which lens, nikon/sigma on d200 -help!

[eneate]

I ahve a NIkon D200 with a afs vr 70 - 200mm lens which works great. For more magnification would it be better to get the nikon vr 80-400mm or get a 1.4x teleconverter. I also have the option of a sigma 400mm lens which I can't find any reviews for, does anyone have any advice they can give?
If the teleconverter would be ok it would save carting around another large zoom lens, adding to my growing digital camera bag. Thanks

[kyyroju]

I have D200 (previously had D70) using nikon vr 80-400mm as my main lens for birding. Tried a 1.4x teleconverter with this combination and it does not work (very hard to get properly focused pics).
I'm saving money for big prime lens - more than likely Nikon's 300mm 2.8 VR + 2.0x teleconverter. Tried this setup and it works beatifully. My dream lens (for birding) would be Nikon's 400mm 2.8, but the price of that is - for the time being - outside my range. Also on the downside it does not have the VR function which I like very, very much.
The vr 80-400mm is slow on focusing and makes photographing of fast moving and flying birds a challenge, but not impossible, just needs plenty of practice.
The VR is a great functionality - meaning very little need for tripod or monopod.

[Keith Reeder]

I'm a huge fan of the Sigma equivalent to the Nikon 80-400.

Optically there's little to choose between the two, but the Sigma is usefully less expensive, and because it has its own internal AF drive motor (the Nikkor relies on the in-camera AF drive) it focusses more quickly than the Nikkor.

That said: the D200 has a bigger, more powerful AF drive than the D70 (say), so it does peg some of the benefit of the Sigma's internal drive back a bit - the Sigma is as fast on my D70 as it is on my D200, whereas the Nikkor will be faster on a D200 than it would be on a D70.

And I agree with kyyroju, the in-lens stabilisation in either of these lenses is a real advantage.

[Andy Bright]

I'd suggest the 70-200 VR + the Nikon TC-17E 1.7x teleconverter... this teleconverter is the better compromise, losing 1.5 f-stop of light and still provides a good sharp image without stopping down to much.

Cheers,
Andy

[eneate]

:eat:
Hi Thanks for all the feeback, getting the right kit as portable as possible is a dificult decision at best.
I like the idea of the teleconverter as I already have several lenses and the bag is getting bigger, but I do want as much magnification as possible for birds and other wildlife. I guess this would give me the eqivallent of a 340mm lens with the benifit of the nikon afs and vr. Would the x2 converter work to give just that little bit more?

[KCMui]

Hi, couple of words from a beginner as well.. hope will give you one more perspective.

I went thru the same questions in my mind just a while back, Sincerely Thanks to a lot of advices from experienced experts of this site and others, and some difficult thinking on my part.

I went ahead and got the 300/4 plus the TC17 .

Which along with the 70-200VR will give me a good 340 lens with VR for birds in flight, plus it will give me a good 510 mm lens for stationary objects.

one side benefit I didn't figured was the close focus capability of the 300mm Nikkor. makes it a good lens for outdoor portraits as well as a Macro lens for not too small subjects.

So far, I am pretty happy with the decison, except for a few times when I really wanted a 600mm or more to fill the frame.

As most photographers will tell you, there is never enough focal length, and the lens is always better faster, but all we can do is work with what best we can afford.


GOOD LUCK and Good bird hunting (pictures that is)....

Cheers :-))

[Keith Reeder]

I went ahead and got the 300/4 plus the TC17 .

That (or maybe a 1.4x TC to maximise AF - shame to waste the AF-S focussing speed) is a great combo - it's one of the best lenses Nikon make, and a real bargain for the quality it provides.

True, no stabilisation, but good hand holding technique will get you a long way.

[jules.b]

" Would the x2 converter work to give just that little bit more?"

At work I use the D2x with the 70-200vr and a nikon 2x teleconverter. It works well, but makes a very long and cumbersome lens. The AF is still fast and the VR still effective. High contrast shots show a little fringing unless you stop down. Well worth a try. I have not used the 1.4 time teleconverter.

[yossi]

I agree with Jules. The TC-20EII is very useful with the 70-200. I stop down 1/3 stop to F/6.3 and get very sharp results.
The 80-400 VR can be used with a x1.4 TC (Kenko or Tamron), but a tripod and turning VR off are needed. The 80-400 VR focuses with the D200 much faster than with the D70/s or the D100. If the range of focus is limited on the lens, birds can be traced flying (not too fast though...).