Nikon bird in flight lens handheld

[Peter Scholer]

Looking for suggestions of Nikon lens to capture birds in flight on both FX and DX cameras. Also but less important general birding capability. Someone mentioned these 3 -

1. Nikon 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR and it can be used with all teleconvertors including TC-20E III. And with this combination I believe I can get great optical performance and quality at 600mm. Nikon 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR weighs 6.39 lb (2.9kg) Price around $5,800. Is it worth it ? 2. The Nikon 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S on the other hand is around $1,400 and weighs 3.17 lb (1.44 kg) and nikon states can be used with no limitations with TC-14E II only. http://www.nikonusa.com/en_INC/IMG/Assets/Common-Assets/Images/Teleconverter-Compatibility/en_US_Comp_chart.html Potentially not as much reach as cant be used with TC-20E III. Cheaper by a long way. And lighter. No VR. F4 instead of F/2.8. Does this really matter in the real world. ? 3. Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II Lens - Weighs 7.4 lb (3.36 kg) costs around $6,800 can be used with TC-14E II . Advantage of zoom but the heaviest. Any suggestions on these or others would be most welcome. Image quality is important. Kind regards, Peter

[dankearl]

Peter,
I have the 300 f2.8 vrii lens and I am happy with it.
It is ok with the 2xiii tc, but much better at 500mm with the 1.7tc.
The IQ with the 1.4 and 1.7 is really good IMO.
I bought the "grey" market lens for $5200 if that matters to you.

[Peter Scholer]

Thanks for your comments Dan. The 300 f2.8 VR2 certainly sounds great and the reviews I have read are very encouraging. Interesting to hear about your Teleconvertor experiences.

[ericbowles]

I've got the 300 f/4, 200-400, and all the teleconverters. The 300 f/4 is all I want to handle for long durations handheld. I have tried the 200-400 but it is just a little too heavy without some sort of support. I've heard great reports on the quality of the 300 f/2.8 - but it is only slightly lighter than the 200-400. Earlier this year I spent 6 days on a pelagic birding trip where tripods were not effective so I have had plenty of time to try the various combinations. I retired the 200-400 after just an hour and used the 300 f/4 with the 1.4 teleconverter for more than 2500 images and 60 hours on deck.

For extra reach, the 300 f/4 works wonderfully with the 1.4 teleconverter. The 1.7 teleconverter is slow enough to make AF a little sluggish but it is still quite sharp. I don't like it with the 2.0 teleconverter - you just lose too much light for fast AF.

Now if you are willing to use a tripod, the situation changes. And it also depends on the size of the birds you intend to photograph.

[Peter Scholer]

I've got the 300 f/4, 200-400, and all the teleconverters. The 300 f/4 is all I want to handle for long durations handheld. I have tried the 200-400 but it is just a little too heavy without some sort of support. I've heard great reports on the quality of the 300 f/2.8 - but it is only slightly lighter than the 200-400. Earlier this year I spent 6 days on a pelagic birding trip where tripods were not effective so I have had plenty of time to try the various combinations. I retired the 200-400 after just an hour and used the 300 f/4 with the 1.4 teleconverter for more than 2500 images and 60 hours on deck.

For extra reach, the 300 f/4 works wonderfully with the 1.4 teleconverter. The 1.7 teleconverter is slow enough to make AF a little sluggish but it is still quite sharp. I don't like it with the 2.0 teleconverter - you just lose too much light for fast AF.

Now if you are willing to use a tripod, the situation changes. And it also depends on the size of the birds you intend to photograph.

Thanks for sharing your information Eric.

I can see what you mean about weight:
Nikon 300mm f/4D ED IF AF-S weighs 3.17 lb (1.44 kg). This is approx half the weight of the 300mm f/2.8G below. Costs around $1,150 -$1,400.
Nikon 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR weighs 6.39 lb (2.9kg) around $5200 -$5,800
Nikon 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II Lens - Weighs 7.4 lb (3.36 kg)