New Motorsport Lens

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All,

I have been shooting with a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 on a Nikon DX body for the last year and the shots i have been getting i am happy with.
However, i struggle with the lack of reach for some areas and have to crop heavily.
Bare in mind i am essentially shooting at 105-300mm with the crop factor taken in to consideration, I would like something to take me a little further without compromising on image quality and AF speed too much.

Am i best of getting a TC (1.4x) giving me 98-280mm (147-420mm) or looking into a 300mm prime?
The f/2.8's are out of my price range i feel, but i could potentially find a used f/4. (Nikon 300mm f/4 PF?)

What are the recommendations from the togs on here?

Nick
 
I used to have a Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 EX and it played nicely with the Sigma 1.4x EX teleconverter.
 
I have the same lens (Canon Sigma 70-200 f2/8) and also have both the Sigma 1.4x and 2x teleconverters. There is a loss in image quality when using them both, a bit more so on the 2x, and of course you will lose 1 stop on the 1.4x and two stops on the 2x. I think the focus is slightly slower too. I would suggest you consider buying a secondhand 1.4x and give it a try, they're not very expensive and you could probably sell it on again if you didn't like it. If you're cropping heavily though the 1.4x may not be enough, even on a cropped sensor.
 
A used 300/4 will give better IQ in optimal conditions, but I don't think that would be my choice unless 300mm is the minimum you will need. I think I would get a 200-500 for when the 70-200 is too short, or maybe the 80-400G... even one of the 150-600's.
But if you think 280mm w/ the 1.4 would be enough, I would certainly try that first... make sure it's Sigmas best though. IME it makes a difference, current Sigmas don't play well with other's TCs.
 
The main criteria is having a fast AF really as alot of the motorsport i shoot tends to be on the faster side. (GT, LMP, F1) so i need a quick focus.
Its not always possible to manual focus deep into a corner all the time.

Im worried that something like a 150-600 or 80-400 just wont focus fast enough for my needs - i may be totally wrong here?
The brilliant thing about the 70-200 is that i can just point and shoot at something i see on track and it can focus quick enough that i can get a decent shot of it before it passes.
 
Depends on which DX body you have... most (all) have f/5.6 AF systems and any lens that is at a max aperture smaller than f/5.6 will probably have negative impact on AF. Compared to my Nikon 70-200 VRII, my 80-400G VRII is nearly as fast... if there is any difference it's negligible in most situations. I've used the 200-500 and didn't notice any issue there either.

The super zooms that are at f/6.3, and the older 80-400 are notably slower, but I don't have a lot/any experience with all of the options out there. I haven't used a TC on my 70-200 much, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it has a slight negative impact on AF speed/accuracy as well.
 
The body is a D5500 so you are probably right with the AF speed.
I had an old Zoom which used to take an age to focus and used to hunt quite alot. It was far from ideal. I cant remember the focal length however.

I dont think its worth me doing a body upgrade as the different would be negligible again.
 
Get a tamron 150-600. You won't be disappointed. Great lens for the money and surprisingly sharp to boot
 
I shoot relatively fast moving things, albeit not race cars. I'm using the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 mainly, switching to the 200-500mm f5.6 when in need of extra reach. I see a marginal drop in AF acquisition and speed but it's so slight it never causes any issues. Used to run the later Nikon 80-400mm alongside the 200-500mm and found the AF noticeably faster on the 200-500mm.

GC
 
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