70-200VR amazes me...

DanielD · Apr 14, 2007

On my stroll in Potsdam near Berlin I ran into a fun fair(?)/kermis(?) and came to this ride:

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As long as I live this thing is called 'Break Dance', at least in Germany. The whole platform is spinning, with each quad of wagons spinning, not to forget, each wagon is spinning itself again. So the whole thing is just a fast spinning mess.

Just for fun I tried whether I could track focus on a wagon with that lense. So with the free eye I was scanning for a wagon to aim at, aim at that with the viewfinder eye, focusing and tracking that wagon, panning until it came to the front to shoot. This all very quickly and the hardest thing was to find the wagon I wanted to shoot in all that rotating mass and then find it with the zoomed viewfinder eye.

The lens was focussing fast as hell. I was really impressed. Of the shots I got, none had missed focus:

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After that ride I stand nearby chimping on my camera and didn't believe my eyes. Wow, that lens has fast AF! :smile::smile::smile:

Btw. mounted on a D200, set to S mode 1/1000s before.

I went on with a big smile in my face.

misupix · Apr 14, 2007

Well it's "The Lens".....

BTW:
Nice spin-free captures :Crunk:

italy74 · Apr 14, 2007

DanielD said:
On my stroll in Potsdam near Berlin I ran into a fun fair(?)/kermis(?) and came to this ride:

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

As long as I live this thing is called 'Break Dance', at least in Germany. The whole platform is spinning, with each quad of wagons spinning, not to forget, each wagon is spinning itself again. So the whole thing is just a fast spinning mess.

Just for fun I tried whether I could track focus on a wagon with that lense. So with the free eye I was scanning for a wagon to aim at, aim at that with the viewfinder eye, focusing and tracking that wagon, panning until it came to the front to shoot. This all very quickly and the hardest thing was to find the wagon I wanted to shoot in all that rotating mass and then find it with the zoomed viewfinder eye.

The lens was focussing fast as hell. I was really impressed. Of the shots I got, none had missed focus:

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

After that ride I stand nearby chimping on my camera and didn't believe my eyes. Wow, that lens has fast AF! :smile::smile::smile:

Btw. mounted on a D200, set to S mode 1/1000s before.

I went on with a big smile in my face.

Well, difficult to say if it's better the shot in itself or the smiling girls... :wink:

Sharon · Apr 14, 2007

Fatastic job!

Gale · Apr 14, 2007

Very nice shots. Well done.
70-200 VR is a great lens

DanielD · Apr 14, 2007

Thanks all. It's the lens I waited the longest before eventually buying it ($$$), but I didn't regret it at all. Should have done that earlier... :biggrin:

dweikum · Apr 16, 2007

Wow, definately the lens I'm lusting for...wish I could afford one.
Thanks for posting those pics.

thetintypeman · Apr 16, 2007

I love mine too! Incredible lens!!! Great Bokeh, Great Speed, Great Handling - What more can you say? I am saving up to get the TC-17E II (1.7x) Teleconverter for mine...get that extended range and the VR still works!

BTW...Great shots! :smile:

thetintypeman · Apr 16, 2007

Also, during a recent Nikon Café Poll, this lens was voted number one of all Nikon lens beating out "The Beast" and the 17-55mm f2.8, both awesome lenses! :485:

wbeem · Apr 16, 2007

I agree it's an awesome lens. It was a big chunk of change to put down for one piece of glass, but now I'm really happy to have it.

FoyGroup · Apr 16, 2007

Jim, I am within striking distance of getting this lens. I have not seen a photo yet from that lens on any camera that wasn't great. Once I get it, I am looking at a TC to use with it for sports with my kids. You mention the TC-17E II. to get 1.7x, why the 1.7 over the 1.4 or the 2.0?

Does anyone have any experience with the others or more then one of the TCs? I was thinking of going right to the TC-20E II for 2.0x, but wouldn't mind some input from those who have tried them.

Any thoughts?

gvk · Apr 16, 2007

I prefer the TC-14E II with the 70-200 mm VR. Both the TC-14E and TC-17E can produce excellent results with this lens. However, with the TC-17E you pay an extra half stop of aperture for about 20% more magnification. In practice, I find that I can use the TC-14E stopped down only one stop to f/5.6 with almost no noticible degradation. However, I feel that with the TC-17E best results are obtained at f/8 or so. I find that extra stop of usable aperture results in many more opportunities to use the TC-14E, at least for sports action that I most often use the 70-200 mm VR for.

Others prefer the additional reach and recommend the TC-17E, so YMMV.

tasnim_fahim · Apr 17, 2007

Well done! I wish I had taken these pics.

regards