Which lens ????

[Eddie H]

Guys,

  I'm in the market for upgrading my lens for birding.
Currently I use a Sigma 170-500mm DG Apo.
My plan when I get back to the UK in May is to buy a Nikon 300mmF4, and a 1.7x converter. To use on my D200 camera.

  Would this be a good move, or do I go for the 50 - 500mm HSM OS F5-6.4 ?

Everywhere I read the telephoto lenses superseed the zoom. If it where your choice what would you go for ?

Cheers Ed

[IanF]

As a rule telephoto lenses are sharper than zooms. The Sigma 50-500 is a nice lens as far as zooms go but it's questionable as to how much of an upgrade it is over your current lens. Lens choice is really down to your tyoe of photography. For my needs given the choices I'd be inclined to go with the telephoto and converter.

The 300mm f4 is very well regarded by Nikon users as being very sharp and reasonably fast. Most seem to prefer the 1.4x converter over the 1.7x as focus is faster and more reliable. The 1.7x needs very good light for the autofocus to work. There's a fair bit of dicussion of these combinations in the Nikon forum on Bird Forum.

[Eddie H]

Ian,

Many thanks for your reply.
1.4x converter it is then. My main worries was the drop in aperture size from 500mm to 300mm. I'm very new to this photography, hence my questions. £1,000 on a lens thats not what I want is a lot to splash out on.

  Cheers and see you "out there" when I get back from the South Atlantic.

Eddie

[Jaybee]

I have the 300 F4 and Nikon 1.4 convertor and they are the perfect companions.
The 300 F4 is razor sharp and there is no noticeable drop in quality with the 1.4 connected.
The only downside is the 300 isn't anywhere as light as Canons 400mm but it is still very much a carry around lens.
Don't think you would be disappointed.

[IanF]

For me the loss of focal length from 500mm to 300mm would be a big concern. Really 300mm isn't enough for taking bird photos unless you can get close to them - by close I mean really close such as in the garden or by the feeders at a feeding station.

Nikon users seem happy enough with adding a teleconverter.

A shame Nikon don't do a 400mm prime at a reasonable price like Canon - which is the main reason I went with Canon for the better selection of lenses within my price range.

[Jaybee]

A shame Nikon don't do a 400mm prime at a reasonable price like Canon

Nikon 400mm f2.8 - yours for a mere £6500 give or take an arm and a leg

[StewH]

The equivalent Canon is 5 1/2 grand too.  The point is that Canon's f5.6 lens at 1000 quid is unrivaled for the price.

Stew