I an down to my D70s, 18-70, and 50mm 1.8. I still want to shoot soccer if possible. I was curious as to which lens you guys would recommend. The Nikon 300/4 AF or the 70-300 VR lens. I have used the 300/4 lens in the past and it produces nice images, but the AF is slow and even slower on the D70s. I also thought about the 70-300 VR lens since it does has the built in motor and it would make a nice walk around lens until I get the funds to upgrade. Was hoping to get insight from you guys.
From a "reach" and "image quality" standpoint you really need to be using the 300mm 2.8 VRII, the 400mm 2.8 VRII, or the 200-400 VRII......but then you obviously would one of the "hated tax cheat upper class 1% so denigrated on TV these days, and you would NOT be shooting with a D70s.
In your case the D70s would be more than adequately matched by the 70-300VR. It is a very nice lens that produces very sharp images. If I was in your position and wanted to step up past that I would go with the 70-200 VRII and the new 1.7 TCE III teleconverter............and would also be looking at buying a new D5100 or even a D700 (not a 7000, a 700).
In any case, though I have a 300 F4 and use it a LOT with a 1.4 TCE II to photograph hummers and other birds, it (as you noted) simply isn't going to track and focus fast with your D70. Essentially, you are "body crippled" due to the lesser capabilities of the D70 when compared to the newer bodies.
Check out the Tamron 70-300 VC. Tamron has a $100 rebate and it costs 349 at B&H. You will save almost 150 buck with the Tamron.
THe Tamron is as good as or even better than the Nikon according to many on these boards. I have and use both. I cannot tell the difference between them.
I had and would recommend the 70-300 VR to anyone considering it. It's tack sharp stopped down from about 260mm on back. If you're going to keep the D70, I wouldn't bother getting the 70-200 VR2. Get the VR1 version since you wont really see the benefits of it on a crop body anyway.
Hey Darth... could you swing the AF-S version of the 300/f4 ?
If so, you would be pleasantly surprised by the IQ and the AF is more than decent. I had two versions of this lens and loved both of them. I'd still have one despite having the 300/f2.8VR just for portability if I could have swung it. I also had 2 copies of the non-AFS and didn't enjoy either, with slower and less responsive AF and worse still both copies I had were not the same lens as the AFS wide open at all. For sports, those are two real problems.
As an added bonus, the AFS 300/f4 works really well with the TC-14E2 for a great fixed 420mm f5.6.
So my answer would be... if you can find a good deal on a used AF-S 300/f4, that'd be my first choice, then the 70-300VR, and lastly the 300/f4 non-AFS for sports use.
Thanks for all the feedback. I'd love to swing the 300mm/4 AF-S. i have heard nothing but good things about it. I'll have to check out the Tamron 70-300 as well. Seems like the older 300/4 AF is the last resort if all else fails.
A few years back I owned a D2H, a 300 f/4 AF-S, and a 1.4x teleconverter. I used them at an airshow and was able to track the Thunderbirds doing all their maneuvers. The lens was awesome.
I tried the same combination with the D70 I owned at the time and that body just didn't have the oomph to drive that lens/tc combo.
I have also shot (high school) soccer with the 70-300 VR on my D300 with good results. Often fully racked out to 300mm and moderate cropping, the results were still quite decent.
From my experience you will have a tough time with a fast moving sport like soccer, using a D70s. The AF just can't deliver like you'd want it to. Just to throw a different spin on this, would you consider picking up a D2X or maybe a D300 and the 70-300 VR ? That combo would run you about the same $ as a 300 f/4 AF-S lens.
When I first started with Nikon ('08) the D-50 and 70-300 VR was my BIF combo. You can find the lens
on our B&S in the $350-400 range. Shootin' soccer, should be a piece of cake...in decent light.
I was in the same boat as you, and looked at some of the same lenses... I would have gone with the Nikon 70-300, but I found a used Tamron 70-300 at Adorama for $275. It looked brand spanking new. So far, it's amazing. The only lens I missed from my Canon days was the 70-200 f/4. The Tamron isn't in the same class, but it's going to fill the void nicely for my amateur needs.
trenchmonkey wrote:
When I first started with Nikon ('08) the and 70-300 VR was my BIF combo. You can find the lens
on our B&S in the $350-400 range. Shootin' soccer, should be a piece of cake...in decent light.
stevemacko29 wrote:
I was in the same boat as you, and looked at some of the same lenses... I would have gone with the Nikon 70-300, but I found a used Tamron 70-300 at Adorama for $275. It looked brand spanking new. So far, it's amazing. The only lens I missed from my Canon days was the 70-200 f/4. The Tamron isn't in the same class, but it's going to fill the void nicely for my amateur needs.
Good luck.
Steve
edit: I meant $275... typed $225 by mistake.
I may check out the Tamron as well, Seems to be a nice deal with the same quality.
tryan56 wrote:
A few years back I owned a D2H, a 300 f/4 AF-S, and a 1.4x teleconverter. I used them at an airshow and was able to track the Thunderbirds doing all their maneuvers. The lens was awesome.
I tried the same combination with the D70 I owned at the time and that body just didn't have the oomph to drive that lens/tc combo.
I have also shot (high school) soccer with the 70-300 VR on my D300 with good results. Often fully racked out to 300mm and moderate cropping, the results were still quite decent.
From my experience you will have a tough time with a fast moving sport like soccer, using a D70s. The AF just can't deliver like you'd want it to. Just to throw a different spin on this, would you consider picking up a D2X or maybe a D300 and the 70-300 VR ? That combo would run you about the same $ as a 300 f/4 AF-S lens.
Soccer is usually played in good light, so I'd go with the 70-300VR ... besides, even if you upgrade in the future, the 70-300VR makes a portable telephoto option for those times when photography is secondary to the activity at hand.
You can find the lens