I have the D5300 and highly recommend it. It captures high quality images and is light enough to carry all day without noticing it.

MT Shooter, thanks for the heads up. I was not planning on making a decision/purchase until sometime in March, so I will be on the lookout for the G2 version.

Gary

Traveler, thanks for the input.

How long have you had it? How has it been used? Have you had any issues with it?

I don't anticipate using this lens professionally, but rather on an occasional basis for birding, etc....

Gary

IBM, thanks for the input.

Greetings all,

I am a few months away from purchasing either a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, a Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD, or a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR for use on a Nikon D5300 and/or D7100, and would appreciate your input.

My specific focus (pun intended) of this post is the build quality and long term reliability of the Tamron SP 70-200mm F/2.8 Di VC USD.

I am interested in the Tamron because (1) reviews (both on UHH and other websites) indicate the image quality is as good as, if not slightly better, than the Nikon, and (2) it is significantly less expensive than the f2.8 Nikon.

Request - I would appreciate hearing about the build quality and long term reliability of the Tamron from anyone who has used this lens for a number of years and/or used it intensely (e.g., wedding photography) for a period of time,

I would also appreciate comments from those who have used both the Tamron and the Nikon lenses as well.

My next step is to rent the lenses and see how they feel on the camera.

Thanks in advance for your assistance. It is appreciated.

Gary

I second Denny's comments.

I have one, and highly recommend it if someone is looking for a solid starter camera that can grow with. The two things I especially like are (1) it is very light, so you can carry it all day and not get tired, and (2) the rear flip screen is very beneficial in many situations.

Gary

Cameranut, a blind really is not necessary in this case. The deer typically appears in the areas close to the road in the sunrise and sunset times. My friend told me there have been a number of times he has seen 3, 4, or even 5 cars pulled over, all with the drivers taking pictures with their phone cameras, so it is not like the deer is people-shy.

For me it's just a matter of having the time at the right time to get there, as opposed to me going there when I have the time, which is most often the case.

Thanks for the thought though.

Gary

I like it as is.

If I were to crop it I would crop the top portion so that it is roughly the same height above the wake/boat as below.

Gary

Piebald, thanks for the comment and for looking.

And I can say for a fact that it is all white as that is what I saw when it bounded away. I tried to get a few shots while it was running away, but the undergrowth was pretty dense with lots of smaller trees, so all I got were a few images of an out of focus white mass that looked nothing like a deer.

I will keep trying, but it is hit-and-miss.

Gary

Jeff, Glad you liked it.

Yes, it was lucky. I was out there a number of times and stayed around for a while each time with no sightings.

As for the commentary, I wanted to try to convey just how lucky this sighting was. 5 minutes either way, and nothing. Or, continue into town instead of turning around when I did, and nothing again.

Gary

Thanks EMP. BTW - I originally come from LI (Queens County/Nassau county).

Gary

Rando - no, this was taken in central Indiana.

Thanks Karin. It's all about the chase. This time it was successful.

Oldtigger, from what you did with the picture it looks like the eye is pinkish and has some blue to it. Too hard for 100% certainty, but to me it looks more like it than not.

BTW - how were you able to get the image cropped and then appear pretty crisp in the download? I tried to crop/enlarge, but only came out with a very mushy image.

Gary

Thanks Chase.

I will keep going out and see if I can stumble upon it again. Next time I will go out with the 300mm loaded on the camera from the get-go.

Gary