nikon af 70-300 vr

[oscar cablao]

just asking any comments on the nikon 70-300 vr, is this a good lens for a starter like me with nikon d60, my 55-200 feels like the reach is too short and at this distance i scare the birds away.. i still cant afford the longer one , or should a rather choose the sigma 135-400? salamat

one more thing, i n my nikon af 55-200 vr lens, is there a way i can magnify the zooming ability of my lens and still retain the af and vr ability.. sorry for the question realy dont have any idea..

thanks in advance,
oscar

[gabriel buluran]

Hi! Am not an expert as I am only starting the hobby. However, with my AF 70-300, I still couldn't get a decent picture of birds found in UP. Maybe a 400 or a 500 should be the minimum.

Or, as I found out last Saturday, you'd have to be right in the middle of the field to get close enough. Hiding in the tall grass however presents some focusing and tripod set up challenges.

At the end, I just basked in the joy of seeing the birds so close and passing me by, even if I didn't get pictures of them.

[Martin Alvendia]

Actually my first gear was a 70-300mm VR Zoom paired with a D80. It's a good start up gear for Birding. It was actually because of this set-up that I learned my Ninja Stalking Skillzzzz. Haha!!!

Here's a previous post with my 70-300mm VR and D80 Set-Up....

www.birdphotoph.proboards107.com/index.cgi?board=photo&action=display&thread=182

[Mark Itol]

I'm using the 70-300 VR (still saving up for an upgrade). Agree with Martin, it's a good start up gear for birding, although you really have to find ways to get close to the birds.

You may want to take a look at TCs to extend the reach of your 55-200, though not really recommended for consumer lens.

Good luck and happy birding.

[Teddy Regpala]

Agree with what the guys have said.
I don't have the 70-300 VR, but I used to have the AF 75-300.

The 70-300 VR is a good intermediate lens for beginner. It's a slow lens, but VR can help you compensate by using a slower shutter speed (though you can't avoid subject motion).
And from what I read, it can be soft at the 300mm end wide open. Just make sure you stop down at least 1 stop, and you should be ok.

Don't worry about the lack of reach. It'll force you to polish your stalking skills, which is a good thing.

[jonathandael]

not bad to start on.. it's actually better because it has VR and it has ED glass. I started on the 70-300mm G (non-VR, non-ED). It really trained me to know its limits. I still use it and it still delivers.

[William Lim]

I started with the Nikon 70-300Vr lens. It is a good lens but for birding it is a bit short. However, with it you can get good photos but you have to get closer to the subject. Here are some samples of photos using the lens with D80