Nikon 70-210 f4.5-5.6 ais

[BimmerJake]

I'm considering this as an addition for a trip to Shenandoah i'm taking in a couple of months. i'll be shooting outdoors in daylight or in the woods. i'll have a tripod.

does anyone have experience with this lense? is the aperture really limiting under these circumstances?

how are the optics?

thanks for your input.

 

[PhotoJim]

f/5.6 is pretty slow. Still, the f/5.6 lens you have with you is better than the f/2.8 lens that you have at home. With a tripod, it's less of an issue of course.

Depth of field control is still an issue - you have more ability to do that with an f/2.8 or f/4 lens.

I have three Nikon lenses in this range:

80-200/4.5 (AI-converted) - I picked this up cheaply based on its reputation of being a fantastic lens. Zoom lenses have improved since then but the lens isn't too bad. I'd call it average in quality. (I could have a below-par sample.)

70-210/4.5-5.6 AF - this is my "city" lens for when I don't want to carry a big lens and I'm very happy with it. The f/5.6 maximum aperture at the long end is a little limiting, but when you can live with that the results are very good.

80-200/2.8 ED AF - amazing, but big and heavy.

I don't know how good the AI-S lens you're mentioning, but the AF version is certainly excellent.

If I were going to get a manual-focus lens in this range, I'd give serious thought to the 80-200/4 AI or AI-S. It's still inexpensive but it has a great reputation.

 

[BimmerJake]

the 80-200 is a little more than double the 70-210 i was looking at. not out of the question, but that's really just one more stop isn't it? i'm not sure that's worth double.

 

[PhotoJim]

Well, if it is worth double, you'll soon know.

I can tell you that f/4 versus f/5.6 at 200mm is a big difference, because of the need for fast shutter speeds at that length (if you're handholding anyway). Whether that justifies the dollar difference is a question only you can ask.

I can tell you that I like my 70-210 a lot despite its slow speed. Even if you do get a faster lens, you might appreciate this lens' small size and weight and want to keep both.

 

[fotch]

I have the Nikon 70-210 f4.5-5.6 ais, purchase it new years ago. Excellent lens. I have not used it for years because I prefer primes. Also, I have some zooms that are shorter and smaller that I sometimes use. The 70-210 f4.5 needs lots of light (need to use faster shutter speeds) or faster film, or a tripod. YMMV

 

[Pumal]

I have both lenses. I prefer the 70-210. Very light and sharp.