Nikon D70 Telephoto lenses

[asharma]

I am a new user of Nikon D70. I have the outfit 18-70 mm lens and I am planning to buy

a Telephoto lens. I have following three options, If someone can help me in choosing the

lens:

 

1. Nikon - 70-300mm F4-5.6 'G' Autofocus Zoom Lens

2. Nikon - 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED Lens

3. Sigma tele lens, like Sigma - 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO Super Lens for Nikon AF

 

PS: What's the difference in Nikon "G" and "ED" lenses.

[jbq]

The ED lens has an aperture ring so it can be used on older cameras, and the optics are supposed to be better (although the difference is said to not be significant).

 

Lots of people recommend the older Nikkor 75-300/4.5-5.6 if you can find a used one.

[patrick smith]

G lenses have no aperture ring, and they are controlled fully by the camera. You won't have any trouble on a D70, but many MF cameras can only shoot at the minimum aperture. All G lenses are D lenses, that is, they transmit distance information to the camera for flash exposure. Some say that there is no appreciable advantage to a D lens. An ED lens incorporates Nikon's Extra-low Dispersion glass in one or more elements. This glass (I think) tends not to be subject to as many chromatic aberrations and other glass-created issues. Sigma's APO, I think, is an abbreviation of Apochromatic, which is what some (again, just relying on hazy memory) manufacturers call ED glass. I've noticed that ED glass has a look to it that is hard for me to quantify. I would go with the 70-300 f/4-5.6D ED lens, if I had to choose among those lenses. A telephoto lens that people seem to regard highly is the 180mm f/2.8. No, it won't get you to 300mm and it is pricier, but I have heard the quality is outstanding. But, good luck, and I hope this helps.

[jbq]

Should've added...

 

G lenses are the newest kind of Nikon AF lenses, without an aperture ring, so they can only be used on the newest AF bodies (made in the last 10 years or do).

 

ED is a special kind of lens that is used in expensive lenses (especially ultra-wides and telephotos) to reduce chromatic aberrations.

 

The two aren't necessarily incompatible, even though there's an instinct from many Nikon users that G lenses are low-end (the first ones were, but it's not true of all of them).

[chris_leck]

I have the 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED and it works pretty well. It's small and light, and the image quality is decent. Compared to my 70-200mm f/2.8, its aperture is 1-2 stops slower, focusing is significantly slower (at least on my D100), and my sample exhibits some red/blue color fringing if you look closely enough. Advantages are that its longest focal length is 100mm longer and it fits in many camera bags.

 

Note: I shoot a D100. I understand that other, higher-end bodies may focus screw drive lenses faster.

 

I like this lens. It's great when travelling light. However, it's not the best choice for very low light or where fast focusing is required (or especially both, such as shooting dance or concerts).

 

You'll probably hear a wide range of opinions on this one. I read somewhere on photo.net that this a re-badged Tamron.

 

No experience with the other lenses.

 

'G' lenses lack aperture rings; aperture must be controlled via the body. 'ED' means the lens has one or more Nikon extra-low dispersion glass elements.

[bwcombs]

I'd choose the Nikon - 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED.

 

Second choice would be the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 APO for

it's macro.

 

Good luck.

[ivan_verschoote1]

Save your money one more year and buy the excellent 80-200 AF-d. Optics and mechanics are top. In the long run it will be the best money ever spent on a lens.

[asharma]

trial posting<div></div>

[asharma]

trial posting <img>http://www.photo.net/photo/10023285</img>

[asharma]

one more try