Agonising over 80-400 ED VR

[billsstills]

On my D2h/D200 I use the Nikkor 70-300 f4-5.6 D-ED lens for drag racing because of its light weight and whippyness.

Simply... a great lens like the 200-400 f4 VR is way too heavy for chasing five or six second cars.
If I use a monopod I have to deal with that instrument... meaning that it doesn't give me totally free movement up and down, it works with panning but...

bottom line is that a small and whippy lens of which I can simply hold in my hands (on camera) and manouver however I like... such a lens possibly doesn't exist in my perfect world.

That 80-400 seems almost there but even Ken Rockwell sais it "hunts"... I need a little more reach than 300. 150-400 seems to be the distance.

When Jay used to work at Nikon here in Sydney he always told me not to buy this lens because its focus hunts. Jay's over at Canon now but I still have a few friends at Nikon Aus...
Drag Racing is lightning fast while no-one can actually answer my questions completely. I have a Nikon sales manager coming out on the 9th December (next Top Fuel meeting)... he's my guest.

My question is "does it hunt"?

I usually use Single servo focus and keep tapping at the shutter release between bursts with the centre focus area on only or sometimes I bank toward the bottom right for front wheels in focus while DOF looks after the rest.

I'm giving away secrets now. I got some big sponsors on board recently so some of the hard work is done...
...there's still a lot more work to do but... At the next meeting I want to be well prepared and shoot as much as I can. It's been a while since I've been published.
Any sport shooter worth their weight should try to catch a fleeting moment at the "drags"... not on the grid! Mid flight!

Time catches up with everyone. How good are you at chasing time?

Looking forward to putting some new published shots up on this pro site soon.


Bill.

[Dennis_Vied]

The 80-400 was my "air show" lens, light and fast, completely hand-holdable and agile. Some people swear by it, some swear at it. I had nothing but good experiences with mine. I suggest you figure out a way to try it out, or just buy it. You can always sell it because it will hold its value well. You can only make up your mind so far by reading other people's opinions. You have to try it for yourself.

I thought it was a great lens.

Addendum:

There are things it isn't suitable for, and fortunately I never tried to use it in those circumstances. One of those things is low light. That's why the description "air show lens" is appropriate. It shines where there's plenty of light. I set the dynamic auto focus options on the D2X, so it would acquire the target in the blank sky, and it did so reasonably quickly.

[billsstills]

That's the right answer Dennis, thankyou.

The "air show" point hits home. I've never shot one but I've shot many models at my local airport where more than one model has been offered a ride by the fly boys.

I was never prepared enough to catch a model on a joy ride even on the slow Tiger Moths because my equipment in that instance was geared for portfolio work.

Chasing fast planes around the sky would compare well to my needs.


Warm Regard,
Bill.

[Ronald Garrett]

I have never done a drag race on land,................... but I have done drag boats, {8000 hp in a 16 ft boat, 5 second quarter mile}. I used a 70 - 200 F/2.8 VR lens with great success. Shutter speeds of 1000-1600, {daytime}. The D2x with that lens is sharp enough to allow cropping if needed. A 1.4 extender would give you your 300mm, and still furnish decent speed at F/4.0.

I have owned the 80-400 lens. It does hunt, even when it should be locked down, causing many oof shots. Even worse it will focus all the way out, then back all the way in, in anything resembling dim light. I pulled my hair out trying to do wildlife with it. I'm not saying it isn't a sharp lens because I got some awsome images with it. The percentage if the awsome ones to shots taken was very low though. Focus speed compared to the 70-200 is drastic, I would say the 70-200 is at least ten times faster.

Things happen so fast in the drag boat races that proper technique is often reduced to a "stab" at the action. Anything under 1000 second resulted in blur. I would guess land races would be similar. The 70-200 is comparable in weight to the 80-400 I think. The 70-200 is a bit longer.

My opinion is as follows, take with a grain of salt:::: Having a lens that is light, small, and easy to handle is good. Having the best lens to produce awsome images is better, even at a size/weight handicap.

[Marc]

Hi

I use the 80-400vr, for
football, baseball wide open, golf , wide open

yes it hunts, but there is a limiter switch, that wiil stop some of the hunting.

put it on a monopod or hold it, gives wonderful sharp images at high speed

I think you will like it.

[michael_gunawan]

It's also the lens I'd like to get, but read & heard some negatives stories about it.
I think I'll wait until Nikon came out with the AF-S version ,and maybe DX ? so it can be much smaller and lighter

[billsstills]

Frankly I can't see this lens doing what I want it to do.

I've even spoken to a sales manager at Nikon Australia (my friend). He's used one regularly and reckons it ain't gonna catch the cars I want it to.

He's bringing one (80-400) on the 9th of December for some testing but he reckons the AF-S VR 70-200 2.8 with the 1.7TC is what I want.

Steve even sent me a shot of the underside of an airoplane he took as it flew over him just so I could see how sharp it is even with the teleconverter. Plus he sais that the TC doesn't slow the focus of the lens.

We'll see early December.

[Pro Photo Store]

Visit the B&H Pro Photo Store for the best Gear Prices and regular specials!

Brilliant Color for any Digital SLR
White Balance Cap
The Pros Agree on ColorRight
What People Are Saying