300mm F/4E PF ED VR with a 1.4 III TC pro and cons

Dakota

Senior Member
Looking real serious at this lens for a D7200. I was looking at the 300 F4 which has no VR. At my age I need all the VR I can get. I have tripods and monopods but there are many times I can not use them this is where the VR will work for me. I know its more money but that's OK. Will the 1.4 III TC work with this lens?? Feedback greatly appreciated Thanks Bill
 

Photowyzard

Senior Member
Bill,

I am curious as to what you think you need VR for? Are you doing a lot of panning from left to right? I have VR on some of my glass .... all turned OFF. Never use it. Primarily, I use my lenses mounted on a tripod. Even when I use the glass hand held, I don't turn it on.

You can view a large sample of my images here:

http://nikonites.com/misc.php?do=threadImg&thread=8996#axzz4Cq8Z5eCT

There is a pretty big price difference between the two lenses, I own the 300 f4D, no VR, fine piece of glass. No issues with it and I don't miss not having VR.
 
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Blacktop

Senior Member
Bill,

I am curious as to what you think you need VR for? Are you doing a lot of panning from left to right? I have VR on some of my glass .... all turned OFF. Never use it. Primarily, I use my lenses mounted on a tripod. Even when I use the glass hand held, I don't turn it on.

You can view a large sample of my images here:

http://nikonites.com/misc.php?do=threadImg&thread=8996#axzz4Cq8Z5eCT

There is a pretty big price difference between the two lenses, I own the 300 f4D, no VR, fine piece of glass. No issues with it and I don't miss not having VR.

Your lens=3.17 lbs
300mm pf-ed= 1.66 lbs
 

Dakota

Senior Member
I think the main reason is panning. I live it the foothills here we have Mountain lions lots of deer and some black bears not to far away. When we are in the woods there is no time for a tripod or monopod to set up. You better be ready to shoot instantly including panning. I really do not think on a crop of 1.5 on the D7200 the TC is really not needed. Was looking a the D750 also the TC would work there with this lens. I think the D7200 will work OK for me. Lot to think about Thanks for the feedback. Bill
 

Photowyzard

Senior Member
Well, if you are doing a lot of panning and action shots, you need every edge and the wallet to go with it.

Even though you have a 1.5 crop, the 1.4TC is an excellent piece of glass and might be something to consider after. You can never have enough reach, but I don't know if you are going to be hand holding and panning with this on without the use of a tripod. Effectively, you will have 300mm x 1.4= 420mm x 1.5 = 630mm. A bit of a stretch, I think.

I have played with the 300mm PF, it is a very nice lens. It should do very nicely on the D7200, which is also an excellent camera.

Good luck, post some pics when you buy it.
 

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
If you're a hiker and wildlife enthusiast then I could not possibly recommend the latest 300mm f4 PF IF more highly. It's an amazingly sharp, incredibly light, lightning focusing lens and perfect for what you're looking for. It's actually a little smaller than my 70-200mm f4 without the hood (same size with), and perhaps a little lighter. You can let it hang off the front of your camera with little worry that it's going to stress the lens mount, hike all day, and toss a TC on it if you need more reach. I used a Kenko 2x on it with my D500 (making it a 600mm f8) and it focused with no problems, so I imagine a Nikon 1.4x would be a piece of cake. This lens, a 1.4x and maybe a 2x in your pocket would make for easy hiking.

FYI, here's the TC compatibility chart. The lens' compatibility is only limited by the camera's ability to focus at higher minimum apertures. The D7200, IIRC, should do f8 in the center spot, so technically you could use any of them. I had no issues with the D500, but that focus system is head and shoulders above anything I've used before. You might experience issues in low contrast situations with the 1.7 or 2x, but in good light I suspect they would give you no problems. The 1.4x is listed as "no limitations", so fire away.
 
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