...I am thinking of selling my recently purchased beautiful Z 70-200 VR S 11 lens. Not because it is no good- it is probably one of the best zoom lenses ever made- but my aging hands find it just too heavy to carry around a lot. Also, I have realized it is not a focal range that I personally use that much, having only used it on three or four occasions since I got it in May.
I need to reconfigure my lens arsenal to the lighter side, and rethink what I need in actuality.
Will I lose some quality? When you step back from the pinnacle, yes of course, but I wonder by just how much. There are several alternatives that also get great reviews and perform excellently, albeit maybe slightly differently, and judicious post production work may make up the difference. Is it better in camera? yes, but if the weight factor becomes painful it becomes a balancing act in more ways than one.
As the old saying goes- the best lens is the one you have with you. And let's not forget that many masterpieces from the past were created on equipment technically inferior to what we have available today.
So call me mad if you like, but the funds will enable me to equip myself with lenses more pertinent to my needs, and I hope that my creative ability will survive the loss of the 70-200.
I think you realistically look at what you have been using the lens for (is this for personal enjoyment or income) and are there other lenses at lower prices that let you shoot what you want?
Certainly the original Z 70-200 is fantastic (as is the last F mount E version). For much personal work, the 70-180 from Nikon or Tamron G2 VC 70-180 likely suffices. Those are both very light lenses. I had an old E mount Tamron G1 70-180 that I used with an adapter and my Z6. I really liked the results I had with it for casual shooting and portraits and at some point I likely would get one again when it comes up as something with budget/priority.
Are you looking at primes (85/1.8, 135 Plena, 3rd party options?).
Or possibly a mix of both. Only you can answer the questions. But none of the answers are likely wrong and it’s all fear that you can buy and sell.
derekrath wrote:
...I am thinking of selling my recently purchased beautiful Z 70-200 VR S 11 lens. Not because it is no good- it is probably one of the best zoom lenses ever made- but my aging hands find it just too heavy to carry around a lot. Also, I have realized it is not a focal range that I personally use that much, having only used it on three or four occasions since I got it in May.
I need to reconfigure my lens arsenal to the lighter side, and rethink what I need in actuality.
Will I lose some quality? When you step back from the pinnacle, yes of course, but I wonder by just how much. There are several alternatives that also get great reviews and perform excellently, albeit maybe slightly differently, and judicious post production work may make up the difference. Is it better in camera? yes, but if the weight factor becomes painful it becomes a balancing act in more ways than one.
As the old saying goes- the best lens is the one you have with you. And let's not forget that many masterpieces from the past were created on equipment technically inferior to what we have available today.
So call me mad if you like, but the funds will enable me to equip myself with lenses more pertinent to my needs, and I hope that my creative ability will survive the loss of the 70-200....Show more →
Renting lenses is your best bet when not knowing what you really want to keep.
However, the latest Nikkor, Canon and Sony 70-200/2.8s are only around 1kg and optically better than ever. I would not give that up, but I'm into high IQ rather than creativity.
Of course there are cheaper lenses like the 1st gen Tamron/Nikkor 70-180/2.8 or better the 70-180mm F/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2.
There are plenty of camera/lens carrier setups that take the load off and put you in position to operate efficiently.
Hi Huddy,
You echo my thoughts. Yes I am looking at the 70-180, which I once owned! It is very capable at a professional level. I have used it.
I had the Plena briefly, but again I don't do much portraiture and didn't get much use from it - and it was heavy.
Most of my interest is in either close ups, landscapes, architecture or long shots (birds, etc), so there many options.
Cheers
D
I sold my first Z 70-200 to go back to the VRII for action, and added a $35 75-150 manual focus lens to pickup the close-focusing slack. The 75-150 was much smaller, much lighter, and much more practical as an all-around lens.
Now I've got the new Z 70-200 and yeah, it's a nice lens. But if you don't want to carry it, who cares how good it is?
The Nikkor version has the advantage of using teleconverters, which also can increase magnification up to half macro. Although I don't think I would use the x2. I tried that with the 70-200 and it was 'OK', but the 1.4x was pretty good. That is somewhere where the 20-200/70-180 difference would be more noticeable.
Other than that I am looking more at close focus/ macro (I have the super Nikkor 105mm) and astro possibilities.
What I've found is that if I'm not using it then it's time to move on. The internet will either tell you to sell or tell you to keep, but it's up to you what you really need to do.
Sometimes lenses are a love-hate relationship, and if you put it away for a while and when you pick it up again it does nothing for you...well then you know the answer.
Oh, I totally understand. I returned a Plena last year when I realized my poorly repaired (2020) broken left wrist could not hold the weight without hurting. And, I traded a Z6II for a Z5II because of a thumb issue making the smaller grip of the Z5II a better option.
I wish Nikon had more quality small primes. That said I no longer spend time thinking about what to buy next instead of working with the kit that works for me. Limitations aren't always a bad thing.
It would be nice if Nikon had a 70-200/4 VR S.
I'm not sure why they are sticking with that obsolete Tamron f/2.8 design with no VR. Maybe they just expect the new users to get the Tamron G2 VR directly.
