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New Nikon Lens Purchase

J

jdwright

Senior member
Heyas all,

I'm torn here. My dad (just cause i'm old doesn't mean my dad can't still give me cool stuff) just told me he's gonna kick in a grand for a Christmas gift for me. This is not the norm AT ALL, in fact he hasn't remembered my bday for the last few years. But I digress...

I have a D80 and am trying to decide if it's worth kicking in the extra 6 or 7 hundred bones for the 70-200 vr over the 80-200. The money is not a big issue, but I'm pretty damn frugal (as evidenced by the fact that I don't already have one of these...LOL) so I want to make sure I spend my money wisely.

I already have the 50mm 1.8 and the 18-200vr (have been unhappy with the sharpness of the latter). I generally take pictures of my kids in sports (tennis, soccer, bball, skiing) and various backpacking/hiking trips. I use the 50 for most indoor stuff, but I can also pop on the sb600 for some bounce action.

So, the question is: is the vr and faster autofocus worth the extra $? I'm leaning right now toward the 80-200, because I've heard the optics are very comparable.

I'm interested in your 2 cents! WWYD?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

J
 
When you say 80-200, are you referring to the 80-200 f/2.8 AF-D or the newer 80-200 f/2.8 AF-S? The AF-S version focuses slightly faster and has full time manual focus override.

Which lens to get really depends on your needs. If you shoot mostly in bright daylight or use a tripod, then VR is not very necessary. However, if you you shoot in low-light or hand-hold a lot, then VR will be very useful.

FYI, at 200mm, the minimum shutter speed that you can get away with without blur is 1/100-1/200 sec, depending on how steady your hands are. Nikon's VR gives you 2-3 stops of image stabilization, so you can get away with shutter speeds as low as 1/30 sec and still maintain sharpness (provided that your subject is not moving).

VR and full time manual focus override would be the two biggest benefits to having the VR version, since optically the two lenses perform similarly. If you're comparing the 80-200 AF-S and not the AF-D, then VR is the only big advantage to the 70-200. If you think you'll be handholding this lens a lot, then it's a worthwhile upgrade.
 
I'd get the 80-200mm, sell the D80 and use the extra few hundred you saved to get a D90.
 
Well, first of all it was the AF-D that I was referring to. Around $900 or so.

This is good info - I really appreciate the responses =)

The manual focus override is not a huge deal to me, since I tend to use the autofocus. I understand that there is a focus limiter on the 80-200? is that correct?

I considered using a bit of the extra coin to get a monopod also, but I do like to shoot hand-held.

BAH!! This is a tough call...

Thanks for the help so far!

J
 
I have the 80-200mm AF-D (two ring); yes it has a focus limiter.

I got mine in mint used condition for $575, so look around. $900 is way too much.
 
Get the 70-200VR for the basketball, and nighttime soccer/tennis games. You will not, however, be taking the 70-200VR on hiking trips: it's way too heavy. The 18-200VR is designed for situations where light weight is important.

If you don't get the 70-200VR, then at least get the AF-S 80-200. The AF-D is not fast enough focusing for sports use.
 
I found the 80-200 AF-D very quick on my D80, but then I haven't used the AF-S version.

The 80-200 was an absolute joy to use, built like a tank, sharp as a tack and to me it seemed very quick. Focus limiter worked well.

On the downside it was a whole workout in itself just carrying it, and the whole lens seemed to torque when the thing focused 😉
 
Well, I've been thinking a lot about this and thought I'd see what was out there used. I found someone selling a 70-200 vr for under $1300 and says it was part of a package that never got used. I thought I might lowball him a bit and since it's only a couple hours away, I'd go pop it on my cam before handing over the cash.

Anyone have thoughts about this? Is this a smart thing to do?

Thanks for the input!

J
 
Settled on the AF-S 80-200 that I got for under $900 shipped. I think with the added AF speed, it seemed like a good happy median. Thanks for all the replies guys - it really helped in my decision =)

J
 
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