AF VR Zoom Nikkor ED 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D

[mikebidwell]

Does anyone know of a teleconverter that will work with the Nikon D300 and the Nikkor 80-400mm Zoom lens

Regards

Mike Bidwell:-C

[Gentoo]

Does anyone know of a teleconverter that will work with the Nikon D300 and the Nikkor 80-400mm Zoom lens

Regards

Mike Bidwell:-C
You would have to get a third party TC like the Kenko pro 300 DG. Nikon doesn't make TC's to go with it's consumer level zooms. The glass elements could collide during operation as the back of the galss in a zoom like this pokes out closer to the end of the lens casing and moves during operation.

[rioja]

I believe you will loose AF as well. The 80-400 does carry the gold ring that I thought marks it as pro glass though .

[PhilW]

The Kenko pro works with this lens and so does the autofocus. Its a bit slow though. I've just sold my 80-400 and the Kenko!

[tc99mman]

Auto focus does not work beyond f 5.6.

[IVAN P]

Hi,
previous reports and comments about this lens,on this forum have said that "even if you find a suitable converter,the results will not be as good as the lens on its own".The overall quality will suffer.
I use this lens with a D2x,its a super lens,its only drawback is its slow auto focus.You do get used to it,and compensate where you can.Good luck

[nirofo]

Auto focus does not work beyond f 5.6.

Yes it does providing there's enough light! It is slower though.

[stoop]

I'm trying to decide between this, the AF VR Zoom Nikkor ED 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D and a 300mm f4 + 1.4 for my D300. No AF-S for the zoom but no VR for the 300. Or should I go Sigma 150-500mm which has both and is cheaper? I'd be grateful for any opinions.

[rioja]

I'm trying to decide between this, the AF VR Zoom Nikkor ED 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D and a 300mm f4 + 1.4 for my D300. No AF-S for the zoom but no VR for the 300. Or should I go Sigma 150-500mm which has both and is cheaper? I'd be grateful for any opinions.

I regretted not buying a 300mmf4 instead of the 80-400 for bird photography but there are other occasions were the zoom can be very handy too.
The biggest drawbacks of the 80-400 were slow and noisy AF. You can get better results on a camera body with more power than my D200 such as the D3, it also helps to use the focus limiter too. In good light though this lens is capable of very sharp crisp images even wide open. IMO though, forget about trying to use a TC with it unless you want to use manual focus and I was never inclined to try.
From what I can gather the 300mm f4 also delivers crisp sharp photo's, is quick focusing and can operate at lower light levels. With a 1.4TC I expect you have a 420mm f5.6 and at a push with the 1.7 you have a 500mm at f6.3.
It is capable of capturing BIF much better than the 80-400.
I have no experience of the 50-500 Sigma and it is a popular choice as it's priced below the Nikon lenses however, from what I can gather, it's not so sharp at 500mm so you might not be getting quite what you expected.

[foto-harald]

...
I have no experience of the 50-500 Sigma and it is a popular choice as it's priced below the Nikon lenses however, from what I can gather, it's not so sharp at 500mm so you might not be getting quite what you expected.

I have much experience with my Bigma and to have a view on the sharpness at 500mm have a look at my gallery ;)