While spending over $1400 on a Nikon 80-400 VR lens would be fun, it just isn't very practical. So I decided to rent one for a week. If nothing else, I learned that it makes a lot more sense to spring for the Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR instead (which I rented last summer for the Tips From The Top Floor Workshop). Both lenses are beefy by any standard. But the 70-200 is a bit more versatile and slightly easier to handle. I found the zoom ring on the 80-400 in a lousy position up against the tripod collar - zooming was tricky on or off the tripod. While just as bulky, the 70-200 is significantly faster and accepts extension rings, which will get awfully close to 400 mm.
That being said, I got some great shots at the
zoo and beach over the weekend. Shooting in aperture priority typically meant shooting wide open at the zoo. I've just realized that I don't have any images in a mid range f stop, which should technically be sharper. Wide open, the focus plane is razor thin. Despite that challenge, I was able to nail the focus on several images. On an animal (or model), that's typically one or both eyes.
Hopefully I'll have a few of the beach shots posted tomorrow night.
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