I have a starter Nikon 5200 package from costco

If I buy additional Nikon lenses - are they useable if I upgrade the camera frame?

If so - what is the best Nikon lense for wildlife photography ?

Thanks,

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
I have a starter Nikon 5200 package from costco

If I buy additional Nikon lenses - are they useable if I upgrade the camera frame?

If so - what is the best Nikon lense for wildlife photography ?

Thanks,

Mike

The camera sensor size has consequences on lens selection. Nikon presently makes lenses for two sensor formats: the DX series for APS-C sized sensors such as on the D5200, and the FX series with lenses that cover the larger sensor, sometimes called full frame sensor, which is found on the professional camera bodies like the D4s or the D800 (or the no longer made D3 and D700). The least expensive full-frame camera made by Nikon is the D610, probably around $2,000 body only.

The DX lenses are so marked but the FX lenses don't have any particular markings to show that they are full frame.

Both kinds of lenses will work on the cameras Nikon presently makes but with different consequences. Obviously, all FX lenses used on an FX camera body perform exactly as those on a 35mm film SLR. But reverse compatibility has its limits. The latest Nikon lenses aren't optimised for manual focusing so the focusing rings aren't too prominent or very good and so aren't really good buys for an old film camera body. Also, the latest G series lenses don't have an aperture ring so if your camera body doesn't have a way to control aperture from the body they won't be of much use.

Most people are worried about forward compatibility, not backward compatibility. If you have a DX lens and put it on an FX camera body, the camera will recognize the lens, but since the lens doesn't cover the full frame the camera body will only register the image on a reduced portion of the sensor, identical in size to an APS-C sensor size. What this means is that if you have a DX lens and then upgrade your camera body to a D610 (24 megapixel full frame camera) it will only take a 10.3 mp image. Not much point in upgrading to full frame if you only have DX lenses, unless you want to buy new lenses.

FX lenses work with no problems on DX camera bodies. You will also get an increase in perceived focal length of 1.5X. So a 300mm will be a 450mm, a 400mm will be a 600mm, when the field of view is compared with a full-frame sensor.

The "best" lens depends on what you want to photograph. If you do mostly birds then a 500mm or 600mm is probably what you want. Large animal photographers like the Nikkor 400mm f/2.8. Those are the best lenses and require a very good tripod and ball head or Wimberly gimbal mount to be used effectively (and a whole lot of money and skill). The "best" zoom is the Nikkor 200-400mm. By the way, the tripod I'm talking about will cost more than your present camera, the Wimberly Gimbal head will cost around $300 and you'll need special baggage considerations for carry-on for any of the larger telephotos. But those are the "best".

If your question is: "what's the best lens that I can handhold (for short periods), doesn't weigh a ton and costs less than a car" then I would answer the Nikkor 80-400mm. This "inexpensive" lens "only" costs around $2,700 but it will be good when you realize that you might want to upgrade to a different camera body, whether APS-C or full-frame. Visit a photography store where they might have some of these lenses and try them on, or rent some of the big lenses and get a feel for them in use. Most people don't realize just how big and heavy these lenses are (and shudder when the price is revealed).

I don't own any of these lenses, being content with my Nikkor AFS 300mm f/4, which has no image stabilization, which Nikon calls Vibration Reduction (VR). It's a 300mm on my D700 body and a 450mm on my D7000 body and costs around $1,300. But it's got professional build quality (not plastic), has a good focusing ring for manual focusing, super fast auto-focusing and has a constant f/4 wide open. I can actually hold it without wobbling around like a drunk and it fits, just barely, in my camera bag. It has, in my opinion, the best image quality you can get in a Nikkor telephoto without having to sell the house. But it's not a zoom and it doesn't have VR.

There are a lot of other less expensive options which can give very good results, but they don't fall into a "best" category, except for maybe the "best of the worst".

The above is just my take on the problem. If you want to read something by someone who knows what he is talking about, there is this:

http://www.bythom.com/rationallenses.htm

Wink, Do you know of any such sites or articles on Canon lenses? ...Dave

quote:

Originally posted by dave wesbrook:
Wink, Do you know of any such sites or articles on Canon lenses? ...Dave

Dave,

I'm hopelessly Nikon-centric and have no idea if there is an equivalent to Thom Hogan for Canon, especially one that writes in Thom's particular style.

There is this:

http://www.cameralabs.com/lens...d_Canon_lenses.shtml

but it isn't quite the same.

As you probably know, the L series of EF lenses is considered Canon's professional line-up.

Thank you Wink. I've shot Nikon film cameras for years. My first "smart" camera was an N6006 that I shot untill the back hinge broke. I mentioned this to a client and he sent me a minty f100 and a new-in-box f3 high eyepoint with the original receipt dated 10 years previous. For Christmas that year he gave me a new f5. The f100 quickly became my "go to" film camera and has gone on many Canadian fishing trips with me. I own only 2 lenses, a 60mm and a 106mm micro Nikons which are tack sharp that I love. ...Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your thread on Nikon lenses here. ...Dave

Good information on the bythom.com site link provided by Wink above.

It reminded me of an affordable wildlife lens worth considering, the AF-S VR 70-300 f/4.5 - 5.6 IF-ED. Currently I see it listed at under $600 on the B&H site.

I had an older version of the 70-300, the f/4 - f/5.6 ED, optically similar to the one above but without vibration reduction. On a crop sensor body it gave the equivalent of 450mm on the top end.

Combined with some judicious cropping in Photoshop this lens does pretty well for wildlife, even for birds if you use a blind and can get close. The modern version with VR and ED glass is a bargain in my view.

It was a favorite of my friend the late Nyle Leatham who learned photography in the air force in the early '50s, was a photographer for the Arizona Republic for many years and had numerous photos published in Arizona Highways. After retiring he covered shooting competitions for American Handgunner magazine.

I remember at one match in Colorado Nyle forgot this lens at home. He went to a local camera shop and bought the 70-300 G lens for about $109. He felt it wouldn't be as durable under tough conditions and maybe gave up a little in sharpness, but it got him the photos he needed.

thanks guys for some great advice

I have a Nikon DX AF-S NIkkor 55-300mm 1:4 5-5.6 G ED lens

Is this a good lens?

Sorry for my ignorance - this is what came in the costco package.

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by Beretta682E:
thanks guys for some great advice

I have a Nikon DX AF-S NIkkor 55-300mm 1:4 5-5.6 G ED lens

Is this a good lens?

Sorry for my ignorance - this is what came in the costco package.

Mike

I'll cut and paste what Thom Hogan says about this:

"Economy DX First up, let’s go the economy route for DX sensor DSLRs (basically all Nikon mount DSLRs except for the D700, D3, D3s, D3x, and the Kodak Pro 14n/SLRn). Here’s the low-cost portfolio that makes sense to me: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR DX (If you need more reach, the 55-300mm f/4-5.6G AF-S VR DX is pretty much optically the same as the 55-200mm in the shared range. If you need a fast normal lens, augment the set with the 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX.)" "The only way you can improve on the economy kit is to spend much more money. Even buying used lenses will cost you a lot more money to make any tangible improvement."

So, the only way to improve on what you've got is to spend a lot more money and be ready to lug aroung a bigger and heavier lens. If you want to go to a full size sensor camera body eventually, or at least make your next lens purchase without limiting your options, then you will not buy another DX lens. If you decide to buy an FX lens then I think the new Nikkor 80-400mm is about as versatile as you can get. The new version of that lens had not yet come out when T. Hogan wrote that blog, which is probably why it isn't mentioned.

Another professional photographer and blogger I follow is Ming Thein. Here's his take on the 80-400mm:

http://blog.mingthein.com/2013...-5-5-6-g-ed-vr-ii-n/

The subject is wildlife lenses and this lens, at it's long end, would be the equivalent of a 600mm on a DX body. Plenty long enough for just about anybody but you will need to change the tripod collar (which is cheap and ridiculous for such an expensive lens) and buy a collar from Really Right Stuff or Kirk and be ready to use a monopod or tripod if you want to get sharp images.

The Nikon 80-400 and the canon 100-400 is mush the same .
They make good pic both.
In daylight yes!! .
But a lot off wildlife photo is made late evening ore in the morning light, and there is F 4 or F5,6 not good enough.
Yes!!! you can press the speeder and go high on iso but the best result vill be on low iso up to 2000 iso.
There you neat the F2,8 ore F4 on the long range 300mm to 400mm and the VR nikon ) , IS Canon ) Os sigma) .Monopod ore tripod are the wildlife photographers best friends
On a safari to a National park ore to take photo in bright daylight f 5,6 is ok but you miss the blurry effect of fast F stop and Depth of Field.
But to say the best wildlife lens is so and so is wrong ,- it depend of the subject and the time off the day you want to photograph.
A 400 mm is not good for ex marcro.

What is the best hunting gun? .
Huuuuummmm no on will say that a 223R is good for DG hunting ore a 416 Rigby is good for roebuck hunting.
It the same with lenses .

hunt safe Wisent

Thanks for the info