My D800E has gone off to Nikon for Focal Therapy. The local Tech thought that the camera was the problem and not the lenses. I was going to be without a camera for up to 4 weeks so I went out and bought a new Pentax K-5 at not much more than I sold my last one. That should keep me going for a few weeks.

Robert, fantastic shots (and as noted the last one is so very nice!). I love my af-d version so much I am really struggling to not just buy the afs version. I've decided though I really want the 70-200mm 2.8 vrii and have to get that out of the way first. As a newbie the prices of some of the longer lenses seemed totally mind boggling a month ago but now I find myself wanting to work one of the longer exotic primes into the budget in the next few years. I didn't realize how fun the longer focal lengths could be. I've always loved wildlife photography but didn't consider it my main interest, now, having the 300 f4 I want to make it a lifestyle!

I call is pseudo macro ;) The flower was about as close as it would focus and really because it is so big is one reason in looks more macroish. The dragonfly picture is actually cropped a bit because the pond was fairly mucky and ugly. It is sharp though and shows good detail. I would be interested in seeing it with some extension tubes. The 300 mm working distance would be awesome.

Thanks.

Minimum focusing distance is 1.45 meters, so it isn't a macro by any means. Magnification at 1.45 meters is 1:3.7.

Hey Tcole, just curious, how's the working distance and magnification of the 300mm f4 as compared to the 105mm macro?

PB PM said:
Yup, the AF-S 300mm F4 is well worth the money. After three years of ownership I'm still very happy with it. For those still holding out for a replacement, people told me to wait three years ago, because a new model was coming soon. I'm so glad I didn't wait. ;-) More sample shots for people to drool over.

Great shots Robert. I particularly like the last one.

I'm a bit torn because I already have a Pentax FA*300/4.5 but no Pentax cameras. I was thinking of just going and grabbing another K-5 but I'm still confused.

Here's a few quick test shots I fired off outside the shop:

One for Bokeh (another lens at another shop)

Yup, the AF-S 300mm F4 is well worth the money. After three years of ownership I'm still very happy with it. For those still holding out for a replacement, people told me to wait three years ago, because a new model was coming soon. I'm so glad I didn't wait. ;-) More sample shots for people to drool over.

I've been thinking of returning the af-d version and getting the used af-s version for $600 more, the af-d incompatibility with the af tc's being a concern (and af speed). But very happy with the IQ of this $400 example. Nice shots T Cole, this thread has me looking at the sigmas as well and I have found this site to be invaluable for the first hand experiences of those that have "tried it all" so to speak.

I bought the used 300/4 but when I got home and was about to run it through it's paces I heard a horrid noise coming from the focus mechanism. It only happened in one direction and from the few calls I made it was determined that the motor was dying. I returned it straight away for a refund. 4 hours of my time and parking fees etc.. I would have been better off buying a new one. I'm not sure what to do from here.

Eric said:
Has anyone looked at the 28-300? KR seems to think it is really excellent.

KR is in love with all nikon super zooms. He seems to forget there are other things to consider in a lens then just versatility. From what I have read it exhibits many of the same downfalls of the 18-200, lack of sharpness, CA, distortion and vignetting. I thought my 18-200 was decently sharp, but then again it depends on what you expect from a super zoom. I don't think it would compete really in the same category as the 300 F4 at 300 mm.

Wanted to share a couple macro-ish shots from the 300 F4 as well...does a pretty good job I think.

tcole1983 said:
;) that is why I want a D400 to be released.

This is why I was hoping to buy a K-5 replacement (which should be 24MP) so that I could get some reach with the glass I already have (at a decent resolution)and they'd all still be VR due to the body. But the D800 can crop to 1.5x so you more or less get a APS-C camera thrown in with the deal when you buy one. There are a couple of other crop modes too... 1.2x and 5x4 modes.

Has anyone looked at the 28-300? KR seems to think it is really excellent.

bossa said:
Your 300 is really a 450 on your APS-C camera. When I look at the price of a 500+ I want to run and hide but APS-C can make the hurt go away to an extent, especially where long lenses are concerned.

;) that is why I want a D400 to be released.

Super images--thanks for sharing them.

tcole1983 said:
Thanks all. I actually had the kirk tripod collar in my cart when I bought it, but I can't do it right now (babies are expensive!). I will get it when I save up a little money for it again.

In the pics the lighting wasn't ideal. It was late afternoon and a combination of sun and shade. I still think it did pretty well. The geese are ugly because they are young ones with premature feathers ;)

I had to rearrange my camera bag last night to get the beast in there. I will post some more pics when I have time to go through them. Or I will just add them to the PAD thread.

Your 300 is really a 450 on your APS-C camera. When I look at the price of a 500+ I want to run and hide but APS-C can make the hurt go away to an extent, especially where long lenses are concerned.

Thanks all. I actually had the kirk tripod collar in my cart when I bought it, but I can't do it right now (babies are expensive!). I will get it when I save up a little money for it again.

In the pics the lighting wasn't ideal. It was late afternoon and a combination of sun and shade. I still think it did pretty well. The geese are ugly because they are young ones with premature feathers ;)

I had to rearrange my camera bag last night to get the beast in there. I will post some more pics when I have time to go through them. Or I will just add them to the PAD thread.

andyp said:
I hate to think I am getting a bug for longer lenses

That's why I had planned to keep my Pentax glass and just buy a K-5 replacement (probably 24MP) so I could still get some reach and quality from a crop format without spending up on Nikon tele's. Nikon Tele's are pretty expensive and heavy (300/4 isn't though). Also, the K-5 shutter is whisper quiet compared with the D800E.

Sorry for harping on about K-5's.. I'm still trying to get over my betrayal.. LOL

PS: It might pay for D800 owners to keep in mind that there are crop modes.
A 200/2.8 on a 1.5x crop factor is 'the same' as a 300mm F/4 lens on FF.

PB PM said:
Nice first shoot with the 300 F4. I keep the 70-300mm VR for the times I don't want to lug around a tripod, which I feel is really need to get the best results from the 300mm F4.

As for VR, its a meh thing really. I recently rented the Nikon AF-S 300mm F2.8G VR II, turned off VR after the first ten minutes of using it, never turned it on again.

Wouldn't you be using that on a tripod anyway?

Nice shoot tcole1983.

I located a used (but mint) current version 300/4 for $1100 which I'll probably buy tomorrow after looking it over. It's from a store so I get a 7 day return period. My K-5s had in-body Shake reduction so I kinda got a false impression of my capabilities as even the oldest glass had VR. But since buying the D800E I have really come to appreciate VR due to the number of dud shots I get when using a lens without it and the fact that the 70-200 VRII can shoot for 1/13th sec at 200mm and still get super sharp shots - bloody amazing really..

as for the collar itself, there's a cheap working solution to stabilize it, especially if You are a wine drinker. next time You open the wine, get the cork (doesn't better if it's natural or not), cut it a little bit and put between the lens and collar. of course it's not gonna be as good as the kirk replacement collar, but it will also allow You to save $150 and the quality is visibly improved, especially on higher pixel bodies (d800) when You use it on tripod.

@tcole,Nice first shots.I haven't seen anyone yet who hates this lens....just the collar ;) If you're like most folks,I think that once you start shooting from a tripod with a ball or gimbal head at slower shutter speeds,you will find that the Nikon collar flexes too much,just from mirror slap.Rotating to portrait mode,on my copy at least,is not smooth either.

I spent the better part of a day shooting Brown-Headed Nuthatches in a dense pine thicket on an overcast day.I didn't want to run the ISO over 400 and I don't own a better beamer,so I was having to shoot at 1/80 to 1/200,and I almost pulled out every hair on my head trying to get decent keepers.I ordered the Kirk replacement collar and my keeper rate has skyrocketed!.....The difference is like night and day!

Once again,congrats,I know that you will have lots of fun,productive days with the 300 f4

Nice first shoot with the 300 F4. I keep the 70-300mm VR for the times I don't want to lug around a tripod, which I feel is really need to get the best results from the 300mm F4.

As for VR, its a meh thing really. I recently rented the Nikon AF-S 300mm F2.8G VR II, turned off VR after the first ten minutes of using it, never turned it on again.

btw tcole1983, I love the center shot above, lovely shadow color. After shooting the afd I can see any increased autofocus speed would be a plus especially for small birds,