Nikon Digital Photography Talk

Photography tips, Nikon and general Nikon discussions

Ask George

Posted by George Collazo On June - 15 - 2009

If you have Nikon questions, chances are that I will have an answer.

Send them in to : info@alldigitalnikon.com

Be aware that:

* I will do my best to answer your question in a timely manner
* Your question will be received by email, but it will be posted here along with the answer to benefit other visitors with similar or identical questions.

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Tri Tran wrote in to ask:

Hi George,

I have D700 and want to buy the 80-200 2.8 but don’t know what to get the AF or AFS. I don’t do lot of sports or moving subject though. Are they having the same quality of sharpness? How about the Tamron 70-200 2.8?

Thanks.

From George:

Here we go my friend, the Nikon 80-200 AF-D F/2.8 has been my workhorse for almost 10 years in a row. When I bought it, the 80-200 AF-S version was available for around $275.00 more. Little I knew that it was going to be replaced soon for the new Nikkor 70-200 AF-S F/2.8 VR. I did tested the 80-200 with the new CAM 3500 on the Nikon D300, Nikon D3 and with a briefly borrowed Nikon D700. These 3 cameras including the D3x have the torque required to move these massive lens without much of a problem, however, that’s me who shoots action every once in a while and for the most part the Nikon 80-200 AF-D will suffice. If you are going to be into more dynamic shootings, my vote goes to the Nikon 70-200 AF-S F/2.8 VR lens.

IMHO:

Because the 80-200 AF-S had a very short shelf life, they were not made in great numbers. The 80-200 AF-S F/2.8 is a great performer from colleagues whom own it, but expect to pay premium for it more for its rarity than its performance. If you are lucky to come across a good specimen of this lens, you will see what I mean regarding the price. IMHO, you will find yourself close, very close to a used but more up-to-date Nikon 70-200 AF-S Version I. I have read good things about the Tamron 70-200, but in your shoes, I would consider seriously the Nikon glass (the reason why I shoot with Nikon cameras). With the introduction of the version II, you can find a Nikkor 70-200′s AF-S VR in good shape and good deals.

Picture from some performance trials with Nikon D300 and Nikon 80-200 AF-D (2 rings version).

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From Andri:

hi george, im planning to upgrade my camera from d60 to d90 or d300 and currently i already have a nikkor 17-55mm lens that i buy with used condition …. do you this is it worth-ed for me to upgrade my current camera…and can you advise what camera should i buy to upgrade my camera so the lens can work maximal

really big thanks for your advised

best regards
Andri

From George:

Hello Andri, thanks for writing.
It is really hard to make a suggestion without knowing what you actually take pictures of primarily. One thing I can say, you have a wonderful DX lens already like the Nikon 17-55 AF-S F/2.8. With this lens, transitioning to a more advanced body will make it easy. As for the Nikon D90 or D300. Well, I own a robust body, the Nikon D200. I decided to opt in for the Nikon D90 due to the better noise performance which in the D200 is very weak. I can not say that ”I got away” with the D90, the D300 is the heck of a camera body but honestly, after little over a year with the Nikon D90, I have no complaints at all and I do use the D90 in a great variety of environments. If your photography revolves around fast moving subjects, my take would be the Nikon D300. If your shooting subjects are more passive, the D90 with good glass which you already have will produce great results. Match a D90 with a Nikkor 35mm F/1.8 and that 17-55 and you have in my experience with it, a very powerful low-light tool.

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

George Collazo

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From Scott Wadlow:

”I have a Nikon D5000 with an Nikkor 18-200 zoom lens. I am having trouble getting the camera to focus on any subject at full zoom. If I start backing off on the zoom the camera will focus usually around 135mm give or take a bit. I have reset the camera to its default settings as well as trying several different lenses and no of these have help. Do I have a setting wrong some where that may be causing this or do you think that the camera it self has an issue? Thanks for your time.”

From George:

Hello Scott, I have briefly used the Nikon D5000 with a Nikon 17-55 AF-S F/2.8 lens working absolutely great. Based on your description and having tried different lenses on your camera, I suspect that your camera might be faulty. If you don’t have a friend to swap lenses and cameras, I suggest you to visit a local dealer so you can test your lens with another D5000 and your 18-200mm with another camera body. I don’t own the Nikon 18-200 VR but have also used one and the lens at 200mm works perfectly fine.