Just received the new Nikon AF-S 80-400 f4.5-5.6 ED VR - sample shots

[Lance B]

Fantastic images definitely put this lens on my wan't list thanks for the post.

Thank you very much for your lovely comments, Wedgetail!

[Mary Anne]

Very nice Lance, and congrats on the new lens I especially like the detail and sharpness on #10 the Goat its the best looking goat I have ever seen

[Kelz1990]

A gorgeous series of photos. Love the green on the second bird, just stands out so much

[old dog]

these are very fantastic Lance. I`m really impressed as to the quality opened right up.

[Lance B]

Very nice Lance, and congrats on the new lens I especially like the detail and sharpness on #10 the Goat its the best looking goat I have ever seen

Thank you very much for your lovely comments, Mary Anne!

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A gorgeous series of photos. Love the green on the second bird, just stands out so much

Thank you very much for your wonderful comments, Kelz!

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these are very fantastic Lance. I`m really impressed as to the quality opened right up.

Thank you very much for your loveyl commants, Graeme!

Being able to use a lens like this wide open is a must as it gives you an extra stop that you might not have already had, unlike many lenses that need to be stopped down a stop in order to be able to use them to get decent IQ.

[Ionica]

Useful info., and excellent images. Thanks.

[Lance B]

Useful info., and excellent images. Thanks.

Thank you for your nice comment, Ionica!

[Belly]

Lance these are fantastic images and to your usual standard They gave this 80-400 glowing reports in N-Photo and you have backed up their sentiments with results that a lot of prime lenses would be envious of. This new lens is certainly a massive step up from the old version which was well overdue for retirement. I Somehow feel more comfortably in thinking of trading my D700 for an 800E and this lens, great combo and walk-around weapon. They may look like Goats and yes, they are a distant relative however, they in fact Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus). A mature male or Bull Tahr has a mane that rivals that of a mature male lion. They are a magnificent alpine ungulate and the Southern Alps of New Zealand is one place you could find them in the wild. Top stuff Lance and thanks for the info sharing, your a champ!!

[Lance B]

Lance these are fantastic images and to your usual standard They gave this 80-400 glowing reports in N-Photo and you have backed up their sentiments with results that a lot of prime lenses would be envious of. This new lens is certainly a massive step up from the old version which was well overdue for retirement. I Somehow feel more comfortably in thinking of trading my D700 for an 800E and this lens, great combo and walk-around weapon. They may look like Goats and yes, they are a distant relative however, they in fact Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus). A mature male or Bull Tahr has a mane that rivals that of a mature male lion. They are a magnificent alpine ungulate and the Southern Alps of New Zealand is one place you could find them in the wild. Top stuff Lance and thanks for the info sharing, your a champ!!

Thank you ever so much for your glowing appraisal, Belly! Very much appreciated!

Yes, you are quite correct about them being Himalayan Tahr. I think I was being a bit too eager to post without looking up the correct name for them. Thank you for pointing that out.

[Tommo1965]

Hi Lance

Id love a head to head vs the 70 -200 F2.8II if you ever get the chance

you have made the lens shine mate ..well done

[Lance B]

Hi Lance

Id love a head to head vs the 70 -200 F2.8II if you ever get the chance

you have made the lens shine mate ..well done

Thank you for your lovely comment, Steve!

I dare say that the 70-200 f2.8 still has a slight edge as far as sharpness, it would be VERY close though and I doubt anyone would notice the difference in most situations. However, in all other departments, I think the 80-400 can at least match or better it. Things like vignetting are quite high on the 70-200 VRII as is focus breathing. However, they are not deal breakers for me with regards to the 70-200. Both are superb lenses. The big advantage of the 70-200 is the isolating ability of f2.8, whereas the big advantage for the 80-400 is of course it's range. For me, the 80-400 is a great travel zoom if you need to shoot animals/birds and if I ever go to Africa, then it will be the 80-400 + my 500 f4.

[Unique Faces]

I had the chance to test out this lens briefly on a D800. All I can is "Holy Cow" ! What a performer, especially at 400mm and handheld. The latest VR is just so so good.

[Mitzy]

Lance, great shots & surprising clarity at max zoom wide open. I must say it leaves my Nikon 18-300 for dead at max settings, it is soft, soft, soft. Have you had a chance to "Explore" some other settings that you can share with us now?

[Steven Kemp]

Fantastic images and great subjects. The D800E and the lens work well together. I understand the D800 can be used in either full frame or cropped format. Which did you use? I only ask to get a feel for how the lens might perform with the lower pixel count available on my D7000.

It would also be interesting to compare the len's performance against a nikon 70-200 F2.8 VRii with the Nikon 2x teleconverter strapped on?

S

[Ross]

Great shots you sure have good a technique (detail and colour beautiful).I've been tossing up between this lens or the 300mm f4 with a converter to go with D800.My old loyal 80-400 auto focus is a pain used for surf photography
in the early morning shooting towards sun coming up ... usually have to go to manual focus.

[jemm]

Hi! I have just been revisiting lenses I might want to have in my kit. I run a D300S and have the 18-105mm and found this lens this avo. You have got some great shots, but I was wondering what camera you used with it?

[Lance B]

I had the chance to test out this lens briefly on a D800. All I can is "Holy Cow" ! What a performer, especially at 400mm and handheld. The latest VR is just so so good.

Sorry for replying so late to your post, but I have been away for 4 weeks O/S and this thread would have been buried way back if it hadn't been revived yesterday by Jemm.

Thank you for your nice comments, this lens served me very well while OS shooting puffins on the Farne Islands off the NE coast of the UK.

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Lance, great shots & surprising clarity at max zoom wide open. I must say it leaves my Nikon 18-300 for dead at max settings, it is soft, soft, soft. Have you had a chance to "Explore" some other settings that you can share with us now?

Sorry for replying so late to your post, but I have been away for 4 weeks O/S and this thread would have been buried way back if it hadn't been revived yesterday by Jemm.

Thank you for your nice comments, this lens served me very well while OS shooting puffins on the Farne Islands off the NE coast of the UK. Now that I have had a good chance to use this lens in good light, I have seen that stopped down, this lens is even better.

Here is a shot of a puffin @ 300mm f9 and a crop below.





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Fantastic images and great subjects. The D800E and the lens work well together. I understand the D800 can be used in either full frame or cropped format. Which did you use? I only ask to get a feel for how the lens might perform with the lower pixel count available on my D7000.

It would also be interesting to compare the len's performance against a nikon 70-200 F2.8 VRii with the Nikon 2x teleconverter strapped on?

S

Sorry for replying so late to your post, but I have been away for 4 weeks O/S and this thread would have been buried way back if it hadn't been revived yesterday by Jemm.

Thank you for your nice comments, this lens served me very well while OS shooting puffins on the Farne Islands off the NE coast of the UK.

I used the lens in FF mode. The lens will perform perfectly on your D7000 and the 80-400 outfperforms the 70-200 f2.8 + 2x TCIII.

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Great shots you sure have good a technique (detail and colour beautiful).I've been tossing up between this lens or the 300mm f4 with a converter to go with D800.My old loyal 80-400 auto focus is a pain used for surf photography
in the early morning shooting towards sun coming up ... usually have to go to manual focus.

As I have replied to the others, sorry for replying so late to your post, but I have been away for 4 weeks O/S and this thread would have been buried way back if it hadn't been revived yesterday by Jemm.

Thank you for your nice comments, this lens served me very well while OS shooting puffins on the Farne Islands off the NE coast of the UK.

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Hi! I have just been revisiting lenses I might want to have in my kit. I run a D300S and have the 18-105mm and found this lens this avo. You have got some great shots, but I was wondering what camera you used with it?

Thank you for your nice comment, Jemm. I used a D800E with these photos.

[Pixley]

Great images Lance, the lens looks very impressive although I think the talent of the photographer plays a certain part as well. I have been considering the new Sigma 120-300 but you just put this lens firmly in my field of view (not that I have the money right now but it is good to have a savings goal)! I suspect the Sigma is a much heavier beast and the 80-400 would be much easier to drag around - perhaps even hike with!

[Lance B]

Great images Lance, the lens looks very impressive although I think the talent of the photographer plays a certain part as well. I have been considering the new Sigma 120-300 but you just put this lens firmly in my field of view (not that I have the money right now but it is good to have a savings goal)! I suspect the Sigma is a much heavier beast and the 80-400 would be much easier to drag around - perhaps even hike with!

Thank you ever so much for your lovely comments, Pixley.

There is no doubting the ability of the new Sigma 120-300 f2.8 OS, it is very sharp and has a reasonable zoom range and is an f2.8 lens, which is handy. But, with every benefit, there is a downside and that is weight and size, the Sigma is heavy and large = 3.3kg, 300mm long and a 105mm front filter! If you want a reasonably compact lens in both weight and physical size, then go the 80-400, but if you don't mind the weight and size, then the 120-300 f2.8 OS might possibly be a better option due to the fact it is f2.8, and you can still add a 1.4x TC to get a handy 168-420 f4 lens. From what I have seen from both lenses in capable hands, they are both as sharp as one another in the range that they both cover together ie the 120-300 range. I have the Nikon 300 f2.8 VRII, then there was no reason for me to look at the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 and why the 80-400 is a perfect fit for my needs.

[Tommo1965]

I had a play with the sigma 120-300 OS lens..and its a heavy beast..and slow AF..about the same speed as a 50-1.4G....I wouldn't want to carry it far