D700 user - 70-200 F2.8

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vix345

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Vicky
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Im the proud owner of a D700 and Nikkon 24-70 F2.8! :) Im looking at purchasing a longer lens. I know the ultimate is the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 but at the moment Im not sure I can justify the price. I wondered if anyone owns any of the following Nikon 80-200 F2.8 or Sigma 70-200 f2.8 HSM and could tell me the quality of photos they produce and whether going for the Sigma lens would be a positive move?
 
In my opinion, having used the 80-200 AF-D for wildlife, and the sigma 70-200 in passing a few times, it depends entirely on what you want to use the lens for.

If you plan on doing anything sports or action relation, the Sigma will be the way to go due to the HSM focusing motor. However, if outright sharpness is your game, then the Nikon 80-200 will win. The 80-200 AF-D and AF-S (huge price difference between them btw) are two of the sharpest zooms of that range Nikon have made. Easily on par with the 70-200 VR in my experience.
 
i have the 80-200 f2.8 af-d twin ring and an older siggy 70-200 f2.8 the nikon is fantastic the siggy is good...............

it is little wonder that the nikon is one of their longest production lenses the iq is great and i dont really think that the new vr model adds anything iq wise but i believe it does focus a bitty quicker ..that said im no sure i have missed anything because of this and feel no need to upgrade it

it focuses quickly and fairly quietly and is built like a tank my only gripe and it is a small one is that you need to use 3rd party tc`s

they come up quite often in grays at between 600 - 800

the siggy while a good lens is no where near as good ....... it does focus quite fast and produces decent results but after the nikon you can tell the difference iq wise.... but take into consideration the price difference when new it was half the price of the nikon

bang for buck the siggy wins .......over all the nikon wins

both my lenses are older models and i have no idea what the newest ones are like but susspect it will be the same result

if you can afford one get a nikon you will be blown away if pennies are tight get the sigma you wont be dissapointed
 
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Depending on what you are shooting, the Nikon prime 180mm is an excellent lens, very light, and much cheaper than those zooms.

I have the 70-200mm VRI - never use the VR, but the fast focus, and manual override is a big plus for me.
 
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I mainly do weddings and portrait work, the 24-70 is a great lens however I want something that gets in closer.
 
The Nikon 80-200 F2.8 AF-D is great but the new 70-200mm VR11 AF-S takes things up a notch again - both in sharpness and focus speed. Fantastic.
 
awp said:
The Nikon 80-200 F2.8 AF-D is great but the new 70-200mm VR11 AF-S takes things up a notch again - both in sharpness and focus speed. Fantastic.
Click to expand...

Agreed, it is a real beauty of a lens and feels the business also. The VR's are pricey but oh so worth the price paid if you will use the longer reach regularly. As you shoot weddings I would opt for a VRI, take the plunge & the price will be easily justified imo, they hold there value pretty well also.

The 80-200 is still held in high regard.

Good luck with your choice.
 
awp said:
The Nikon 80-200 F2.8 AF-D is great but the new 70-200mm VR11 AF-S takes things up a notch again - both in sharpness and focus speed. Fantastic.
Click to expand...

There's probably a difference in price now of about £8-900 between the two so you really need to ask yourself just how much you need the VR and whether the nano coating etc are worth what is essentially the price of another pro Nikon lens.
 
Thank you! I think the replies on here have pretty much sold it to me.... in my head I was all for the Nikon but the price was making me look at other options....I guess the investment of the Nikon will be worth it
 
I too looked at the lenses you mentioned when I was after a 70-200. After plenty or research I decided to save up for the Nikon 70-200 VR and have had it a few days and love it! Performs fantastically and the IQ is amazing, better than my other lenses. Dom Bower also has a very good video on the sharpness and IQ of the 70-200 VR1 which is good to watch, will link it up later when I'm on a computer.

A sharpness test (tested on a D700)
http://www.youtube.com/user/Dombowerphoto#p/u/20/oXgoH5N7dXY

Comparing 80-200 and Sigma 70-200
http://www.youtube.com/user/Dombowerphoto#p/u/0/1A0jrZxsDbg

Hope these might be of use to you.
 
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vix345 said:
Im the proud owner of a D700 and Nikkon 24-70 F2.8! :) Im looking at purchasing a longer lens. I know the ultimate is the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 but at the moment Im not sure I can justify the price. I wondered if anyone owns any of the following Nikon 80-200 F2.8 or Sigma 70-200 f2.8 HSM and could tell me the quality of photos they produce and whether going for the Sigma lens would be a positive move?
Click to expand...

Don't like the Sigma much. If you want value, Tamron make a very good 70-200 F2.8 - no VR or lens motor but good IQ. The Nikkor 80-200 D version is fine as is the 70-200 VR1 (much less than the VR2). All are fine for portraits although the VR2 version has better corner performance and less vignetting than all of them.

However there are a lot of times I find the zooms a bit on the heavy and cumbersome side. Primes you may look at include the Sigma 150 f2.8 macro and the Nikkor 180 f2.8D.
 
Keep in mind you might also experience some vignette with the 70-200mm VRI wide open on a D700. More apparent against lighter backgrounds.
 
The Nikon 80-200 is a very good lens and there are various options at varying prices, cheapest being the push/pull single ring zoom, followed by the twin ring and then the AF-S. Whatever your budget you should be able to get a good 80-200 from the selection available.
 
I've had all of them apart from the 80-200mm afs

If you can find one for the right money the push pull 80-200mm is as good as the 2 ring one, you can shoot fast moving things with the push pull, I took this with one and he was going pretty fast :D

wheelie5.jpg
 
Impressive! I really need to weigh up my options before I invest!
 
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