future lens

[panthera_nl]

Hi everyone!

I've just become a member and have a question about a lens i want to purchase in
the near future for my Nikon D90 + 18-200 AF-S DX VR II .....

I am mainly interested in taking pictures of nature,wildlife and / or birds
(I know that for bird photography you really need a 500mm lens, but unfortunately my wallet
doesnt allow that sort of lens,thus i nee some advice and need to know if anyone has experience with the
following 3 lenses ...

1.80-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 AF VR Zoom-Nikkor
2.Nikkor AF-S 55-300mm 4.5-5.6 G ED DX VR
3.Nikkor AF-S 300m f/4.0 D IF-ED

(P.S Also info about Tamron or Sigma lenses are very welcome)

The difference of course is the range and extent of the price and some other things.

Also I am only a novice so when it comes to it,i will have
a lot of fun with the lens I have now, but after speaking to
different people whom are mainly into bird photography i've
found out several things of interest.

So at the end of the day i will come to a point that i wont be able to take the
pictures i really want to take with the lens ive got now and therefore i will have to
posses a better lens for me to take the photography one step further.

Ive already had different oppions about the lenses im stating here on Dutch Photography
forums,also about the same lens some of em say its good others say its not,so i thought
lets broaden the search and aquire some more advice overseas.

Like i said first i will go out and enjoy what ive got doing up experience in practive
before even contemplating buying another lens but its always good to find out
more,so hope fully someone can give me some good information and more.

Thanks already and to all ,lots of fun taking picture!

Wanja

 

[TCR4x4]

The 300mm F/4 combined with a 1.4 TC is a great combination that wont break the bank, is still pretty small and has really good IQ. Autofocus is still reasonable, faster than the 80-400 if all the comments on the internet are correct, although Ive never used the 80-400 so couldnt comment on that.

The Sigma 150-500 OS gets very good reviews, and I have use of a Sigma 120-400 OS, which I have found to be very sharp and easy to handhold at longer distances. The quality doesnt match that of the 300mm prime however.

Ive never used the 55-300, so I cant advise on it.
Dont rule out the Nikon 70-300 VR either. Very lightweight and compact package with reasonable IQ at 300mm.

 

[Trig's]

I've had Sigma's 100-300 f4 IF HSM EX APO DG (sold it for a 70-200 vr then sold that for the VRII ) and used it with Sigmas 1.4x EX APO TC with vg results.. It was recommended for wildlife on many reviews..

If I had a choice I would gladly go back to it - cracker of a lens in my eyes an was well pleased with it....

I sold it on here to a fellow member as well - he did post a picture of the results iirc...

 

[casts_by_fly]

you're talking about 3 very different classes of lens (4 if you throw in the 70-300), each with their own limitations. For straight up image quality, the 300f4 is going to blow away the rest. I have the 300/4 AF and the image quality is awesome. The AF-s is supposed to be better, plus has AF-s. I've tried the 1.4 Kenco on my 300 and I will be getting one. It didn't seem to give up any image quality that I could tell, nor did it slow it down in the light I was in (very overcast, city setting with plenty of building shadows). It was typical of the light I shoot in now and I was happy with it. I really wanted the AFs, but couldn't spend the extra.

The 70-300 is a nice lens. The VR is is handy for low light and the AF-s is quick. The main limitations are movement in low light and absolute IQ at the long end. It isn't tiny, but for this range of focal length is is fairly light compared to the other options.

The 80-400 is slow to focus, pretty big/heavy, and expensive. It does have VR, but is also a f/5.6 at the long end. I'd take the 70-300 over the 80-400 and crop.

I don't know the 55-300, but I have the 55-200. Mine is a good lens, very sharp, and nice and light. It needs good light though and isn't super fast to focus. I'd imaging the 55-300 to be similar as they have almost the same specs aside from focal length and weight. I'd take the 70-300 over the 55-300 for the focus speed and IQ, and deal with the extra size and cost.

Since you have -200 covered, the 300 /4 would be my choice in that situation (and was the choice I made).

Thanks,
Rick



edit- Just noticed Trig's post and that was another lens I considered. None were available when I got my 300. I'd love to try one though as I hear it is parity IQ to the 300/4 AF with the ability to zoom. Just up my alley.

 

[panthera_nl]

Thank you all for your comments!

First I must still figure out how all the aperture, shutter speed and ISO combinations go into work before I can even think of going to buy a new lens .
But that is not keeping me from obtaining some useful info about the eventual successor lens to shoot the subjects im really interested in,which is nature/landscapes and wildlife.Also where I live in Almere, birds are surely the greatest subject ...

Meanwhile I heard a lot about the 300mm from people whom are using it,and the disadvantages/disadvantage of the lens, of what ive heard is if you do use this particular lens,that it is a must to do so with a tripod to get the best pictures , this right? (Stabilization )....

Indeed ive heard that Sigma lenses are a good choice (the one you stated @ Trig and also the 150-500mm)and will definitely go surfing on the net and find some more info on their performances, price and the corresponding weight which comes with it :-(... .... Is it possible for these lenses to be combined with a 1.4/1.7TC ?

I'll let you know which lens i've finally chosen when the time comes and also what i thought of the lens,by then i will have learned a lot more
about not only which lenses and the mm's but also about what you can actually really do with them & the camera to get that picture you want..


Regards,
Wanja

PS: The reason for the differences in lenses and their prices is just simply that I had looked at Konijenberg.nl ( photography equipment site in Holland)and saw these two lenses and thought find out some information from people who've used them or know about them and the performances of lenses ...
But yes now I know that I've got the 18-200mm sorted, so its obvious that i will need to upgrade the mm's)