Slovenia seems to be the only country with a scheduled Nikon event for tomorrow (December 10th). The scheduled maintenance of all European Nikon site is a fact.
I received a tip from a new source that tomorrow Nikon will introduce a new 300 mm f/2.8 VR II lens and a new converter - TC 20 II. The lens is optically new calculated and has the new VR II (same VRII like in the 70-200 f/2.8 VRII). You can see a similar thread on dpreview. If you look at the profile of the poster, you will notice that some of his previous comments are right on, others (like the 24 mm and the 35 mm 1.4 lenses in October) are not.
FYI, the current Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 VR model was introduced in 2004:
credit: Nikon USA
I am still skeptical, I will rate this rumor @ 30%.
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42 Comments
Not sure why they would replace the 300 2.8. It is very, very sharp, even with a 1.4 or 2.0 TC. I doubt this rumor is true.
It’s 100% true – I just purchased the VRI version of this lens a couple months ago, it’s bound to be ready for an update, LOL!
You were right!
What about a 300mm VRII AND the 24 mm and 35 mm 1.4 lenses?
I’d give this a lot more credibility if it concerened the 300 f/4.0 which doesn’t even have any form of VR let alone a newer version of VR. And is 9 years old ( but VR aside, nothing wrong with that ).
I agree that an updated version of 300mm f/4 with VRII would be very apreciated.
Apparently Nikon will introduce tomorrow a new sensor that allows you to see under people’s clothes.
That’s probably why IR conversion is popular.
But IR nipples look scary.
It will need vibration reduction.
That’s what she said!
There may be something in this. Nikon UK website does not list a 300mm f2.8 VR as of 9 december 2009.
Sorry, yes it does. Brand new webiste seems to be updating all the time.
yes, new websites across Europe – the new site is wider than the previous version
If it is true it definitely slipped under the radar. I agree the current one is nice but who knows if it is true the new one may be even better. I guess we will see tomorrow.
With as slow as nikon is to bring out new lenses I don’t think this one is true.
Just in time for winter Olympics. Current TC 20 was released in 2001, and it needed updating since day one.
exactly. winter olympics = profit
“Just in time for winter Olympics.”
+1
Some Vancouver venues — and some Olympic sports — will require a 300mm f/2.8; an update here — with enough pre-manufactured stock to satisfy NPS members shooting in Canada in a few months — is a wise move.
Need and update to the f/4 300mm already Nikon! It’s 9 yrs old and has no VR!!
I kind of doubt it. The current 300mm is just fine. And frankly, the people I know that still use teleconverter get fewer and fewer. My experience is, that if oyu start with a good raw file, the magnification of this file in postproduction is in many cases jsut as good as having used a teleconverter. Maybe not in the center of the frame, but certainly if oyu leave this sweet spot.
I guess the news is about the new website that seems to be launching, and maybe a rebate program.
i’m interested to see how this shakes out. . . .I hope they announce a couple other lenses as well dammit!
Did everyone see Thom Hogan post on Dec 7th….
“I’m predicting 24mm, 35mm, and 85mm f/1.4 lenses to be introduced shortly. That would completely refresh the f/1.4 line: it would be the only line to be all current lens designs if I’m right. This still leaves a lot of FX primes that could use updates, but at least the FX prime lineup would be remarkably full with a wide range of options.”
http://www.bythom.com/
At my local brick and mortar store Saturday. Nikon Reps where there and selling their wares. I asked about the possible 1.4′s – 24mm, 35mm, and 85mm. He said Febuary was the date but NO 35mm. There will be a zoom update (I don’t remember which one that would get the update). Said they where already in some of the databases he was using. Take it for what it’s worth.
Still vaporware till it happens. But, I did sell my 28 and 85 this weekend.
Typo on the VR II stuff? The current one hasn’t got VR 2 right? Or am I just reading this wrong?
http://www.acecameras.co.uk/asp/web/recorprod/1/product/10430/cat/1612/ph/cat/keywords//recor/1/SearchFor//PT_ID/1/product.asp
Nikon 300mm f2.8 AF-S VR II IF ED Lens
not it should be VR, not VRII – maybe this rumor is more credible than I expected?
The link above has the heading with VR11 but if you read the specifications it says
‘VR operation offers the equivalent of using a shutter speed 3 stops (eight times) faster’
If you look at the difference in specifications between the 70-200 VR and VR11 they claim the same 3 stops for the VR but for the VR11 they say 4stops.
http://www.nikon.com.au/productitem.php?pid=88-38b05c950e
http://www.nikon.com.au/productitem.php?pid=1327-06b93960b8
Of course they are not going to list specs etc already before announcements. Maybe just an inventory/database glitch about the name, possibly suggesting an update.
i’m afraid your image of the 300/2.8 is just a little dated. approx a year ago they added an N to it as in Nano Coated. i gues you must have missed this along the way.
Maybe… just maybe… We’ll see a return of the 300mm f/2!
Seems kind of pointless to update the f/2.8 right now. The f/4 is clearly a better candidate as others have pointed out – but then again, there are other lenses even more deserving.
If this rumor is true, why make the announcement in Slovenia?!
Not that there is anything wrong with Slovenia
Please be it a new 135 F2 DC lens.
I have even hopes for a 135mm f/1.8, but not for tomorrow. It would most probably feature a 77mm filter thread, just as the Zeiss 135mm f/1.8.
I never really got used to the DC, a must have for you?
I could go with a new 300 f2.8. Can’t afford a new one, but the price of older ones should drop, right? Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
How about a new 300 F4 with VR II? Come on Nikon the current model is not even a G model. VR II and Nano coat that baby and you’d sell a tonne more of them.
Definitely. I think if they put the old optics in a VR casing etc they would sell way more then an updated 300 f2.8 VRII. There are so many people that can buy up to 2000$ but just don’t have the money to buy the 300 2.8. But they also have to be able to produce massive amounts of a 300 f4 VR since this would sell so much more.
Nikon already has a TC-20E and TC-20E II. Does this mean there’s going to be a TC-20E III?
what worries me is that the 300mm and the tc20 are the surprises tomorrow and nikon totally lost any sense in making lenses. the 18-200 was updated and not old, why not the stellar 300mm from, what, 2004?
idiots!
where are the fast wide primes, below 35mm?
idiots!
What is the TC 20 II?
Still some bugs on the new websites: The Austrain website has a nice mixture of German and English product descriptions
http://www.nikon.at/de_AT/products/product_summary_list.page?sParamValueLbl=Digitale Kameras&sParam1ValueLbl=Spiegelreflex&sSubnav2ParamLbl=Professional&ParamValue=Digital+Cameras&Subnav1Param=SLR&Subnav2Param=Professional&Subnav3Param=0&RunQuery=l3&ID=0
With the Olympics coming, I see this as a little higher probability . . .
enjoy
「AF-S NIKKOR 300mm F2.8 G ED VR II」を2010年1月29日に発売する
http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20091210_334550.html