Author Topic: Guess the lens! (Read 5192 times)

phildate · « **on:** March 03, 2009, 09:17 »

I was lucky enough to have Nikon Singapore lend me this monster for a few days. Can anyone guess what it is!?

To see some more images taken with it, check out www.flickr.com/photos/phildate

e-person · « **Reply #1 on:** March 03, 2009, 09:29 »

Anything between 500 and 800mm. Awful out of focus, though, unless it is you not capable of using it.

Freezingpictures · « **Reply #2 on:** March 03, 2009, 10:37 »

Yes the background is definately out of focus

But thats how it suppose to be, at least that what I would want to have. Nice images!
I have no idea which lens it is, I have no Nikon, never had.

leaf · « **Reply #3 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:03 »

wow, looks like some good times shooting

Nice!

Did you try holding your camera without supporting the lens to see what would happen

no idea what the lens is though.. 600 maybe? errr.. scratch that. 400mm, but the speed.... 2.8? but I didn't think they were that large.

e-person · « **Reply #4 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:09 »

Quote from: Freezingpictures on March 03, 2009, 10:37

Yes the background is definately out of focus But thats how it suppose to be, at least that what I would want to have. Nice images!
I have no idea which lens it is, I have no Nikon, never had.

I was referring to the look of the out of focus of the lenses as used on the flickr stream to take photos of a parrot. Sometimes you can improve it, by stopping it down until it looks good. Other times you just can't, when lenses really have bad out of focus rendition.

tan510jomast · « **Reply #5 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:09 »

with extreme telefoto you get that shallow dof, so it has to be an extreme FL.
and seeing some of your other pics the round hotspots, i would guess it's a mirror lens of some sort... being more than the 35mm focal length of 500mm, for sure... as my 35mm 500mm mirror was only a fifth of that length.
you definitely won't want to handhold nor shoot at iso 200 for most times

lucky you got to use them. i would take them to some volcanic regions to shoot lots of photos if it were me.

p.s.
btw singapore is my natal country

phildate · « **Reply #6 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:30 »

Thanks for all the replies and for everyone who stopped by the Flickr site to see the shots. The lens is the Nikon 400mm f2.8 VRII, the second most expensive lens in the line-up after the 600m f4. Weighing in at 4.6kpgs it's a beast to use and costly too at around US$10,000.

Bemused by the 'out of focus' comment - I can assure you that the images in full size are pin sharp. Yes the DOF is shallow but it's what you would expect shooting at 400mm on D3 at f2.8 or f4. If any Nikon users are impressed with the sharpness and quality of the legendary 70-200mm then this is just as good, if not better.

To me, the lens renders the out of focus areas as well as any lens but that can be individual preference of course.

I had to give the lens back today...there were tears in my eyes....

MatHayward · « **Reply #7 on:** March 03, 2009, 11:38 »

I love shooting with the long lenses! I've used the Canon 400 f/2.8 a number of times at football games as well as lugging the thing all across East Africa. They're heavy suckers but so worth the effort!

tan510jomast · « **Reply #8 on:** March 03, 2009, 12:18 »

Quote from: phildate on March 03, 2009, 11:30

Bemused by the 'out of focus' comment - I can assure you that the images in full size are pin sharp. Yes the DOF is shallow but it's what you would expect shooting at 400mm on D3 at f2.8 or f4. If any Nikon users are impressed with the sharpness and quality of the legendary 70-200mm then this is just as good, if not better.

i 'm not sure what the OP meant either. i think it was the foreground , leaves perharps, that OP was calling out of focus. it certainly wasn't the subject that was "out of focus".
anyway, you were the lucky one to get to use it, so that's all that counts