 Scott D. Matthews |
Nikon 70 - 200mm f2.8 vs. 200mm f2 I do a lot of sports photograph - some during the day and some "under the lights." I want to upgrade to my lenses to either the 70-200 f2.8 or the 200mm f2. Is there that much difference in .8? Thanks.
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Jon Close |
Both the new lenses have VR (vibration reduction), which will help correct blur from camera shake at slower shutter speeds. But VR doesn't help to freeze subject motion. The ".8" difference in maximum aperture between f/2.8 and f/2 is one full stop of aperture. f/2 gives twice as much light as f/2.8, allowing 2x higher shutter speed. For example, if you're at ISO 400 f/2.8 and 1/125, then at f/2 you could use 1/250 shutter speed. The much larger maximum aperture means a much larger/heavier/expensive lens.
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Stanley Joel Schretter |
Another thing to consider is that 2x light means the viewfinder image will always be 2x brighter!! That is often an advantage in low light situations. The 70-200 VR is a great lens, but remember for many of us, with VR, once we shoot handheld at shutter speeds slower than 1/focal length, the sharpness of the image degrades from the ideal. i.e. that using a very sturdy tripod. It might be better using slow shutters than non VR, but... Cheers, Stan
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Dale M. Garvey |
What camera are you using? The D300 can get good images at 2500 ISO. Rod Mar shot the Olympics with a D3 at 6000 ISO. The 70-200 2.8 is a great lens.
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Stanley Joel Schretter |
Just remember that the dynamic range of the camera, i.e. that which you are paying big bucks for that expensive sensor, is degraded as you up the ISO. That is true for all cameras. You might not like or need to shoot with 9 stops of dynamic range to capture those subtle shades of light, but note that at the setting you gave for the D300 and D3 they seem to have an approx 5 stops of range. Thus they might show well on (low DR) screens or even small prints, but depending on the range of lighting, they may not be close to shots taken at 8-9 stops of range provided at the lower ISO settings. Thus is you put up with the weight and the shallower DOF of f/2, the larger aperture and lower ISO will win every time. Cheers, Stan
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Dale M. Garvey |
Scott I think you would get more images with the zoom lens. The 200mm lens is amazing, I have the 300mm version, but use the 70-200 with a 1.7 extender more. The point I was making with the newer Nikons is that when you are shooting for a newspaper you are more interested in action than you are in a "pretty photo". Ron's images can be seen on proshooter and in the archives of the Seattle Times. A little noise is not always a bad thing. He switched from Canon to Nikon because of the D3. I have seen enlargements of the 6000 ISO images. As someone that used Royal X pan film they are totally amazing. When someone asks about lenses, it is nice to know what type of sports he is shooting and what camera he is using to give a better recommendation.
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Scott D. Matthews |
Hey Everybody, Thanks for all the great feed back. I shoot with a D2x. Since the initial posting of my question I have also entertained the thought of the 300mm 2.8 VR. I shot some wake boarding this past weekend and compared the shots to the previous ones taken at 200mm. The 300mm ones look a lot better. I imagine the VR would make a huge difference in image quality when on the back of a boat. Thanks,
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Tim Poitevin |
All this talk of D3's and D2x's has me feeling like a small fish in a big pond, but I shoot a D300 with the 70-200 f/2.8. I've never used the 200 or 300 VR's, but Joe McNally says his 200 f/2 is the sharpest lens he has ever owned. Considering how amazingly sharp my 70-200 is, that's saying something (and I know Joe uses the 70-200 as well). What I'll add here is that for the price of a 200 VR you could get a 70-200, a 1.7x converter, and a D700. And in sports photography, two cameras really helps. Slap a wide angle on your D700 and the 70-200 on your D2x and you have all angles covered. Cheers,
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