Not happy with my 200mm

[Yardbent]

these might help and both have the af motor built in to af on the d40.

great - thanks

 

[fracster]

difficult .. L -shaped cottage is built against dairy so no back wall
kitchen and lounge windows overlook car turning circle at end of drive

however the car is parked by tree for years - maybe hide inside with some camo netting over the drivers window ? cheers............

bird feeders on branch dead centre
..

..

Feeder next to car, engine running,sit in the car,camera pointing outta the side window, your nice and warm, job is a good `un............

 

[artyman]

Just hope the Skoda isn't a diesel as they are noisier than petrol running the heater

 

[Yardbent]

Just hope the Skoda isn't a diesel as they are noisier than petrol running the heater

i had a Skoda Octavia from new for 2 years - the blue one above - in January a speeding yoof crashed into me at a crossing - total right off - but I stepped out not a scratch - so Skoda built like a B.S.House !

replaced with a petrol Vauxhall Vectra - mint - the first taxi was a Vauxhall too - did 284,000 when traded in and still running well.

 

[karmagarda]

I have the 55-200 and love it. The only decent photo I have online that is taken at the 200mm is this one:



I have a couple of birds too that are much sharper then what you have linked, but they are sitting on my harddrive someplace. It's a good lens. Not great by any means, but much better than the shots you've posted. If you find yourself shooting freehand a bit the VR is priceless.

What I used to do on my D60 (pretty much a D40 with more mp) was work on centre focus. Half click, hold the half click, recompose my shot, fully press shutter. The problem with releasing the shutter on the D60 (and I presume D40) is it will attempt to focus again on your next shutter press. So if you've move and it detects something like a branch it will refocus. So when you've hit your sweet point hold that half click.

 

[Yardbent]

I have the 55-200 and love it.
he problem with releasing the shutter on the D60 (and I presume D40) is it will attempt to focus again on your next shutter press. So if you've move and it detects something like a branch it will refocus. So when you've hit your sweet point hold that half click.

right thanks

 

[Nawty]

300mm isn't really going to get you any closer to make the difference worthwhile - it's only a 0.5x magnification increase over what you have already and as the glass on the cheap ones already linked to won't be any better the difference will be negligible.

At the VERY least I would say the Nikon 70-300 VR would be the minimum upgrade worth making.

 

[Tractor Boy]

ok - will have a look - did you then manage to sell your 55-200 readily ?

dont know about the hide - however the car is always parked by the bird feeder tree - I could try that...

Hi,

Yes the 55-200 sold quite easily on here - ask a sensible price and it will sell OK.

The advantage of a hide is that you can have the tripod set up in front of you and so you get a more stable shot.

There are 70-300 AF-S's trading on here quite regularly at sensible prices (£275 - 350)so just keep your eyes open and be quick. You could look at the Sigma or Tamron versions but from my research it seems that most people who use the lens regularly end up upgrading to the Nikon version in the end :shrug:.

 

[brianjbox]

Hi Yardbent

I'm new to all this so any advice I've put up here as been learnt from asking others

Prime lenses the sharpest but really expensive [long ones]

A zoom, not so good but will give you umpteen different focal lengths so cheaper than a bag of primes.

A long lens is only for bringing a close bird closer, anything over about 20' lacks sharpness/detail on my 50-500mm sigma.

An established hide that's well stocked with surrounding feeding area's will produce far more good shots than casually strolling around, I stroll around and usually am only aware of the bird as it flies off because I disturbed it.

I always use autofocus, there are so many other things to consider when taking pic's it's one less thing to worry about, wild life is continuously moving and you have a lot to set in a very short space of time, use your camera's features to make life a little easier.

You have to get close to nature to get the shot, I have feeders set up in my garden and get some great shot's from them but you do get feed up taking pictures of starlings on fatballs. Get out there

 

[Yardbent]

Hi Yardbent
. Get out there

thanks for the input
ATM it's a struggle to get out as we've had 4 days of snow up in the hills at the farm
food, heat and power have become the important things in life...

anyhow bought 50kg of peanuts and 12kg seeds so the birds will survive..

 

[Richard.T]

first of all - thanks for ALL the replies .....



Richard ...thanks...did say I was a beginner ... whats a tc ?

and a pensioner, so cannot justify the cost of replacing Nikkor 55-200 with sigma 70-200........400mmm and up according to Artyman ?

cheers

Sorry,I must of missed when you mentioned you're a beginner!

A tc is a tele-converter, It's multiplies the focal length of the lens so the zoom is longer,My sigma 70-200 f/2.8 is used with a 1.4 tc,Meaning the 200mm zoom becomes 280mm,If you did consider saving for a used sigma 70-200 f/2.8 you got get a 2x TC which means you'd have 400mm reach!

Hope that helps.

 

[Yardbent]

Sorry,I must of missed when you mentioned you're a beginner!.........
,If you did consider saving for a used sigma 70-200 f/2.8 you got get a 2x TC which means you'd have 400mm reach!..

Richard...thanks ..
also a pensioner - so why would I replace my Nikkor 55-200 VR
- which Ken Rockwell reviews thinks is the cats pajamas
cannot justify replacing just to get f/2.8........

thought that's what a tc was .... called extension tubes in my days....

if I use a 2x TC for the Nikon 200 - do you get a [noticeable] degradation of IQ?
cheers

 

[Dave_Taylor]

TC - tele converter is like a magnifier - so a 1.4 will make you 200mm a 280mm lens though you will pay as light levels will reduce. A 2x converter will make your 200mm a 400mm but will half your light levels.

Extension tubes are different. They contain no glass and sit between the lens and camera and allow it focus closer, so if your lens will only focus down to 3m then adding an extension tube can bring this down to say 2m.

Some thoughts in general though. Don't pay for a nice lens like that and expect it to be sharp through glass. It won't be.

Also if you are going to use the car as a hide you may want to consider turning the engine off as if you rest the lens on the window on a beanbag for example you can get vibrations transmit through.

 

[Yardbent]

Extension tubes are different. :bonk:

..if you are going to use the car as a hide you may want to consider turning the engine off ...