If so. . . do you ever use extenders with it? I have recently received an unexpected bonus at work, and I have allocated a bit of it to a dream purchase.
This Lens is on my wish list, but now that it is a possiblity, I am not sure if it is "the one" I spend a great deal of time in low light hockey rinks (which this would be perfect for) , and the rest on Lacrosse fields, which this would be "short". . hence the question on the extenders. . . .
Just wondering if you can give me some real life feedback on this lens ` what do you use it for??
If you had a sudden lump sum drop in your lap :) what camera goodies would you buy?
I personally dont have one of these lens but they are on my list however mine would be for weddings and events.
I am not sure if you know, but when you add and extender you will lost 1.5-2 stops of light. So if you add a x2 extender you will lost 2 stops so your f2.8 will become 5.6, but you will get 400mm extension.
The lens will also lose some sharpness but all the examples I have seen and spoken to a heap of people that use them, this lose is not an issues. Now having said that if you were a professional then it would be an issue.
I went down the path that you are going now and decided to get the 100mm-400mm L 4-5.6 USM lens instead and I must say it is a fantastic lens. I mainly purchased it for wildlife and horse events, however it is my go to lens for portraits as the compression that it gives is just fantastic.
I have two bodies, one is a full size sensor and the other a x1.6 crop so when I put the 400mm lens on the x1.6 I get extra reach but as the camera is not as good as the full size sensor I only do this when light is not a problem.
It is heavy but so is any L series lens. Where it falls short is in low light and closer situation where 100mm is too long.
So for me, if I had the lump sum I would buy the 70-200 f2.8 lens, and a x2.0 extender, but I already have the 400mm. I would then be able to use the x2.0 on my 400mm and get some really long images.
I have that lens and love it. It was my favorite in fact for a long time. I use it for everything from portraits to action shots and mostly outdoors. It's heavy but I got used to that. It's light color gets it easily noticed. It's an amazing lens to have in your kit. What lenses do you have already?
Unfortunately for you, you cannot use teleconverters (extenders) with this type of lens. Nikon designed the TC's so you cannot attach them to zoom lenses to prevent breaking them.
On a zoom lens, the rear glass element moves slightly as you change focal lengths. If you have a TC attached, this can cause the two glass elements to hit each other and damage both. You can only use teleconverters on prime lenses for Nikon.
You might be able to buy a third party brand teleconverter that will attach to the 70-200 f/2.8, but I would not recommend it.
Even if you found one that will attach, you will lose a good deal of light which will make shooting indoor sporting events extremely difficult. 200mm on a cropped DX sensor is a pretty good focal length. I used to shoot NCAA basketball with that lens just fine. Not sure how a hockey rink compares in size.
@aspada haha I was actually worried about the white standing out too much :)
I have the "cheapo" 55 mm 1.8 (that unlike everyone else I really do not like at all), a 100 mm f/2.0 that I LOVE, and 70-300 f4-5.6 which I like but it has some limits and a newly acquired 10-22mm .. .. of course the kit lens that came with the camera that I really don't use much at all.
@jasonbarnette I have Cannon :) so it would work. I think the 200 will be perfect in the rinks but short on the Lax field ( I will be shooting 10 year olds on full field) Although now I am drooling over some prime lenses.
I have the 70-200 F/2.8 L IS (Mark I version) and love it. It is very sharp, very quick to focus, and always produces magnificent results. I generally use it for portraits and weddings, but have used it for baseball, tae kwon-do, and other sports, and it really has worked well. I'm using it on a 5D Mark II, so I can crop in easily when the 200mm isn't long enough to fill the frame with the subject, and haven't bothered with a teleconverter. I always figured that if I started shooting sports regularly, I'd supplement it with a 400mm f/2.8 L IS instead. If I suddenly found a spare $8k or so, I'd invest in that, or some Elinchrom Quadra Ranger lights. In fact, when I sell my Profoto gear, I might just do that!
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I am not sure if you know, but when you add and extender you will lost 1.5-2 stops of light. So if you add a x2 extender you will lost 2 stops so your f2.8 will become 5.6, but you will get 400mm extension.
The lens will also lose some sharpness but all the examples I have seen and spoken to a heap of people that use them, this lose is not an issues. Now having said that if you were a professional then it would be an issue.
I went down the path that you are going now and decided to get the 100mm-400mm L 4-5.6 USM lens instead and I must say it is a fantastic lens. I mainly purchased it for wildlife and horse events, however it is my go to lens for portraits as the compression that it gives is just fantastic.
I have two bodies, one is a full size sensor and the other a x1.6 crop so when I put the 400mm lens on the x1.6 I get extra reach but as the camera is not as good as the full size sensor I only do this when light is not a problem.
It is heavy but so is any L series lens. Where it falls short is in low light and closer situation where 100mm is too long.
So for me, if I had the lump sum I would buy the 70-200 f2.8 lens, and a x2.0 extender, but I already have the 400mm. I would then be able to use the x2.0 on my 400mm and get some really long images.
Hope that help, feel free to ask any questions.
On a zoom lens, the rear glass element moves slightly as you change focal lengths. If you have a TC attached, this can cause the two glass elements to hit each other and damage both. You can only use teleconverters on prime lenses for Nikon.
You might be able to buy a third party brand teleconverter that will attach to the 70-200 f/2.8, but I would not recommend it.
Even if you found one that will attach, you will lose a good deal of light which will make shooting indoor sporting events extremely difficult. 200mm on a cropped DX sensor is a pretty good focal length. I used to shoot NCAA basketball with that lens just fine. Not sure how a hockey rink compares in size.
I have the "cheapo" 55 mm 1.8 (that unlike everyone else I really do not like at all), a 100 mm f/2.0 that I LOVE, and 70-300 f4-5.6 which I like but it has some limits and a newly acquired 10-22mm .. .. of course the kit lens that came with the camera that I really don't use much at all.