Which Nikon lens to choose

[AC1277]

Hi, I will be gg Formula 1 race this yr, sitting at the floating bay.
I intend to get a zoom till 300mm lens on my D7000
There's only 3 option of lens for mi to choose (due to budget) can advise mi which lens is better.
1) 18-300mm f/3.5 VR
2) 28-300mm f/3.5 VR
3) 70-300mm f4.5 VR

 

[Luminare]

I would safely say you can count the 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR out of your selection.

It makes a decent walk around lens but not as a action lens. Its AF is slow and is generally softer in terms of sharpness compared to the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR

For day shots during the practices, these lens would be generally fine but during night shots these lens' AF could potentially hunt when stretched to 300mm at f/5.6

If you have no long term plan to be shooting at such focal lens, suggestion that is out of the box is that you could rent a 70-200 f/2.8 VR II

Hi, I will be gg Formula 1 race this yr, sitting at the floating bay.
I intend to get a zoom till 300mm lens on my D7000
There's only 3 option of lens for mi to choose (due to budget) can advise mi which lens is better.
1) 18-300mm f/3.5 VR
2) 28-300mm f/3.5 VR
3) 70-300mm f4.5 VR

 

[lankyal]

If you have no long term plan to be shooting at such focal lens, suggestion that is out of the box is that you could rent a 70-200 f/2.8 VR II

I second that.

 

[Dfive]

Hi, I will be gg Formula 1 race this yr, sitting at the floating bay.
I intend to get a zoom till 300mm lens on my D7000
There's only 3 option of lens for mi to choose (due to budget) can advise mi which lens is better.
1) 18-300mm f/3.5 VR
2) 28-300mm f/3.5 VR
3) 70-300mm f4.5 VR

I would safely say you can count the 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR out of your selection.

It makes a decent walk around lens but not as a action lens. Its AF is slow and is generally softer in terms of sharpness compared to the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR

For day shots during the practices, these lens would be generally fine but during night shots these lens' AF could potentially hunt when stretched to 300mm at f/5.6

If you have no long term plan to be shooting at such focal lens, suggestion that is out of the box is that you could rent a 70-200 f/2.8 VR II

I second that.

AGREE.... More to the point ensure you play with High ISO and shutter speeds so your familiar with fast paced action.... go shoot on the PIE first... hehehehe

 

[yyD70S]

From the grandstand and as an overview, any of the three would suffice. If you intend to head down to those walkabout zones and "fill the frame with action shots", I suggest renting either the AFS 70-200mm f2.8 VR I or II or the AFS 300mm f4 [ if you do not want the weight of the AFS 300mm f2.8 ]

 

[enenyi]

I have a 70-300mm G (non-VR) paired with my D90. Works great under good lighting, but bad under low-light conditions. Bought it at $200 in Aug 2011, now still working fine, just no built-in AF motor. Quite soft at the 300mm (450mm for DX) end, but with adequate lighting, the pics are still not bad. So my advice is to buy second-hand or borrow one of these great 'older' lenses (I saw someone selling this lens at $120 at BnS section) and use it to tide through the F1 face first. My D90 with 11-point AF has no problem with AF tracking with this lens under good lighting conditions, so I believe that your D7000 with 39-point AF will have no problem doing AF tracking under the floodlights of the F1 race. After the race, sell off this lens at minimal loss (if you bought second hand) and really invest in a good piece of glass. I would advice getting the Sigma 150-500mm if you are really keen on long range zooms.

 

[neoro]

if you're renting I suggest you rent a month or 2 before for a few times to be familiar with the lens and bring your expectations on par with your experience.
the 70-200 is a pro level lens that would deliver during F1, however technique is another question.

 

[Luminare]

Slightly off topic but I think it is important.

When buying lens, it is an investment and it can be an expensive one. A good lens can last you many years (We are talking about 5-10 years) so, firstly, when buying, go for a quality made lens.

Secondly and most importantly, there is a saying that the poor man always pay twice and this is a common pitfall when it comes to photography because we tend to settle for the next best within our budget when an event important to us, pushes the buttons in our brain to buy.

But we don't have to buy NOW if we don't have the money. Renting makes much better financial sense than buying because by the time we sell off our make shift purchase, it easily depreciates 20% from NPP (New Part Price) which could be equal to the rental cost but you get better quality photos from using the right lens (Right tool for the right job).

So, if you are into this gene of photography for the long haul, rent a good lens, save the money and when the time comes, buy it so you wont have to pay twice for it.

IMHO from the stand point of a serious enthusiast, unfortunately, the isn't one lens that can do 70 to 300mm all in one.

Suitable ones at about 3k and below as follows (Prices as estimated with local warranty):
1) 300mm f/4D AFS - Old model lens but works great and continue to do so and cost slightly above S$2,000. It is light weight and can be hand held as compared to its heavier and 3.5 times more costly variant, the 300mm f/2.8G VR II
2) 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II Great lens but very costly at slightly over S$3,000
3) 70-200mm f/2.8G VR I
4) 70-200mm f/4G VR III
5) TC-14E II Tele-converter (Good addition to add reach to the 70-200 series and to the 300mm f/4D. When added to the mentioned lens, shoots can be done wide open without having to be stopped down with a 5% loss in sharpness)

Hi, I will be gg Formula 1 race this yr, sitting at the floating bay.
I intend to get a zoom till 300mm lens on my D7000
There's only 3 option of lens for mi to choose (due to budget) can advise mi which lens is better.
1) 18-300mm f/3.5 VR
2) 28-300mm f/3.5 VR
3) 70-300mm f4.5 VR

 

[Blur Shadow]

I have a 70-300mm G (non-VR) paired with my D90. Works great under good lighting, but bad under low-light conditions. Bought it at $200 in Aug 2011, now still working fine, just no built-in AF motor. Quite soft at the 300mm (450mm for DX) end...

Please trash the lens. I bought it 2nd hand when I was a novice, and I could notice just how soft the image is at 300mm. I sold it and got myself a 55-200mm VR. So much better.

Back to TS,

1. If this is the only one time you are going to use a telephoto lens, go rent a good lens.

2. If you are seriously pursuing photography at the 300mm end, get the AF-S 300mm f/4 or, better yet, the f/2.8.

3. If you wish to enhance your current capability at the telephoto end, get the AF-S 70-300mm VR or the AF-S 55-300mm VR.

4. If you wish to ditch your current lens collection and just use one lens, get the 18-300mm VR or the 28-300mm VR.

 

[Blur Shadow]

Suitable ones at about 3k and below as follow:
1) 300mm f/4D AFS - Old model lens but works great and continue to do so and cost slightly above S$2,000. It is light weight and can be hand held as compared to its heavier and 3.5 times more costly variant, the 300mm f/2.8G VR II

Get the AF-S version in HK if you can. You will be so amazed by the price difference.

Speaking of older lenses, the old AF 300mm is a steal at its price too. I am using it. It is no 300mm f/2.8 in image quality, but at the price that i got it for, No complaints there.

 

[radonsg]

U can get the afs 300 f/4 @ TechnoGadget for less than 1.5k

 

[Omega23]

TS out of the 3 lenses u stated IQ wise the 70-300VR is the best... if i am u i would get the nikon 80-200 F2.8 2 touches and pair with 1.7 TC