibrated on the D300s to me then. Yes it will be sharper on the D500 due to lack of aa filter but not a lot sharper. Either way, glad you're happy with the lens, do you have any sample pics? I need to try another 70-300mm as I can't remember how good it was. Looking at some of my older pics it was OK, but I know my technique's improved since then.
Anyone using expro batteries ? I'm going to the rally go next weekend and although I have a spare, I thought another battery might be good. I've used them in my em1 so assume they're ok but thought I'd ask first
Wrong!No
I think you'll find the D500 is averse to Non OEM batteries.
Wrong!
I have an ExPro battery for the D500, and so far it has worked pretty much as well as the Nikon original, and a Maxsimafoto copy too. Again works just as well as the original. Just make sure that any advert says that it should specifically work with the D500 and you should be OK. As much as you can be with copied batteries.
I got the ExPro battery from their site, and the Maximafoto battery from Amazon. I think they were both about £20, so I got 2 copies for the cost of one Nikon original. I got two different copies as these were the first ones I found that said they were compatible with the D500, and I spread the risk of either not working. Thankfully they are both good.
@damianmkv superb series of images !! is that Barmouth then the road from Barmouth to Tywyn ? looks familar and is lovely and a nice day like you had
Just checked mine and it works perfectly
Current is 11.1.1 but as above (crossed posts) removing & reinstalling Snapbridge did it.11.0.3
However disaster struck, When shooting with my old Nikon 300mm F4 AF-S I was getting all sorts of weird under and over exposure. Now I know my lens motor is on the way out as it does squeak quite badly (must get round to getting this fixed), but I started to wonder if the aperture blades were also starting to stick, especially as this lens has no rear element so the aperture blades are open the the environment. After getting really frustrated and almost wishing I'd had my Olympus with me instead, it then stuck me I was getting exactly -.7, -.3, 0, +.3, +.7 exposures....yes you guessed it, some how I'd accidentally switched exposure bracketing on - doh !!
Well after showing much love over the last 2 weeks for my EM1 MK II with my new Olympus M.Zuiko 300mm F4 Pro lens (a cracker), my poor D500 had been sitting unused for several weeks, so I thought I'd charge up the batteries and give it a spin.
Every-time I pick up the D500 I'm reminded why I love M4/3, as the D500 and my Tamron 150-600 or Nikon 300mm F4 AF-S combo (with battery grip) feels like a brick (a very nice feeling brick though), and is way heavier than the Olympus setup. However once I start shooting I'm reminded why DSLR's won't go extinct just yet. The AF acquisition (as good as it is on the EM1 II) is in another league on the D500 and the freedom to shoot up to ISO 6400 and beyond with impunity is a great feeling (the D500 files do clean up really nicely).
However disaster struck, When shooting with my old Nikon 300mm F4 AF-S I was getting all sorts of weird under and over exposure. Now I know my lens motor is on the way out as it does squeak quite badly (must get round to getting this fixed), but I started to wonder if the aperture blades were also starting to stick, especially as this lens has no rear element so the aperture blades are open the the environment. After getting really frustrated and almost wishing I'd had my Olympus with me instead, it then stuck me I was getting exactly -.7, -.3, 0, +.3, +.7 exposures....yes you guessed it, some how I'd accidentally switched exposure bracketing on - doh !! With that sorted the D500 was a joy to use (even though its still eating batteries for breakfast and Nikon can find nothing wrong with the camera).
Some images
and a very heavy crop of a Woodpecker (just a 4mp image) way off in the distance and just a spec in the viewfinder !
No Gramps, they tried a "remote" diagnosis by email and decided it all seemed fine. I really should pursue this and get it back to them.
Was your a UK sourced camera or Grey (like mine from Panamoz) ? I ask as though even though I've contacted Panamoz and they have told me to send to Nikon and they will reimburse me for any costs (so long as I supply them with the invoice), obviously I'd have to pay upfront and was wondering if you had to do the same or did Nikon just repair yours under warranty no questions asked ?