Telephoto Primes - Longest for the least amount of $/£

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Somersetscott

Senior Member
Hi Guys,

I was wandering if I could pick the brains of the forum,

I've been looking at the Nikkor 300mm AF-S f4 (on ebay for £550ish) then a Nikkor TC-14II (ebay £200)

Criteria:
300mm f4 or longer/faster
Can be used with a 1.4x TC
Relatively good IQ (mainly internet posting images, max print A4 size)
Least amout of £/$

;) Something for nothing kind of post, but just wandered what value for money at the moment.

Much Appreciated

(Using D600)
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
I owned the 300mm f/4D lens several years ago and loved the performance on my film camera but sold it due to the fact it's a dust magnet on a digital body. So if you do go this way the TC is a *must* with this lens. The lens is not the fastest focusing lens either (can be frustrating if trying to focus on a small bird at a good distance) but according to Nasim, the 300mm f/4D in combo with the TC1.4 shows better performance than the 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens.

Nikon 300mm f/4D AF-S Review
 
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Vincent

Senior Member
You seem to talk about prime, probably for IQ, to have reasonable result with the TC 1,4.

1) For 550 Stirling this is the max IQ you will get. Even in Sigma you can get good IQ and faster (f2,8) but the price will not go down.
It will give less AF issues but probably less IQ then the Nikkor from the feedback I saw.

2) On the TC 1,4 you can gain a bit going to a Kenko Pro300 DSG 1.4. The feedback seems to depend on the person, some adore it, some do not like it. Mine is to arrive.
 
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dramtastic

Senior Member
I think you've pretty much answered your own question. If your after a fast prime for that kind of money/focal length that will take a 1.4TC, the 300mm F4 Nikon is still the only game in town at the moment. I would definitely only pair this with the Nikon TC. One thing people often forget when choosing this type of lens is weight. The 300mm F4 is quite manageable handheld at about 1.5kg. Go to a 2.8 and apart from the extra expense, your looking at 3kg plus.
 
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Somersetscott

Senior Member
Thanks for your info guys - I guess it was a slight sanity check before I splash some cash :)

Weight isn't an issue but cash and iQ are - specifically for birding.

The kenko PRO 300 DSG 1.4x :cool: not even considered it - will have to look into it, is it better (price or IQ) than the nikkor 1.4tcs?

Thanks,
Scott
 
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dramtastic

Senior Member
Kenko, better price than the Nikon TC, about USD$230 new, IQ will be inferior to the Nikon TC. I've seen hundreds of excellent shots of birds taken with the 300mm F4 combined with the Nikon 1.4TC. The Nikon TC will be more reliable as well. Why do I think so, I've read hundreds of reviews on this combo. As for weight, don't underestimate it when shooting birds. Sure you can constantly have your gear mounted on a tripod/monopod, but it's not ideal. My background, predominantly shooting birds. Why don't I have this combo myself. Almost did but I went with the Sigma 100-300mm F4 EX and Sigma 1.4TC instead. For a lot less money I'll put this combo up against the Nikon any day for IQ and I prefer the greater flexibility of a zoom. Why didn't I recommend this, because you posted in the Prime thread. You could also consider forgetting about the lens/tc combo and consider the VR2 version of Nikons 80-400mm. Very good IQ and again the flexibility of a zoom.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
Nikon 300mm f4 + Nikon 1.4T is the best Telephoto you can get for your money. It is inexpensive (relatively) and light, best for handheld shots. Add a gun shoulder grip and you can follow the birds with ease. BushHawk® Shoulder Stock
 
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Somersetscott

Senior Member
Thanks guys

Oh wow! I Love that grip! - cannot seem to find it on UK eBay.. Anyway I'm sure here in the UK there would be quite a few bogus calls to the police reporting a man with an SMG at the local wildlife park.. ;)
 
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Brian

Senior Member
Dave_W said:
I owned the 300mm f/4D lens several years ago and loved the performance on my film camera but sold it due to the fact it's a dust magnet on a digital body.

Nikon 300mm f/4D AF-S Review
Click to expand...

I never thought of that! Makes sense as the optics are very inset into the body of the lens. I bought this lens with a Digital camera 20 years ago, but sensor cleaning was much easier on a DCS200. Lens is long gone. The 500/8 Mirror will not have that issue! Rear mount filter.
 
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