I received my final piece of kit with the addition of the 80-400 Zoom-Nikkor. I'll be using the 12-24mm Nikkor, 24-85 Nikkor, 80-400, and finally, my Sigma 105mm Macro. Thanks to Glenn Davy for his days of testing and shooting with this lens, which gave me the confidence to go ahead with it.
Some have mentioned that this lens is not sharp, so I shot these images with the SB-800 flash, to eliminate any camera shake issues. Please, these are not salon quality images but hopefully will demonstrate that this lens is sharp. Glenn had stressed to me the need for proper technique, especially out at 400mm, and rightfully so.
These are shot with the 80-400 and D2X in HSC, so it's an 800mm FOV, and I think quite impressive.
Oh yeah, the VR really works quite well with this lens. Both of these images were shot at f7.1. Since it was about dark when I took these, I was further impressed how well the focus assist works on the SB-800, the AF just instantly snapped in focus. I'm not going thru the rigors of too much testing, this lens was supposed to be soft at 400, but sharp from 80-300, but it is sharp enough for me at 400mm.
Jacko i'm seriously thinking of ditching my 50-500 in favour of this lense , but i'm not sure if it'll fit into my Tamrac 8 bag alongside my other gear.
Any chance of a snap of it on the D2X .
Nice DOF on those shots , makes it look like a very worthwhile investment.
Thanks John , i've just done a google search for images of it , it does look chunkier than the 70-200 and if it's smaller length wise it'll be a bonus . its nice that it's a 77mm , one filter will now fit 4 of my main lenses , another bonus plus the TC1.7 will fit as well .
might have to get the credit card out again next week , thanks for that Jacko ..
Gooooood stuff Jack!! However, I'd be very careful about following too much advice from that "Glenn" guy. He's on meds most of the time anyway, so you never know what he's going to say next <> (this is his evil twin brother talking here ).
I've not even thought to try this lens with a flash yet, but I'm really impressed with your results here! That head shot of the Cardinal is fantastic! It's great the way you can reall pull things in from enough distance to not frighten the little critters off (by the by, what's that stick that seems to be poking out of his head and lower body?? ). Seriously, nice work my friend. Glad you made the jump. Man, I wish we lived close enough to go shooting together - we'd have a blast (but the area we shot in would never be the same again ). Thanks for these!
Glenn
PS - is that a FF image of the Cardinal or did you use the shrunk down version in the D2X? I think I can hear some noise off it
Jack,
Many lenses look brilliant when you use a flash to pop in some contrast. Shoot this lens at 400mm without the flash... I think that you will find that it lacks the contrast that you might think it has. I owned this lens for about a year and sold it. I replaced the zoom with a 300 f4 AFS + 1.4x. If you are seeking the sharpest tele optic at a reasonable price, the 300 lens is a better choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for flexibility and VR... well, you've got the appropriate lens.
just my 2c's
Nice pictures...
Congratulations Jack and welcome to the 80-400 club (even if I just have a Sigma - will be able to compare soon since a colleague of mine will buy the Nikkor...)
This might not be the perfect lens, but I really love the flexibility of the range and the OS (VR). This lens is very very often on my camera.
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Seems this lens works to perfection in the hands of the beholder. Most optics are better than we think. Certainly not perfect under all conditions. Like anything else in this game nothing is perfect. There are no perfect cameras, no perfect lenses, some come closer than others but perfection doesn't exist.
There are almost perfect pictures that come from these imperfect lenses because the human interface makes up for the imperfections. And perfect pictures sometimes come from those who know nothing.
I think I explained it perfectly...........
Jack, you enjoy your new lens.....................
QUIZ: How many times did I use the word or expression perfectly in this message?
OwlsEyes wrote:
Jack,
Many lenses look brilliant when you use a flash to pop in some contrast. Shoot this lens at 400mm without the flash... I think that you will find that it lacks the contrast that you might think it has. I owned this lens for about a year and sold it. I replaced the zoom with a 300 f4 AFS + 1.4x. If you are seeking the sharpest tele optic at a reasonable price, the 300 lens is a better choice. On the other hand, if you are looking for flexibility and VR... well, you've got the appropriate lens.
just my 2c's
regards,
bruce
I was shooting for sharpness, not contrast. I have 400mm handheld shots, daylight, without flash and VR on, and they have suitable contrast to me. I have the 300f4 also, with TC I've been shooting the last 6 months. For my needs, the 80-400 is a better fit, because I don't have to use the TC. Thanks for your comments
gugs wrote:
Nice pictures...
Congratulations Jack and welcome to the 80-400 club (even if I just have a Sigma - will be able to compare soon since a colleague of mine will buy the Nikkor...)
This might not be the perfect lens, but I really love the flexibility of the range and the OS (VR). This lens is very very often on my camera.
Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.
Thanks Guy. I really wanted to look at the Sigma, but they're just not available yet since they're changing the model/adding a coating or something. But I agree, the flexibility this lens offers is hard to turn away from.
Glenn01 wrote:
Gooooood stuff Jack!! However, I'd be very careful about following too much advice from that "Glenn" guy. He's on meds most of the time anyway, so you never know what he's going to say next <> (this is his evil twin brother talking here ).
I've not even thought to try this lens with a flash yet, but I'm really impressed with your results here! That head shot of the Cardinal is fantastic! It's great the way you can reall pull things in from enough distance to not frighten the little critters off (by the by, what's that stick that seems to be poking out of his head and lower body?? ). Seriously, nice work my friend. Glad you made the jump. Man, I wish we lived close enough to go shooting together - we'd have a blast (but the area we shot in would never be the same again ). Thanks for these!
Glenn
PS - is that a FF image of the Cardinal or did you use the shrunk down version in the D2X? I think I can hear some noise off it ...Show more →
I've caught your 'brother' off the meds long enough to get good advice The landscapes you've shot with this lens were enough for me, the color and contrast of this lens is very pleasing (to me). Of course, the flash exaggerates the contrast, but that was not what this shot was for.
Who knows, stranger things have happened, we may get to shoot together yet! That would be great. As to FF, I used the 'mini-sensor' mode new to the D2X. It's very noisey, it sounds a lot like birds chirping
ajacobs2 wrote:
Seems this lens works to perfection in the hands of the beholder. Most optics are better than we think. Certainly not perfect under all conditions. Like anything else in this game nothing is perfect. There are no perfect cameras, no perfect lenses, some come closer than others but perfection doesn't exist.
There are almost perfect pictures that come from these imperfect lenses because the human interface makes up for the imperfections. And perfect pictures sometimes come from those who know nothing.
I think I explained it perfectly...........
Jack, you enjoy your new lens.....................
QUIZ: How many times did I use the word or expression perfectly in this message?...Show more →
I can't count high enough to answer the quiz
I saw the results of this lens being used by someone who took the time to learn how to leverage the quality it's capable of, and that convinced me the lens would serve me well. I hope I can do the same.
So Glenn had me questioning my plans to purchase a 300/4, and now you're pushing that even further. No doubt the 300mm is better at 300, but the detail on that cardinal is fantastic. You guys have shown there's no question this lens can deliver good results.
What kind of shutter speed can you reliably shoot hand held at 400mm with the VR on? I am looking at this lens or the Sigma whenever that one is available again.
Greg
jacko wrote:
I received my final piece of kit with the addition of the 80-400 Zoom-Nikkor. I'll be using the 12-24mm Nikkor, 24-85 Nikkor, 80-400, and finally, my Sigma 105mm Macro. Thanks to Glenn Davy for his days of testing and shooting with this lens, which gave me the confidence to go ahead with it.
Some have mentioned that this lens is not sharp, so I shot these images with the SB-800 flash, to eliminate any camera shake issues. Please, these are not salon quality images but hopefully will demonstrate that this lens is sharp. Glenn had stressed to me the need for proper technique, especially out at 400mm, and rightfully so.
These are shot with the 80-400 and D2X in HSC, so it's an 800mm FOV, and I think quite impressive.
Some sort of weed that butterflies like..
100% crop
Juvenile cardinal (the orange at the bottom is the flower above )
100% Crop
Oh yeah, the VR really works quite well with this lens. Both of these images were shot at f7.1. Since it was about dark when I took these, I was further impressed how well the focus assist works on the SB-800, the AF just instantly snapped in focus. I'm not going thru the rigors of too much testing, this lens was supposed to be soft at 400, but sharp from 80-300, but it is sharp enough for me at 400mm.
What kind of shutter speed can you reliably shoot hand held at 400mm with the VR on? I am looking at this lens or the Sigma whenever that one is available again.
I'm not sure yet, Greg. I do mostly tripod shooting, and am getting used to the VR stuff. FWIW, I have been very surprised at sharp 1/125 shots at 400mm using VR. I did a couple today at 1/60, but I haven't really looked at them yet, but they are sharp in the preview. From the reviews I've read on this lens, that's one thing it has going for it, the VR really works If I can get out in the morning, I'm going to try out the VR and see just how good it will do. I can see this thing really delivering two stops easy, though.
but hopefully will demonstrate that this lens is sharp. Glenn had stressed to me the need for proper technique, especially out at 400mm, and rightfully so.
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