Nikon 80-400mm Lens, Comments?

[Irenejoy]

I bought the 80x400VR earlier this year and have found it great for bird pictures. I have never had much success setting up a tripod and trying to catch a flying Heron for instance. This lens gives me a great deal of freedom in that I don't need to use a tripod.

 

[eng45ine]

Take a look at my Pbase site under Chicago Air and Water Show. All of those images were shot with a D2H using an 80-400mm VR. Great lens...a bit too slow for sports especially if lighting is not adequate, but a very nice lens when available light is not an issue.

 

[general]

Wildlife

I used this lens with the Kenko Pro 1.4 in Kenya to shoot wildlife with great success. Not as fast as some lenses but quite good nonetheless.

 

[Dave Rosser]

I have been using a 80-400 VR for a year now and can make the following observations:

a) It is sometimes critisised for being soft at 400mm, I do not find that to be true

b) The VR really works, the above shot was hand held:- !/200sec f5.6 (may have found a support to put bean bag on - can't remember).

c) It is slow to focus and I am still learning to take flight pictures,

d) It is a very compact lens particularaly if you take the tripod shoe off and hand hold (or use a bean bag and a conveniant support). You are thus more likely to have the lens with you when you need it.

I have just come back from a three week, mainly birding, trip to Texas with my wife. I can now add to my comments above that I got very frustrated at times with the autofocus - I even reverted to manual focus for some shots. But when the focus works quickly enough and does not loose the subject at the critical moment it is a great lens.