I just saw that this lens is for sale locally for about $150 and I was wondering if anyone here had experience and comments on this lens. Maybe some photos too.
I'm not at my home computer so I don't have access to my photos, but I can share a few comments about this lens. I bought it after a friend from the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread bought one and shared some fine shots of birds taken with the lens. I still own the copy I bought but it doesn't get on the camera very often, which has been the fate for all of the MF zoom lenses I own. The lens is well built and produces fine color and contrast. It is pretty sharp wide open and I always shot with it that way. I have so many lenses within that focal range that are very fine performers that I'm not inclined to use a lens this slow, but for someone on a tight budget it is not a bad lens to own if the range is appealing. That price seems fair. I don't imagine you have a great number of MF Nikkors available locally in Iceland.
Nikon has made some very fine MF zooms beginning with the 25-50 f/4, 50-135 f/3.5 and 80-200 either f/4.5 or f/4. Only the 25-50 gets pricey. The others will be around the same price you quote for the 100-300. You might want to check out the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread. We're talking about these lenses all the time and have a number of friends from Europe who participate in the conversation. Good luck sorting it out. I'll post some photo either later tonight or tomorrow.
And here is the lens in action... I saw this fellow shooting some performers at a nearby town and grabbed this shot. Personally, I like the push pull focusing/zoom ring. It is especially helpful when working with extension tubes.
I have used a Nikkor 100-300mm 5.6 AI-S, with a 6T, and a Novoflex EOS/NOK, to shoot a few spiders and insects with a Canon 7D, in 2011, before I had any Nikon SLRs. Bjorn Rorslett recommended using it with the 6T reversed, for best results with this combo, but I did not have a reversing ring. I would say the results were decent, but I have lost track of where I stored those images.
I have yet to get around to trying this lens with a D700, acquired last year, but plan to do so, and also try it with my recently-acquired PN-11.
I love the way this lens handles, when shooting hand-held.
Thanks, CGrindahl, for posting those really nice images!
Rex, you now have the perfect camera for shooting with MF Nikkors. It is the camera I've been using for five years. You might want to check out the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread if you intend to do more MF shooting with these classic lenses we've all come to know and love... Smart decision regarding an affordable camera...
CGrindahl wrote:
Rex, you now have the perfect camera for shooting with MF Nikkors. It is the camera I've been using for five years. You might want to check out the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread if you intend to do more MF shooting with these classic lenses we've all come to know and love... Smart decision regarding an affordable camera...
Thanks; the D700 is quite good, indeed, for my several MF Nikkors, and Voigtlander 90/3.5 SL II. With my career in its twilight, and my body slowing-down, MF seems "just right," and a nice antidote to the clinical, "tech-ie," auto-focusing world of my Canons. (I use a 7D and a 7D Mark II to shoot forensic/evidentiary images at work, and for action, birds, and animals during personal time.) I first caught the DSLR fever when my wife was issued a then-new D300s by her employer, which established my idea of a proper SLR camera, so the D700 felt like coming home.
Your MFNG thread was one of the first things I viewed when I first visited this forum, several years ago, long before I joined, and certainly played a part in my MF Nikkor acquisitions and wish list.
I have this lens and its a really nice. Solid build and sharp. It's is big and heavy though, and in my experience, the push pull operation is a little awkward. One thing to look out for is they tend to absolutely fill up with dust, due to the design.
I would however not pay $150 for one. I see them all the time for $50 or less.
falconbach wrote:
I just saw that this lens is for sale locally for about $150 and I was wondering if anyone here had experience and comments on this lens. Maybe some photos too.
RexGig0 wrote:
Thanks; the D700 is quite good, indeed, for my several MF Nikkors, and Voigtlander 90/3.5 SL II. With my career in its twilight, and my body slowing-down, MF seems "just right," and a nice antidote to the clinical, "tech-ie," auto-focusing world of my Canons. (I use a 7D and a 7D Mark II to shoot forensic/evidentiary images at work, and for action, birds, and animals during personal time.) I first caught the DSLR fever when my wife was issued a then-new D300s by her employer, which established my idea of a proper SLR camera, so the D700 felt like coming home.
Your MFNG thread was one of the first things I viewed when I first visited this forum, several years ago, long before I joined, and certainly played a part in my MF Nikkor acquisitions and wish list. ...Show more →
Remember Rex, that the Manual Focus Nikon Glass thread is for Nikon cameras with Nikon MF lenses. So long as you're using the D700 you won't get pulled over by the police...
