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70-200 lens review on D3 and D300

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Well, I have doen a lot of work with that lens, also on FF Film Nikons ....

I was most of the times very happy! I could not say that sharpness in the edges and vignetting are an issue. Vignetting definitely not on the D3 since this can be easily corrected.

And the advantages like very fast lens and excellent VR compensate easily for some small weaknesses.

It could be that there is also something like better and worse samples of this lens, so maybe I am just lucky to have a better one.:clap:

Having said that, I am confident Nikon will bring a new version of this lens soon, which fits adequately the 14-24 and 24-70 lenses and will have Nanocoating. And I assume that this new 70-200 will then be extremely sharp also in the edges and have less vignetting as well :thumbup:
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi There
As I understand it (I don't have the lens this time around); it's wonderful for portrait / wedding work, but not that great for landscapes and product where edge definition actually matters.

I'm looking forward to the replacement, but in the meantime, I've been finding that the newer 70-300 AFS / VR, which is about 1/4 the price, works really well on the D3 - sharp, and although it's no low light demon, the ludicrous D3 low light performance and auto ISO feature makes it very useable, and it's a great deal sharper than any lens of that calibre deserves to be!
 

woodyspedden

New member
While this is very slightly off thread I would hope that Nikon introduce a 70-200 f4.0 with VR, Nanocrystal coat,VRII and what would undoubtedly be a much better lens size and weight. Given the fabulous high ISO performance of the D3 the need for the extra stop and the price/size penalties for doing so make no sense for me. Back when I bought my 70-200 2.8 (and I have gotten great results with it over the years) I was shooting an F5 and the extra stop did make a difference as I was shooting primarily ASA 100 film!

I would also love to see Nikon come out with a 100-400 4.0 with the same set of features. Canon has done a very good job with this zoom combo and it is one of their best selling lenses. The 80-400 desperately needs an update to a modern formula so this would fill a substantial hole in their lens portfolio. YMMV

Woody
 

jonoslack

Active member
Don't mess about Woody
What we want is ALL the pro Nikon lenses in f4 with a smaller size; together with a higher mp body without the built in grip (e.g. 24mp FF size of d300).

lenses would be:

14-28 f4
24-105 f4 VR
80-400 f4 VR

all AFS of course, all nano coated, all as good as the current new lenses (just smaller), all existing technology.
Price? well, it'd be nice if they were a little cheaper, but, to be honest, I think they'd sell if they were the same price (as long as they were smaller and of the same quality).


Why wouldn't we?!
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
That 80-400 or 100-400 f/4...... wouldn't that be a rather large and expensive lens? I seem to remember that the 200-400 f/4 is 3 kilos and $5,000.

A constant f/5.6 would obviously make it smaller, or a variable aperture like the 80-400 of today.
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
Don't mess about Woody
What we want is ALL the pro Nikon lenses in f4 with a smaller size; together with a higher mp body without the built in grip (e.g. 24mp FF size of d300).

lenses would be:

14-28 f4
24-105 f4 VR
80-400 f4 VR

all AFS of course, all nano coated, all as good as the current new lenses (just smaller), all existing technology.
Price? well, it'd be nice if they were a little cheaper, but, to be honest, I think they'd sell if they were the same price (as long as they were smaller and of the same quality).


Why wouldn't we?!
This would be a dream combo I would instantly buy :)
 

jonoslack

Active member
I just want primes ...
Such small writing!
If I'm going to shoot primes, then generally speaking I'd rather use the M8. On the other hand, the new Nikon zooms seem to be as good as primes anyway - I can't find anything to criticise in the new 24-70 - even the fact that it is 'only' f2.8 is quite overcome by the ability to shoot at such silly high ISO.

Jorgen - you're right about the 80-400 - maybe it'd better keep it's variable focal length. I used to really love that lens, and would have bought it again instead of the 70-300 except that I'm waiting for a revamp.
 

jonoslack

Active member
Nice lens, shame about the weight!

Lambert
Yes, well.
It seems that currently the only company making real quality zooms which don't break your arm are Olympus. That 12-60 is a wonderful lens, and relatively speaking quite small.

But if you have a D3 in the first place, then a heavier lens balances it better, and doesn't make that much of a difference to the proportion of the weight.

Actually, the 24-70 doesn't 'feel' like a particularly large lens (at least, I don't think so).
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Too big.

I'm not adverse to bigger lenses when they are f/2 or even faster. They have an "editorial" purpose. Canon does quite well with an extensive range of f/1.4 and f/1.2 primes. And the coolest "big" fast prime I've had in my hands recently is the Sony/Zeiss 135/1.8AF ... absolutely stunning color rendition.

Now Zeiss has made a 24-70/2.8 for Sony !!! I haven't held or shot that one yet ... but I suspect it's ... well .... Zeiss.

If Sony does get it together with a pro spec full frame 24 meg camera with decent high ISO performance ... both Canon and Nikon will have to wake up concerning their aging lens line up. Seems Nikon has already started the trek with the two new zooms & Macros ... but have neglected the prime end that's so important to a range of shooters.

A really good AFS 35/1.4 would be a good start. I also like my M8 and M lenses for primes, but don't want to lug around two different systems in order to have access to a fast prime or two.
 
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