Nikkor 300mm f4.0 AF for wildlife?

[feild patten]

After tedious hours of research, I finally took the plunge of buying my first dSLR. Basing my decision mostly on the advice of my good friend and fellow board member Ian_Crabtree, I decided on purchasing the Nikon D70s with the kit 18-70mm lens over the Nikon D40, and D50 which he uses.

While the 18-70mm lens is great for taking pictures of fish and most other everyday situation shots, I am presently searching for a lens to photograph wildlife at a range of 50 to 150 yards in fairly low light conditions (early morning and late evening). The primary subject of these shots will be deer, bobcats, and coyotes.

[bryan hulse]

I owned a 300/4 years ago and it was, and I suspect still is, an excellent lens. And, if I’ve done my math right I think the 300 with a 1.4 converter on your D70 would become the equivelant of a 672/5.6. You could check those deer, bobcats, and coyotes for cavaties.

Bryan

[anonymous]

Hi All

Curious if

[Buzz Bryson]

The 300 f/4 is a great lens.

[Steve K.]

Patten,

I too, have a D70s and the kit lens. I also bought an old Nikon 400mm/3.5 manual focus telephoto for wildlife photography. Of course I then had to invest in a Jobu gimbal and a Fiesol carbon fiber tripod to support the beast. It works great but is a pain in the buttocks to transport. I do a lot of backcountry camping/hiking/fishing so portability is an issue. As a result, I now travel with a Pelican 1400 case, with the D70s, kit lens, cards, extra battery and a 50-200mm zoom. My wish list includes replacing the zoom with this:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/80400vr.htm

I’ll be able to carry everything in the Pelican and still reach out to 400mm. No tripod needed due to VR! This will be my setup on my next Alaskan float trip where a lot of rain and moisture will be encountered.

[John Pavoncello]

The 300m f4 is a great lens for wildlife, especially on digital. Do spend the money and get the AFS version, it’s light, super sharp and since the 300 f4 is the perfect size for hand holding, the VR will help.
I would suggest that you do not buy the off brand converter. I have nothing against off brand, but with the AFS system you will lose focus speed with the Tamron.

[Eric DeWitt]

As Buzz said, you are going to quickly find that no matter what lens you have, it won’t be long enough.

[John Pavoncello]

Nikon does offer an 80-400 VR but it has a slow aperature 4-5.6 I believe. I would still go with the 300 AFS. As Eric said, the faster lens you have the better though most of us can’t afford a 300 or 400 2.8 lens.

[feild patten]

Thanks so much guys for all the great info. I will post some pictures of some bobcats and hopefully a mountain lion (I have only seen 1 in more ten years of deer hunting in west texas), when I purchase the 300mm AFS lens and a good tripod.

-Feild

[anonymous]

Have to echo that- ty for the info:))

My thinking on the 300 AFS , was that with the D200 1.5 x factor it is a 450 mm. Add in the TC-14E 1.4x convertor and we be getting closer, in a pratical, hump around package.

a review here of the combo-

http://www.bythom.com/300AFSlens.htm

I did look at some of the 80- 400VR reviews but the general consensus was that over 300mm it started to get soft, so I had that kinda written off.

Buzz- yep- I love the field combo re- laptop etc you suggested and was thinking that way, great to hear a solid complementary opinion- ty:)

I suspect that I will have to spend some time getting my ” long lens” chops in order as I have been a wide angle slut for many many years:))) and this will be a new experience

Will

[mick mccorcle]

I have a Nikon 300/2.8 AFS that I use with a Nikon 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters for sports action photography.

[Matt Jones]

Hey Field,
If you can find a lens with a lower fstop option, say 2.8 rather than a 4-5.6.

www.mattjonesphotography.com

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