Which Nikon Lens?

[lkaufman]

If you were to buy just one lens for birds--Nikon 500mm VR or the 200-400VR??
Lou

[Fabs Forns]

The 500/4 Vr.
2-4 is more for wildlife, because of focal length and subject size.

[Nancy A Elwood]

Totally agree with Fabs!!

[Art Peslak]

No question its the 500mm

[James Shadle]

500mm VR!
James

[Harshad Barve]

another vote for 500/F4 VR , you may think of 600mm /F4 VR II , but 600MM is brutally heavy
Harshad

[Weldon Thomson]

I have both the 500mm f4 (not VR) and the 200-400mm. Specifically for birds, unless they are small and you can get really close, the 500mm wins hands down. However, for relatively tame shorebirds which can move around and get rather too close, the 200-400 can be quite handy. I find the 500mm definitely sharper as well, even with TC-14e, especially at wide apertures which are desirable for eliminating backgrounds.

[Marc Mol]

Good question and one which I have just recently acted upon.
Have just recently sold my 200-400 and replaced it with the magic 500VR.
Three things influenced my decision:
1. My recent move to F/F with the D3 (D300 is now my DX backup) + I found that your nearly always using the 2-4 @ 400.
2. The 1.4 & 1.7 tc's work extremely well with the 500VR, with very minimal image loss.
3. You can still handhold for brief periods, and I've found that the 500 is a better balance than the front heavy 200-400.
The ONLY thing I'll miss is the versatility of the zoom.

Cheers
Marc

[david cramer]

AF and reach both point to the 500. I'd save the 200-400 for larger wildlife.

[lkaufman]

Thanks, everyone! The 500 it will be!
Lou

[John Chardine]

Can you even get the 500VR these days? Supplies seemed to be pitifully low after the release, and with the downturn in the economy, Canon at least, has slowed production of their lenses and created one big "Out of Stock" problem in retail.

[Marc Mol]

Can you even get the 500VR these days? Supplies seemed to be pitifully low after the release, and with the downturn in the economy, Canon at least, has slowed production of their lenses and created one big "Out of Stock" problem in retail.

True John
Took me quite a few months till I tracked down an open box special at Adorama saving US$800.

Cheers
Marc

[Thonnaksar NOP]

I shoot birds with both 200-400 VR and 600 VR. If I have to keep one lens only it will be the big zoom for its higher keepers rate and its 1:3.7 reproduction ratio.

[Gus Cobos]

The Nikkor 500mm VR hands down...:):cool:

[sue jarrett]

200-400 VR for the versatility.

I have been sitting in my backyard in SC the last two weeks shooting wrens, cardinals and bluejays feeding their young at or near the bunches of feeders I have set up. The branches and bushes they land on to feed are at different distances, the birds are fairly small and sometimes it is a gang.

I don't always want just an upclose and personal image; sometimes I want to show the environment and sometimes the gang of youngsters nagging mom. With the 200-400 I can get both in an instant

I recently bought the Nikon 1.4x and have thoroughly enjoyed the results with my 200-400. My images are nice and sharp and sell well at local fairs and craft markets.