lenses for nikon SLR (film)

[alfio]

hello photo forum people, first time posting here.

i hung out with a friend this weekend with a friend (a canon guy) who shoots with a really nice and compact 70-200 mm. i've got nikon stuff and i would like to add a similar lens to my arsenal - i've already got a 70-300mm but i rarely use it because it is so bulky and heavy. any recommendations?

 

[Wander]

Which 70-300 do you have? The ED glass f4-5.6 is pretty light and compact. Going to the faster 80-200 f2.8 or the new 70-200 VRII f2.8 will be larger and heavier.

 

[alfio]

Which 70-300 do you have? The ED glass f4-5.6 is pretty light and compact. Going to the faster 80-200 f2.8 or the new 70-200 VRII f2.8 will be larger and heavier.

hello - i have the 4.5-5.6 ED.

 

[Lost Canadian]

No Canon 70-200, even the f4 model, is smaller then the Nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6. Your friend may have had some slow budget 3rd party lens, and if it was, you will probably be able to find the exact same lens in a Nikon mount.

 

[Michael Slade]

No Canon 70-200, even the f4 model, is smaller then the Nikon 70-300 4.5-5.6. Your friend may have had some slow budget 3rd party lens, and if it was, you will probably be able to find the exact same lens in a Nikon mount.

And, IMO, you'd be unhappy with it. Save your $$$ for some decent glass.

 

[Wander]

And, IMO, you'd be unhappy with it. Save your $$$ for some decent glass.

I gotta agree with Mike-with a zoom in that range you really should use a tripod or at least monopod to stabilize the camera which also takes the weight problem off your hands. As nice as it is on your back to have light lenses the image quality suffers. When you compare shots from a 70-300 f4-5.6 against an 80-200f2.8 or the newer 70-200f2.8 the difference is striking.

 

[off-roader]

Tamron makes a 28-300mm consumer lens...

Tamron makes a 28-300mm consumer lens and other lenses too as I'm sure other 3rd party brands do as well (Sigma, Tokina, etc.). Check dpreview, slrgear.com & photozone.de for technical comparison shots.

I have the Tamron which came with my D70 when I bought it 5 or so years ago. Lens is ok and you can get some very good shots with it. You will have to stop down (aperture at higher fstop number) to get very sharp images though but in the right light and/or with the use of a flash, it should be ok.

Is it the equivalent of any of the many f/2.8 zooms, or even faster fixed focal length lenses? Absolutely not. Can you still get good pics with it even though it isn't? Absolutely yes. You just have to know it's limitations and how to use it.

HTH.