stuart_lombard Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 I know that I have posted on this before, so please be patient... I am wanting to find the cheapest way to get up close with wildlife. I have a D40 and bought a telephoto lens (believe 70-300??) but would really like something stronger. I am working on a TIGHT budget, so something older would work just fine, as long as it gets be in close. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_in_PA Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 So not close-up per se, but zooming in further? Above 300mm there is not such thing as a decent cheap lens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolaresLarrave Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Is your need urgent? Do you know exactly when and where you'll use a lens longer than 300mm? There are two avenues for this; 1) A catadioptric lens (aka mirror lens). They are usually found in AI or AIS mount, so they may be used in the D40, but they won't do any AF or (probably) metering. Besides, they're terribly slow with a fixed aperture of f8. Get a tripod... 2) Rent a lens. Look up cameralensrentals.com and check them out. Take care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_lai Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Try a teleconverter. I'm unable to recommend any as I've only tried old cheap off-brand ones and they were pretty much junk. I would hope the newer ones are better but you will still lose 1 or 2 f-stops and maybe some image quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_in_PA Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Do NOT try a teleconverter with a slow (f5.6 at long end) zoom. It will not focus for anything and the quality will be poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_lombard Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 I do not know exactly when I'll use the lens...we own over 100 acres of land in SW MO and it's full of deer. I have a tripod stand next to a field and am guaranteed to see deer every day, it's just a matter of getting good pictures of them. And I do not need the best of lenses, I just need something that will work and produce good pictures. I will try and look into the catadioptric and teleconverters. If anyone has any info to get me started into the type I'll need or where to find them, the information would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_becker2 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 An older Sigma, Tokina, Tamron or Nikkor 400mm f5.6 might be found for $200-$500. You will not get auto focus and probably no metering. That may be a deal breaker with the view finder of the D40. I had decent success with an old Nikkor 400mm f5.6 ED-IF with big mammals at Yellowstone two years back on a D200 with metering. I now have a 500mm f4 and use a TC 14 with it. If you want auto focus then your choices will be very limited. There are also some more expensive 500mm zooms around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_k4 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 sounds to me like you what you need is a piece of paneling with a hole cut in it to take pictures through. that'll get you infinitely closer both physically and optically than any lens under $8000 ever will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronald_moravec1 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 The old inexpensive film teles do not work well on digi. I have tried. I concure with all the advice above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two23 Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Skip the teleconverters. They will be money down the toilet. Instead, try to build a small blind and watch wind direction carefully. I own a section in central Missouri, and have taken photos of deer from 20 ft. away when I sat very still and had the wind in my face. Kent in SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Indeed. You need a tree stand or a blind. And patience. Um, and maybe some bait. Apples and whole kernal corn are nice. Just don't let the game warden see you carrying a gun on the same 100 acres that you're baiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_lombard Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 Ha ha....don't think that the paneling approach would work very well in this area. The deer tend to be a little bit more intelligent and able to pick up scent....if they weren't, hunting would be a lot easier! Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuart_lombard Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 True...whole corn works great, especially for shots with the trail cam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SolaresLarrave Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Alright... you have a DX camera and a modest telephoto zoom. As Peter noted above, any TC won't do with that lens simply because it'll cut your light significantly. Hence, just use the lens you have... and crop a lot in post-processing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent_von_frese Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 For about100.00 including the shipping. I purchase a Nikon Phoenix 2x teleconverter on the net for my Nikon D-90. I hope it really doubles everything as the sellers say. It fits well and is automatic with the sensors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 You have a camera body that 'needs' a AF-S lens to operate as designed. That cuts a few lens choices out. If you had a Nikon D80 body (the auto-focus can handle the older AF type of lens or the newer AF-S lens.) You might check www.keh.com and see what is available in the lens area. If you really want closer, you could look at a beater 1000mm f11 Reflex-Nikkor....but really cheaper -- maybe not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter_in_PA Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Vincent, If you're talking about consumer zooms, then that is 100.00 down the toilet. You will absolutely not like the results of a 2X tele-converter on a consumer f5.6 zoom. Total waste of money, effort, and time. Call and cancel the order. Also... Phoenix? Junk... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fischerphotos Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 Just build a photo blind to get closer to the animals. You save money and they look cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les_barstow Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 You're already working with the 35mm equivalent of 450mm; that's not shabby for the money you've spent, or are likely to spend. The next step up is to buy a 400mm lens of some sort, and I wouldn't skimp on a lens that large. You might be able to find a good used manual focus lens in that range for a reasonable (several hundred dollar) price. Otherwise, I agree with everyone else - get a good blind set up; it'll be cheaper and more effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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