Thread: Mastering Nikons 80~400mm VR zoom lens

Nice images, I like the Falcons.
Try to not use this lens @ 80mm and 400mm where can be some issues regarding chromatic aberrations. Also when used @ 400mm avoid use it at f/5.6. An aperture of f/11 will be the best @ 400mm focal lens.
Next on your shopping list will be the 900 flash unit and the Better Beamer
Think about a chest pack for your camera and lens and a strong monopod which will help you to use for steady yourselve when claiming hills.

Yes, the Falcons are nice. Bit of luck though, out in the open, good light and a reasonably static subject. Pity I didn't think to drop the shutter speed back a couple of notches and close the aperture up a bit, but I'm learning as I go.
You're right about the speedlight/extender though. 'What if......................' I had a decent fill flash on this shot of a White-gaped (bug eating) Honeyeater.



White-gaped Honeyeater, Kununurra, Kimberley Region, WA.
145mm, f5, 1/320

I'd like to use smaller apertures and less zoom to improve quality and depth of field which becomes a major issue on closer subjects.
Here's a couple of examples



310mm, f5.3, 1/100

These two Golden Orb Spiders are only a centimeter or so apart but I had nowhere to go as far as DOF goes.

These Dragonflies were the same.



400mm, f5.6, 1/800




400mm, f5.6, 1/640

You make the most of what you've got but I feel frustrated in getting a better picture. If I could pull the zoom back to around the 300mm mark I reckon I would get better DOF and a sharper image, then make up for the lack of zoom with cropping. At 6Mp I don't have a lot of room to do this with the D70. ISO is also part of the equation, as I increase ISO the quality drops off markedly so I tend to leave it at 200. It would be nice to take RAW images but the storage time is sooooo slow it drives me mad.
Here's the crunch. It would be nice to spend $1K or so on the speedlight and extender but by the time I had it and the camera set-up I reckon my subjects would be long gone. I think it would be better to spend my money on upgrading the D70. 12Mp, the ability to take a decent shot at ISO 800 and to have fast RAW storage would be like a dream.
The D70's a good camera but I reckon I need a better one. The D300 looks nice but is expensive, a D90 would be OK or is the D5000 better value?
I'm undoubtedly my biggest limitation in taking a better picture but I'm a bit frustrated with what I can't do with the D70.

Enough whinging, here's one shot that I am happy with.



180mm, f5.3, 1/500

Unknown Tree, Durba Springs, Canning Stock Route. WA.

DeanoH

Love the Blue-winged Kookaaburra.

I would go for the D90 before the d5000, then again now the D300s for about $1700 is a top value.
Cheers

Deano - I have been getting more and more into birding myself, although I dont have the lens just yet for anything serious. All I can say is that birding is ONE DIFFICULT photo subject to capture, and only practice and experience will eventually make the shots pay off!

Lovely photos you have there, so doing well already based on my experience at any rate.

Originally Posted by Chucaro

I would go for the D90 before the d5000, then again now the D300s for about $1700 is a top value.
Cheers

I can see what you mean about the D5000 now that I've had a closer look. Although cheap at around $550 it has poorer screen resolution, mirror vs prism viewfinder and limited flash control and has a different battery to the D70/D80/D90. Even though the D90 is 50% dearer (around $800+) than the D5000 it looks a better buy.
The D300s though at around $1700 (more than twice the cost of a D90)and a third heavier doesn't seem on paper at least to be that much better than the D90. Certainly 7 fps continuous is better than 4.5 for the D90 as is 9 exposure bracketing vs 3. Though the multi storage cards would be handy. Couldnt care less about HD movies.
Am I missing something here? Is the D300s that much better, twice as good dollar wise as a D90?
Kayes going overseas next month so it would be a good time to pick a camera up duty free. Perhaps a nice little wide angle lens as well. Hmmm, have to see what I can achieve here.

DeanoH

PS. Can you set any of these to fixed aperture and shutter speed and let the ISO be the variable?

The D300s it is rated as the best non full frame for action shots in the market even by the Canon users. It is heaps better than the Canon 7D and nothing comes near for BIF shots.
On the top of that the body is very strong a sealed.
I would not take the D90 on the water front on a light windy day.
If you are looking for a landscaping camera and the casual action or wild life shot then the D90 will do the job.
If you like something that will last many years and work in severe weather for action shots then the only one is the D300s
If you do not have enough funds for the D300s and Kayes go to USA then get a fully refurbished (by Nikon) D200 and use the loose chain for another lens
You can not go wrong if Kayes get the photography bug, you will need 2 cameras

The D90 is a good piece of kit, certainly worth the money... the D300 has other extras... check the sensor differences. However, the differences may be pretty negligible, not worth the extra dough that would buy you a decent lens as well as the D90.

Prosumer cameras like the D80 and D90 allow for manual mode with Auto ISO to adjust so you can fix the ss and aperture to your liking. The only thing here is that the D300 has very good high ISO noise ratio, but dont know what the D90 is like to compare.