Lens Comparison

Hillsong

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Salutations once again.

So i'm starting to plan ahead for a few things atm. I'm currently tight on cash, but i found out i landed a job that starts in 3 weeks (hooray!). After a few months of working i should finally (FINALLY) be able to afford some new glass. Now the budget won't be massive, or else I'd instantly flock to the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens. My guess is that I will have somewhere close to $800 to work with. I've been looking at some zoom lenses, but i feel that if i want to get the best quality for the money I have, I'd best go with a prime lens.

I will be shooting a bit of sports this coming season as well. Mostly indoors, so a large aperture is key. For more personal interests i would love to get into macro photography more.

In searching through B+H i came up with these three that i feel are within my available price range, and will perform much better than my current kit lenses. I do shoot on a DX crop sensor (Nikon D300) so Idk if that will have very much of a detrimental affect on any of these lenses, but that is why I'm here!

So if any of you have any experience with these lenses, recommendations regarding which of these lenses, or even a completely different lens, all suggestions are appreciated.

Here they are:

Nikon Telephoto AF Nikkor 180mm f/2.8D ED-IF Autofocus 1940 -

Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens 104306 -

Nikon 105mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Lens 2160 - B&H Photo Video (shorter focal length, yet the 1' focus distance is VERY tempting)
 
I'm not familer with the Nikon 180mm so I can't give you an accurate idea of how it will perform against the other two.

On the subject of macro work however both the sigma 150mm macro and Nikon 105mm macro are fantastic lenses. Optically speaking they will give you very similar performance; any differences shown in tests will most likely be down more to sample variation and in the field I would not expect minor differences to seriously affect your photography - so on a sharpness front both are high quality options.

So things come down to the level of features that the lenses offer you - so first off let me clarify that both lenses when focused to their closest focusing point are will give you the same framing of the photo - that is a magnification of 1:1 (subject as reflected on the sensor is the same size as it is in real life). However the 150mm will let you achive that magnification from further away than the 105mm will - often a handy thing when working with insects who can be skittish.

Other features are that the 105mm has VR which offers you a level of image stabalization to counter handshake. This has less effect at macro distances, but still helps to improve your handholding overall.

Otherwise both are well made and solid macro lenses - I know that the sigma is compatable with sigma teleconverters whilst I believe (but am not certain) that the 105mm is compatable with nikon teleconverters.


I would also say that for sports work the macro lenses won't be as ideal at this work' especailly indoors; this is because of two factors - first AF is something that is often not used in much macro work, as a result macro lenses tend to have poorer AF speed than regular lenses do. This is further complicated by the fact that they are optimised for macro focusing and not longer distance focusing - they can still and will get clear sharp long distance shots, but the focusing ring has very little turn for a lot of move of focus at the longer distances. This makes them more tricky to focus with manually at longer distances simply because a tiny turn of the wheel will shift things a lot. This is of course countered by their fine precision in focusing the macro areas.
 
I would suggest looking for a used 80-200 (usually retails around $800ish or even less). It's an outstanding, solid lens, and optically so close to the 70-200, that you'll not notice any difference. It doesn't have VR, but that's not much of an issue for sports (Unless you're going to be shooting the Okafefenee Swamp Turtle Races). For macro, look at the 'D' versions of the Nikon 60mm and 105mm. The '60 can be had for <$400 and the 105 usually goes for $550-600.
 
I would suggest looking for a used 80-200 (usually retails around $800ish or even less). It's an outstanding, solid lens, and optically so close to the 70-200, that you'll not notice any difference.

Is this the lens you are referring to?

Used Nikon Zoom Telephoto 80-200mm f/2.8 D-AF ED-IF 1985 - B&H

Reviews seem to indicate it is a very sharp lens :) This i like. While it won't give me the option of 1:1 macro, I'll be able to live with my 28-300 macro for a while if i do go with the 80-200mm. Hmmmmm

Thanks again for all the input. All of it is appreciated!
 
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That has the push-pull zoom.

The newer version is known as the 2-ring and is turned to zoom. Here is what it looks like:

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D ED Lens 1986 - B&H Photo

Used versions have gone up on price by about $125 in the last couple of months. I bought one for $800 (including the lens hood) just a few months ago from KEH.com

That's one of the nice things about quality used lenses, they sometimes appreciate in value, as the cost of new lenses goes up.
 
Ok. Thanks. That may be pushing the budget a smidge if it stays at that price. :( We'll see what happens. Anyone know of any galleries of shots with this lens? Im curious about the Bokeh.
 
Here's a combo in your budget:

Macro = 105mm f4 ais micro nikkor ($200 or less in mint condition)

Zoom = 80-200mm f2.8d af nikkor ($600 or less in mint condition)

Buying an AF macro lens is a waste of $$, as macro focusing is almost always done manually anyway. The great thing about the d300 is that it works GREAT with older ais lenses.

The 100mm f4 ais micro lenses are getting hard to find, the f2.8 version is more plentiful, but sells around $100 more.

There are three versions of the 80-200mm a one-ring af version ($500-$600), a two ring af version ($650-750), and a af-s version ($900-$1000).
 
Ok. Thanks. That may be pushing the budget a smidge if it stays at that price. :( We'll see what happens. Anyone know of any galleries of shots with this lens? Im curious about the Bokeh.

The 80-200mm optical performance is on par with the new 70-200mm. The differences being the lack of VR and an internal focus motor.

The single ring version sells for around $600 in near-mint condition on ebay. Here a link to one I just sold, which includes a photo taken with it to show off the bokeh: Nikon ED AF Nikkor 80-200mm 1:2.8D Zoom Lens MINT - eBay (item 300461622308 end time Sep-02-10 10:45:33 PDT)

Here's one for sale for $635 right now, although if you wait you can likely find one for $100 less: http://cgi.ebay.com/EX-Nikon-Nikkor...75159345?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item19becb0831

You also buy well-used "ugly" copies that work great for far less. I have one up for auction right now that's pretty ugly, but performs great. I expect it will sell for $250 or so.
 
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Thanks for the input. I think for the 80-200 i'd go with the two ring version, simply because of its faster focus, which can be critical for sports shots.
 
The 180 Nikkor AF and AF-D models are pretty slow autofocusers...maybe the Sigma 150 would be the better choice.
 
Thanks for the input. I think for the 80-200 i'd go with the two ring version, simply because of its faster focus, which can be critical for sports shots.

The two ring version focus a "little" bit faster, but costs around $300 more. I've tried both and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference in focus speed.

The AF-S version focuses a lot faster and isn't that much more expensive then the two-ring, you may want to consider it. I was able to buy one for $900, and have seen others sell in that range.
 
I get to shoot with a two ring version sometime next week, so i'll get to try out the focusing speeds and see if its fast enough. If not, I may save up for the AF-S, but if its satisfactory as is, I think I'll have made a decision. I'll just hafta wait and see when the 12th rolls around.
 

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