Canon 100-400 vs Nikon???
So last weekend one of the guys that helped me shoot the WidowMaker hillclimb used a Canon 100-400. The shots he got out of that thing were pretty damn good for a zoom of that range. I always thought those superzooms were poop. This was not the case. The bokeh was a bit weird. Sometimes it looked like a cat scratched the background away. But the subject was nice and sharp and the lens seemed to track very well from the sequences that I look at.
So what does Nikon have that is in the same class as this Canon thing? Or is it Sigma with the 50-500 or 150-500? I think I need to start thinking about one of these babies as my next lens purchase. All I hear is bad stuff about these, but then I see this Canon............:scratch
So what does Nikon have that is in the same class as this Canon thing? Or is it Sigma with the 50-500 or 150-500? I think I need to start thinking about one of these babies as my next lens purchase. All I hear is bad stuff about these, but then I see this Canon............:scratch
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No really, I think Nikon's counterpart is the 80-400? The Canon 100-400, while not having as good IQ as say a 70-200, does the job nicely as you know. It's an L. That's how you can know if a lens is good... see if it has the red L ring . Nikon has D's and G's, but nothing to compare to L's...
The Bigma 50-500 is a good lens from what I've heard. Here's a thread with a link to some pics:
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=200737
Reviews:
http://www.photozone.de/nikon--nikkor-aps-c-lens-tests/253-nikkor-af-80-400mm-f45-56-ed-vr-d-review--lab-test-report
http://www.photozone.de/nikon_ff/552-nikkorafd80400vrff
The lens could do with some updates, namely a faster AF-S version and the latest VR technology from Nikon, as well as improved optics to handle the best Nikon bodies. Still, this is a very competent and very popular professional Nikon zoom lens.
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How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Nikon's 80-400mm is one of those lenses, that desperately needs to be refreshed or retired soon.
It has slow AF. poor sharpness, low contrast, questionable build quality and over priced.
It not that bad. Its an amazingly flexible lens that produces good results if stepped down.
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How many photographers does it take to change a light bulb? 50. One to change the bulb, and forty-nine to say, "I could have done that better!"
Nikon rep in town at event next week. I will ask if this is a possibility. They are usually very tight lipped.
This is what I have heard. Slow doesn't cut it for AF for action stuff. Might just need to try one, or keep the fingers crossed for an update.
I bet you'll have better luck with a 70-200 and a 2x tele.
First, DO NOT purchase this lens if your primary reason is shooting sports or fast action. This is NOT a sports lens by any means. The AF is very slow. It is very difficult to track action with it. That being said, I have used it to shoot sports and have gotten nice results. If you're looking to track individual players and get tight shots with it, forget about it. Plus, for indoor sports, it's just not fast enough to freeze action even with the low light capabilities of a full frame camera. If you want to capture scenes at an outdoor sporting event, it works quite well.
This was taken, with that lens on a D100 set to JPG Fine, from the photo deck at the University of Michigan football stadium. I was at about the 50 yard line on the other side of the field. It's not going to make the cover of Sports Illustrated, but it served my purposes quite well.
It is GREAT to use as a walk around lens because of the ability to capture candid shots without being noticed. It also works quite well on wildlife. I appreciate it much more now that I've switched over to FX. The lens seems a bit more responsive on the d700 than it did on the d100. This coupled with the fact that the reach (view really) of 200mm is quite different on the FX frame than it is on the DX frame, and pushing the limit of any zoom seldom gives the best performance, I find myself using this lens more now.
These were taken from a smallish boat in 1 to 2 foot waves with the D700.
At 80mm
At 180mm
At 400mm
As you can see, if you've ever tried 400mm from a boat, the VR worked pretty well. One thing I've learned the hard way with this lens though, is that if you ever use it on a tripod, make sure to turn the VR off or you'll have some really horrid looking images.
That's my two cents on the lens. If you have any specific questions about it, I'd be happy to try and answer them.
I got to borrow a Canon 100-400 for a couple of hours - nice !
Canon 100- 400 on a Rebel XSi (450D)