Need recommendations for a telephoto lense: I have a Nikon D700 , just upgraded to D810 with Nikon lenses 14 x 24 mm ,28 x 70 mm & 70 x 200 mm & 105 mm macro , love my Nikon. i shoot a...

h089421 Loc: Lafayette , La

I have a Nikon D700 , just upgraded to D810 with Nikon lenses 14 x 24 mm ,28 x 70 mm & 70 x 200 mm & 105 mm macro , love my Nikon. i shoot a lot of gymnastic meets for my 13yr old granddaughter (ranked 12th in Nation) also football games with grand-kids and many times I can't get close enough for good shots. I'm considering the Nikon 200-500 mm f/5.6 What telephoto lenses would you recommend? Thanks

AK Grandpa Loc: Anchorage, AK

Nikon 200-500, Sigma 150-600 sport, Tamron 150-600 G2, . . .

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

I'm going to be a bit of a contrarian: Rather than spend the money on a long lens, you can spend the money on a Nikon Coolpix P900, which has a "superzoom" lens that gives one the equivalent of a 2000mm lens.

I go to baseball games and shoot players from the stands. You can see some examples here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-466486-1.html

ggttc Loc: TN

Have the 200-500 Nikkor on an 810...superior combo

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

h089421 wrote:

I have a Nikon D700 , just upgraded to D810 with Nikon lenses 14 x 24 mm ,28 x 70 mm & 70 x 200 mm & 105 mm macro , love my Nikon. i shoot a lot of gymnastic meets for my 13yr old granddaughter (ranked 12th in Nation) also football games with grand-kids and many times I can't get close enough for good shots. I'm considering the Nikon 200-500 mm f/5.6 What telephoto lenses would you recommend? Thanks

What is your budget?
Gymnastics is usually indoors so you need a fairly fast lenses they almost never allow powerful flashes with better beamer or similar attachments. That 200-500 f/5.6 is about as fast at you will get unless you go to very big $$$$. There are faster 500 mm, there are even lenses up to 800 mm that are faster, but all much more expensive. So the 200-500 looks like your best bet unless you can use a 300 or 400.
An APS-C like the Nikon D500 would give you more reach with a shorter cheaper lens. But you have a very good FF. So you do have cropping as a choice to get frame filling images.
IF, you used Canon you would have a bigger choice list, but at big $$$$.

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

h089421 wrote:

I have a Nikon D700 , just upgraded to D810 with Nikon lenses 14 x 24 mm ,28 x 70 mm & 70 x 200 mm & 105 mm macro , love my Nikon. i shoot a lot of gymnastic meets for my 13yr old granddaughter (ranked 12th in Nation) also football games with grand-kids and many times I can't get close enough for good shots. I'm considering the Nikon 200-500 mm f/5.6 What telephoto lenses would you recommend? Thanks

Nikon 300 F/4 PF

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

How about the Tamron 18-400 lens? I just ordered one for walk around camera. For birding in Florida where I live I use my Nikon D500 with my Nikon 200-500. Going to Sea World today. Wish the 18-400 had arrived by now. Going to play with my wife's camera. Sony a6000 with the two kit lenses. 16-50 and 55-210. Two many close objects for the 200/500 but could just take my 35mm lens with my Nikon and see how it fairs.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Nikon 200-500

Wiggo Loc: Bluffton, SC

You cant go wrong with the Nikon 200-500. I use it on my Nikon D500 and works great. Not super fast but if you keep the focus close to the subject, it will snap on much quicker.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

ggttc wrote:

Have the 200-500 Nikkor on an 810...superior combo

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

h089421 wrote:

I have a Nikon D700 , just upgraded to D810 with Nikon lenses 14 x 24 mm ,28 x 70 mm & 70 x 200 mm & 105 mm macro , love my Nikon. i shoot a lot of gymnastic meets for my 13yr old granddaughter (ranked 12th in Nation) also football games with grand-kids and many times I can't get close enough for good shots. I'm considering the Nikon 200-500 mm f/5.6 What telephoto lenses would you recommend? Thanks

I own and shoot the Nikon 200-500 lens and it is very sharp. I would suggest you use GROUP AUTO FOCUS on your D810 and use the center spot for focusing, actually that is the default spot in GROUP AUTO FOCUS. IN GROUP AUTO FOCUS Nikon picks four spots around the single spot you choose for a total of 5 focus spots. As long as your subject is in one of those spots (nikon shows you the four spots around the center spot) your subject will be in focus, I use this for birds in flight. Also, I like center metering and use continuous auto focus and shoot at F6.3, seems to be a great F stop for sharpness. After saying all of this the Nikon 70-200 2.8 II is also a great lens and very fast. But the with the D810 you can set up your ISO to match the 2.8 speed, so fast lenses are no longer necessary for today's low light camera's. The Nikon 70-200 f4 is another fine lens and will cost you less.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

h089421 wrote:

I have a Nikon D700 , just upgraded to D810 with Nikon lenses 14 x 24 mm ,28 x 70 mm & 70 x 200 mm & 105 mm macro , love my Nikon. i shoot a lot of gymnastic meets for my 13yr old granddaughter (ranked 12th in Nation) also football games with grand-kids and many times I can't get close enough for good shots. I'm considering the Nikon 200-500 mm f/5.6 What telephoto lenses would you recommend? Thanks

The 200-500 is an excellent lens in good light but its too slow to focus indoors. Now that you have the D810 save yourself the aggravation and money trying to find the right lens for you situation...you already have it. Just crop... the D810 has enough pixels to double or even triple your focal lengths and product excellent quality images.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Nikon 200-500 and kick your ISO up to deal with the slow aperture.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

Notorious T.O.D. wrote:

Nikon 200-500 and kick your ISO up to deal with the slow aperture.

Best,
Todd Ferguson

Increasing the ISO does nothing for focus speed.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

joer wrote:

Increasing the ISO does nothing for focus speed.

True, but there are other ways to do that.
What is you recommendation in the same cost range then?

Best,
Todd Ferguson