What telephoto is good complement for D70 kit?


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shy_an

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Aug 24, 2004
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East Sg
Hi all,

I'm a newbie, owned a film SLR b4 but never explored much. After going for my wife's convocation, discovered the kit lens is not good enough for these shots.

Thinking of getting a telephoto lens to complement the current lens that came with the camera.

I have read thru' other threads abt tele lens but the prices thrown around shocks me :eek:

Any suggestions for a telephoto lens (maybe tokina/sigma) up to 300mm under $1000?? :embrass: Hope my price point doesn't shock you! :bsmilie:
 

gooseberry said:
For your budget, you can consider the Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro Super II. At around $330++, this is a good value for money lens. I'm currently using it. See here for some sample shots with this lens on a D70.
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=89056

Hey, nice shots. With our D70 1.5x factor so the 300mm is like 450mm right? :dunno:

BTW, where did you buy it from? Thanks for the recommendation, nearly broke my heart hearing the prices these guys throw around for telephoto lenses... :bigeyes:
 

2nd the recommendation, have one myself and is good optically. For the price cannot complaint. But you get what you pay for and don't put it side by side with say a Nikon 70-200VR but can put side by side with a Nikon 70-300G or the 70-300D. IMHO is better than the 70-300G in terms of optical quality and is better than the 70-300D in terms of price but on on mechanical quality.
 

...you can add in another $400. You could settle for the Nikkor AF 180mm F2.8 Brand new - an excellent lens. I use it often with my D70 for concerts, speeches and that gives me good distance (not too near and not too far). Best of all because of the F2.8, I can afford to take some shots with ambient lighting (if the stage is bright enough).

Drawback: It is a fixed focal...so some lens changing needed or alternatively YOU move up and down slightly. From experience it's nothing compared to the shots I get. It complements the DX kit lens well.

Cheers
 

shy_an said:
Hi all,

I'm a newbie, owned a film SLR b4 but never explored much. After going for my wife's convocation, discovered the kit lens is not good enough for these shots.

Thinking of getting a telephoto lens to complement the current lens that came with the camera.

I have read thru' other threads abt tele lens but the prices thrown around shocks me :eek:

Any suggestions for a telephoto lens (maybe tokina/sigma) up to 300mm under $1000?? :embrass: Hope my price point doesn't shock you! :bsmilie:

Get a Sigma 70-200 2.8 with 1.4X TC. :thumbsup:
And the 1.4X TC is optional slap it on when u need it.
 

To save you $$ and more $$ later-on if you decide to upgrade. Here's my piece of mind. If you can afford and are willing to spend a tad more dough, I would suggest you for the Nikon AF-D 80~200 f2.8. You might able to find a 2nd hand one in mint condition if you are lucky and the price shouldn't be that steep. This guy is a real workhorse, and the is build like a tank.
 

ZeusS said:
To save you $$ and more $$ later-on if you decide to upgrade. Here's my piece of mind. If you can afford and are willing to spend a tad more dough, I would suggest you for the Nikon AF-D 80~200 f2.8. You might able to find a 2nd hand one in mint condition if you are lucky and the price shouldn't be that steep. This guy is a real workhorse, and the is build like a tank.

And if you are looking athe 80-200 AF-D f/2.8 make sure you go for the 2 touch version (1 ring for zooming, 1 ring for focusing) as the 80-200 1 touch version is too heavy and too slow for the D70..
 

Totally agree, I often use my AF 180 f2.8 with my fuji s2. Coupled with extension tubes, makes a great macro lens with sufficient working distance.

Picard said:
...you can add in another $400. You could settle for the Nikkor AF 180mm F2.8 Brand new - an excellent lens. I use it often with my D70 for concerts, speeches and that gives me good distance (not too near and not too far). Best of all because of the F2.8, I can afford to take some shots with ambient lighting (if the stage is bright enough).

Drawback: It is a fixed focal...so some lens changing needed or alternatively YOU move up and down slightly. From experience it's nothing compared to the shots I get. It complements the DX kit lens well.

Cheers
 

shy_an said:
Hey, nice shots. With our D70 1.5x factor so the 300mm is like 450mm right? :dunno:

BTW, where did you buy it from? Thanks for the recommendation, nearly broke my heart hearing the prices these guys throw around for telephoto lenses... :bigeyes:

Thanks... yes, the 300mm will have a field of view crop equivalent to 450mm. I got mine at TK Photo, but you can get it from most places.
 

I am not very happy with my Sigma 70-300 APO II. But I do agree it's so cheap, I shouldn't be complaining. I am seriously considering getting a 70-200 VR, there is another 0 in the price. But I personally feel the quality and features deserve it.

http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID17/908.html

Forgot to add in. Just get a second hand one cheap and treat it as disposable. The build is really bad.
 

gadrian said:
And if you are looking athe 80-200 AF-D f/2.8 make sure you go for the 2 touch version (1 ring for zooming, 1 ring for focusing) as the 80-200 1 touch version is too heavy and too slow for the D70..

My experience: The 2-touch 80-200D is not that much lighter. So far, I couldn't get any sharp images from it on D70 without a tripod. (Definitely need some gym work myself...) But the tripod collar with the 2-touch version is pretty essential, especially when your camera is not built like an F5.

Out of topic: I find that my F90x autofocuses this lens faster and with less hunting than D70. The numbers 70 and 90 do mean something. :D
 

johnyu said:
My experience: The 2-touch 80-200D is not that much lighter. So far, I couldn't get any sharp images from it on D70 without a tripod. (Definitely need some gym work myself...) But the tripod collar with the 2-touch version is pretty essential, especially when your camera is not built like an F5.

Out of topic: I find that my F90x autofocuses this lens faster and with less hunting than D70. The numbers 70 and 90 do mean something. :D

Technically both are the same weight 1.3Kg. however the 80-200 AF-D one touch seems to be lots heavier. The D70, D100 and F80 share the same focus mech drive spindle that doesnt produce enough torque to turn the spindle.

With the heavier AF elements of the one touch this is ever more noticable and the speed of AF on the above mentioned bodies with the 80-200 AF-D one touch is abysmal.. the 80-200 seems to have a lighter set of focus elements or perhaps the focus mech on the lens has been designed to be faster. You will see the comparable differences with focusing with the one touch and 2 touch.

The F90(x) has a much more powerful focus drive system. WIth much higher torque..

On how to get sharp pics with the 80-200 AF-D.. heck lots of my friends have gotten excellent sharp pics with that lens.. even without a tripod. I suspect if is more like a method of usage. Read that super long thread about 80-200 AF-D f/2.8 vs. the 70-200 AF-S VR f/2.8. Maybe that will help.

Have fun..
 

johnyu said:
My experience: The 2-touch 80-200D is not that much lighter. So far, I couldn't get any sharp images from it on D70 without a tripod. (Definitely need some gym work myself...) But the tripod collar with the 2-touch version is pretty essential, especially when your camera is not built like an F5.

A little gym will help. :) But generally speaking, it's the holding technique of both the camera and lense. Have used 80-200 (1-touch and 2-touch) and 70-200mm with no problems in getting sharp images.
 

johnyu said:
So far, I couldn't get any sharp images from it on D70 without a tripod. (Definitely need some gym work myself...)
And I forgotten the 1.5x mag. and thus forgotten to use faster shutter speed... :bsmilie:
 

Although the build of the Sigma 70-300 APO II is yet to be desired. IMO this is a ok lens in its price range.

Plastic barrel construction makes it a light lens to carry around, either in a bag or mounted on the camera.

Share a few shots with this lens on the D70. 100%, uncropped.

DSC_2510_1.jpg



DSC_2509-1.jpg



DSC_2504_1.jpg



DSC_2474_1.jpg
 

gooseberry said:
For your budget, you can consider the Sigma 70-300mm APO Macro Super II. At around $330++, this is a good value for money lens. I'm currently using it. See here for some sample shots with this lens on a D70.
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=89056

Yeap. Lens not too bad, i was at the Fashion show and i saw lots of huge guns..and i had only got my Sigma 70-300..and came up with my collections at
http://photobucket.com/albums/v457/Kirby_Ong/2004-08-24_CS_Fashion/

Not too bad i may say so myself.
 

For everybody using the Sigma 70-300 APO II. Those shots are all out of the box? No post production? I seem to have a problem with contrast. Especially at the 300mm side. The contrast is so bad the whole image look like it's convered in a haze. Nobody else has got this problem?
 

bernards said:
For everybody using the Sigma 70-300 APO II. Those shots are all out of the box? No post production? I seem to have a problem with contrast. Especially at the 300mm side. The contrast is so bad the whole image look like it's convered in a haze. Nobody else has got this problem?

Hi bernards,

Those shots of mine of the sunbirds are all out of the box at 300mm - shot in RAW mode, unset the in camera sharpening setting from medium high to none in Capture, imported into PS, cropped, slight USM, and resized for the web. No changes to image otherwise.

Have you got image samples of the haze you are getting ?
 

gooseberry said:
Hi bernards,

Those shots of mine of the sunbirds are all out of the box at 300mm - shot in RAW mode, unset the in camera sharpening setting from medium high to none in Capture, imported into PS, cropped, slight USM, and resized for the web. No changes to image otherwise.

Have you got image samples of the haze you are getting ?

I have a post of this problem over here at clubsnap and over at nikonians. I can't seem to find my post over here now. But below is the nikonians link.

http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID17/908.html
 

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