F2-f4

hark

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I have the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRii lens which I use during some Worship services (without flash). At times, I have mounted my 1.4 teleconverter which allows the lens to only be an f/4. That cuts the light by one stop. And because of it, the lens sometimes has trouble locking focus. There is more AF hunting going on. If you are planning on using the lens in low light situations, that is a factor you need to consider. Even if you are shooting stopped down, a faster lens in low light allows more light into the camera for focusing. I missed a shot because of using the teleconverter and only having f/4 to let in the light--only had a limited few seconds to get a photo I wanted but couldn't.

As Sparky mentioned, there are other factors to be weighed. A faster lens allows more bokeh when shot wide open. Of course, there are some instances when you can simply move your subject further from the background to achieve a shallower depth of field (more bokeh); however, that won't work in all situations. And because a faster lens allows more light into the camera, you can use a slower shutter speed when shooting wide open.

What type of subjects or scenes do you intend to use for the lens? That might help steer you in the right direction.

EDIT: if you are planning to use the lens for macro or stars/astronomy, quite often those are focused manually.
 
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tea2085

Senior Member
Thanks guys- I don't have any concrete plans to purchase an F2 lens, really just interested in why so many on this forum seek them them out! Paul
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Thanks guys- I don't have any concrete plans to purchase an F2 lens, really just interested in why so many on this forum seek them them out! Paul

Gear lust ... or as Cindy mentioned, needing that low light performance for either better AF speed, or for better bokeh at the wider apertures.
 

hark

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@kevy73 uses at least one f/2 lens for his wedding photography. It has gorgeous bokeh, but it comes with a price--both in cost as well as its weight.
 

tpaairman

New member
Low light and astrophotography are good candidates for an F2 lens. Something along those lines is on my wish list for that reason.

When shooting the stars, if you leave your shutter open longer than about 30 seconds, you will start to get star trials. With a faster lens at the same shutter speed, You can get a brighter pict of the stars and less chance of trails.
 
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