Airshow lens!

spirit

spirit

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I've always been a fan of going to airshows and I try to go every year to at least one or two if I can. I've decided that I'd like to buy a zoom lens for the D3200, primarily for the purpose of getting decent shots of planes flying (handheld probably) at airshows. I intend to use the 18-55/kit lens for shots of the static aircraft.

I don't really have a set budget, basically as cheap as possible would be great!

Auto-focus is a must (because the D3200 doesn't have an in-built focus motor) and some sort of image stabilization ('VR' on the Nikkor lenses) would certainly be nice to have as I'm likely going to be shooting handheld and will want as little blur as possible when shooting at high focal lengths.

Macro capability would be nice but is not essential by any means.

Here are the two which I am looking at in particular.

Sigma 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sigma-70-30...5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359057135&sr=1-5 (obviously it's the Nikon one, lol)

Nikkor 55-200mm f4-5.6 AF-S VR DX http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-55-20...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359059874&sr=1-1

I know the Sigma has more zoom, but which of the two do you think would give me the best image quality? Are there any other lenses which the same sort of price which I should consider?

Thanks for the help in advance!
Jason
 
spirit

spirit

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It's exactly the same as the Nikon one I posted, so yeah, it's in budget.

I like the look of the Sigma I posted. Anybody use any of their lenses? What are they like?

I'd like to know which one gives the best picture quality, because at the end of the day, that was what matters most. I know both have a big enough zoom to get shots of the aircraft flying (they fly pretty low anyway).
 
Life

Life

banned
spirit said:
It's exactly the same as the Nikon one I posted, so yeah, it's in budget.

I like the look of the Sigma I posted. Anybody use any of their lenses? What are they like?

I'd like to know which one gives the best picture quality, because at the end of the day, that was what matters most. I know both have a big enough zoom to get shots of the aircraft flying (they fly pretty low anyway).
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The one I posted is $250... I didn't find much on the Sigma's. People really like the nikkor that I posted. It has very crisp/ sharp imagery, and good zoom. Acording to what I found before, they don't use the Sigma's much for airshows.
 
Geoff

Geoff

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Well you aren't going to find zoom lenses that are macro capable, that's what macro lenses and/or extension tubes are for (which work great btw).

The 55-200 fits into your current setup better as you would have an 18-55 and 55-200 lens, if you get the 70-300 you'll have a large gap between 55-70. Granted though the 300 would be much better for airshows, you can use these as starting points until you can get into the higher end lens category.

Life said:
The one I posted is $250... I didn't find much on the Sigma's. People really like the nikkor that I posted. It has very crisp/ sharp imagery, and good zoom. Acording to what I found before, they don't use the Sigma's much for airshows.
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He's in the UK...

Sigma's are great, but you do sacrifice a bit of IQ compared to Nikon's glass. Although the quality between these variable aperture zoom lenses and fixed aperture lenses are huge, so the difference between this Sigma and Nikkor probably isn't that great.
 
Life

Life

banned
WRXGuy1 said:
Well you aren't going to find zoom lenses that are macro capable, that's what macro lenses and/or extension tubes are for (which work great btw).

The 55-200 fits into your current setup better as you would have an 18-55 and 55-200 lens, if you get the 70-300 you'll have a large gap between 55-70. Granted though the 300 would be much better for airshows, you can use these as starting points until you can get into the higher end lens category.


He's in the UK...

Sigma's are great, but you do sacrifice a bit of IQ compared to Nikon's glass. Although the quality between these variable aperture zoom lenses and fixed aperture lenses are huge, so the difference between this Sigma and Nikkor probably isn't that great.
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Right... vista, just listen to him, he knows tons more on lens then I do:) I still say Nikkor, that is what everyone uses for airshows;)
 
spirit

spirit

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Hey Geoff, thanks for commenting!

The macro capability isn't a necessity anyway, I just noticed in the product description for the Sigma it said it could also do macro and I thought "ohhh nice" lol. :D

It's a tough decision it seems. If picture quality is going to be about the same, I suspect I'll end up going for the Sigma, purely because it has more focal length (good for airshows). I didn't see it in the product description or anything - but does that Sigma lens have some sort of image stabilization or blur reduction? If not, then the Nikkor would probably a better choice for me because I'll probably be using the camera handheld.

I have the money now but I don't need to buy immediately because the airshows don't even start until July.

Edit: Alternatively, there is this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-7...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359130260&sr=1-1

It's cheaper, but how does it stack up the other two? Does it have autofocus and some sort of image stabilization? (Just reading up on it now to try and find out for myself.)

Sorry for all the questions. I want to make sure I get the best I possibly can. :D
 
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Life

Life

banned
spirit said:
Hey Geoff, thanks for commenting!

The macro capability isn't a necessity anyway, I just noticed in the product description for the Sigma it said it could also do macro and I thought "ohhh nice" lol. :D

It's a tough decision it seems. If picture quality is going to be about the same, I suspect I'll end up going for the Sigma, purely because it has more focal length (good for airshows). I didn't see it in the product description or anything - but does that Sigma lens have some sort of image stabilization or blur reduction? If not, then the Nikkor would probably a better choice for me because I'll probably be using the camera handheld.

I have the money now but I don't need to buy immediately because the airshows don't even start until July.

Edit: Alternatively, there is this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamron-AF-7...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359130260&sr=1-1

It's cheaper, but how does it stack up the other two? Does it have autofocus and some sort of image stabilization? (Just reading up on it now to try and find out for myself.)

Sorry for all the questions. I want to make sure I get the best I possibly can. :D
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Just did a fast search on the tameron. it is a good macro, but it is not overly liked for airshows. Quality doesn't seem to be all that great either. Go for the sigma if you want macro, but the Nikkor is an airshow lens.
 
spirit

spirit

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I suspect I'll get the Nikon unless I can verify that the Sigma definitely has some sort of image stabilization.
 
Geoff

Geoff

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I don't know how close of a focusing distance it has to be to be called a macro, but any telephoto lens won't work that well for macro shots. Extension tubes are a really cheap option though to make almost any lens a macro lens.
 
spirit

spirit

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The Sigma lens doesn't have image stabilization, so I'll probably just get the Nikkor. There doesn't seem to a big difference between 200 and 300mm anyway.

I saw some extension tubes, they are very cheap. I'll pick some up. Thanks.
 
Justin

Justin

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spirit said:
The Sigma lens doesn't have image stabilization, so I'll probably just get the Nikkor. There doesn't seem to a big difference between 200 and 300mm anyway.
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You don't need stabilization if you're shooting in bright light or if you're lens isn't heavy. Stabilization works best if you're shooting at slow shutter speeds like 1/6 of a second.

200 to 300mm is a big difference, even more on a DX (crop) body. Every mm is multiplied by 1.5 because of the crop factor. 200mm on DX is 300mm, while 300mm on DX is 450mm.
 
spirit

spirit

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OK so if I don't need the stabilization the 300mm would be a better option? I thought when shooting at high zoom there might be more blur?
 
Justin

Justin

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spirit said:
OK so if I don't need the stabilization the 300mm would be a better option? I thought when shooting at high zoom there might be more blur?
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That's if your shutter speed isn't fast enough. Remember the 1/focal length rule. Your shutter speed mustn't be lower than the focal length you're shooting at. If you're shooting at 300mm, your shutter speed shouldn't be slower than 1/320 of second. Seeing as you'll be at an airshow which is usually in the daytime, getting fast shutter speeds won't be a problem.
 
spirit

spirit

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EvanK

EvanK

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I don't know if you've bought your new lens yet, Jason, but if you're still open to suggestions I can whole-heatedly recommend Nikon's 70-300. Its price:performance ratio is hands down the best on the market, performance from 70-200 is just amazing. 300mm isn't the best, but it's still more than usable, and it's there if you need it.

For 300mm, I have a 300mm f4 AF lens that I picked up cheap (~$300 used) and it's also a superb performing lens. You're a little limited in terms of functionality with such a long prime, but when you need that extra range, it can't be beat considering its size and price.

Don't bother with teleconverters, especially on zooms. With a 70-300 or 55-200 you're already dealing with a relatively slow aperture (f/5.6), the last thing you need is to suddenly fall to f/8 or f/11, much slower AF speeds, and have to deal with crummy image quality. If you do decide to get a teleconverter though, get a quality one from Nikon. With products like extension tubes it's not a huge concern with the manufacturer as it's nothing moire than an empty tube, but with a product like a teleconverter you're dealing with actual glass, so you'll want the highest IQ possible. Finally, I'd get the 1.4x teleconverters, the 1.7s are okay in a pinch, but they really affect AF speed and your aperture, and don't even look at the 2.0x ones.

For macro work, the 40 2.8 Micro is not only an awesome macro lens but also good for walk around work too, or if you can afford it the 105 2.8 is kick ass for close ups. If you want to get in REALLY close, this is where extension tubes come into play. I believe that Kenko makes some decent cheap ones...
 
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spirit

spirit

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Hey Evan, not purchased my lens yet but I was looking at the Nikkor 70-300 and IIRC it's pretty expensive. I guess we'll have to see how my finances do.

Entered a Nikon competition to win a 35mm lens too. I know it's not relevant to this thread but I just thought I'd let you know. ;)
 
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