best value telephoto lens for Nikon d5500?

[Ilovebokeh]

Hi,

I am new here. Hi, I am a beginner from Perth (put intermediate as I know a little).

I definitely have the photography bug eg. some nice long exposure shots

http://instagram.com/p/BYvBUqBhaLI/

http://instagram.com/p/BYvBUqBhaLI/ (http://instagram.com/p/BYvBUqBhaLI/)



I use a f2.8 Tamron 15-50mm lens, but would love a telephoto lens (ideally f2.8 but best value.)

Any easy suggestions? Especially in Perth?

eg. the original
Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 Lens
would be nice.

Or anything brand new?

I would also consider an all purpose lens (ideally f2.8.)

Thank you

[ricktas]

why would you love a telephoto lens? Yes it is nice to go 'i want' but until you know what you are going to do with anything you want, then it is pointless.

So tell us, what do you think a telephoto lens is going to do for your photography?

After all, I want a tractor, I think it would be great.. But I live in a suburb and have no use for a tractor whatsoever. So I buy it and put it in the garage and look at it on the weekends.

Get my point? Tell us what you would like to do with this telephoto lens and then we just might be able to suggest something to suit your needs.

[Cage]

Apart from your intended use it also helps to know what camera you will use it on, ie Full Frame or Crop Sensor.

[ricktas]

Apart from your intended use it also helps to know what camera you will use it on, ie Full Frame or Crop Sensor.

hehe. It is in the thread title "best value telephoto lens for Nikon d5500? "

[Cage]

hehe. It is in the thread title "best value telephoto lens for Nikon d5500? "

:Doh: :lol:

[Ilovebokeh]

why would you love a telephoto lens? Yes it is nice to go 'i want' but until you know what you are going to do with anything you want, then it is pointless.

So tell us, what do you think a telephoto lens is going to do for your photography?

After all, I want a tractor, I think it would be great.. But I live in a suburb and have no use for a tractor whatsoever. So I buy it and put it in the garage and look at it on the weekends.

Get my point? Tell us what you would like to do with this telephoto lens and then we just might be able to suggest something to suit your needs.

Thank you.

I want flexibility (I know, that it is expensive.)

I assume this new lens will give me greater options, especially:

- shallow depth of field portraits
- fun zoom options in the field beyond my current 50mm

[Cage]

Pardon my lack of reading skills. :(

Perhaps something like a 70-200mm f2.8 would suit your requirements. That would give you the FF equivalent of 105-300mm on the D5500. I can recommend the Tamron at half the price of the Nikon model.

[ricktas]

OK so your primary use it portraiture. I would agree that a 70-200 f2.8 is probably a good choice. However if you do not want a zoom, some of the primes are good. The Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro lens makes a great portrait lens. As do the 105mm macros on the market. Most macro lenses double up as good portrait lenses.

So now you have to decide if you want a zoom telephoto or a prime telephoto. Once you work that out, get back to us and we can delve deeper into a specific lens to meet your needs.

[Ilovebokeh]

Pardon my lack of reading skills. :(

Perhaps something like a 70-200mm f2.8 would suit your requirements. That would give you the FF equivalent of 105-300mm on the D5500. I can recommend the Tamron at half the price of the Nikon model.

I am appreciating your replying skills.

Yes, this is my leading candidate. Quoted $1700 new. It is heavy (1kg) but I could manage.

Beautiful lens.

- - - Updated - - -


OK so your primary use it portraiture. I would agree that a 70-200 f2.8 is probably a good choice. However if you do not want a zoom, some of the primes are good. The Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro lens makes a great portrait lens. As do the 105mm macros on the market. Most macro lenses double up as good portrait lenses.

So now you have to decide if you want a zoom telephoto or a prime telephoto. Once you work that out, get back to us and we can delve deeper into a specific lens to meet your needs.

thank you.

Yes, there is a beautiful f1.8 prime 85 mm tamron lens for $1000. Tempting to get it simply for portaitrure, but would hate to lose the flexibilty of my 70-200 choice.

I guess I could get a prime portraiture lens above and then a third lens?

[arthurking83]

....

- shallow depth of field portraits
- fun zoom options in the field beyond my current 50mm

I'd say that he 70-200/2.8 VC from Tamron would be an ideal candidate too.

Maybe a bit long for portraits in some situations, but as you've just listed the 50mm in the mix, then the focal length won't be an issue.

Sigma 50-100/1.8 sounds like an interesting option, but I reckon they stuffed up by making it somethign like 50-100m and not more like 70-150/1.8 instead.
Many folks already have a cheap 50/1.8 to play with so more varied options would have been a marketing advantage I guess.

100mm even on APS-C is probably just a tad short for the long end. But you can't go past that f/1.8 aperture without paying a bit of respect for it and the fact it's a zoom.

"Fun zoom options in the field" tho .. that basically screams 70-200/2.8
I've just been out playing in the front yard in the rain with my 70-200/2.8 on the D5500, and while it's hard(no image stabilisation), that cropped reach is a bit of fun to play with again.

[Cage]

Be aware that there are three versions of this lens currently on offer.

- Tamron SP AF 70-200 F2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro Lens - Stay away from it

- Tamron Lens SP AF 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (IF) - The one I had, it's a ripper, and only sold to get a longer lens

- Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 - The G2 is an update of the one above and a lot dearer, but not a lot better

Make sure that it has 'VC' in the title and if you shop around you will find one for a lot less than $1700.00

Have a look here http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=New_To_Photography:How_to_hold_your_camera for some tips on holding your camera. Basically you tuck your left elbow into your side and hold the lens foot in your left hand.

[Ilovebokeh]

I'd say that he 70-200/2.8 VC from Tamron would be an ideal candidate too.

Maybe a bit long for portraits in some situations, but as you've just listed the 50mm in the mix, then the focal length won't be an issue.

Sigma 50-100/1.8 sounds like an interesting option, but I reckon they stuffed up by making it somethign like 50-100m and not more like 70-150/1.8 instead.
Many folks already have a cheap 50/1.8 to play with so more varied options would have been a marketing advantage I guess.

100mm even on APS-C is probably just a tad short for the long end. But you can't go past that f/1.8 aperture without paying a bit of respect for it and the fact it's a zoom.

"Fun zoom options in the field" tho .. that basically screams 70-200/2.8
I've just been out playing in the front yard in the rain with my 70-200/2.8 on the D5500, and while it's hard(no image stabilisation), that cropped reach is a bit of fun to play with again.


Thank you!

- - - Updated - - -


Be aware that there are three versions of this lens currently on offer.

- Tamron SP AF 70-200 F2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro Lens - Stay away from it

- Tamron Lens SP AF 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (IF) - The one I had, it's a ripper, and only sold to get a longer lens

- Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 - The G2 is an update of the one above and a lot dearer, but not a lot better

Make sure that it has 'VC' in the title and if you shop around you will find one for a lot less than $1700.00

Have a look here http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=New_To_Photography:How_to_hold_your_camera for some tips on holding your camera. Basically you tuck your left elbow into your side and hold the lens foot in your left hand.

Thank you!

This is why I love asking experts.

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!

- - - Updated - - -




Have a look here http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showlibrary.php?title=New_To_Photography:How_to_hold_your_camera for some tips on holding your camera. Basically you tuck your left elbow into your side and hold the lens foot in your left hand.


PS> I have a physical limitation so my left hand shakes. Thus. I usually use my SLR one handed (with high shutter speed to compensate) or, preferably, set up with a tripod.

Hence the bulkier tamron telephoto lens is ok, as I use a tripod most of the time anyway.

[arthurking83]

Be aware that there are three versions of this lens currently on offer.

- Tamron SP AF 70-200 F2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro Lens - Stay away from it ...

Err yes and no!(alternatively; kind'a sort'a)
For many folks I would agree, as the focusing can be a PITA.
This is the 'old' model that I have, and 99.9% of the time, it works well enough.
Normal focusing(ie. through the vf) even on the lowly D5500 is perfectly acceptable most of (that 99.9%) the time.
I now have three liveview capable Nikon's and this is where the caveat comes in .. it simply won't focus in Lv mode. Tries too, but just won't move the internals to actually focus.
For me, not a major issue, as I don't use Lv and focus all that much, and most of the time I'm also on a tripod.
From samples I've seen online, I think the older model still seems to have an edge at 200mm and f/2.8 in terms of contrast(ie. sharpness).

Obviously it doesn't have VC like the two newer models do have. Having briefly tested the first version of this lens I was ready to push the buy it now button on one from any source .. but life got in the way of playtime and that idea kind'a got lost, so I never got around to it.

So for many folks, I'd agree with Kev's comment re the first version.

The other focus issue I've noticed, on the D5500 only, is that if the lens is focused at one of the extremes, it doesn't initially want to move it's position to the other end of the focus range(in vf focus mode).
That is; if the lens is focused at the MFD(min focus position), it makes a buzz noise like it wants to refocus, but it doesn't actually move to focus. But if you re activate the AF(ie. half press again) it then moves and focuses quickly(enough) and accurately.
Same if you've focused at infinity, and want to AF to MFD, the lens will make a short buzz(AF quickly going but not moving), then the second half press will eventually move the AF.
Never seen that on D300 or D800, so it may be a thirdparty lens feature Nikon built into the D5500! :rolleyes:



.... PS> I have a physical limitation so my left hand shakes. Thus. I usually use my SLR one handed (with high shutter speed to compensate) or, preferably, set up with a tripod.

Hence the bulkier tamron telephoto lens is ok, as I use a tripod most of the time anyway.

Sorry to hear about your physical limitation too.

But if you do get a 70-200/2.8 type lens, try to never hold the D5500+70-200/2.8 type lens via the camera body only ... at any time!
D5500 feels wayyyyyy to flimsy to hold a large heavy lens such as this. Even the 1kg Tammy 24-70VC lens feels like a strain on the poor little D5500.
Having connected my old T70-200/2.8 yesterday, I'd be extremely cautious holding the D5500 from the grip .. and it'd probably be a natural way to move the combo to hold it via the lens anyhow(due to the D5500 being so small).
I can't imagine anyone having the ability and dexterity to hold a D5500 + 70-200/2.8 one handed from the camera body and shooting.

But! knowing now what we know re your limitation and the point that you'd use it on a tripod anyhow .. I'd be inclined to recommend the older 'Macro' version of this lens .... with the caveat that you don't use AF in Lv mode a lot.
On a tripod you don't need(or want) the VC feature anyhow, and since the price of the older lens is vastly reduced compared to the newer versions, those savings could net you other goodies.
And a note on other goodies is that teleconverters work pretty well on these types of lenses(from what I've seen in reviews).
I have had plans to test my own TC on it one day .. it's just not one of those priorities to get done.

In saying all that tho .. I still have eventual plans to update my T70-200/2.8 to one of the VC models one day tho.
And for me it's simply the want for the VC feature, and I'm more inclined to go with the G2 version too, as I like geeky USB docks too.

[Ilovebokeh]

Err yes and no!(alternatively; kind'a sort'a)
But! knowing now what we know re your limitation and the point that you'd use it on a tripod anyhow .. I'd be inclined to recommend the older 'Macro' version of this lens .... with the caveat that you don't use AF in Lv mode a lot.
On a tripod you don't need(or want) the VC feature anyhow, and since the price of the older lens is vastly reduced compared to the newer versions, those savings could net you other goodies.
And a note on other goodies is that teleconverters work pretty well on these types of lenses(from what I've seen in reviews).
I have had plans to test my own TC on it one day .. it's just not one of those priorities to get done.

In saying all that tho .. I still have eventual plans to update my T70-200/2.8 to one of the VC models one day tho.
And for me it's simply the want for the VC feature, and I'm more inclined to go with the G2 version too, as I like geeky USB docks too.


thank you, great info. Any idea where to find one please?

[feathers]

There is the samyang 135mm f2 which has good glass and is cheap. But no VR and is manual only. So mostly best for composed portriture.
It does take nice pics though, with good bokeh. I suggest you type in one the lenses mentioned above then add flkr, that way you can see the outcome.

[arthurking83]

... Any idea where to find one please?

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.

[Tannin]

Basically you tuck your left elbow into your side and hold the lens foot in your left hand.

No, no, no, no, no!

Don't do that! It is a recipe for camera shake. Don't even think about doing it that way.

For any given focal length and shutter speed, the amount of camera shake in a shot is determined by four factors.



Forward and backward movement of the camera (closer to and further away from the subject). Always insignificant except for macro work, which is not what we are considering here.
Rotation of the camera perpendicular to the lens. (E.g. twisting from horizon-level to horizon-not-level.) Generally not significant. (Might become a factor shooting from a small boat on a rough sea, or shooting one-handed, otherwise irrelevant.)
Horizontal movement of the lens. (Tip of the lens goes from side to side.) Always important.
Vertical movement of the lens. (Tip of the lens goes up and down.) Always important.


Normally, only the last two factors matter. For simplicity we need only consider the vertical component as the factors leading to visible shake and the steps needed to control it are the same for either one. The amount of camera shake visible is determined by the angular movement of the lens relative to the field of view. Both numbers matter. Suppose the lens moves up or down by 1 degree during the period when the shutter is open.



If you have a 500mm lens on a D5500, your field of view is about 2.5 degrees. A 1 degree movement will result in a shot that is hopelessly blurred, with the subject quite possibly unrecognisable.
If you have a 10mm ultra-wide on the D5500, your field of view is about 100 degrees. A 1 degree movement wouldn't go unnoticed but you'd probably get away with it on a smallish print. You would certainly be able to recognise the subject. A 100% crop would show it up, of course. The point, however, is that, even with the same angular movement, the amount of blur is vastly lower with a wider angle lens.



This is why camera movement and image stabilisation are so important with telephoto lenses - the longer the lens, the smaller the field of view, and the smaller the field of view, the worse the effect of any given amount of shake.

Now, suppose that your left hand moves up or down by 1mm during a shot. (That's not very much at all.) Taking my 100-400 II as a representative example of a mid-size telephoto lens, the centre of the lens foot is 100mm in front of the focal plane; the objective lens is 270mm from it. Your angular movement (which is what produces blur) is 0.57 degrees when you hold it by the lens foot - i.e., enough to create a lot of blur.

Now hold the lens the proper way - as close to the far end as practicable. (With any well-designed telephoto lens, there is a convenient grip immediately behind the lens hood, though if the hood is strong enough you can go one better and hold the hood itself if the lens is not too heavy.) On the 100-400 II, the lens hood starts about 250mm from the focal plane. We do the maths again and discover exactly what common sense suggests we will discover: for that same 1mm up and down hand movement, we now get only 0.23 degrees of angular movement - less than half as much. Yes, your arm is now further away from your body so your hand probably moves a fraction more, but not nearly enough more to produce an equally bad result. We are well in front. (In fact, to get a result as bad as the one we got by holding the lens foot, we would have to move our hand by 2.5mm.

Conservatively, we can say in round figures that holding the lens the proper way instead of by the lens foot results in half the angular movement, and in consequence half the blur.

This rule applies to pretty much any telephoto lens. I won't bore you with the maths, but I just checked it with the only other two telephoto lenses I have handy, a 70-300 and a 600/4. The results are the same within a sensible margin of error. Hold the lens properly, halve the blur.

[Cage]

OP
PS> I have a physical limitation so my left hand shakes. Thus. I usually use my SLR one handed (with high shutter speed to compensate) or, preferably, set up with a tripod.

My suggestion
Basically you tuck your left elbow into your side and hold the lens foot in your left hand was to try to give the OP some sort of stability in the left hand/arm without reaching. However the weight of a 70-200 f2.8 will pretty much necessitate the use of a tripod.

[Tannin]

Fair enough Kev. I was conscious of not directly addressing the OP's query in a useful way as I wrote. On the other hand, I often see supposed "expert" professional photographers on Youtube doing that idiotic hold-the-lens-foot thing, and certainly didn't want to see anyone here thinking it was best practice, 'coz it ain't. (Setting aside special needs, that is.) I did start to write an extra part about good lens choices, but decided half-way through that it wasn't really adding anything much of value, so I crossed it out.

But your mention of a "heavy 70-200/2.8" just sparked an idea which might be worth following up. In the Canon world, there is a 55-250 IS kit lens. It's a cheap plastic thing which you'd reckon would be horrible, but it isn't. In fact, optically, it is amazingly good for the money and not half bad compared to even far more expensive models. And it has very effective IS too. Best of all, it weighs practically nothing.

Obviously that won't fit on a Nikon body, but perhaps Nikon have a similar product. (Most of the kit lenses seem to have pretty direct equivalents in Canonland and Nikonia. Do they copy each other? Or just see the same main needs and fill them in similar ways?)

Assuming such a lens exists, it mightn't be quite as good as a much heavier, more expensive lens, but (if it is similar to the Canon one) the ultra-light weight might more than make up for that. And, of course, save quite a lot of money.

[arthurking83]

.... In the Canon world, there is a 55-250 IS kit lens. It's a cheap plastic thing which you'd reckon would be horrible, but it isn't. In fact, optically, it is amazingly good for the money and not half bad compared to even far more expensive models. And it has very effective IS too. Best of all, it weighs practically nothing.

Obviously that won't fit on a Nikon body, but perhaps Nikon have a similar product. (Most of the kit lenses seem to have pretty direct equivalents in Canonland and Nikonia. Do they copy each other? Or just see the same main needs and fill them in similar ways?)

.....

Not 100% sure on what is good nowadays and what itsn't.
I've had the chance to briefly use an older gen Nikon 18-200(VR 1 model) .. not impressed with it much. OK-ish, but not for the price they want for them.
Gen 2 model(the VRII) is supposedly better, but at the same money as you can get a Tamron 70-200/2.8!

Other tele options for Dx are the new AF-P model 70-300 f/4.5-6.3(note the f/6.3 aperture here too tho!!)
Image quality looks ok from the sample images I've seen from it(taken in context here too tho!).
Lens is cheap, and works on a D5500.

** for any others looking for tele lens advise, note that AF-P lenses only work well on a limited range of Nikon bodies .. check if yours does/doesn't.

Another really cheap and useful lens I've had time to play with recently is Nikon's 18-140VR.
It's got the typical transmission loss that all these lens types are typically affected with, but pretty sharp across the focal length spectrum, focuses much faster than older gen kit lenses I've tried(still have the old 18-105VR too).
140mm focal length on a Dx frame is fairly 'telephoto'. It's not going to capture twitchy little yellow bellied sap suckers from 100m away, but for an easy to use hold the camera(+lens) in one handed mode .. it works quite OK.

I have a lot of trouble using the D5500 in one handed operation mode (my hand is just way too big for it to sit comfy).
It the D5500 operator is comfortable holding the D5500 one handed to begin with, then the 18-140VR lens won't be an additional burden for them.
I know that the 18-200VR lenses are much bigger and front heavier so may be less usable in 'one handed operation mode'.
And the dinky little 70-300 AF-P lens seems to defy gravity. It feels so light and dinky, that it could be filled with helium, and you could float away with it.
You just don't expect that on a '300mm' lens. You know they're going to get long as you zoom to 300mm, and they usually get heavier too, but this thing just feels like 'nothing' .. easy to handhold at 300mm, how well the pics come out is another matter tho.

The other option could be the AF-S 18-300 f/3.5-6.3(NOTE! not the f/3.5-5.6 model).
The f/6.3 model weighs in at 550g, the f/5.6 model weighs in at 830g. While it's less than 300g(which is really insignificant) the issue would be when the lens is set to 300mm, and it extends it's physical length. it then becomes very front heavy!

I'm looking to get the 55-300VR or 18-300VR(f/6.3 versions) as replacement for the old 18-105VR .. for the kids. Depending on overall IQ and usability and stuff tho.

[Ilovebokeh]

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 - - -

[QUOTE=arthurking83;1424381]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. :confused013

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-70-200mm-f2-8-Di-VC-USD-Lens-for-Nikon-Authorised-Tamron-Dealer-/232349657659?hash=item36191e6a3b:g:oyIAAOSwbl5ZftnL

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. :eek:

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/forum/showthread.php?133252-My-new-best-friend-the-Wimberley-Sidekick

Good luck in your search.

[arthurking83]

The first model T70-200/2.8(that I have) was first made in about 2007/8 :confused013 .. 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 (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tamron-SP-70-200mm-f-2-8-Di-VC-USD-Zoom-Lens-A009-Nikon-F-Mount-AU/351976670790?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20140106155344%26meid%3D48d9ddffe4cc402dafc720b88b5571d5%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D6 %26sd%3D391766275550&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851)

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! :D

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! :D

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! :D

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! :confused013
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! :D
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! :confused013
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! :D
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 (https://www.cameralabs.com/tamron-sp-70-200mm-f2-8-vc-g2-review/3/)

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! :p

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 .. :p
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.com.au/tamron-sp-24-70mm-f-2.8-di-vc-usd-g2-lens-for-nikon-mount-afa032.html


Trustworthy? I want to buy.

[Cage]

Yendor, you are all over the place like a grasshopper on a hotplate. :lol2:

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. :lol2:

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.

[Cage]

As both lens have the same aperture and 9 rounded diaphram blades, I can't see there being a lot of difference in the bokeh.

And I'm a bit confused by what you mean by "paying extra for flexibility".

[arthurking83]

I doubt bokeh will be any different .. I think I read that the optical formula is the same. But that AF algorithm has changed so it may focus faster or something.
But like Kev said, the G1 model(I have too) is blistering fast af(definitely my fastest AFing lens). So, while it's great to have faster and or more accurate Af, it's not that the G1 model needed it.

It is a big lens tho .. a lot bigger than lenses of this focal length range should be, or used to be.

[Cage]

I doubt bokeh will be any different .. I think I read that the optical formula is the same. But that AF algorithm has changed so it may focus faster or something.
But like Kev said, the G1 model(I have too) is blistering fast af(definitely my fastest AFing lens). So, while it's great to have faster and or more accurate Af, it's not that the G1 model needed it.

It is a big lens tho .. a lot bigger than lenses of this focal length range should be, or used to be.

'Big' is somewhat subjective.

I currently have my 24-70 on the D600 and the combo feels really lightweight.

It is possibly due to the fact that for the last month I've been using the Sigma 150-600 Sport on the D7200, and that combo seems to weigh a ton.

[Ilovebokeh]

Thank you to you both.

Flexibility for USB port plus FX if I ever change.

Shame about the bokeh then.

So the Nikon lens would have been my best bokeh, but I would not have been able to auto focus. I think I could have learned but I appreciate
arthurking83 (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/member.php?10-arthurking83) posting their actual experience/preference for the Tamron.

OK, last part of the purchase ( I hope)

What are the essential accessories I need with this lens?

Eg.

my tamron f2.8 18-50 has a UV filter, lens hood, and graded filter (that cost $100.)

I carry in a bag and would love a proper photography backpack but assume I will just wrap my not-in-use lens in a jacket in my normal backpack.

thank you

[arthurking83]

....

What are the essential accessories I need with this lens?

...

Forget filters unless they have a specific purpose(as opposed to a generalised purpose)

UV/protective filters are pretty much useless. 1/. you don't need UV filtration .. the sensor does that anyhow! .. and so does the lens.

Filters that are handy to have are a good quality polariser on something like an 18-xxx or if you end up getting the 24-70. Note that the 24-70 does need an 82mm filter and they cost big bucks for a quality one.
Polarisers act as good at protection as do any UV/protective filters .. and they help gain bit of contrast in the right conditions.

[Cage]

https://www.eglobaldigitalcameras.com.au/tamron-sp-24-70mm-f-2.8-di-vc-usd-g2-lens-for-nikon-mount-afa032.html


Trustworthy? I want to buy.

This link is for the Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 G2. :confused013

Have you switched from the 70-200 ?

[Ilovebokeh]

This link is for the Tamron 24-70mm F2.8 G2. :confused013

Have you switched from the 70-200 ?

Ha, no - just wrong link posted. Concept is that store.

[Ilovebokeh]

just typed out massive post that is gone.

ok options before I pull the trigger.

no 1 (for me)

$1,550 used

$1,050 Nikon 610 (7,500 shutter count. Photographer says he bought 2 years ago - can't remember where, which sounds suspicious - but comes in 'mint condition' with box etc.)
and
$500 80-200 f2.8 nikon lens

i love the bokeh on this lens

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80200afs.htm




OR

2) $1,500 new tamron g2 70-200 f2.8 grey market - 2 yr int. warranty


OR


3) $2,000 tamron g2 70-200 f2.8 aus store - 2 yr aus warranty

Your input is appreciated. I know this may seem like I am rehashing, but this is a very important decision for me so I appreciate opinions, risks, risk management suggestions.

If risk was no problem, 1 would be my favourite by even more. 2 is uncomfortable for me - to buy such a large priced intricate item from an unknown. 3. is no guarantee either. I may move and the store (good reputation) may not be easy to work with if something goes wrong - I would be a new customer.



Thank you

[arthurking83]

just typed out massive post that is gone.

ok options before I pull the trigger.

no 1 (for me)

$1,550 used

$1,050 Nikon 610 (7,500 shutter count. Photographer says he bought 2 years ago - can't remember where, which sounds suspicious - but comes in 'mint condition' with box etc.)
and
$500 80-200 f2.8 nikon lens

i love the bokeh on this lens
....

I was under the impression that the 80-200/2.8 lens you referred too wayyyy back when was the AF-D version(due to the pricing of the lens you quoted).
As you found at KR's site, there is an AF-S version .. confusingly names AF-S <lens stuff> D!
The important notation there is the AF-S at the start of the lens' name.
If you can find this lens for $500(in good condition) .. buy 10 of them! :p .. and buy me one too for the tip I just gave you.
This lens is a Nikon legend lens. Very highly regarded and it was replaced by the first version of the 70-200/2.8 VR. All that updated from the AF-S80-200 all say that it was better overall than the 70-200VR.
From memory, this lens still sells for about $1500 second hand at the low end of the price scale. A mint example usually closer to $2k. Those that have one hold onto them for this reason.
AF-S motor is good, strong quiet and all.. but being old can be worn out, or dead. No replacement parts exist any more, as I remember. (Nikon don't want folks fixing them up, as it reduces sales of the latest lenses).

So the tip today is to be 100% sure which version of this lens you've seen for sale at $500. My guess is that it's more likely to be the AF-D version, as that's roughly what they will sell for.
Note that there are multiple versions of the AF-D version too.
The older type is the push/pull zoom action lens .. I wouldn't mount that lens to any camera body other than a D200 and up(in terms of pro level). That lens has no tripod mounting and is too heavy for plastic bodied cameras(D600, D5500, D7200 and so forth).
Also the lens AF system is a bit more annoying on that push/pull lens type too(from what I've read, noisier).
I had the twin ring 80-200/2.8 made sure to get the correct type, and not the push-pull type. I got mine new back then.
The twin ring type, has a tripod foot collar, so that if you do mount a D600, you mount it to a tripod via the lens foot. You could mount the camera to the tripod for a shot or two every now and then, but almost certainly over time if you do this, it will bend/stress the lens mount at the camera body. Not something I would do, other than to test some weird theory .. once!

I know Kev would kind'a agree with me, here given the choices .. but I'd say #3.

If something goes wrong with the lens, remember that Tamron are giving the warranty, so technically, no mater where you live Tamron Aus will allow you to take it to any authorised dealer to get it sorted.

#2 sounds too tempting for me to ignore tho .. :p
The way I look at this dilemma is: for a 3-4K expenditure, $500 is small fry by way of comparison. Obviously $500 is still the same amount of money saved, but the percentage difference is less obvious.
That is, if I just saved or received $5K to spend on junk I don't need, what's the difference if it's $4.5K or $5K .. that's 10% difference. . and both a $4.5K or a $5K spend is still a large dent in the wallet. The $500 difference feels less of an impact.
$500 saving on a $1.5k-$2K spend is a larger percentage difference, and I see that as a red rag(to a bull) .. so I'm more likely to choose the cheaper option.
Order the USB dongle while you're at it too tho. If somethign does go wrong, it may just be a firmware fix that sorts it.
Also, if there is any focus issues, you can sort them yourself.
So if you go grey, you get the G2 lens + USB dock for less than you'd get the lens alone, here .. plus some saved dollars in the bank.

Also things to remember with respect to tripod:
Q. What tripod setup do you have?
If you have an arca swiss clamp system, the G2 lens has the dovetail built into the lens foot. G1 lens doesn't. So you would have to arrange a clamp foot for the G1 lens.
if you use a manfrotto type tripod, they have their own clamp system. The cheaper ones I hate .. the longer video type clamps are ok, if a bit bulky.
Having switched to Arca Swiss type a while back, their system is by far the best clamp type. Not only for flexibility but also usage too.

That may add other accessories to purchase to make the whole shebang work for 'ya as you want it too.

[Ilovebokeh]

I was under the impression that the 80-200/2.8 lens you referred too wayyyy back when was the AF-D version(due to the pricing of the lens you quoted).
As you found at KR's site, there is an AF-S version .. confusingly names AF-S <lens stuff> D!
The important notation there is the AF-S at the start of the lens' name.
If you can find this lens for $500(in good condition) .. buy 10 of them! :p .. and buy me one too for the tip I just gave you.
This lens is a Nikon legend lens. Very highly regarded and it was replaced by the first version of the 70-200/2.8 VR. All that updated from the AF-S80-200 all say that it was better overall than the 70-200VR.
From memory, this lens still sells for about $1500 second hand at the low end of the price scale. A mint example usually closer to $2k. Those that have one hold onto them for this reason.
AF-S motor is good, strong quiet and all.. but being old can be worn out, or dead. No replacement parts exist any more, as I remember. (Nikon don't want folks fixing them up, as it reduces sales of the latest lenses).

So the tip today is to be 100% sure which version of this lens you've seen for sale at $500. My guess is that it's more likely to be the AF-D version, as that's roughly what they will sell for.
Note that there are multiple versions of the AF-D version too.
The older type is the push/pull zoom action lens .. I wouldn't mount that lens to any camera body other than a D200 and up(in terms of pro level). That lens has no tripod mounting and is too heavy for plastic bodied cameras(D600, D5500, D7200 and so forth).
Also the lens AF system is a bit more annoying on that push/pull lens type too(from what I've read, noisier).
I had the twin ring 80-200/2.8 made sure to get the correct type, and not the push-pull type. I got mine new back then.
The twin ring type, has a tripod foot collar, so that if you do mount a D600, you mount it to a tripod via the lens foot. You could mount the camera to the tripod for a shot or two every now and then, but almost certainly over time if you do this, it will bend/stress the lens mount at the camera body. Not something I would do, other than to test some weird theory .. once!

I know Kev would kind'a agree with me, here given the choices .. but I'd say #3.

If something goes wrong with the lens, remember that Tamron are giving the warranty, so technically, no mater where you live Tamron Aus will allow you to take it to any authorised dealer to get it sorted.

#2 sounds too tempting for me to ignore tho .. :p
The way I look at this dilemma is: for a 3-4K expenditure, $500 is small fry by way of comparison. Obviously $500 is still the same amount of money saved, but the percentage difference is less obvious.
That is, if I just saved or received $5K to spend on junk I don't need, what's the difference if it's $4.5K or $5K .. that's 10% difference. . and both a $4.5K or a $5K spend is still a large dent in the wallet. The $500 difference feels less of an impact.
$500 saving on a $1.5k-$2K spend is a larger percentage difference, and I see that as a red rag(to a bull) .. so I'm more likely to choose the cheaper option.
Order the USB dongle while you're at it too tho. If somethign does go wrong, it may just be a firmware fix that sorts it.
Also, if there is any focus issues, you can sort them yourself.
So if you go grey, you get the G2 lens + USB dock for less than you'd get the lens alone, here .. plus some saved dollars in the bank.

Also things to remember with respect to tripod:
Q. What tripod setup do you have?
If you have an arca swiss clamp system, the G2 lens has the dovetail built into the lens foot. G1 lens doesn't. So you would have to arrange a clamp foot for the G1 lens.
if you use a manfrotto type tripod, they have their own clamp system. The cheaper ones I hate .. the longer video type clamps are ok, if a bit bulky.
Having switched to Arca Swiss type a while back, their system is by far the best clamp type. Not only for flexibility but also usage too.

That may add other accessories to purchase to make the whole shebang work for 'ya as you want it too.



Thank you.

Yes, the lens was unknown but probably AF-D (not that I can tell the difference which is my concern...)

http://promaster.com/Product/2696 is my tripod (not recommended but a 'sunk' cost (and leg) pardon the pun.) Is it compatible with the G2?

And what is this USB dongle?

Sorry to have all the questions, but I want to get this right. This is a 'life is short' purchase.

PS. I had to laugh today that I am perhaps becoming too much of a photographer. I saw a beautiful flower...and thought 'too bad about the lighting' ha

[arthurking83]

Looking at tripod, the head mechanism looks to be arca swiss type... So(I'm assuming) that the G2 lens will fit onto the head clamp plate without the need for any additional lens foot plate.
(note that many lenses do need this additional lens foot plate to mount to the tripod.

USB dongle is Tamrons version of Sigmas USB dongle. I'ts called Tap in or Tap-In .. or something.
You connect it to lens, and can do firmware updates, and you can tweak lens to suit your personal style.
The other tweak that can be important is focus tune.
Some cameras have the ability to fine tune focus accuracy, but for zoom lenses this is mostly useless. On a Nikon it is anyhow!.

So if you find that the G2 lens slightly misfocuses, you connect it to PC, load the Tamron lens software and it gives you the ability to set focus a bit forward or back to make it more accurate and hence sharper IQ.

This is the main reason I suggest the 80-200AF-D lens is not ideal. The one I had backfocused enough to annoy me mostly.
My Tamron 28-75/2.8 AF-D type lens also did this. Note that AF-D means a screw driven focus system.
The problem with AF-D is that the focus relies heavily on the camera(a mechanism) to focus properly.
The Tamron lens wasn't a [problem in the end as the amount of misfocus was easily countered by moving the focus ring a very minuscule amount to counter the misfocus .. and it worked well.
The mechanical nature of the AF system had a very minuscule amount of slack to take up and that's what the Tamron needed.

The Nikon lens on the other hand was hard locked to it's focus position. You couldn't tweak it even a nano-smidge. You had to unlock the AF with a stupid manual ring thing, and then move focus, but then it was totally unlocked and you couldn't move it that minuscule amount like the Tamron lens.
Overall a PITA to get sharp focus on most things .. flowers people etc.
Then came the Tamron 70-200/2.8 that I got and AF was spot on :th3:

Lastly: if you saw a flower and thought that the light was 'bad' .. then you probably need a polariser filter to go with that new lens.

So:
Tammy G2 @ $1500
Tamron Tap-in, USB dock at about $100 or so(double check that price .. I just guessed) so maybe $125 at most. Just make sure it's a Nikon version of the device
77mm CPL .. Marumi brand is very good, and cheap. About $75... and no Chinese manufacturer copies them and rips them off, so the chances are if you buy a Marumi, chances are that you get a Marumi made CPL.. the same CAN'T be said of many high priced brand names.

$(1500+100-125+75) = $1675-1700.

[Cage]

And what is this USB dongle?

Google 'Tamron tap-in console' for full details, but basically it is a USB device that allows you to attach your lens to you computer to adjust auto-focus, update firmware etc. Tamron (and Sigma) are the only manufacturers offering this doodad for selected lens. Most, if not all, current cameras have in-camera focus adjustment.

re Tripod: I personally wouldn't trust my gear on your tripod, even more so with an unstable leg. I gave you a link above to a Manfrotto that would do the job. Don't underestimate the value of a stable tripod in your imaging set-up. Even a slight breeze can set up vibrations in a flimsy, lightweight tripod.

re Lens: I'm going to re-iterate what I've already said. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the G1 version of the 70-200 lens. I had one, I'd buy another. So the G2 has the tap-in console compatibility and a new exterior, but honestly I doubt whether I could pick any performance or IQ differences.

Depending on your budget I'd suggest:

1. Keeping the D5500, buying the G1 version, and a new tripod, and you will have a set-up to produce outstanding images

2. Buy the D610 and the G1 version (Tannin gave you the DWI link to it and is a satisfied customer) and a new tripod, my pick.

3. Go for the G2 and be happy with the latest and greatest, and buy a new tripod

Did I mention a new tripod?

[Goatch]

And as everyone will agree LOL , buy a S/H Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR11 , superb lens which is a cracker on DX and FX , use mine on D7200 , D700 and D800 and you won't go wrong , and as mentioned should be in the 1500 range S/H

[arthurking83]

.....

Did I mention a new tripod?

Note enough! :D

you missed:

4. buy a new tripod

:p


** at least get the dodgy leg sorted before you go mounting expensive lenses on it again.

[Ilovebokeh]

ok, purchased G2 through eglobal (via this website.)

*fingers crossed.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1233545-REG/tamron_tap_in_console_for_nikon.html

Will buy this tap in thing - hopefully easy to use as I have no idea. Any video tutorials please?

Also best value 77m filter please - I love long exposure shots and usually need to reduce light.

will look for 77mm polariser/filter...Marumi brand

I have a nice one for my 18-50 mm lens that I can twist to lighten/darken and provide versatility. What is the best value one-size-fits-all for my 77mm G2 telephoto lens fit please?

eg.

no idea of the differences between:

https://www.amazon.com/Marumi-Super-Circular-Polarizer-Filter/dp/B003QSG0HK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505812576&sr=8-1&keywords=Marumi+77mm&refinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin%3A3242350011%2Cp_72%3A2661618011

and

https://www.amazon.com/Marumi-Antistatic-Filter-Circular-Polarizer/dp/B00CCZ42MI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1505812576&sr=8-3&keywords=Marumi+77mm&refinements=p_n_shipping_option-bin%3A3242350011%2Cp_72%3A2661618011



Any suggestions -


THANK YOU!!!

Simultaneously scared and excited

P.S tripod issue noted. I hate to write off the $300 so will be more careful until I can upgrade.

[Cage]

Congrats on the purchase. :th3: Looking forward to seeing some photos.

[Ilovebokeh]

Congrats on the purchase. :th3: Looking forward to seeing some photos.

Pressure is on.

This is my only photo on the site so far - feel free to constructively critique.

I only had my Nikon kit lens. I would have loved to blur the background and just make the tree the subject. The composition is tough though as I don't know how to 'crop' the image for maximum effect (I know how, but not what.) Eg. Should I have just taken the roots? one root? Just the trunk? Cut the leaves? Angles? etc?

http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?154281-How-to-take-pictures-of-tree-roots&p=1426198#post1426198

[arthurking83]

.... The composition is tough though as I don't know how to 'crop' the image for maximum effect (I know how, but not what.) Eg. Should I have just taken the roots? one root? Just the trunk? Cut the leaves? Angles? etc?...


composition is hard. '
it's hard to learn, and hard to teach. It just comes from within(I think) it's what you want to convey to the world. I don't think anyone can teach you a composition style. You discover it as you explore photography with every exposure .. good and bad. Don't just delete the bad ones too tho.
I use mine to learn what not to do again. I do eventually delete them, but after a bit of a clean up at the start of a new year.
I store my images on a yearly basis and then using other directory structures .. but the main directory heading is year.
At the start of every new year(or thereabouts) I sift back through them all. I look at them, rate any that I havent' rated, try to keyword them, and basically manage them.
I then filter them by rating. All the below par(deletable) images are then Shift-deleted.

What you wanted to achieve in that image can be done, but it needs work, or $s.
The other alternative, I don't like to use, is pseudo photographic processing. ie. shopping in some gaussian blur into the background.

some ways to possibly get some blur in that image:
1. get an ultra ultra wide lens.
technical point. Shorter focal lengths make it harder to get shallow DOF .. unless you're using large formats. And full frame is usually not large enough. Problem is, UWA lenses for larger formats are impossible to find.
Say you had a 14mm lens on a full frame camera, and it had a f/2.8 aperture to boot. You'd get really close to the root system, focus a bit closer than the focus point you really wanted and shot wide open at f/2.8.
A similar lens to consider would be the Tokina 11-16/2.8 which is an APS-C lens. I've had the chance to play with an old model a long time ago and it's a good lens .. definitely worth the money. And don't let anyone tell 'ya that f/2.8 on an UWA lens is wasted .. it ain't. Just learn how to use it well.

You can even do that9blur) with your 18-55 lens to a point. Just that the equiv 28mm FOV is far from what you get from an UWA lens.

2. use a stitched panorama method.
Once again with your 18-55 lens, because it's FOV is much more narrow than an UWA lens, you shoot a series of images in row across and a column down, and you have a set of image that can be stitched together to make an UWA simulated image.
You will get massive distortions if you stand in the one spot and rotate around a single point. but they can also be dealt with too. Keep aperture wide open, and focus close up as you can.
The trick is to do this pano, with the lens focused closely on some subject matter, and when you move the camera to capture the rest of the image for that wide FOV scenery .. you mustn't allow the camera to refocus for the other images. That is, the peripheral stitch images should be out of focus, to give that bokeh look.

3. Do as you did before, and use the previously mentioned Gaussian blur method in Ps. You can paint it in as you need, but it's hard to do 'just right'.

[Ilovebokeh]

Hi,

Any help on the filter please?

[arthurking83]

Personally I wouldn't worry 'bout it too much.
(in fact I'm a heavy user of filtering, but not ND's as such)

Camera/lens can help you achieve slow shutter shooting itself.

Set ISO to ISO100. Set aperture to f/16 or f/22 if need be.
Some will argue that diffraction will affect IQ, but the reality is this is pretty much nonsense as the filter will affect sharpness as much as diffraction will. Also, some movement in many slow shutter situations(like trees swaying, water moving.. etc).

A CPL will probably get you another stop of light loss as well.

I'd say start with the basics, don't shoot at high noon .. earlier/later in the day ... etc.
If you are stuck in that you can only find the time to do this during the brightest part of the day then I reckon find a cheap enough filter that does what you want/need.

I have a couple of thousand dollars worth of filters and filter accessories, and of all that only the one ND filter which cost me about $20(IIRC).
The only lens it fits(and was acquired for!) is my 50mm f/1.2. And the only reason I did get this one lens was to use the lens at f/1.2 with the lowest ISO I could manage .. and in bright light on a bright subject, I needed 1/32000s shutter speed.
At 1/8000s I over exposed by +2Ev.
ie. the only reason I got it was that I wanted the shallow DOF of f/1.2 but then became shutter speed limited at the fastest end! :D

If you can describe the slow/long shutter situations you're interested in doing, maybe we can describe an alternative scenario without you spending money on a filter(for now).

Also an important other point is, do you have plans for any other lenses .. eg. UWA and suchlike.
Reason I ask is that I think you've shown an interest in the Tamron 24-70 VC lens too :confused013
If so, then be aware that it needs an 82mm filter.

The important point here being that if you have plans for a 24-70VC and also want to use this same filter type for long shutter photography with it too .. then there's no point getting a 77mm filter for the 70-200 G2 lens and that filter now not fitting the 24-70 lens! ;)

You're best off getting the 82mm version which fits the 24-70 lens and then a cheap $1 step down ring for the 82mm filter to fit the 77mm 70-200 lens.

Hope that makes sense.

This is why I generally explain to folks that a more careful and considered approach is the best way to buying stuff.

[Ilovebokeh]

Personally I wouldn't worry 'bout it too much.
(in fact I'm a heavy user of filtering, but not ND's as such)

Camera/lens can help you achieve slow shutter shooting itself.

Set ISO to ISO100. Set aperture to f/16 or f/22 if need be.
Some will argue that diffraction will affect IQ, but the reality is this is pretty much nonsense as the filter will affect sharpness as much as diffraction will. Also, some movement in many slow shutter situations(like trees swaying, water moving.. etc).

A CPL will probably get you another stop of light loss as well.

I'd say start with the basics, don't shoot at high noon .. earlier/later in the day ... etc.
If you are stuck in that you can only find the time to do this during the brightest part of the day then I reckon find a cheap enough filter that does what you want/need.

I have a couple of thousand dollars worth of filters and filter accessories, and of all that only the one ND filter which cost me about $20(IIRC).
The only lens it fits(and was acquired for!) is my 50mm f/1.2. And the only reason I did get this one lens was to use the lens at f/1.2 with the lowest ISO I could manage .. and in bright light on a bright subject, I needed 1/32000s shutter speed.
At 1/8000s I over exposed by +2Ev.
ie. the only reason I got it was that I wanted the shallow DOF of f/1.2 but then became shutter speed limited at the fastest end! :D

If you can describe the slow/long shutter situations you're interested in doing, maybe we can describe an alternative scenario without you spending money on a filter(for now).

Also an important other point is, do you have plans for any other lenses .. eg. UWA and suchlike.
Reason I ask is that I think you've shown an interest in the Tamron 24-70 VC lens too :confused013
If so, then be aware that it needs an 82mm filter.

The important point here being that if you have plans for a 24-70VC and also want to use this same filter type for long shutter photography with it too .. then there's no point getting a 77mm filter for the 70-200 G2 lens and that filter now not fitting the 24-70 lens! ;)

You're best off getting the 82mm version which fits the 24-70 lens and then a cheap $1 step down ring for the 82mm filter to fit the 77mm 70-200 lens.

Hope that makes sense.

This is why I generally explain to folks that a more careful and considered approach is the best way to buying stuff.

Thank you.

I wrote out a massive reply but often this site eats up the responses.

in short.

I have the lens. Bad weather so will experiment at home.

Filter:

I have a 72mm variable filter for my 18-50 lens. I need it for most of my long exposure shots (typically dawn/dusk) as otherwise the light filter says too much light.

thinking this one:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/813278-REG/Tiffen_77VND_77mm_Variable_Neutral_Density.html

Thank you

[feathers]

Something else to check out in the future is the nikon 300mm f4 PF ED VR, weighing only 755g. It has come down in price, but still expensive.
Very sharp at f4. The VR is very good, and it has a sports mode, for fast action stuff. Apart from when l'm doing landscapes, or close quarter stuff, l have this lens on my camera most of the time, and because its so light, l can use it all day, without getting sore from weight issues. It is a prime lens though, so you have to use you legs to get closer or further away to get things in frame. Bokeh is good, but it does hunt at times in low light conditions. Cheers.

[Cage]

Filter:

I have a 72mm variable filter for my 18-50 lens. I need it for most of my long exposure shots (typically dawn/dusk) as otherwise the light filter says too much light.

thinking this one:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/813278-REG/Tiffen_77VND_77mm_Variable_Neutral_Density.html

Thank you

I personally wouldn't use a Variable ND filter. Why, because they vary, and not always in the way that you want them to.

I'd suggest this one ... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/752928-REG/B_W_1066186_77mm_110_Solid_Neutral.html It has been heavily discounted and B+W are the acknowledged leaders in camera filters.

[Ilovebokeh]

I personally wouldn't use a Variable ND filter. Why, because they vary, and not always in the way that you want them to.

I'd suggest this one ... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/752928-REG/B_W_1066186_77mm_110_Solid_Neutral.html It has been heavily discounted and B+W are the acknowledged leaders in camera filters.

Thank you.


Huge help!

I needed a filter today.

So far:

1) FUN LENS!
2) HEAVY.
3) I am attuned to composing in 18-50 range, so this is a new challenge.
4) Sharp image quality.
5) time. Due to my shaking left hand, my challenge is setting up with the tripod etc. So composing is even more important. It makes me think that I need to 'stake out' my shots, i.e be ready and click them as they happen in front of me. I can no longer be quick enough to react to serendipity.

[Ilovebokeh]

An interesting benefit of this lens is that I can take photos through objects (eg. linked fence/screen door) * without the screen showing.

Lots of fun!