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Archive 2016 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????

  
 
graham_martin
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


Does anyone here use manual focus 400mm f/2.8 lens for HS football? Since I can't really afford a 400mm f/2.8 auto-focus lens, I am curious (but I think I know what the answer is) as to whether it's even worth considering an old MF lens. Maybe some of the well seasoned sports photographers who used MF before AF was available could chime in.

Thanks



Sep 18, 2016 at 03:49 PM
BillP57
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


For me the dim light and shallow depth of field would make it very difficult to get sharp focus on a quick moving play. Even at f4 you don't have much room to be off.

I have an old 300mm f2.8 non IS lens that I purchased on the buy-sell board here. It does what I need and saved a lot over a newer lens. The big downside is that it may be difficult to find someone to repair it.

Bill



Sep 19, 2016 at 10:28 AM
mcoons
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


It has been many years since I used manual focus for sports. I had to do it a few years ago with a 400 when my autofocus went out during a game and it was hard, especially at night. I know a couple of pros who still use manual focus for all sports they shoot. They said if they stopped and switched to autofocus they would loose that ability they spent years (decades) perfecting. A 400 is one of the hardest to follow focus for football, in my opinion, and I have had better luck with manual focus 300mm for football in the past. That said, would a used autofocus 300 be in your budget?

If you go the manual focus route, I would go to the freshman or jv games to get a feel of the of the lens. In California, they tend to play in the afternoon and I would go just to practice focusing when I was in school.




Sep 19, 2016 at 10:35 AM
PureMichigan
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


You are getting some sane and measured responses here ... I'll go off script and say that buying a manual 400MM in 2016 is crazy. First it's a very old lens and not being repaired by Nikon anymore. It is not "optimized" to make best use of modern camera technology and the learning curve for manual focus at that range is extremely long and steep. Even an AF 400MM takes a pretty steady and capable hand to use well. I shoot MiLB, college, HS etc... and it's probably been 7 or more years since I saw anyone seriously using a 400 Manual.

If you are not doing this professionally and you are on a limited budget, consider a used Sigma 120-300 2.8 -- pop that on a cropped sensor camera and you've got 400 2.8 reach (I know it's not exactly the same but it's $7,000 cheaper). This seems to be the "go to" rig for a lot of local sports reporters I run into and they swear by it.



Sep 20, 2016 at 08:00 AM
Vcook
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


If you have years and years of excellent manual focus skills to leverage, then maybe you're up for the challenged. I'd just save more money to get the right tool(for you) for the job.

PureMichigan wrote:
If you are not doing this professionally and you are on a limited budget, consider a used Sigma 120-300 2.8 -- pop that on a cropped sensor camera and you've got 400 2.8 reach (I know it's not exactly the same but it's $7,000 cheaper). This seems to be the "go to" rig for a lot of local sports reporters I run into and they swear by it.


This is what I did(not professional, limited budget). I shoot a sigma 120-300 on a nikon fx body. I'd really like a d500 for the DX reach though, maybe next year.



Sep 20, 2016 at 08:40 AM
tntcorp
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


sure, there will be a learning curve and you will need to learn to pre-focus and anticipate the actions. old pros do it manually and get the shots, so why can't you with better post processing tools.

btw, my af-s version is still available fs. and locally, there is a mf 600/5.6 in great condition fs as well (not mine).




Sep 20, 2016 at 08:59 AM
graham_martin
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


Thanks for all the responses. I don't have a Sigma 120-300, but I do have a 300mm AF-S f/2.8 and a D300s which would give me effectively 450mm f/2.8. The only problem is the noise with the D300 at night time HS games.


Sep 20, 2016 at 09:20 AM
mb126
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


A D500+300 f/2.8 would be an extremely capable rig in just about any situation.


Sep 20, 2016 at 09:48 AM
PureMichigan
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


Agreed! Hard to see how anyone would need more than a D500/300 2.8 for shooting HS football. That will be better gear than 90%+ of the other shooters will have for that type of work. Just a few years ago people could only dream of a rig that would accomplish that reach and frame rate at that price point.

Also re; noise and night football ....are you being paid to shoot? If you are just doing this as a hobby, just don't shoot at night. Shoot a lot in September, shoot the first two halves and call it good. If I'm not getting paid, I guard my brand strenuously and avoid night shooting. I can do it -- I have a D5 and good gear -- but even the best night football photos aren't as good as an average well-lit one, IMHO. We have terrible HS lighting where I live. Unless I get paid I just avoid it.



Sep 20, 2016 at 10:04 AM
leewoolery
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


graham_martin wrote:
Thanks for all the responses. I don't have a Sigma 120-300, but I do have a 300mm AF-S f/2.8 and a D300s which would give me effectively 450mm f/2.8. The only problem is the noise with the D300 at night time HS games.


Graham:

Instead of purchasing a 400 f/2.8, I'd go with a D500.

It is an excellent camera for night football and with an AFS 300 f/2.8, can be hand-held.

The 300S replacement should have been the D500 about 3-4 years ago.




Sep 21, 2016 at 03:06 PM
DaveSPictures
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


Back in the old days of film and manual focus the viewfinder had a split prism and some other kind of ring that got all jaggedy when out of focus. You'd have a really hard time today nailing focus on a static target without those 2 viewfinder aids that were available on even the cheapest SLR cameras. I would get assigned a D-1 college game and a few rolls of B&W film, maybe one roll of color if the editors were going to print color. Most college and especially High School sport photography was B&W and by today's standards most was crap. We'd use ISO 400 film and push it all the way up to 1600. WOW! Today I think nothing about 12,800 for night and indoor sports. Go have a look for yourself in the archives of newspapers, school yearbooks, etc. They are probably blurry and out of focus or blasted out with a flash.
As someone who used to do it I'd say please don't waste your time.



Sep 22, 2016 at 01:53 PM
graham_martin
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


Thanks to all of you. You have convinced me that I would get very frustrated trying to use a super-telephoto manual focus lens.


Sep 22, 2016 at 01:59 PM
chucklantz
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


Another option you might consider is getting an older, cheaper non-OS version of the Sigma 120-300 2.8 lens, and a 1.4 TC. That would give you a 420mm reach on a full-frame camera, at f/4, and even more reach on an APS-C camera.

The Sigma 120-300 2.8 came in three different flavors; the early non-OS, then the early OS and now their latest version; the "Sport" OS. All three versions are constantly popping up on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist, and all three are pretty close in sharpness. And even with a 1.4 TC, they're still very sharp. I've seen the early 120-300 2.8 going for just under $1,000, and their latest Sport version for around $2,200, used, and 3,300 - $3,500 new.

BTW, I have a Nikkor 500mm manual myself, that I bought at a great price, in a moment of extreme weakness, and so far, it's been a blast to use. It's been decades since I've used a manual lens, but it's sort of like riding a bicycle; ... you get the hang of it again very quickly. And I was surprised at the percentage of keepers I got when shooting the Blue Angels last weekend. Much better than expected. But shooting football at night, under bad light, is a whole different kettle of fish. Get the Sigma!



Oct 11, 2016 at 06:23 AM
cocodrillo
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Nikon 400mm f/2.8 MANUAL focus for HS football?????


On the follow focus with the manual lenses... I started back in the late 1980s and by the early 1990s was shooting with a Canon F-1, Tamron 300mm f2.8 + 1.4x or, when lucky, a Canon 400 f2.8 loaned to me by a friend. I could follow focus the running back wide open from hand off until the eyeballs filled the frame. I could also pick up the camera and snap it into instant focus. Lots of people could do this. But, and here's the kicker, I was using a special Canon bright laser-matt screen that would literally glow when the subject came into focus. It was VERY bright, far brighter than any viewfinder I've seen in an autofocus camera, and I've used most of the 1D series. I'm guessing there was a similar set up for Nikon and so would suggest you'll automatically be at a major, perhaps unrecoverable handicap if you go with the non-AF route.


Oct 24, 2016 at 01:38 PM





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