Nikon 200-400mm

kevshore

kevshore

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Kevin
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Ok, time for some advice. I'm seriously thinking of getting the Nikon 200-400mm vr to add to my kit. I seem to be needing more reach just lately, mainly wildlife and aircraft.
I used to have the Bigma, but to be honest i didnt get on with it too well. I think it may have been due to my lack of experience at the time.
What i'd like is to hear from anyone with the Nikon or anyone with any other suggestions. Also does the Nikon work well with a 1.4 converter?

Its a lot to ask I know, but its also quite an expensive bit of glass. So any advice appreciated.

Kev.
 
Nobody at all had any experience of this lens? 44 people have read it. Was kind of hoping for at least some advice on other lenses as an alternative. Someone must have longer range zooms?
No worries, Google time for reviews.
 
Hi Kev, the 200-400mm VR is supposed to be an excellent, if heavy lens however I have heard reports that it is not as quick to focus as a prime. I know of some people who had it and swapped to the 300mm f/2.8 VR or the new 400mm f/2.8 VR and use them with a x1.4TC. The only problem I can see with using the 200-400mm with a TC is the fact that you are losing 1 stop of light on an f/4 lens.

Someone asked a similar question at the Nikon Cafe forums just yesterday, there are a lot of good answers and links in there.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks Colin! ;) I need to think about this, with it being a pricey lens. I tend to favour Zooms. I was in a hide this week and would have needed a selection of primes to cover the the area I was trying to cover.
Its something that interests me in that what do others use in situations like that? Do they just hope they can get as close as possible and then crop?
Again, when I was taking shots of the Red Arrows, the zoom came in handy.Am I missing something here? :thinking:
 
Hi Kevshore,

I've got the 200-400 and of course it's a great piece of glass, the decision you have to make is if is the right piece of glass for you! I bought it as an "all in one solution" for what I want from my photography time which is predominantly wildlife. I love the flexibility of zooms and the 200-400 range is nice for wildlife although with bird photography I find myself using it at the 400mm range most of the time. The ability to zoom from 200 up to 400 in acquiring a subject is great though.

I mostly have a 1.4TC on my setup which only marginally reduces IQ, again for the bird photography I figure reach (with the zoom feature) benefits the slight drop off that you may get.

Ultimately, it's your decision and a big one at that. It's not a cheap piece of kit but if you can justify the expense then you won't be disappointed at the quality of good Nikkor glass.
 
Thanks Ceege! I needed some input like that! Been reading loads since I posted the question. So many people rate the 300mm 2.8!!! I too like the ability to zoom. Is it anywhere near capable of being handheld? I'm only just becoming interested in bird photography, but I thoroughly enjoy shooting fast jets. I have read a couple of threads where they say the autofocus is slow?
I've got a couple of lenses I dont find myself using these days, namely the 12-24 and 105mm vr. I may part with them.
 
Hi Kev ... I have used the 200 - 400 VR and find it a very versatile and good quality lens ... (y)

It is a heavy lens and, as Colin has said, it is sometimes slow to focus and does hunt occasionally ... :shrug:

Like Ceege I use it with the 1.4TC and, whilst this does not add much to the overall weight or IQ it does add well to the range especially at the long end for wildlife stuff ... :D


HTH ... ;)



:p
 
I'm lucky, my wife doesnt understand the numbers on lenses. Need to leave a few ads of the 80-400mm lying around.... :LOL::LOL:
 
I've handheld the majority of my stuff taken with it. To get the best results for wildlife then you'd be better off putting it on a stable base but I manage to get reasonable results handholding. Yes, it is pretty heavy but not unmanageable. The lens itself is around 3.2kg iirc and with a body attached then you're basically waving nearly 4 kilos of kit around. My left arm does tend to get tired after a while but if what you're shooting is not constant and allows for a pause then generally it's do-able.

I've not found too much issue with the focus speed, (I've also used a Sigma 120-300 f2.8) and the setting to limit the focus range from 6m to infinity halves the hunting time in lower light which I'd imagine would be handy for aviation work.
 
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