[CyBeRkId2002]

Hi everyone,

I have finally decided on the lenses i eventually want to end up and have started by buying a 24-70 2.8 Sigma EX Lens. My next step is for a decent telephoto and has led me into a tricky decision.

Basically i have narrowed it down to these three lenses:

Sigma 70-200 2.8 EX
Nikon 80-200 Non-Silent Wave version
Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR AF-S

My main question is actually whether its worth buying a lens with Optical Stabilisation at the present time. OS is definately something I want in my lenses, but is the market moving towards onboard OS as standard within the next few years. If so it would make a massive difference to my purchasing decisions right now. The extra £500ish quid for VR is a massive amount for me, and not something i want to a out now, to be made redundant in the near future.

Any opinions on the way the market is going and whether i should coughup for OS now would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Michael

Nikon / Canon will not bring out on board IS / VR soon.

[CyBeRkId2002]

what makes you say that? not doubting it, just wondered whether you had some info on the subject.

[barongreenback]

On current standards in lens stabilisation will always be superior hence Canon and Nikon use that.

[Radiohead]

Whether you need VR depends on the shooting you do - what do you do?

[CyBeRkId2002]

all sorts of stuff...getting into gig photography at the minute and considering doing a wedding course at some point in the future. I presume it would be useful for both of these.

Cheers,
Michael

[Radiohead]

Weddings yes, with more static set-ups, gigs less so as VR won't help you freeze action. You'll need high-ISO and fast lenses there (and with weddings).

[CyBeRkId2002]

for the static setups do you not use a tripod making VR completely redundant? id be interested to hear the real advantages to using a VR lens then (what style of photogrpahy it really benefits).

Cheers,
Michael

[ush flynn]

wedding photography would benefit mate. think about it, you hardly stand still with a tripod at a wedding, but then again your subject isnt prancing about on a stage. This is when VR would help you out as you can handhold and move around a pretty much static subject (the formal shots people want at a wedding) you might find yourself switching off the VR for the informal shots and using higher iso and bigger apertures to get those great shots of people laughing and having a great time.

Gig photography your in low light most of the time with a subject that doesnt stay still. VR mostly isnt going to help much here, it will use more battery power also. VR isnt going to help you freeze action, again big apertures and higher iso's are your friend here

i find VR helpful on my climbing and trekking as it means i dont have to carry a tripod around, or perhaps just get away with a monopod. There are times you want to be more discrete also, like taking pictures of the public or buildings (sometimes security move you on if your taking pictures of buildings, like they do to me in canary wharf!) so being able to use slower shutter speeds or smaller apertures without the use of a tripod is a huge advantage

[Radiohead]

ush pretty much sums it up

[Radiohead]

One other question - it wouldn't be the first lens on my list for weddings (although I have one and love it). What other glass do you have?

[CyBeRkId2002]

the only keepers i have at the minute are my Nikon d50, 50mm 1.8 nikon and a 24-70 2.8 Sigma Ex. What else would be needed for a wedding shoot. So far stuff I think I need are: decent telephoto, Flashgun, Second body (d200), more storage.

Thanks to Ush for the input, still undecided on which to go far. Would it be worth the extra expense purely for the formal wedding shots or is it just a nice extra feature. Basically, could i get away with one of the other two lenses?

Cheers to you both,
Michael

[CyBeRkId2002]

oh...and a wide angle lens

[Radiohead]

Add a second flash as well and agreed on the storage. Be very careful with ultra-wides and wedding groups - they can distort horribly. You won't do many formals, if any, with something like a 70-200. I do know that SSB of these forums will shortly be selling a mint AF-S 80-200mm Nikkor and that would be worth looking at. The 24mm of the Sigma isn't that wide, so a 12-24 could fill that hole (Tokina is a great value model). Just be aware of distortion at the wide end.

FWIW, I do a fair amount of paid weddings and almost always use the same two lenses, 17-55mm on a D2x and 85/1.4 on a D200.

[CyBeRkId2002]

no, i was thinking of getting that for more candid shots if any which i suppose negates the use of VR. I will keep my eye out to see if SSB decides to sell his 80-200 but its going to depend on cost. I personally cant see the benefit in a massive extra cost just for slightly faster, quieter focusing. Especially as the non-AFs versions can be had off ebay for as little as £450ish.

Would a D200/D50 combo be a reasonable starting point? And do you have any experience with the Sigma 70-200 2.8 lenses?

Cheers,
Michael

On the uses for IS/VR.

I took my 70-200 IS on wildlife trip recently and it proved invaluable. Tripod out of the question, and your subject is mostly static.

I would have had a lot less keepers, was it not for IS.

Kobus

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by CyBeRkId2002

no, i was thinking of getting that for more candid shots if any which i suppose negates the use of VR. I will keep my eye out to see if SSB decides to sell his 80-200 but its going to depend on cost. I personally cant see the benefit in a massive extra cost just for slightly faster, quieter focusing. Especially as the non-AFs versions can be had off ebay for as little as £450ish.

Would a D200/D50 combo be a reasonable starting point? And do you have any experience with the Sigma 70-200 2.8 lenses?

Cheers,
Michael

Good combo with the only caveat of 2 kinds of storage and some of the D50 settings can be buried in menus. The Sigma 70-200mm is excellent - I had one but swapped it for for the VR Nikkor as low shutter speeds meant some missed shots that I can now get during weddings....

[ush flynn]

dont tell anybody, but i thought of this last night while i couldnt sleep. Although VR acts as a direct comparison to canons IS, its name gives away the fact that it can also be used with a tripod. The value of VR is not negated by the use of a tripod. Vibration reduction can also be used to reduce the effects of mirror slap and shutter movement on longer exposures. It means you dont have to lock the mirror up before a shot (not available on all nikon bodies)

Yeah anyway... thats what i was thinking last night! great huh!

[Radiohead]

You're a sad, lonely man ush

:D

[ush flynn]

i think to make that story worse, seeing as the gf was there and shes into photography, we had a little chat about it too. I hope to never repeat that night again, or come anywhere close!

[CyBeRkId2002]

i notice around that you've moved over to Canon radiohead. will you still be needing your 70-200 vr or other tasty bits of kit... hint hint

[steve.o]

Originally Posted by Radiohead

...there may well be a BIG Nikon sale going on soon.

From this post

...steve.o

[CyBeRkId2002]

cool.

im gonna be checking out this site every day until its up here now.... been looking into some new stuff for a while and now might just be the time...

[Radiohead]

Will all be going up for sale tomorrow - might already have a buyer for the 70-200 but the 105mm VR and 18-200mm VR's will be going up. Watch this space.

[CyBeRkId2002]

just remembered im off out for the weekend leaving at 7 o'clock tonight so get the feeling i may miss out on this sale. It was mainly the 70-200 i think i was going to be keeping my eye on, but then again that 105mm VR and your D200 (if you decided to sell that) may also have got me tempted ...

[Radiohead]

Well the 70-200 might have gone - just waiting to hear back as to whether he is going for it. The 105mm and D200 will be for sale and I'll put a thread up here later this morning (in the non-AV Classifieds). I do think I'll sell everything easily.

[CyBeRkId2002]

ill keep my eye out at work then... those test shots from your new 5D are very nice by the way. The images are so clean (only way i can really think of describing them). Hows the full frame suiting you.

[Radiohead]

Originally Posted by CyBeRkId2002

ill keep my eye out at work then... those test shots from your new 5D are very nice by the way. The images are so clean (only way i can really think of describing them). Hows the full frame suiting you.

Early days but looks promising.

Sale thread started:


BIG Nikon Sale