best value telephoto lens for Nikon d5500?

[Ilovebokeh]

[QUOTE=yendor28;1424276]Thank you!



This is my $1700 in Perth. The store price match 'reputable' sellers that have AUS warranties (eg. they don't match Kogan and Amazon)

*removed - please read the site rules, in particular rule #3*

Any help suggesting other sites to search is appreciated.

thank you!


---------


Where did my post go asking about this? I read and complied with the rules.

- - - Updated - - -

Your guess would be as good as mine.
Check the usual places... ebay, online retailers, etc.
I don't know if they still make it, so it may be a discontinued item .. could be a tad cheaper if still in stock.

This is what I struggle with the most with lenses.

Discontinued/old versions that are the best buys.

But where to find them? Everytime I ask an expert about a lens, it seems they say a lens that is no longer made or has so many variations that a new player like me will choose the right lens with the wrong detail.

Any help on where to find trustworthy reliable lenses in Perth is appreciated.

[Cage]

Tamron have recently appointed a new distributor in Australia and it seems a lot of the old dealers are missing.

The cheapest stated authorised dealer I could find for the Tamron SP AF 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (IF) was this one at $1,549.99 http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tamron-SP...IAAOSwbl5ZftnL

Anything cheaper seems to be Grey Market which I personally won't touch for cameras or lens.

I also have a shaky left hand and had never been able to take hand-held shots until I got the Tamron twins, the 24-70 and 70-200 f2.8's. I sold the 70-200 to fund a Sigma 150-600 Sport, all 3kgs of it, and there is no way that I can hand-hold that.

I bought a Wimberley Sidekick to use with my tripod and it enables me to pan and shoot with ease. http://www.ausphotography.net.au/for...erley-Sidekick

Good luck in your search.

[arthurking83]

The first model T70-200/2.8(that I have) was first made in about 2007/8 .. so it is a very old design now. Still useful(gets closer than any other 70-200 plus actual magnification to boot! .. so I'm keeping mine)

.....

But where to find them? Everytime I ask an expert about a lens, it seems they say a lens that is no longer made ....

HERE'S a link to a 'G1' model USD VC on EBAY

Mind you I don't know the seller, nor their reputation. Are they reliable, honest .. etc .. no idea! But they do have this click and collect system(seems to work well for me), and free postage.

If you weren't interested, I'd be tempted to buy it at that price .. but I'm actually more interested in a G2 version myself, so I probably wouldn't buy it anyhow, even at that price.
There are many retailers based in HK selling to Aus with free postage for even less, by about $60 if you're keen to save even more $s .. but me personally I'd prefer the Sydney based seller, stuff the unsaved $60, and I prefer the click and collect system over waiting for a courier or AusPost to deliver to me, and never showing up on the expected day. They always show up on the day you're out, or at work, and leave a drop card where you can collect from either post office or a shop around the corner, but of course you always get there 5 mins after they close and you have to wait till Monday to get 'yer gear and .. Arrrggghhh!

Click and collect at Wollies, on the way home eg. from work.
You don't have to see no one that knows nuthin! ... you just go to the control board, key in your 6 digit pin # and the correct door opens for 'ya .. and you can do a bit of grocery shopping at the same time!

Strangely, I also factor in to my potential purchases based on whether the seller uses this click and collect system too.

One thing I rarely ever do is to buy expensive stuff off ebay second hand .. eg. such as a lens like this.
I still buy cheapish stuff off ebay and 'tempt fate'.
But I'll qualify that a little better too .. I will buy stuff off ebay as long as 'local pickup' is an option on the item.
eg. buy a lens like this type, go with camera to the pickup test and check that it's what it's supposed to be .. etc, etc. Lessens the likelyhood to be been scammed.

[Ilovebokeh]

Hi,
Ok, down to these three options. Can you please rank them in what is the best option and why (just what you think, if you can please.)

2nd hand

Nikon D100 with 80-200 f2.8 zoom lens –The camera would just be a back up bonus/spare. Just paying for the lens.

Unsure what version lens. Seller said he purchased it around 10 years ago as a top end camera.


OR New from local store (2 year warranty)

Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G2 lens would be $2,000

Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 G1 lens would be $1,550

Store said they recommend paying extra for the G2 (funny that.)

Thank you!

[arthurking83]

Hi,
Ok, down to these three options. Can you please rank them in what is the best option and why (just what you think, if you can please.)

...

D100: you'll find it interesting for a bit as a curio, but will lose interest very quickly. 6Mp and ISO over 400 is simply .. OLD! bad .. as in zero quality.

** BUT! ... the flip side is (depending on how curious and interested you are) .. one of the best sensors for IR(infra red). very sensitive .. interesting aspect to making photographs.
*** Also note that this is coming from a certified gear geek! I still have my D70s(same sensor as D100) and am planning to do the IR conversion one day. Camera hasn't seen action for many years(but I won't get rid of it simply for the IR ability .. one day).

80-200/2.8 awesome lens. image quality defies the age of the lens. Compared to the Tamrons tho, wide open it will be slightly soft. focus system is the very old type AF-D. It's very uncompromising. The entire AF system is not pleasant to 'work with'.
if I explain it all, it'll be a three page thesis on the subject, but needless to say, it's not easy to use all the time in every situation/condition.
A massive note on this topic too tho.. that lens will not AF on the D5500. D5500 type level camera bodies require AF-S(unltrasonic) AF systems. The thign to watch for is the AF or AF-D nomenclature. They will only work in manual focus mode on the D5500 body.
Will meter and expose and give EXIF info about lens data as they have CPU, but the AF/AF-D type system needs a screw driven AF set up from the camera body.
That means(in terms of Nikon camera body type) D7100/7200/7500/D500 type APS-C camera. So in this situation the 80-200/2.8 will only AF on the D100 camera body that you will have.

Tammy 70-200/2.8 both will AF, I've quickly tested the G1 model, liked it very much. Haven't had the chance to upgrade my earlier model to it(even tho I went in to the store to test it) ... after about half an hour I ended up with the Tamron 24-70/2.8 VC lens instead!

For most people(with a budget) I'd rank them in order:

#1 70-200/2.8 G1 ... will provide plenty of thrills at a reduced price point
#2 70-200/2.8 G2 .. (I think) the USB dock thingie is/will be important at some point.
#3 80-200/2.8 .. only because it won't AF on your D5500, but you will have the D100 to play with it. bokeh rending is about as good as it gets. Better than the Tammy. (not sure about the G2, as I have yet to test that lens for myself tho).

I 'upgraded' my 80-200/2.8 with the older Tammy 70-200/2.8(non VC model) .. IQ overall was better, AF was better, both in terms of accuracy and ease of use. The only reservation I had with that ugrade was that the tammy, good lens that it is, the bokeh of the Nikon lens made it appeal a little bit more. If only it would focus where it was supposed too(I had back focus issues) .. I'd have kept it.

[Ilovebokeh]

D100: you'll find it interesting for a bit as a curio, but will lose interest very quickly. 6Mp and ISO over 400 is simply .. OLD! bad .. as in zero quality.

** BUT! ... the flip side is (depending on how curious and interested you are) .. one of the best sensors for IR(infra red). very sensitive .. interesting aspect to making photographs.
*** Also note that this is coming from a certified gear geek! I still have my D70s(same sensor as D100) and am planning to do the IR conversion one day. Camera hasn't seen action for many years(but I won't get rid of it simply for the IR ability .. one day).

80-200/2.8 awesome lens. image quality defies the age of the lens. Compared to the Tamrons tho, wide open it will be slightly soft. focus system is the very old type AF-D. It's very uncompromising. The entire AF system is not pleasant to 'work with'.
if I explain it all, it'll be a three page thesis on the subject, but needless to say, it's not easy to use all the time in every situation/condition.
A massive note on this topic too tho.. that lens will not AF on the D5500. D5500 type level camera bodies require AF-S(unltrasonic) AF systems. The thign to watch for is the AF or AF-D nomenclature. They will only work in manual focus mode on the D5500 body.
Will meter and expose and give EXIF info about lens data as they have CPU, but the AF/AF-D type system needs a screw driven AF set up from the camera body.
That means(in terms of Nikon camera body type) D7100/7200/7500/D500 type APS-C camera. So in this situation the 80-200/2.8 will only AF on the D100 camera body that you will have.

Tammy 70-200/2.8 both will AF, I've quickly tested the G1 model, liked it very much. Haven't had the chance to upgrade my earlier model to it(even tho I went in to the store to test it) ... after about half an hour I ended up with the Tamron 24-70/2.8 VC lens instead!

For most people(with a budget) I'd rank them in order:

#1 70-200/2.8 G1 ... will provide plenty of thrills at a reduced price point
#2 70-200/2.8 G2 .. (I think) the USB dock thingie is/will be important at some point.
#3 80-200/2.8 .. only because it won't AF on your D5500, but you will have the D100 to play with it. bokeh rending is about as good as it gets. Better than the Tammy. (not sure about the G2, as I have yet to test that lens for myself tho).

I 'upgraded' my 80-200/2.8 with the older Tammy 70-200/2.8(non VC model) .. IQ overall was better, AF was better, both in terms of accuracy and ease of use. The only reservation I had with that ugrade was that the tammy, good lens that it is, the bokeh of the Nikon lens made it appeal a little bit more. If only it would focus where it was supposed too(I had back focus issues) .. I'd have kept it.

This is INCREDIBLY helpful. Thank you.

As for g1/g2, the salesman (who is clearly knowledgeable) stated something like:

G2 lens is sharper across the entire frame than the G1, and has less chromatic aberation, and the quality of the Bokeh is vastly improved.

The sharpness of the lens was already fantastic on the G1, so the improvements there are hard to even notice in real world situations, but the quality of the out of focus elements are imediately noticable, easily on par with the far more expensive Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR.

[Ilovebokeh]

D100: you'll find it interesting for a bit as a curio, but will lose interest very quickly. 6Mp and ISO over 400 is simply .. OLD! bad .. as in zero quality.

** BUT! ... the flip side is (depending on how curious and interested you are) .. one of the best sensors for IR(infra red). very sensitive .. interesting aspect to making photographs.
*** Also note that this is coming from a certified gear geek! I still have my D70s(same sensor as D100) and am planning to do the IR conversion one day. Camera hasn't seen action for many years(but I won't get rid of it simply for the IR ability .. one day).

80-200/2.8 awesome lens. image quality defies the age of the lens. Compared to the Tamrons tho, wide open it will be slightly soft. focus system is the very old type AF-D. It's very uncompromising. The entire AF system is not pleasant to 'work with'.
if I explain it all, it'll be a three page thesis on the subject, but needless to say, it's not easy to use all the time in every situation/condition.
A massive note on this topic too tho.. that lens will not AF on the D5500. D5500 type level camera bodies require AF-S(unltrasonic) AF systems. The thign to watch for is the AF or AF-D nomenclature. They will only work in manual focus mode on the D5500 body.
Will meter and expose and give EXIF info about lens data as they have CPU, but the AF/AF-D type system needs a screw driven AF set up from the camera body.
That means(in terms of Nikon camera body type) D7100/7200/7500/D500 type APS-C camera. So in this situation the 80-200/2.8 will only AF on the D100 camera body that you will have.

Tammy 70-200/2.8 both will AF, I've quickly tested the G1 model, liked it very much. Haven't had the chance to upgrade my earlier model to it(even tho I went in to the store to test it) ... after about half an hour I ended up with the Tamron 24-70/2.8 VC lens instead!

For most people(with a budget) I'd rank them in order:

#1 70-200/2.8 G1 ... will provide plenty of thrills at a reduced price point
#2 70-200/2.8 G2 .. (I think) the USB dock thingie is/will be important at some point.
#3 80-200/2.8 .. only because it won't AF on your D5500, but you will have the D100 to play with it. bokeh rending is about as good as it gets. Better than the Tammy. (not sure about the G2, as I have yet to test that lens for myself tho).

I 'upgraded' my 80-200/2.8 with the older Tammy 70-200/2.8(non VC model) .. IQ overall was better, AF was better, both in terms of accuracy and ease of use. The only reservation I had with that ugrade was that the tammy, good lens that it is, the bokeh of the Nikon lens made it appeal a little bit more. If only it would focus where it was supposed too(I had back focus issues) .. I'd have kept it.

So, just to clarify, I could use the 80-200/2.8 awesome lens with my D5500, but with manual focus OR with the D100 AF, but iso 400/6MP.

So I am basically paying another $1,500 for an easier to use, autofocus new lens with a two year warranty (seems worthwhile to go the whole way up to a g2)?

Love to know if the bokeh on the G2 is as good as the 80-200. Better bokeh is enough for me to motivated to learn manual focus!

[arthurking83]

....

Love to know if the bokeh on the G2 is as good as the 80-200. Better bokeh is enough for me to motivated to learn manual focus!

D5500 doesn't have the viewfinder to manually focus easily(or well).
It's main issue is the use of a pentamirror instead of pentaprism(brighter), and the fact that the ground glass, or focus matte, is optimised for f/5.6 aperture lenses, hence DOF.

(hopefully in simple terms) what this means is that while your lens may well be f/2.8, you don't literally see an f/2.8 DOF, you only see a DOF(through the viewfinder) of f/5.6.
In terms of manually focusing, this makes it hard to see. You get a green dot/rangefinder feature, but their not particularly accurate.

You could get a more optimised focusing matte, easily changeable .. but easily damaged in the process too! .. cost is about $100-ish give or take a few for exchange rates.
While it's easy to think if it's a simple matter of just changing the focus matte screen, then why don't the manufacturers just do it!
Answer is that as they make them more coarse, and therefore easier to view the DOF of an f/2.8 lens, the image through the screen(the aerial image) gets increasingly darker!

.... G2 lens is sharper across the entire frame than the G1, and has less chromatic aberation, and the quality of the Bokeh is vastly improved...

Tell 'im he's dreaming!
From what I can make out(I've yet to see any direct comparisons between the two lenses) the edges of the frame in the G2 do look a bit better than the G1 version.
I doubt bokeh will be better(by any significant margin), and so far from what I've gathered CA looks a little worse on the G2(I think).

I think there's enough sharpness in the G2 overall compared to the USD(or G1 version) .. but I wouldn't use that as a basis for buying it over the G1 version.

Also note that sharpness across the frame sometimes is 'over rated'. Unless your doing planning on doing panoramas, I'm thinking it'll never come into play for you.
if you do have plans to do panoramas, then for sure you'd take edge sharpness into consideration.
For me the main reason for choosing the G2 is simply the dock.
And not only for the geek factor of it, nor the ability to tweak it to taste in whatever way it allows .. but for future compatibilty, with zero hassle factor.
I'm sure at some point in the future Nikon will try hard(er) to make thirdparty lenses incomaptible .. they have till now, and I think will continue this line of thinking into the future.
So some lenses may become 'incompatible' with future camera bodies in some way. No one knows which way, or if at all, but usually a firmware fix does the trick .. the USB dock(for me) is this insurance.
And I hate the process of taking gear to a repairer to get it sorted .. when a firmware fix is so simple to do in the luxury of your own home, having a decent quality cuppa to boot.

And to be sure, because you mention bokeh as a quality that's important to you, then if this is the case, then edge sharpness is(or will become) less concerning.
Don't get me wrong here, you can and could use the lens for both properties, but I tend to target one aspect over another. Great to have both properties if it's possible tho.

When I had my play with the G1 version, and ended up with the Tammy 24-70 instead, I updated to the 24-70 from my old Tamron 28-75/2.8. The lens worked really well, blurred very nicely and made nice 'people' images with that well rounded blur, but for landscape panoramas, it's edges were not 'so nice' .. sharpness for me wasn't the problem, vignetting was .. and this is coming from a habitual vignetter!.
When you do panos in multiple stitch efforts, you don't want vignetting.
Usually stopping down to f/8 is enough to remove it enough so that it's not a problem .. not with the 28-75 tho .. I tried f/11 and still had just enough vignetting that it drove me to skip the 70-200 and get it instead.

There's not really a lot of info around on the G2 lens, some here some there, but not a whole heap.
I was looking at LensRentals blog post about it. looks exceptional in terms of IQ. And as the salesman said, across the whole frame. There's no directly comparable data on the older version of the lens tho. That data is more traditional MTF data, so I've kind'a extrapolated it's data and estimated the difference. Hard to know for sure tho how much different they'd be side by side tho.

[Ilovebokeh]

D5500 doesn't have the viewfinder to manually focus easily(or well).
It's main issue is the use of a pentamirror instead of pentaprism(brighter), and the fact that the ground glass, or focus matte, is optimised for f/5.6 aperture lenses, hence DOF.

(hopefully in simple terms) what this means is that while your lens may well be f/2.8, you don't literally see an f/2.8 DOF, you only see a DOF(through the viewfinder) of f/5.6.
In terms of manually focusing, this makes it hard to see. You get a green dot/rangefinder feature, but their not particularly accurate.

You could get a more optimised focusing matte, easily changeable .. but easily damaged in the process too! .. cost is about $100-ish give or take a few for exchange rates.
While it's easy to think if it's a simple matter of just changing the focus matte screen, then why don't the manufacturers just do it!
Answer is that as they make them more coarse, and therefore easier to view the DOF of an f/2.8 lens, the image through the screen(the aerial image) gets increasingly darker!



Tell 'im he's dreaming!
From what I can make out(I've yet to see any direct comparisons between the two lenses) the edges of the frame in the G2 do look a bit better than the G1 version.
I doubt bokeh will be better(by any significant margin), and so far from what I've gathered CA looks a little worse on the G2(I think).

I think there's enough sharpness in the G2 overall compared to the USD(or G1 version) .. but I wouldn't use that as a basis for buying it over the G1 version.

Also note that sharpness across the frame sometimes is 'over rated'. Unless your doing planning on doing panoramas, I'm thinking it'll never come into play for you.
if you do have plans to do panoramas, then for sure you'd take edge sharpness into consideration.
For me the main reason for choosing the G2 is simply the dock.
And not only for the geek factor of it, nor the ability to tweak it to taste in whatever way it allows .. but for future compatibilty, with zero hassle factor.
I'm sure at some point in the future Nikon will try hard(er) to make thirdparty lenses incomaptible .. they have till now, and I think will continue this line of thinking into the future.
So some lenses may become 'incompatible' with future camera bodies in some way. No one knows which way, or if at all, but usually a firmware fix does the trick .. the USB dock(for me) is this insurance.
And I hate the process of taking gear to a repairer to get it sorted .. when a firmware fix is so simple to do in the luxury of your own home, having a decent quality cuppa to boot.

And to be sure, because you mention bokeh as a quality that's important to you, then if this is the case, then edge sharpness is(or will become) less concerning.
Don't get me wrong here, you can and could use the lens for both properties, but I tend to target one aspect over another. Great to have both properties if it's possible tho.

When I had my play with the G1 version, and ended up with the Tammy 24-70 instead, I updated to the 24-70 from my old Tamron 28-75/2.8. The lens worked really well, blurred very nicely and made nice 'people' images with that well rounded blur, but for landscape panoramas, it's edges were not 'so nice' .. sharpness for me wasn't the problem, vignetting was .. and this is coming from a habitual vignetter!.
When you do panos in multiple stitch efforts, you don't want vignetting.
Usually stopping down to f/8 is enough to remove it enough so that it's not a problem .. not with the 28-75 tho .. I tried f/11 and still had just enough vignetting that it drove me to skip the 70-200 and get it instead.

There's not really a lot of info around on the G2 lens, some here some there, but not a whole heap.
I was looking at LensRentals blog post about it. looks exceptional in terms of IQ. And as the salesman said, across the whole frame. There's no directly comparable data on the older version of the lens tho. That data is more traditional MTF data, so I've kind'a extrapolated it's data and estimated the difference. Hard to know for sure tho how much different they'd be side by side tho.

Your input is invaluable. Many thanks!

Now, perhaps I am meant for this photography journey - as I am already thinking about spending more money.

So lets look at my leading options:

1) buy $2,000 G2 for my Nikon d5500

or
2) buy a Nikon 80-200 lens - AND another camera body?

That way, I would have a two camera set up/no lens changing.

So, sorry to make this thread more complex, but what would you recommend as the top options for a Nikon 80-200 lens compatible camera body (with options for the future also?) please?

THANK YOU!

[arthurking83]

No need to apologise .. it's actually making it easier for me to decide to get the G2 as well.

Just had a quick google, found a review of the G2 lens, on a Nikon .. with pictures!(I'm relatively simple and pictures do it for me! )

From this review on cameralabs

Scroll down into the areas where he has images of test charts. You're looking more so for the siemens star images, below the CA images. He compares the G2 against the 'G1' and the latest Nikon 70-200?2.8 FL lens too.
What you want to look for in those images tests is the centre and Dx corner images. Unless you go with an Fx camera, those tests would be of no interest to you with your setup.
Nikon is better, but not double the price better. And is the increased corner performance of the G2 worth the price of the G1 lens .. for Dx(ie. D5500) I'd say not. For Fx .. maybe, but even then I'd be hesitant. But the dock is the bonus, so it's a no brainer(for me at least).

Further down, they have test images of some far distant buildings. Note that those images appear less complimentary for the Tammy lens against the Nikon lens, but that he does say that the conditions of the day with the Tammy lens were more hazy(which you can clearly see).
That the Tamron lens at 200mm can shoot an image on a hazier day that clearly looks sharper(at the Fx edge) than the Nikon lens says a lot for the G2 lens IQ!!

Having now seen this review, I'd say it helps a little in making a decision. If you have no intentions to go with an Fx camera, I'd say just go with the G1, non USB dock lens and save yourself the $500.
If you have plans to go with an Fx camera at some point in the future, then for sure go with the G2 lens .. buy once and buy well! (plus the added bonus that it has this USB dock connectivity. I think the USB dock things usually sell for an added $100 or so .. but are not compulsory!!)

As good as the Nikon 80-200/2.8 lens is, and easily doubles up as a hammer if ever needed out in the field!! .. I reckon at some point it's limitations will annoy so much that you'd want to update it too.

[Cage]

1. I'd forget the G2 and go for the G1 version as I doubt that you would notice any difference, and save the price difference for something else. I had the G1 version and loved it and only sold it to fund my Sport lens.

2. Why would you want a 20 year old lens that weighs 1.3kg, has no stabilisation and is not as sharp as the Tamron. I must confess though to being wooed by it about 10 years ago, but came to my senses and bought a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 instead.

[Ilovebokeh]

1. I'd forget the G2 and go for the G1 version as I doubt that you would notice any difference, and save the price difference for something else. I had the G1 version and loved it and only sold it to fund my Sport lens.

2. Why would you want a 20 year old lens that weighs 1.3kg, has no stabilisation and is not as sharp as the Tamron. I must confess though to being wooed by it about 10 years ago, but came to my senses and bought a Sigma 70-200 f2.8 instead.

Thank you.

As for 2, weight/stabilisation is ok as I use a tripod most of the time and need/enjoy the exercise (photography is more expensive than a gym membership so I best get full value from my activities ha ha)

Sharpness is an issue, but I am wooed by my dreams of incredible bokeh...


And I would save around $1,500 by buying the Nikon lens.

I am still researching though.

Thanks to all that are helping in this thread.

[arthurking83]

.....

2. Why would you want a 20 year old lens that weighs 1.3kg, has no stabilisation and is not as sharp as the Tamron. ....

I think it's a matter of horses for courses.
Remember sharpness isn't 'everything'!! Yes it's great to have, and 9/10 times we look for it more often than not.

But(eg. If I were more of a portrait type photographer .. which I'm not) in some situations the less sharp rendering makes for more complimentary people images. I reckon it's bokeh is better than the Tamrons(that I've seen).
This may be due to the use of aspherics in the Tamron lenses .. but I dunno. All I know is that the lens rendered well, maybe more 'hazy/dreamy' than the Tammy at the long end.
I'd call it more hazy/dreamy rather than less sharp .. remembering I only have Tamrons old non VC model to compare with.

What annoyed me about the Nikon 80-200/2.8 AF-D, more so than the less sharp IQ, was the stupid focus system. Uncompromising, mechanical, noisy .. and almost certain to break.
And that it backfocused at the perfect portrait distances(eg. 2-4m from subject)... longer than that focus distance DOF masked the backfocus issue.
Weight wasn't a problem. It doesnt' come with a lens hood. If you know anything about lenses you know that a lens hood is far more important than a filter for protection.
It also needed a good quality 77mm filter fitted at all times if it was to be a 'sealed' lens. The front of the lens is open, and dust gets in like better than any vacuum cleaner can offer.

Great lens, now made more of a curio due to it's very vintage age!
If you were looking for a cheap cheery S/H or even new if anyone still had one in stock .. the Tammy 70-200/2.8 (non VC)... model A001(if that helps).
Focuses pretty well(other than Liveview mode!), sharp, light(er), good bokeh .. just bloddy hard to handhold(which isn't an issue for the OP).

Considering they're a $700-800 new!!! .. I reckon secondhand they'd sell for about $400-500 tops in perfect condition.
If you weren't 4500klms away, I'd let you have a go with mine, and I'm sure you'd like it.
So that's another much cheaper option to look into as well.

[Cage]

Just as a matter of interest where did you read about the 80-200's wonderful bokeh.

[arthurking83]

Just as a matter of interest where did you read about the 80-200's wonderful bokeh.

I had this lens(first) before I sold it to fund the Tammy.
Only lens I've ever sold(and plan on ever selling) .. backfocus finally got to me in the end. I could fine tune it for 200mm and get it right, but then all other focal lengths were out(ie. worse) .. so sell it and money went to a (more) worthy cause

Problem was that I never once looked at any of the 80-200 images and thought that the bokeh just doesn't look right .. it always did .. no question.

Initially I was more than happy with the 70-200, but every now and then I'd see nervous looking lines here .. or maybe there.
So Tammy isn't 'bad' bokeh .. just that the 80-200 was always super creamy 85/1.4 quality.

And remember bokeh is a (physical) property of how the camera/lens combo has been setup for the shot. ie. subject distance, background distances, objects in the background that could cause rendering issues .. etc.

The perky little 18-140VR kit lens has so far displayed good bokeh too in most situations, whereas I can't ever recall contemplating an image with the 18-105VR and thinking the background looked nice.

[Ilovebokeh]

Sorry to keep asking, but still no decision.

Thinking budget now around $1,500

1. Nikon lens BUT would buy a DX (full frame body for it also) so would run two cameras (d5500 would have my 18-50mm lens)


* I love the sound of the bokeh and assume the focus can be managed via the tripod slow setup...

OR

2. G2
- found around $1500 from 'grey' importers in Australia (but with 2 year Aus warranty)
- or $1,900 from local camera store. I prefer to support walk in shops, but $400 is a lot!

Any tips/thoughts appreciated.

Thank you

[arthurking83]

....
- or $1,900 from local camera store. I prefer to support walk in shops, but $400 is a lot!

....

It is tempting.
I'm similar in that I prefer to support real shops over virtual shops, but sometimes a big saving is just too much to ignore.

I'd recommend to move away from the idea of a 80-200/2.8 good lens, it is a lot more work for no gain.
If you were thinking of a lens in that price range, search for a 70-200 VRII second hand.
There are 3 models of 70-200VR lens from Nikon.
The original 70-200VR, then the VR2 model and a newer VRIII, FL, E model. That last one may have all those letters in it's name .. dunno exactly .. a product too costly for my preference so know nothing about it other than it's good and costly!

VR(or VRI) models should be pretty cheap by now. Maybe under 1K if you're lucky. Seeing as they are many generations old now, they should have dropped majorly in price but people think they're gear is worth more than it is .. so of course they artificially inflate S/H prices.

I seriously can't see how the VR lens is going to be worth more than a new grey market Tamron 70-200VC USM lens, and they sell for low 1K region. Nikon name means nothing nowadays, and if anything means that it may not focus, VR may cause issues, may have internal faults ..
This then pulls down the S/H prices of the much better VRII model .. so this could be found for about $1500-ish .. as it was a $2-2.5K item new.

I can totally understand the lack of a decision beign made .. I'm very much the same. I search for ages, forget I even wanted a bit of gear, then remember and search again for ages .. cycle goes on for ever .. wait till prices drop a little then remember I was thinking of getting this item one day ... and find one at a decent price.
I'd suggest waiting it out a little more, search for 70-200/2.8 VRII lenses on ebay, watch some of them being auctioned off. At least it gives you an idea of what people are willing to pay(maybe not exactly, but close to it).

But myself personally, I'd price the lenses this way:

Nikon 70-200/2.8 VR ~ $900-ish
Nikon 70-200/2.8 VRII ~ $1400
Tamron 70-200/2.8 (first non VC model) ~ $600

All prices are give or take +/- $200 either way depending on condition.

ps. your point #1 you say Nikon lens but you'd buy a DX (full frame body) for it too? Dx is APS-C/crop, Fx is full frame/135 format.

All the lenses listed in this thread EXCEPT the original 70-200/2.8 VR lens work perfectly on Fx. This lens is known to be extremely soft into the sides of the image. This is why Nikon made the 70-200 VRII so quickly after it made it's first Fx bodies.
So all the lenses would be recommended for Fx except that one. It works, but just watch the edges of the frame!

[Ilovebokeh]

https://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.co...nt-afa032.html


Trustworthy? I want to buy.

[Cage]

Yendor, you are all over the place like a grasshopper on a hotplate.

I can relate to that because I was the same with my FF purchase.

However once again I question the extra cost of the G2 lens over the G1 variant. eGlobal (they are fine to deal with, just watch their shipping charges) are selling the G2 for $1,429.00 and the G1 for $839.00. I have the G1 and think it's a fantastic lens, focus and VC are almost instant and it's as sharp as a tack. I can't imagine what the G2 offers for another $590.00 other than to Tamron to recuperate their development costs for their re-vamp and the dock.

[Ilovebokeh]

Yendor, you are all over the place like a grasshopper on a hotplate.

I can relate to that because I was the same with my FF purchase.

However once again I question the extra cost of the G2 lens over the G1 variant. eGlobal (they are fine to deal with, just watch their shipping charges) are selling the G2 for $1,429.00 and the G1 for $839.00. I have the G1 and think it's a fantastic lens, focus and VC are almost instant and it's as sharp as a tack. I can't imagine what the G2 offers for another $590.00 other than to Tamron to recuperate their development costs for their re-vamp and the dock.

Thank you.

I guess I am paying extra for flexibility and the hope that the Bokeh is better.

If I spend this much, I want to know I did it right.