What to expect from a $69 lens.
The 70-210 lens is the reason I never bought a new 70-200 f4 vr. In fact I bought two 70-210 f4 and one 70-210 f4-5.6. I prefer the f4. The f4-5.6 will focus faster but is not as sharp as the f4s and better in low light. Incidentally I started using them on a D200 and still use them with my D700 and D810. They are so cheap to buy, I can't see getting rid of them for peanuts. Enjoy your lens.
Leon, the 70-210 f4 AF is a lens that Nikon manufactured in 1986. It is bigger than the 70-210 f4-5.6 and not precisely sharper. Auto focus, from what I know, is slower than the the f4-5.6 lens.
In some of the samples there was focus error when the lens was set to 210 mm. The lens is heavier than the f4-5.6 version.
I think that both lenses are a good alternative to the more expensive lenses of today. The Nikon 70-210 f4 is a more modern lens with better technology and better optics. My lens costs me a mere $69 and it is in like new condition. I am satisfied with its performance and I know it will serve me well. Could I ask for more?
Thank you for your interesting comments.
olemikey
Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida
camerapapi wrote:
I have owned my Nikon 80-200 f4.5 manual focus lens since I bought it in 1974. The lens has traveled with me practically around the world and it has given me gorgeous images full of details at high resolution.From lanscapes to portraits it has seen lots of use and has always performed as a champ. It is heavy with all metal construction, big and suffers of cripping. I decided to replace it and I found a gentleman selling the Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 D lens in brand new condition for a mere $69.
The lens is practically brand new. It is shorter and lighter than the old 80-200 f4.5 with a plastic barrel. No cripping and the zoom is smooth like it should be but, what about the images it is capable of producing? I was curious when I fit the lens to my Nikon D610. Camera and lens were supported by a carbon fiber tripod with a Linhof ballhead. To get the best that the lens can offer I shot with the mirror up. Due to the quarantine I was confined to my backyard and my front porch. I have found plenty of time to play with my cameras and lenses although I always photograph similar subjects which to me is boring. I will do better when this crisis we have right now is all over.
I just wanted to show you the quality of the images to expect from a $69 lens when using good techniques. Original RAW data edited with Nikon View NX2 with enhancements made by Topaz Adjust.
The first image made in my backyard is from the leaves of a mango tree. I darkened the image to taste and used a soft Gaussian blur for the effect. Shot at 210 mm wide open, ISO 200.
The second image comes from a flower my wife planted in our front yard. Focal length set to 210 mm at f22. ISO 800 to be able to use a decent shutter speed since there was a light breeze. I had some softness in the final file due to refraction, easily corrected with low sharpening.
The third image is part of my neighborhood to the right as viewed from our porch. Notice the golden color of the late evening light. Shot at a focal length of 80 mm at f16 to keep foreground and background in acceptable focus.
Finally the street number of our home here in Miami. I shot this at f22 and 210 mm focal length, ISO 200. I did not mean to shoot at f22 I simply did not pay attention, I wanted to shoot it at f8 but for now I am happy with the results and lets call it "a happy accident."
All in all I am pleased with the performance of the lens. I have never used a lens that did not do its part when I did mine.
I have owned my Nikon 80-200 f4.5 manual focus len... (
show quote)
Nice! I enjoyed the shots, and I look for these older Nikon bargains too. I don't mind the slower AF ...and for most situations don't miss VR at all. For those who are newbies, or don't have a lot to spend, or just want a nice inexpensive lens collection, it is a fine way to go. I'm always on the lookout!! AND, they don't lose any more value when you buy them for $69, or any reasonable price and condition....the same cannot be said for many of the current DX offerings. Enjoy!!!
camerapapi wrote:
Leon, the 70-210 f4 AF is a lens that Nikon manufactured in 1986. It is bigger than the 70-210 f4-5.6 and not precisely sharper. Auto focus, from what I know, is slower than the the f4-5.6 lens.
In some of the samples there was focus error when the lens was set to 210 mm. The lens is heavier than the f4-5.6 version.
I think that both lenses are a good alternative to the more expensive lenses of today. The Nikon 70-210 f4 is a more modern lens with better technology and better optics. My lens costs me a mere $69 and it is in like new condition. I am satisfied with its performance and I know it will serve me well. Could I ask for more?
Thank you for your interesting comments.
Leon, the 70-210 f4 AF is a lens that Nikon manufa... (
show quote)
The thought that the f4-5.6 is sharper than the f4 comes from an evaluation by Ken Rockwell. A latter review by him states he used another f4 copy which produced equal results as the 4-5.6 model. He concluded that his first lens was defective. However the f4-5.6 does focus faster and is smaller and lighter, although not by that much. That's my opinion and I shoot both type of lenses. I also shoot the 80-200 2.8 but would not take it over the 70-210s on an extended walk because of the weight factor. Each lens has its place.
camerapapi wrote:
I have owned my Nikon 80-200 f4.5 manual focus lens since I bought it in 1974. The lens has traveled with me practically around the world and it has given me gorgeous images full of details at high resolution.From lanscapes to portraits it has seen lots of use and has always performed as a champ. It is heavy with all metal construction, big and suffers of cripping. I decided to replace it and I found a gentleman selling the Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 D lens in brand new condition for a mere $69.
The lens is practically brand new. It is shorter and lighter than the old 80-200 f4.5 with a plastic barrel. No cripping and the zoom is smooth like it should be but, what about the images it is capable of producing? I was curious when I fit the lens to my Nikon D610. Camera and lens were supported by a carbon fiber tripod with a Linhof ballhead. To get the best that the lens can offer I shot with the mirror up. Due to the quarantine I was confined to my backyard and my front porch. I have found plenty of time to play with my cameras and lenses although I always photograph similar subjects which to me is boring. I will do better when this crisis we have right now is all over.
I just wanted to show you the quality of the images to expect from a $69 lens when using good techniques. Original RAW data edited with Nikon View NX2 with enhancements made by Topaz Adjust.
The first image made in my backyard is from the leaves of a mango tree. I darkened the image to taste and used a soft Gaussian blur for the effect. Shot at 210 mm wide open, ISO 200.
The second image comes from a flower my wife planted in our front yard. Focal length set to 210 mm at f22. ISO 800 to be able to use a decent shutter speed since there was a light breeze. I had some softness in the final file due to refraction, easily corrected with low sharpening.
The third image is part of my neighborhood to the right as viewed from our porch. Notice the golden color of the late evening light. Shot at a focal length of 80 mm at f16 to keep foreground and background in acceptable focus.
Finally the street number of our home here in Miami. I shot this at f22 and 210 mm focal length, ISO 200. I did not mean to shoot at f22 I simply did not pay attention, I wanted to shoot it at f8 but for now I am happy with the results and lets call it "a happy accident."
All in all I am pleased with the performance of the lens. I have never used a lens that did not do its part when I did mine.
I have owned my Nikon 80-200 f4.5 manual focus len... (
show quote)
Nice work and congratulations on the great price for that lens..........winner !
Great lens. I bought one. Excellent
Great shots. The lens performed very well, but so did the photographer. I really liked the colors you achieved.
The Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 D lens was a great lens. Used one for years until I replaced it with a 75-300 AF Nikkor. I also serviced many of those lenses whose owners loved them.
camerapapi wrote:
I have owned my Nikon 80-200 f4.5 manual focus lens since I bought it in 1974. The lens has traveled with me practically around the world and it has given me gorgeous images full of details at high resolution.From lanscapes to portraits it has seen lots of use and has always performed as a champ. It is heavy with all metal construction, big and suffers of cripping. I decided to replace it and I found a gentleman selling the Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 D lens in brand new condition for a mere $69.
The lens is practically brand new. It is shorter and lighter than the old 80-200 f4.5 with a plastic barrel. No cripping and the zoom is smooth like it should be but, what about the images it is capable of producing? I was curious when I fit the lens to my Nikon D610. Camera and lens were supported by a carbon fiber tripod with a Linhof ballhead. To get the best that the lens can offer I shot with the mirror up. Due to the quarantine I was confined to my backyard and my front porch. I have found plenty of time to play with my cameras and lenses although I always photograph similar subjects which to me is boring. I will do better when this crisis we have right now is all over.
I just wanted to show you the quality of the images to expect from a $69 lens when using good techniques. Original RAW data edited with Nikon View NX2 with enhancements made by Topaz Adjust.
The first image made in my backyard is from the leaves of a mango tree. I darkened the image to taste and used a soft Gaussian blur for the effect. Shot at 210 mm wide open, ISO 200.
The second image comes from a flower my wife planted in our front yard. Focal length set to 210 mm at f22. ISO 800 to be able to use a decent shutter speed since there was a light breeze. I had some softness in the final file due to refraction, easily corrected with low sharpening.
The third image is part of my neighborhood to the right as viewed from our porch. Notice the golden color of the late evening light. Shot at a focal length of 80 mm at f16 to keep foreground and background in acceptable focus.
Finally the street number of our home here in Miami. I shot this at f22 and 210 mm focal length, ISO 200. I did not mean to shoot at f22 I simply did not pay attention, I wanted to shoot it at f8 but for now I am happy with the results and lets call it "a happy accident."
All in all I am pleased with the performance of the lens. I have never used a lens that did not do its part when I did mine.
I have owned my Nikon 80-200 f4.5 manual focus len... (
show quote)
I bought this lens a few years back for $50.00. It makes a nice walk around lens for not a lot of money.
It does not matter if we use the f4 or the f4-5.6 version because both can do the job. I am very satisfied with the sharpness of my lens and AF is pretty fast for my needs. If I had to do it again the f4-5.6 version would be my choice once again. I am looking forward to the times when this pandemic is over so that I can use it on better subjects but we are approaching summer and it is not very photography friendly in South Florida with the heat and humidity.
Thank you all for your interesting comments.
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