D3x, 70-200mm f/2,8 II on 70mm, f/22, 1/2 sek @ ISO 50On Friday I got my hands on the brand new Nikon zoom lens; AFS Nikkor 70-200mm 1:2.8G II ED. Yesterday I held a bird photography workshop, and didn't get the chance to get any shots with the new lens even though it was almost burning a hole in my backpack. Today however, I took it for a spin.
The 70-200mm has always been one of my favourite lenses for both wildlife and landscapes, and especially the combination of the two. Therefore I was very excited when I got the news of an updated version of this lens. I have been using the 14-24mm and the 24-70mm with great joy for a while and have thrilled by the quality produced by the ED glass elements and Nano Crystal Coating. Together with the two lenses mentioned above Nikon has now completed their selection of high quality lenses sufficiently answering the demands of FX digital cameras like the D3x and the new D3s.
According to Nikon the improvements include:
- Vibration reduction (VR II) equivalent to increases in shutter speed by four steps
- A new optical design utilizing seven ED glass elements
- Ghost and flare suppression with Nano Crystal Coat
- A Silent Wave Motor (SWM) for superior autofocus that is smooth and quiet
- Three focus modes built in: M, M/A, A/M
- Aperture diaphragm utilizing an odd number of rounded blades (nine) for natural blur characteristics
- Shooting at distances as close as 1.4 m throughout the entire zoom range
- High-quality exterior design
The shoot to day was rather short and didn't involve very challenging light or subjects. However, my first impression is that this lens is SHARP!
D3x, 70-200mm f/2,8 II on 200mm, f/22, 1/2 sek @ ISO 100I shoot a couple of landscapes just to check the overall sharpness of the lens at the edges and it looks very good. The conditions were not perfect as there was some mist in the air, softening the scene, but the result was still very pleasing.
D3x, 70-200mm f/2,8 II on 70mm, f/22, 1/4 sek @ ISO 100All these images were taken on a RedGed RTC-332 tripod, but according to the Nikon performens test the new Vibration Reduction (VRII) stabilisation technology provide me the ability to shoot at shutter speeds up to four stops slower than would otherwise be possible!
Now I can't wait to test it on wildlife!
PS! Click images to see larges versions!
9 comments:
Is this taken on the beach Hellestø outside Stavanger?
This is from Sele, south of Hellestø.
Roy
Ingen tvil om at dette objektivet holder høy klasse. Fikk mitt eksemplar i posten i går sammen med en D3s.Fikk testet det ut på kongeørninnflyvinger idag.
Jeg stusser litt på hvorfor du bruker så liten blender som 22 på bildene dine ? En ting er best mulig dybdeskarpet men erfaringsmessig taper bilde skarpet/detaljering pga diffraksjon med en så liten blender som 22.Kjekt å høre hva du mener om den saken ?
Terje
koslig med nytt utstyr
synes at du har knipsa noen bra bilder allerede med 70-200,en
ps åssen gikk workshopen?
mvh anders
Takk for kommentaren karer.
Workshopen gikk godt. Fikk gode tilbakemeldinger. Grattis med fotojakta Anders.
Terje: Godt spørsmål. Normalt bruker jeg ikke teleobjektiv på blenderverdi over 16, men i dette tilfellet ønsket jeg å få enmest mulig soft overfalte på vannet. Siden jeg droppet polafileteret ble lukkertidene litt for korte til å få den øsnekde effekten selv på iso L1.0. Derfor brukte jeg 22 på det øverste bildet. På de to andre ønsket jeg å se hvor mye skarphet og detaljering jeg kunne å ut av objektivet på en såpass liten blender som 22.
Jeg vil nok se litt nærmere på dette etterhvert, men her er iallefall noen eksempler på hva dette objektivet yter.
Mvh, Roy
Bra forklaring Roy. Mange går i den fella å bruke blender 22 i håp om best dybdeskarpet men dreper skarpet i bilde pga diffraksjon. Hadde det vært film hadde saken stilt seg annerledes.
Congrats on the new lens Roy! I am hoping to recieve mine by the end of this week. Fingers crossed.
I looked at your technical data and saw that many of the pictures were taken at F22 with the D3x. I just wanted to point out that diffraction is already a big issue on the D3x from F10 onwards. I use rarely even F16. That is because of the high pixel count on the sensor.
Take a look here:
http://alarifoto.com/?pid=856
So if you say this lens is sharp at F22 I believe it is killer at F8.
Hi Zven,
You are absolutely right about the diffraction. The reason has already been discussed and explained (in norwegian above :-)). I needed to blur the water.
However, I must say even on 22 the diffraction was evedently reduced, but it was still there. I did some more test shooting today. Perhaps I can send you a couple of full size unaltered images if you like.
Roy
Oh, yes I have also coped with diffraction in order to get a slower shutterspeed.
Sure Roy, I would apreciate to see any images from the new lens. Now you got me itching even more for my new lens :9
I have done a fair bit of landscapes with my D3x and 24-70mm and I have to admit that I am reluctant to stop down to F13-F16. The small detail will start to smudge and dissappear very quickly. F8-F10 is sweet, but sometimes just not enough for depth of field.
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