New AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR - £10,400

BillN_33

BillN_33

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Does anyone have this new lens - AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR £10,400

why is it almost twice the price of the Nikon 400mm f2.8 G ED VR AF-S Nikkor Lens £6,500

OK it is lighter and the VR is better but is it an expensive replacement for the G model?
 
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The pricing of the new superteles from Canon and Nikon is sky high although I expect them to drop given time. Saving the weight would be a boon but the extra cost isn't worth it.
 
Nobody has this lens yet. It won't be in the shops until August at least.

Canon's Mk II super telephoto lenses have been through a massive weight reduction programme. It's most noticeable with the 400mm f/2.8 II and the 600mm f/4 II - the Mk I versions needed a fork lift truck to carry them around - as do the Nikon equivalents - but the Mk II versions are usable hand-held.

If you're a pro who lugs one or two of these things around all day every day, it's a good investment even with the steep price.
 
StewartR said:
Nobody has this lens yet. It won't be in the shops until August at least.
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Will this replace the G lens or will it run alongside it - at least the 400mm G is "affordable" for the non pro
 
I'd imagine it will just replace the current model which is still a great lens. I'd quite like to save some weight on my 400 but not by spending a few £k doing it. The new Canon superteles look very impressive with TCs, the 600 with a 1.4 looks sharper than the 800 f/5.6 wide open.
 
Laudrup said:
I'd imagine it will just replace the current model which is still a great lens. I'd quite like to save some weight on my 400 but not by spending a few £k doing it. The new Canon superteles look very impressive with TCs, the 600 with a 1.4 looks sharper than the 800 f/5.6 wide open.
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This is what I am considering - I have Nikon bodies, D7100 and D700 and a range of Nikon lens - the best being the 300mm f2.8VR

but if I look to the next lens purchase, specially for birding I can buy the Canon 5D iii and the 400mm f2.8 for the price of the new Nikon 400mm - both lens weight the same at about 3.8kg

The Canon 600mm f4 is only £10k and weighs the same …… and according to many is the best value birding lens around

Happy to run two bodies and systems as different combos are needed for different environments or gradually off load my Nikon stuff
 
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strumstrum said:
Almost twice the price ??!!!!@*~:/
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Apples and pears. The price of the new lens is inflated to take advantage of the must-have-it-now-at-any-price brigade. The price of the old lens isn't. The differential will erode a bit over time.
 
Sorry I was tippy tapping on my annoying phone at the time so the comment was cut short.

I meant the comment as in its no where near almost twice the price so it's unfair to judge it like it is.

That aside for me to pay the difference from the old model it would have to have IQ and focus improvements, not just weight reductions but as Stewart says, a pro lugging these around day in day out would see it as a worthwhile upgrade.
 
The RRP for the new big lenses is always ridiculously high, it will drop over time but as Stewart said they put the price that high for the must have the latest gear guys to take advantage...
 
Joeturner11 said:
The RRP for the new big lenses is always ridiculously high, it will drop over time but as Stewart said they put the price that high for the must have the latest gear guys to take advantage...
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so you reckon that the price is going to fall by 40% do you?
 
Joeturner11 said:
The RRP for the new big lenses is always ridiculously high, it will drop over time but as Stewart said they put the price that high for the must have the latest gear guys to take advantage...
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BillN_33 said:
so you reckon that the price is going to fall by 40% do you?
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Joeturner11 said:
I never said it was going to fall by 40%? :thinking:...Care to explain! :)
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@BillN_33 Love it when people ignore you on here :whistle:... still waiting for a reply :)
 
Joeturner11 said:
@BillN_33 Love it when people ignore you on here :whistle:... still waiting for a reply :)
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Care to explain your evidence for your predicted price drop …….. is this based on your experience of past purchases of Nikon equipment over the years, particularly glass ……. how much do you think that it will drop by, are you talking 5%, 10% or 20%…. Care to explain?

I have never experienced a fall in the UK prices of Nikon or Leica lens in the past 30 years - the only time I ever saw a substantial fall (in what you could buy a Nikon lens for) was in the mid 1980's when the £ appreciated significantly against the yen because (basically) of the N Sea oil discoveries. But again this was not significantly reflected in UK RRP's, in imports yes, but who spends that kind of money without a warranty, I spent quite a lot of time in Japan in the 80's and 90's… so no real worries for me

My basic point in this thread was - will it replace the G model? - I am thinking about a 400mm, 500mm or 600mm lens - and as I indicated above and in another thread - although I have quite a lot of Nikon gear I now think, (especially with the above 400mm Nikon price), that Canon is better value and that their 600mm lens is the one to go for.
If this is the trend for Nikon they are going to be substantially more expensive than Canon and this surprises me ……. as "quality wise" it's argued that they are equal - depending on who you listen to.

Ignoring you was not the issue, understanding the meaning of your general, almost "throw away" opinion is/was.

Your Quote: "The RRP for the new big lenses is always ridiculously high, it will drop over time" Unquote … sounds as though it is based on significant long term market experience
 
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BillN_33 said:
Care to explain your evidence for your predicted price drop …….. is this based on your experience of past purchases of Nikon equipment over the years, particularly glass ……. how much do you think that it will drop by, are you talking 5%, 10% or 20%…. Care to explain?

I have never experienced a fall in the UK prices of Nikon or Leica lens in the past 30 years - the only time I ever saw a substantial fall (in what you could buy a Nikon lens for) was in the mid 1980's when the £ appreciated significantly against the yen because (basically) of the N Sea oil discoveries. But again this was not significantly reflected in UK RRP's, in imports yes, but who spends that kind of money without a warranty, I spent quite a lot of time in Japan in the 80's and 90's… so no real worries for me

My basic point in this thread was - will it replace the G model? - I am thinking about a 400mm, 500mm or 600mm lens - and as I indicated above and in another thread - although I have quite a lot of Nikon gear I now think, (especially with the above 400mm Nikon price), that Canon is better value and that their 600mm lens is the one to go for.
If this is the trend for Nikon they are going to be substantially more expensive than Canon and this surprises me ……. as "quality wise" it's argued that they are equal - depending on who you listen to.

Ignoring you was not the issue, understanding the meaning of your general, almost "throw away" opinion is/was.

Your Quote: "The RRP for the new big lenses is always ridiculously high, it will drop over time" Unquote … sounds as though it is based on significant long term market experience
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The current 400mm dropped around £1500 from the RRP Price and as Laundrup said the 800mm has dropped £2000, There all drop with a little nudge in time, I would still love to know where you got 40% drop from :)? 'so you reckon that the price is going to fall by 40% do you?'
 
Joeturner11 said:
:)? 'so you reckon that the price is going to fall by 40% do you?'
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So you reckon that some retailers will reduce the price by £1,500 do you. Nikon and Canon are currently trying to stop such reductions, I know that it is almost illegal to do so but they are unhappy about their products being discounted.

My question was "will it replace the G lens" - (effectively will Nikon continue to produce two 400mm versions)

If the answer is yes?

and, therefore

My inference is that if it is not going to drop by near 40% and you want a new Nikon 400mm f2.8 at a reasonable (current) price you better buy one soon.

Reasonable being a word that only some would use
 
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BillN_33 said:
So you reckon that some retailers will reduce the price by £1,500 do you. Nikon and Canon are currently trying to stop such reductions, I know that it is almost illegal to do so but they are unhappy about their products being discounted.

My question was "will it replace the G lens" - (effectively will Nikon continue to produce two 400mm versions)

If the answer is yes?

and, therefore

My inference is that if it is not going to drop by near 40% and you want a new Nikon 400mm f2.8 at a reasonable (current) price you better buy one soon.

Reasonable being a word that only some would use
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Its fact the Nikon 400mm f/2.8VR II When released Nikon added a price tag of £8,200 to it, since then it has gradually decreased to £6589 on WEX Photographic a price drop in total of £1,611 Since it was released back in 2007, Time will show how much the new 400mm drops but as it is new technology again with the FL inside, New technology always costs more when first released...
 
The 70-200mm f2.8 VR II has dropped from £2000 at launch to £1575 today. I traded in a pretty minty 10 month old VRI for it (got £1000) pretty much getting on of the first few into the country in Autumn 2009, based on the lack of vignetting on FF, and the better VR. When I switched from Canon in December 2008 I knew of the limitation in the VRI, and had expected to upgrade earlier than normal on this specific lens.

I'm pleased to say I have earned significantly more from it as a result or buying at launch than waiting 3 years to get the £425 or 21.25% price reduction. At it's lowest in April of £1505 that would have represented a 25% reduction.

Sometimes it isn't all about having the latest and greatest before anyone else - sometimes it is about the cost of lost opportunity.

As for the 400mm, if I was in the market for a new one I'd be hanging on for the new FL model and finding the extra money although I'd try to hang on until October/November if I could which realistically is when they are likely to be available to non-agency or NPS members. The redesigned hood looks excellent compared to the 2 parter on the ED, and you can't knock the weight reduction especially if you think you are going to be lugging this any distance even if your use will be on a monopod or tripod. I certainly wouldn't buy a current ED model new at the moment - if you want one of those then look for a good condition used example at around £4500-4700.

As it is I'm OK on the current model - and for this lens I'm comfortable I won't put future earnings at risk by not upgrading it immediately. The current 400mm is already an exceptional lens and I suspect the replacement model is as much driven to complete, when combined with the improvements in the D4s, with the lighter Canon model to stem a drift back to Canon from Nikon amongst the pros because of that and the good reputation the 1Dx is currently enjoying.
 
Laudrup said:
Does the World Cup make any difference to prices?
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No the lens won't be released into the market until August, after the world cup has finished.

It is likely that the accredited media will have access to it from the NPS onsite team during the World Cup, and I'm sure images from it will be used in the marketing and in the reviews of the lens again coming out of it.

There might be a spike of demand in August and early September as the football season kicks off. However as above unless you are getting one as a staffer for a large agency and they are doing a refresh I'd be very surprised to see the touchlines filled with them from the smaller agencies and freelancers. That's a lot of extra £40 uses from the Daily Mail online to pay the £6000 you be forking out to trade up an existing model.
 
Joeturner11 said:
Its fact the Nikon 400mm f/2.8VR II When released Nikon added a price tag of £8,200 to it, since then it has gradually decreased to £6589 on WEX Photographic a price drop in total of £1,611 Since it was released back in 2007, Time will show how much the new 400mm drops but as it is new technology again with the FL inside, New technology always costs more when first released...
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Seems the questions have been answered - yes it is a replacement and maybe by that example it could drop 20%, well 19.65% to be exact to two decimal places

I still think the Canon 600mm looks very tempting as a birding set up - a switch to Canon is relatively easy, if needed, (but I would just buy the set up for birding on a tripod), as used Nikon equipment sells reasonably well

I'll look at the 5Diii and the Canon 600mm

I'm not sure what Nikon marketing strategy is with this lens - they can restrict number out there by supply, but they seem to want to do it initially by price, OK if you are VAT registered and use it in your business, it effectively costs you about 50% of list, (depending on your personal tax rate), but it is still very expensive more so that what Canon is offering

Joe - the above are the points that I was trying to bring out with my initial posting

If you want a 400mm G lens - get one soon - and maybe as an aside the used prices of the G lens will increase when they discontinue the model - go "long" on the G 400mm.

Joe - presumably you will get to use one as you are a NPS aren't you …. so feed back a comparison when you do
 
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BillN_33 said:
If you want a 400mm G lens - get one soon - and maybe as an aside the used prices of the G lens will increase when they discontinue the model - go "long" on the G 400mm.
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I think that's probably sound analysis.
 
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