Nikon Announces an 80-400mm VR AF-S :D

Buylongterm wrote in post #15681138
A lot of Nikon shooters over on nikonrumors don't seem to be to excited over it.

Probably because their existing 80-400 has only ever been rated as a mediocre lens, at best, from the Noinks I've spoken to out in the field...so, a revision to a lackluster lens, coming in at "supercar" pricing is probably not too exciting for them. Let's wait and see what happens when they actually get production units in their hands.

Jahled wrote in post #15678475
Looks like a nice bit of glass. Why do people always moan and complain about the price of new gear though? Prices fall over time for practically anything in life, besides property, so just be patient if you can't handle a product launch cost. Some of the comments in one of those links just made my hand hit my forehead.

Well the thing here is $2700 is what I'd call reasonable, based on the pricing of the 70-200 f/2.8 VR II, which debuted at $2500, an 80-400 is a more complicated design and thus will be more expensive, $2700 is a fair price and is only about 50% more expensive than the old one new (Which is massively overpriced for its performance to be honest) and if the MTF charts are right it looks like its got the IQ of the 70-200 f/2.8 VR II as well, Which I would GLADLY shell out the money for.... Eventually I expect the 80-400 AF-S to settle down at the $2400-2500 mark by next year sure... but I dont feel its "overpriced" relating to other lenses in the lineup

On the other hand we have Canon, who pushes out a 28mm f/2.8 prime with IS for over 3 times what the original 28mm f/2.8 prime cost, when the competition delivers a 28mm f/1.8 prime for less money... Optically its good sure, But so was Canon's old 28mm f/1.8 prime at f/2.8 (In fact they're roughly equal optically)

Or the 24-70 f/4L IS, which while a very interesting lens is $1450, a good $400 more than the 24-105 f/4L IS while losing 35mm on the long end, Its got less distortion and is slightly sharper sure but the loss of 35mm on the long end kind of defeats the purpose of it being a fixed f/4 in my book...I sacrifice the stop of speed for an extra 35mm after all... If the 24-70 f/4L was priced equal to the 24-105, I'd say its a good price, but its not.. and thats not even including the 3rd party alternative (The Tamron) which gives you f/2.8 and VC AND some money in your pocket...

The other way I look at it on the 80-400 is that otherwise I would buy the 70-200 f/4 VR and the 300mm f/4 AF-S because thats the best Nikon has for wildlife/birds right now without talking the superteles, Compared to those two lenses the 80-400 is cheaper and gives me the advantage of carrying 1 lens, Not two... and I'll place a good bet the optics will be very good...

The 80-400 and the D7100 with its f/8 focusing and awesome pixel density look to be a GREAT combo for bird shooting...I've seriously been debating nabbing the D7100 now... Theres only 1 lens I have that makes me hesitate though... :/

So in ten years time when they have a version III of this lens it will cost.... $5 grand ROFL. Insanity! I wonder what a nifty fifty will cost... $500?

J_TULLAR wrote in post #15681849
So in ten years time when they have a version III of this lens it will cost.... $5 grand ROFL. Insanity! I wonder what a nifty fifty will cost... $500?

Hard to predict really, Depends on if inflation/cost of manufacture and etc keep raising linerally, Which they very likely wont... Something will happen between now and then, either the Yen dropping like a brick or the dollar skyrocketing to new heights... Or the machines will come to enslave us all and we wont care about an 80-400 anymore

Well prices drop eventually over time, 28 2.8IS can be had for $550 vs its $850 brand new.

J_TULLAR wrote in post #15681887
Well prices drop eventually over time, 28 2.8IS can be had for $550 vs its $850 brand new.

And I can have the 28mm f/1.8 for a mere $375 used.. lol I need to sell mine still (Want that new Sigma 30mm f/1.4)

Seriously if i had one complaint with Canon right now its that they still dont have a lens I like as much as the $200 35mm f/1.8... :/

KenjiS wrote in post #15681894
And I can have the 28mm f/1.8 for a mere $375 used.. lol I need to sell mine still (Want that new Sigma 30mm f/1.4)

Seriously if i had one complaint with Canon right now its that they still dont have a lens I like as much as the $200 35mm f/1.8... :/

I think thats my point, where are the cheap lenses at CANON!!! Nikon at least has a affordable range for its DX users. Canon... well....

J_TULLAR wrote in post #15681922
I think thats my point, where are the cheap lenses at CANON!!! Nikon at least has a affordable range for its DX users. Canon... well....

All i want is a stupid 50mm equivalent without paying $1300 for a 35mm f/1.4!

That said on the reverse side, Nikon's 105 VR might be a darn good lens (It IS a darn good lens) but I feel my 100L is better...

KenjiS wrote in post #15681929
All i want is a stupid 50mm equivalent without paying $1300 for a 35mm f/1.4!

That said on the reverse side, Nikon's 105 VR might be a darn good lens (It IS a darn good lens) but I feel my 100L is better...

Easy! Canon 5D for $800 bucks and your sigma 50 1.4 BAM!

J_TULLAR wrote in post #15682006
Easy! Canon 5D for $800 bucks and your sigma 50 1.4 BAM!

Too dated for me, The 5DII is just BARELY a consideration but i really hate the 9pt AF system (I had it in my 30D and didnt like it then)

I could get a 6D, or a D600..but the 5DIII is right out of the price range sadly

KenjiS wrote in post #15681929
All i want is a stupid 50mm equivalent without paying $1300 for a 35mm f/1.4!

There are plenty of very good options. Sure nothing is perfect, but none of them stand in the way of an otherwise good photo. If you want to keep waiting for the perfect lens, it's always coming next year.

tkbslc wrote in post #15682285
There are plenty of very good options. Sure nothing is perfect, but none of them stand in the way of an otherwise good photo. If you want to keep waiting for the perfect lens, it's always coming next year.

Who said I want "perfect" I just want "good"... So far I've been through:

35mm f/2: Sharp, but very dodgy/poor bokeh in a lot of shots, Sold it.. in this things case, yes the horrid bokeh DID ruin some otherwise really nice shots I had done because the bokeh had a horrid distracting double visioned quality to it that took your eye off the subject, and in my case really messed with my eyes...

28mm f/1.8: Not that sharp at f/1.8-2 where i care about using it, Bokeh is pretty good most of the time, Lots of CA, lots of vignetting, lots of flare even with a hood.. this was sort of my "best" lens and im only selling it because of the new Sigma 30 and 35... This lens i could easily work through its shortcomings and i was more just nitpicking that it wasnt my Sigmalux, I admit that.. though the CA/Purple Fringing is bad...

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 (Old one): Very sharp, excellent bokeh but couldnt focus on the broadside of a well lit barn and the MFD was awful on it... to be fair this was pretty much perfection except the MFD and I would have gotten a properly focusing copy had the MFD not stunk

The Nikon just works for me, I havnt had an issue with wonky bokeh(Though ive not used it that much), its very sharp, it focuses pretty accurately on a D3100, but its a Nikon, and thus does not work on my 7D...

The next lens Im going to try, provided I stick Canon and dont just say sod it and buy a 6D is the new Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Sigma fixed the MFD on it and they've improved their QC with their 35... So hopefully the new 30 is the lens I've wanted

Yep, too picky.

Honestly, ask yourself how we have huge sample threads with great photos from all of those, but you couldn't make any of them work for you?

I have a good feeling you'll hate something about the new 30mm if you hated all those other very good lenses.

tkbslc wrote in post #15682328
Yep, too picky.

Honestly, ask yourself how we have huge sample threads with great photos from all of those, but you couldn't make any of them work for you?

I have a good feeling you'll hate something about the new 30mm if you hated all those other very good lenses.

Because if i was "too picky" then every lens I owned I'd have some problem with... When in actuality, the only, ONLY lens I've had this much trouble with was when Canon did not make a 15-85 and i tried every suggestion under the sun and wasnt happy because, Shock, I wanted a 15-85 which did not exist, I wanted a 24-105 equivalent on my 30D... The 15-85 came out, I bought it, and I still own the thing... Love my Sigmalux except its too long for a large chunk of photos, Love my 70-200 f/4L IS, Love my 100L to pieces and I adore my new Tokina 11-16 even if im awful with UWA lenses... So again, I dont think I'm very picky if I love all of those lenses, in fact most of the lenses I've owned were sold less due to dislike of the lens and more due to my needs or situation changing...

Yes, I see lots of pictures from those lenses, I took an awful lot of nice pictures with the 35 and the 28 too, and I've taken one or two with the D3100 and the 35mm f/1.8 which were pretty good, The Sigma less so since I had it for literally 1 day and had to manually focus every shot... I settled down and was mostly happy with the 28mm f/1.8, but I did REALLY like the Sigma 30mm before and had the MFD not been awful I would have either sent it for calibration or exchanged until i got a Sigma that focused correctly

So when Sigma announced a new 30mm f/1.4 with a better MFD (coupled with their superb QC on the 35mm f/1.4) I feel that the lens I wanted IN THE FIRST PLACE is finally available...I tried the Sigma first after all... I almost tried a second copy but bought the 35mm f/2 instead and after dicking around with it for a few months (Where I did, in fact, get some very nice images, but they werent the types of images I wanted the lens for in the first place, when i used it for WHAT I BOUGHT IT FOR the ugly bokeh problem was a massive, huge problem over and over again)

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …unetsukiphoto/6​808686726/

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Kenji,
You'd make a very interesting research case study on "gear obsession".
You're tying and twisting your self in knots trying to decide and undecide on various bodies and lenses and so on and on and on and on and on...
Just buy a damn camera already!