F5 150 to 200 MM Lens Recommendation

[rmjranch]

Looking for a lens for an F5, auto focus, non-zoom, 150 to 200mm. Top quality glass, new or used, Nikon or not. General outdoor work. Thanking you in advance

 

[Sgore]

Looking for a lens for an F5, auto focus, non-zoom, 150 to 200mm. Top quality glass, new or used, Nikon or not. General outdoor work. Thanking you in advance

The Nikon 180mm 2.8 af-d seems like it is just what you are looking for

 

[cooltouch]

I agree. The 180/2.8 is also an ED lens. Great sharpness and saturation. I guarantee you'll love it.

One of the things I like about the D-series Nikkors is they usually have a large enough grip on the focusing collar where they feel natural when using them in manual focus mode.

 

[Luis-F-S]

The Nikon 180mm 2.8 af-d seems like it is just what you are looking for

A little pricey. I don't think you'll see much difference in the Nikkors for outdoor use in 35 mm. I'd get one a little slower.

 

[thuggins]

Nikon or not.

This bit is somewhat confusing. But if you are just looking for a 200f5 lens and then will get a camera to fit it, the classic 200f5 is the Zuiko. This is a beautiful little lens, significantly smaller than the f4 with only a loss of 2/3 stop. The small size and light weight invariably make it the choice when I need that focal length. You should definitely think twice before going with any "fast" tele. That is a lot of extra weight (and cost) for the dubious advantage in speed.

 

[rmjranch]

I HAVE a Nikon F5. I am NOT looking for an F5 lens. Looking for 150 to 200mm lens, AF, NOT zoom. Sorry if there is any confusion.

 

[jimjm]

I'd also recommend the 180/2.8 AF ED. Insanely sharp. Might be a bit bigger and faster than you need for general outdoor work, but Nikon makes nothing else in that range (and AF) that touches it. I still regret selling mine as it was great for indoor/night events where I needed more reach. AF speed and accuracy was good on an F4s, I suspect it will be better on an F5.

If you didn't need AF, I'd also recommend the 200/4.0 AI or AIS. Small, inexpensive and easy to find used. Wide open, this lens is great. Doesn't even change much as it's stopped-down.

Here's one with the 180/2.8 AF ED under stage lighting, hand-held probably at f:2.8 or 4.

 

[pentaxuser]

I didn't think it was possible to buy a non Nikon prime for a F5 and still retain AF. If so the option of "Nikon or not" doesn't apply, does it?

pentaxuser

 

[ron917]

AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II - if your budget is large enough, probably the best glass in this range

Sigma 180mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM - still expensive, but significantly less than the Nikon 200 f/2

 

[pentaxuser]

AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G ED VR II - if your budget is large enough, probably the best glass in this range

Sigma 180mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM - still expensive, but significantly less than the Nikon 200 f/2

My apologies. I hadn't given any thought to the independent ranges such as Sigma as a AF alternative

pentaxuser

 

[Sgore]

A little pricey. I don't think you'll see much difference in the Nikkors for outdoor use in 35 mm. I'd get one a little slower.

I bought mine for around $400, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Not exactly cheap, but very reasonably priced for what you get. There are several versions available so do a little research to be sure you're getting the latest version. There is a very nice late version (crinkly finish) on the auction site right now for $305

 

[mweintraub]

I bought mine for around $400, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Not exactly cheap, but very reasonably priced for what you get. There are several versions available so do a little research to be sure you're getting the latest version. There is a very nice late version (crinkly finish) on the auction site right now for $305

I was going to say... yeah, new they are pricey, but 2nd hand they are a steal!

 

[rmjranch]

What is the difference between the "D" and non "D" model? 180MM F2.8 AF Nikon

 

[cooltouch]

The latest model is the "G" model and no longer has an aperture ring. Aperture values are set in the camera. Even though this is a fairly recent technology, Nikon was looking way ahead years ago. Even the F4 can be used with G lenses.

I personally don't like G lenses because it means I can't use them on my earlier Nikons.

The D lenses I own (I own three, a 50mm f/1.8, a 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5, and a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED) and the ones I've seen all share one feature -- a focusing collar that's big enough such that it can be used in a normal fashion in manual focusing mode. Also, the collar on the D lenses I own is well-damped, so it feels like a proper MF lens should.

AF lenses earlier than the D lenses I'm not familiar with, but it appears that they share many of the features the D lenses have.

 

[bdial]

I have the manual focus version of the Nikkor 180, it's a lovely lens and would be a great choice in MF or AF.

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

What is the difference between the "D" and non "D" model? 180MM F2.8 AF Nikon

"D" means distance that is encoded on the lens chip.
SLRs newer than the F90 have 3-D TTL flash. That is the flash exposure will take into account the distance set on the lens.
Flash exposures are therefore more accurate, or so says Nikon.
In practical terms I haven't seen any difference with a Nikon F90X and a D or not D lenses.

 

[cooltouch]

One more comment from me regarding the 180mm f/2.8. In this case, it was an AIs ED version I owned. I bought it from a working press photographer who had gone AF and picked it up for relatively cheap at the time (about 1990). It was in horrible cosmetic condition and had a huge gouge taken out of the front element, about 1 cm2 in size, and probably 1/2 cm deep. The glass was clean except for that rather awful looking damage. But guess what? It was the best lens I owned back then. Its contrast and sharpness was amazing.

This is my favorite photo taken with that 180/2.8 ED. A6 Intruder cockpit. Note Garfield. Nikon F2, Fujichrome 100. Exposure unrecorded, but probably around 1/500 @ f/8.

 

[sepiareverb]

Another vote for the 180/2.8. Stunning images. Was one of my most used lenses when I shot stock photos. Not too heavy either. D seems less useful on a tele lens in my mind, but the build on the D version of the 180 is much better. I would suggest the D for this reason.

Actually just looked on eBay and see that there are two versions of the non-D. The IF with the crinkle finish type is extremely rugged.

 

[rmjranch]

Thanks all. I purchased a 180/2.8 non D. I do not use it with flash. Should have lens in about 10 days. Purchased from Japan