Which lens do I have?

taylorkh

Senior Member
Pardon me if that is sort of a strange question. Actually, I do not have the lens yet. I am in the market for a zoom lens for my D3400. Something in the neighborhood of 80-300mm would be what I want. I did not purchase the two lens "kit" when I purchased the camera as I figured for the $100 difference I would probably not get a very good telephoto lens. On the other hand the 18-55mm "kit" lens which came with the camera does a very good job within its range.

As I search for telephoto lenses I find several from Nikkor with similar specs and different prices. What I am not finding are model numbers which I can comparison shop. The lens which came with the camera has a description which reads like the title of British nobility: Nikon DX VR AF-P NIKKOR 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G. I think I know what all of the letters mean, except for the G. It has a serial number but no model number marked on it. If I search for the entire "title" at various vendors I get multiple hits. I have this lens in hand and can figure out which listed item corresponds. As to the telephoto lens I am looking for... very confusion.

After all that rambling I guess I can boil down my question to this: If I find two Nikkor lenses which have all of the same letters and numbers in their title, can I be reasonably sure they are the same lens?

And a second question if I might... I know there are gray market cameras. Are there gray market lenses as well? I purchased a US warranty camera. Is there a great risk in a gray market lens? The one I am leaning towards is the "Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR Lens". This lens goes for just under $400US at several reputable on-line retailers. A DuckDuckGo search for that description brought up a bunch of hits on evilbay for what appeared to be the same lens for less than 1/3 that price.

If these are gray market versions of the same lens... If I purchased one and it went bad I could purchase two more and still have a couple of bucks left over. On the other hand if they are counterfeit or a different model lens... very confusing.

If I should be looking beyond Nikkor, please feel free to tell me. :) I used a Vivitar 28-80 on my Nikon FG for 30 years and it never let me down.

TIA,

Ken
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
The G indicates an electronic diaphragm no aperture ring.

They look to be gray market as one of the ads state one year seller warranty. I personally have no experience with gray market lens. But it sure does look tempting.
 
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480sparky

Senior Member
The G indicates an electronic diaphragm no aperture ring.

They look to be gray market as one of the ads state one year seller warranty. I personally have no experience with gray market lens. But it sure does look tempting.

E is electronic aperture.

G simply means no aperture ring. They're still mechanically-actuated.
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
Thanks folks. In my first paragraph I said 80-300. Actually the lenses I am looking at are 70-300. Anyhow... there are two very similar lenses from Nikkor. One has image stabilization and the other not. That is why I was looking for unique model numbers. I guess I will have to make sure the "VR" appears in the title.

Doing so, I find one for $137 delivered on evilbay. 1 year warranty but after a year if I am happy with it I could get another and still be ahead. If after a year I am REALLY happy I might upgrade to a better lens.

Digging a little further I find that the seller is one of the numerous discount camera stores which inhabit Manhattan. So now doing some math... Instead of spending $140 on a $400 lens perhaps I should see what I can get for $300 on the gray market. I am in trouble now :)

Ken
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
This is killing me. I did a search on "lenses for D3400." One real nice one recommended was "Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR" which seems to have a street price of about $700US. On evilbay I found one from a non-camera store seller for $164. EXACTLY the same title. It lists an "MPN 1928". Back tracking that number I find a lens on BH Photo which says
Autofocus system is compatible with select Nikon DSLRs that support D-type lenses, and offers quick and precise focusing performance.

Autofocus is not supported by DSLRs lacking an autofocus motor, such as the D3000-series, D5000-series, D40, D40X, and D60, where the lens may be used with manual focus only.
The "title" of the lens is different at BH. Perhaps I can find some film for my FG :(

Ken
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
This is killing me. I did a search on "lenses for D3400." One real nice one recommended was "Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR" which seems to have a street price of about $700US. On evilbay I found one from a non-camera store seller for $164. EXACTLY the same title. It lists an "MPN 1928". Back tracking that number I find a lens on BH Photo which says The "title" of the lens is different at BH. Perhaps I can find some film for my FG :(

Ken

This might be the one you mentioned. It looks to be discontinued. :( I use this lens quite a bit, and it is fantastic. This one is listed as #2161.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/co...&A=details&Q=&sku=449088&is=USA&fromDisList=y
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
Thanks hark,

This is the one I traced it back to by the MPN

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/207359-USA/Nikon_1928_AF_Zoom_Nikkor_70_300mm.html

The retail price is about the same as evilbay so not a bargain. It if is the lens that it seems to be.

I may contact the camera store ebay vendor on Monday. They have the lower priced 70-300 lens for the D3400 for a couple of bucks more than their evilbay listing but the corresponding UV filter is $3 less on their real web site so it would be a wash. Probably a decent lens for $140.

It looks like the D3400 and perhaps all DX format cameras are limited on the higher end lenses. Is that true? I do not see any over 300 listed on the Nikon site for DX cameras. Yes, I realize that a DX 300 is about equivalent to an FX 450. I think that a 70-300 will meet my needs with the D3400 and if not I will just have to move up to an FX format camera.

That was one thing I liked about the old FG. It was the entry level camera but I could screw it onto a $10,000 lens and it would take as good a picture as any other Nikon body on the same lens with the same film. Just not the same bells and whistles. At least that is what I told anyone who looked down on my "cheap" Nikon. I never did try it on a $10,000 lens :playful:

Ken
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Thanks hark,

This is the one I traced it back to by the MPN

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/207359-USA/Nikon_1928_AF_Zoom_Nikkor_70_300mm.html

The retail price is about the same as evilbay so not a bargain. It if is the lens that it seems to be.

I may contact the camera store ebay vendor on Monday. They have the lower priced 70-300 lens for the D3400 for a couple of bucks more than their evilbay listing but the corresponding UV filter is $3 less on their real web site so it would be a wash. Probably a decent lens for $140.

It looks like the D3400 and perhaps all DX format cameras are limited on the higher end lenses. Is that true? I do not see any over 300 listed on the Nikon site for DX cameras. Yes, I realize that a DX 300 is about equivalent to an FX 450. I think that a 70-300 will meet my needs with the D3400 and if not I will just have to move up to an FX format camera.

That was one thing I liked about the old FG. It was the entry level camera but I could screw it onto a $10,000 lens and it would take as good a picture as any other Nikon body on the same lens with the same film. Just not the same bells and whistles. At least that is what I told anyone who looked down on my "cheap" Nikon. I never did try it on a $10,000 lens :playful:

Ken

That link is to a lens non VR FX lens.


This lens you mention in your first post "Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR Lens" is a DX lens and has VR.


Check out this link it may give a clearer understanding of the current 70-300 lens.

Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-P VR | DSLRBodies | Thom Hogan
 
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hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
It looks like the D3400 and perhaps all DX format cameras are limited on the higher end lenses. Is that true? I do not see any over 300 listed on the Nikon site for DX cameras. Yes, I realize that a DX 300 is about equivalent to an FX 450. I think that a 70-300 will meet my needs with the D3400 and if not I will just have to move up to an FX format camera.
Ken

Ken, I don't understand what you mean by the DX bodies being limited on higher end lenses. Any compatible lenses will work on DX...and that includes high end lenses. If you mean Nikon doesn't make any DX lenses that are longer than 300mm, I don't think they do. Most people will either go with a third party lens such as Tamron or Sigma, or they will get longer Nikon FX lenses if they want a focal length beyond 300mm.

Here is a list of current lenses that Nikon offers.
https://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Camera-Lenses/All-Lenses/index.page#viewAllClick
 

nickt

Senior Member
It looks like the D3400 and perhaps all DX format cameras are limited on the higher end lenses. Is that true? I do not see any over 300 listed on the Nikon site for DX cameras. Yes, I realize that a DX 300 is about equivalent to an FX 450. I think that a 70-300 will meet my needs with the D3400 and if not I will just have to move up to an FX format camera.

DX lenses can be thought of as lighter and lower cost. Less glass is needed because the smaller DX sensor captures a lesser area of the scene. I like to say corners are 'cut' in the DX lens. Figuratively and literally. FX lenses are built bigger and will cast a quality image over the larger FX sensor. There is no crop factor to think about here. The crop factor you hear about comes just by having a DX body. A DX or FX lens of the same focal length will give the same view on your camera. However, a DX lens used on a FX body can give vignetting.
A non-Nikon lens to consider is the Tamron 70-300 SP. It is the one priced around $450 new (A005). I got mine a long time ago with a $100 rebate.
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
They say misery loves company and according to the article linked by Needa I have a lot of company trying to figure out what the heck Nikon is doing with so many 70-300 lenses. I think the gray market version of the DX VR subspecies makes the most sense for me. Thanks again Needa.

And Hark, what I was trying to say was that the "better" lenses are available for the FX format cameras. This makes sense as the DX cameras tend to be more entry level. Looking at the page you linked to and grabbing a lens at random... The 180mm f/2.8D IF-ED prime lens for a $1,000 is FX format. I could not purchase such a lens, try it on my D3400, decide it was GREAT and replace the D3400 with a D5 to make better use of the lens. Again, I am inclined to the gray market 70-300 DX VR. It will probably do all I need and if I out grow it... Sell the whole D3400 collection on fleabay and start over with an FX camera.

Which makes me wonder if I purchased a DSLR too soon (or too late)? I remember when the D1 hit the market at $5k. In one day the price of the Kodak pro DSLRs dropped from $25k to $10k. I think the D1 was about 2 1/2 megapixels - less than a throw away smartphone today. Two things deterred me from purchasing a DSLR. The camera I bought today for $5k would be worth $500 in a couple of years and the camera I purchased for $5k two years from now would make the current one look like a Brownie box camera. Programmable calculators and PCs worked enough of that financial mischief on my budget over the years :D

The second thing and perhaps a bigger impediment was the lack of split screen focus on DSLRs. I lived and died by that on my film camera. I must say that I am VERY impressed by the auto-focus capabilities of the D3400. I could have done with that and without split screen.

I don't know where this thread is heading but it has been fun. I need to take a trip to see my sister and rummage around the basement of the old family home. I recall that our Dad's Bush Pressman and all of his developing equipment is in the basement. Finding 4 by 5 black & white sheet film should be no harder than sorting out Nikon's 79-300 lens offerings :playful:

Thanks to all for letting me vent a little.

Ken
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
The second thing and perhaps a bigger impediment was the lack of split screen focus on DSLRs. I lived and died by that on my film camera. I must say that I am VERY impressed by the auto-focus capabilities of the D3400. I could have done with that and without split screen.
Ken

Maybe you don't know this, but you can find split-screen focusing screens for modern DSLRs. I've myself replaced the focusing screens in most of my cameras (d700,7000,Df). You can find them on the net @ "focusingscreens.com" if my memory's right.
It's a bit tricky to do, but not rocket science. This has allowed me to use my old manual focus glass on my newer cameras.

I hope you find what you're looking for. But remember that all manual focus lenses were full frame lenses. Nikon never, as far as I know, sold a half frame camera. That was Olympus strength in the older film days.
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
Thanks Marcel,

I do recall reading about converting a DSLR to split screen focus. As I recall it was somewhat costly and of course voided the warranty. Not something worth doing on a cheap DSLR and I'd hate to risk the warranty on an expensive DSLR.

Anyhow I just pulled the trigger on the gray market 70-300 with VR. $155 for the lens and a Hoya UV (scratch) filter. According to the seller these lenses were removed from "kits" so I guess they are should be OK. If it works as expected I will shoot a lot of pictures. If it doesn't work I will shoot the camera :D

Ken
 

Needa

Senior Member
Challenge Team
Anyhow I just pulled the trigger on the gray market 70-300 with VR. $155 for the lens and a Hoya UV (scratch) filter. According to the seller these lenses were removed from "kits" so I guess they are should be OK. If it works as expected I will shoot a lot of pictures. If it doesn't work I will shoot the camera :D

Ken

Let us know how it works out for you.
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
Will do Needa. Thanks again for the link.

Now I need one to figure out the Nikon camera numbering scheme. I thought I had it figured that the lower the number of digits the higher end the camera. The Dn being the top of the line, the Dnnn being next and the Dnnnn being the lowest. Within a series, except for the Dn, a higher first digit meant a higher end camera (e.g. the D7200 being higher than the D3400) and within cameras of the same starting digit the rest were sequential (e.g. the D3400 replaced the D3300 which replaced the D3200). I was looking at my B&H catalog and found the D500 which is more expensive than any 4 digit camera but is only a 20 megapixel DX format. How did that camera get in the sequence? Perhaps it was the original 3 digit camera? This is making my head hurt :hurt:

But not as much as when I came across the Df. An analog DSLR. It brought tears to my eyes. But the price was too high, the specs too low and the body was PLASTIC. A neat idea though.

Ken
 

Bob Blaylock

Senior Member
The G indicates an electronic diaphragm no aperture ring.

E is electronic aperture.

G simply means no aperture ring. They're still mechanically-actuated.

Right.

On the G lenses, the aperture is mechanically controlled via that lever on the back of the lens, which was originally just to allow the camera to hold the aperture open for viewing through the viewfinder, but in the later AI-S lenses, was calibrated to allow accurate control of the aperture by the camera body.

CSC_2516zn.JPGCSC_2517zn.JPG
 

taylorkh

Senior Member
Thanks again Needa,

I see that no-one manufactures the sensor in my D3400. I wonder what that means? :( It also looks like Nikon initially failed to start enough series to differentiate their products. Thus the D40 - D90 and I guess up to the D500. Sort of a dying branch of their family tree DNA speaking. Amazing.

Ken
 
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