Quote:
Originally Posted by sean_buerger
Thanks for the interesting input so far. I was planning to mainly use the lens with a monopod. That should give me a bit more reserve on the shutter speed.
I'd love to have more comments on image quality of various lenses here (I'm picky on that). From my experience with other Nikon lenses it seems their getting stronger the longer  the lens is. They really seem to be excellent telephoto lens makers. Can the 3rd party manufacturers compete?
Thanks. Sean. |
The 300 f/2.8 is probably one of the most versatile lenses out there. It's image quality is nothing short of excellent. I use the 300 f/2.8 VR on a regular basis and it really is one of those lenses where if it were destroyed this morning, I'd be shopping for another one immediately. It's an invaluable part of my kit.
It's what you'd expect it to be in lower light situations. It locks on quickly and accurately. I turn off VR on a tripod most of the time and leave it on when using it on a monopod.
There are less expensive alternatives out there. There is a Sigma 300 f/2.8, which is very good from what I understand. There's a Sigma 120-300 f/2.8 which is really a versatile optic and there's the Tokina 300 f/2.8 if memory serves me right.
Anything that's a 300mm with an aperature faster than f/4 is going to be pricey. If you can live with the 2/3 stop loss there's the 300 f/4 Nikon. It's an excellent lens as well but will probably behave a little less favorably under lower light conditions. Still, an excellent optic.
Julio