Is this lens really worth this? (Page 2): At the other end, the 6mm f/2.8 Nikkor full frame has ascended in price to be more pricey than the average home in the U.S. It's also pricier...

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

At the other end, the 6mm f/2.8 Nikkor full frame has ascended in price to be more pricey than the average home in the U.S. It's also pricier than many a Ferrari (not all) but WILL fit inside those cars.

amyinsparta Loc: White county, TN

Swede wrote:

AF-S NIKKOR
800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR.
Can't you just get the D800 a 200-2.8 lens-crop it and get the same results, or is this just look what I got- $20,000 give me a break- but then again a friend recently spent $80,000 for a truck (and a Ford)
Where does this all stop>

Swede

People who have the money buy expensive toys. Some people who don't have the money buy expensive toys. Some people buy what they can afford. If no one bought unless they had the cash, where would we be? That goes for govt. also. The world revolves on debt.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Nikon_DonB wrote:

I would doubt many individuals would purchase such a lens like a Nikkor 800mm. I can see Sports Illustrated, NatGeo and the like getting them for their staff photographers, while writing it off as business expenses.
The rest of us are content to buy Sigma's for 2K and are glad we have them. Besides that 800mm Nikkor weighs over 10 pounds making my 6.3 pound 600mm SigZilla seem lightweight.

Don't know about that. In the winter Eagle season along the upper Mississippi River, there will be up to 120 photographers congregating below the dams to watch the Bald Eagles feed. Rows of Canon and Nikon long lenses, many 600 with a fairly large contingent of 800mm glass also present. They are selling them!

mtparker Loc: Cape Charles & Springfield, Virginia

In places where I shoot eagles a large number of photographers with long glass are there almost every day. Very few of these big lenses are rentals or loaners. Folks who care about their images (pro or amateur) will often invest in long glass the same way others buy sports cars or high-end bass boats. It's what we do!

Bozsik Loc: Orangevale, California

Swede wrote:

AF-S NIKKOR
800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR.
Can't you just get the D800 a 200-2.8 lens-crop it and get the same results, or is this just look what I got- $20,000 give me a break- but then again a friend recently spent $80,000 for a truck (and a Ford)
Where does this all stop>

Swede

No, and nobody is forcing you to buy one either - or the Ford.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Swede wrote:

AF-S NIKKOR
800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR.
Can't you just get the D800 a 200-2.8 lens-crop it and get the same results, or is this just look what I got- $20,000 give me a break- but then again a friend recently spent $80,000 for a truck (and a Ford)
Where does this all stop>

Swede

When you crop your sensor efficiency drops way down. To crop a 200mm image to get the equivalent of the 800mm and filling the frame with your shot, you are effectively using somewhere around 1/8 (I think its closer to 1/16 but the math types here could tell you more) of your sensor. So on your D800 you would be using 5MP. Might just as well use a point and shoot.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

cuzinvin wrote:

"When you're dead" sounds about right to me.

OR, when you are broke ...and homeless

RRS Loc: Not sure

Nikon_DonB wrote:

I would doubt many individuals would purchase such a lens like a Nikkor 800mm. I can see Sports Illustrated, NatGeo and the like getting them for their staff photographers, while writing it off as business expenses.
The rest of us are content to buy Sigma's for 2K and are glad we have them. Besides that 800mm Nikkor weighs over 10 pounds making my 6.3 pound 600mm SigZilla seem lightweight.

I don't know but this Fall while photographing in Yellowstone there was a Canon 800mm f/5.6 on my left and right. I had always thought 500mm was long but today I see so many 600mm f/4.0's while shooting that the 800mm f/5.6 don't surprise me anymore.

ptcanon3ti Loc: NJ

It's worth it if you have 20K lying around. Would I go into debt for one? no!

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

Swede wrote:

AF-S NIKKOR
800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR.
Can't you just get the D800 a 200-2.8 lens-crop it and get the same results, or is this just look what I got- $20,000 give me a break- but then again a friend recently spent $80,000 for a truck (and a Ford)
Where does this all stop>

Swede

As long as there is this nagging thing called inflation... never.

DVJ

Swede wrote:

AF-S NIKKOR
800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR.
Can't you just get the D800 a 200-2.8 lens-crop it and get the same results, or is this just look what I got- $20,000 give me a break- but then again a friend recently spent $80,000 for a truck (and a Ford)
Where does this all stop>

Swede

If you think you get the same result as an 800mm lens by cropping a 200mm image, you don't need an 800mm. Art Wolfe, photographer of book, magazine, and TV fame, has a 200-400mm as his favorite nature lens. After he bought that he ditched the 500mm. So the 200-400 is his longest lens and he does OK with what he's got. He also owns only two DSLR's and claims to have much less equipment that a retired MD. Two camera bodies -- instead of a D800 for every lens so he won't risk getting dust on the sensor by changing lenses! (Someone on UHH gave this as justification for owning a half dozen D800s).

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Hey, it's only $17,900! That's a long way from $20,000!

Thank heaven I'm a Canon shooter. Their 800mm f5.6 IS is only $13,500. But that doesn't include a free 1.25X teleconverter. :roll:

There was a guy on another forum who had every Canon L-series lens made... well, almost. I don't think he had the 1200mm ($100,000 plus). But he actually did have almost every other L-series made, including the 800mm.

According to him, he got the 800mm as soon as it came available several years ago. When asked what he thought of it, he answered that he didn't know... He'd never used it! It sits in a closet or on a shelf somewhere. Now that's really poor use of one's money!

Quote:

Art Wolfe, photographer of book, magazine, and TV fame, has a 200-400mm as his favorite nature lens. After he bought that he ditched the 500mm. So the 200-400 is his longest lens and he does OK with what he's got.

Yes, but Art shoots with Canon DSLRs and the Canon 200-400/4L has a built-in 1.4X teleconverter, making it a 280-640/5.6 at the flip of a lever. I've seriously considered swapping out my 300/2.8 and 500/4 for that lens. It would be cheaper and save a lot of weight and bulk over the two primes.

According to Art he shoots with Canon 5D Mark III and 1DX cameras (both FF models)... but nowhere does he say he has only one of each. He also states he's using the Leica S digital medium format system for some things.

http://artwolfe.com/2014/10/16/whats-in-arts-bag/

jack schade Loc: La Pine Oregon

You would have to use that lens an awful lot to justify the cost. For me it is too expensive. But I will be renting one this spring for bird photography.
Jack

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

mtparker wrote:

It is an impressive lens. I was at Conowingo Dam last week photographing eagles and a guy from Hong Kong was there right next to me. He was using this Nikkor 800/5.6 on a D800 and I had my Sigma 300-800/5.6 on a D800E. It focused quicker than my Sigma but I could not tell much difference between our similar images in preview mode, even with a loupe. Shoulda asked to take a couple pics on one of my cards.

The lens you use is nothing to be anything but proud of- it performs well and you have the benefit of being able to zoom from from 300 to 800 as the situation calls for. Don't let GAS override common sense. Go make a 30x40 of a few prized images and relax.

n3eg Loc: West coast USA

That $20k 800mm probably performs slightly better than my 500mm adapted to micro four thirds that I bought for $30 - but hey, some people have a budget.
http://www.mu-43.com/gallery/data/500/medium/PB150370.jpg
No sharpening in PP.