Nikkor lens decision...

Kenny

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hi everyone...

Looking for some help in deciding which lens to get... Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200 f2.8 ED-IF or the Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 ED. I mainly want this lens for motorsport photography and will be using it on a Nikon D2X body. Quality wise, I know that either lens will be fantastic... what I am wondering about is the auto-focus speed of the 80-200? Will it be fast enough to keep up, or would I really need the af-s of the 70-200 VR lens? I can cope without the VR, although it would be very nice to have. The VR lens is nearly $AUD1000 more expensive. I can pick up a brand new 80-200 cheaper than a second hand 70-200 AF-S VR lens!

Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated, especially from those that shoot with Nikkor glass.

Thanks for your help.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

Kenny
[/FONT]

Mitchell

I think the speed of focus will be a critical issue for your with fast moving motorsport photos. I own a D2X with the 70-200mm, VR lens and find the autofocus is quite impressive. I agree that the VR is not really an issue for you. My only other comparison is my 300mm, f4 lens with AF which is slightly slower.

Any way you can rent the 80-200mm to see if it meets your speed needs? It has a great reputation as a wonderfully sharp lens.

Also, have you upgraded your firmware to 2.0 yet? I have noted a significant improvement in AF tracking and acquisition with this upgrade which would certainly be helpful for your shooting.

Mitch

spider-t

Kenny wrote:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hi everyone...

Looking for some help in deciding which lens to get... Nikkor AF-S VR 70-200 f2.8 ED-IF or the Nikkor 80-200 f2.8 ED. I mainly want this lens for motorsport photography and will be using it on a Nikon D2X body. Quality wise, I know that either lens will be fantastic... what I am wondering about is the auto-focus speed of the 80-200? Will it be fast enough to keep up, or would I really need the af-s of the 70-200 VR lens? I can cope without the VR, although it would be very nice to have. The VR lens is nearly $AUD1000 more expensive. I can pick up a brand new 80-200 cheaper than a second hand 70-200 AF-S VR lens!

Any thoughts and comments would be appreciated, especially from those that shoot with Nikkor glass.

Thanks for your help.[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

Kenny
[/FONT]

I agree with Mitchel. I have a d2x and a 70-200. I rented both before buying. The 80-200 is a much more compact lens, but the difference in focusing speed was quite noticeable.

I ended up renting the 70-200 for a bunch of races until I could pull together enough funds to get my own.

Not a single regret.
-Trish

Kenny

Thanks!
Thanks for your comments Mitchel and Trish... looks like I'm going to have to save some more pennies and go with the AF-S. I was kind of leaning that way, but was hoping the auto focus on the non AF-S lense would be quick enough! I'll try to rent both and compare them, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find them to rent...

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Kenny

spider-t wrote:

I agree with Mitchel. I have a d2x and a 70-200. I rented both before buying. The 80-200 is a much more compact lens, but the difference in focusing speed was quite noticeable.

I ended up renting the 70-200 for a bunch of races until I could pull together enough funds to get my own.

Not a single regret.
-Trish

ESiggins

Kenny,

There's also a version of the 80-200 with AF-S, but no VR. According to Ken Rockwell, it was made from 1999-2004 and was replaced by the newest 70-200 VR. He reckons it's bigger and heavier than the non-AF-S version, but focuses a bit faster. Maybe a good compromise for ya if you can find one.

Fred.

Kenny

Thanks Fred,

I've made a couple of enquiries and the AF-S (non VR) lens is as rare as rocking horse poo around here! I am going to keep an eye out for one though but will still try to get my hands on the other two for a test run.

Thanks again.

Kenny

ESiggins wrote:

Kenny,

There's also a version of the 80-200 with AF-S, but no VR. According to Ken Rockwell, it was made from 1999-2004 and was replaced by the newest 70-200 VR. He reckons it's bigger and heavier than the non-AF-S version, but focuses a bit faster. Maybe a good compromise for ya if you can find one.

Fred.