johnr78735

Hello Daniel,

Let me first say that I previously owned the first generation Nikon 80-400 VR lens (now sold), now I own the new Nikon

80-400 VRII and also the Nikon 400 f2.8 VR. I shoot 2 Nikon D800 bodies. The first gen 80-400 performed well enough

for me once I learned that my best photos above 200 mm were always at 1/1,000 sec or higher and at f8 or higher. To

expect more from this lens is a prescription for heartburn. The new 80-400 is very, very good at 400mm...good enough

that I am seriously considering selling my 400 mm f2.8 VR. I shoot mostly wildlife, particularly big game and my grand

kids tennis, soccer and swimming with the 80-400 and love it. I am always after the image I want and shoot high iso's

freely to get what I want...the D800 bodies allow me to shoot at iso's of 6400 regularly with very good results. My

suggestion to you is to dial up your iso, shutter speed and f stop, get on a good tripod and shoot away. I hope your

results will be much improved.

Best regards,

John Rogers

Austin, Texas<div></div>

Jean,

Just a little background..

I owned the 1st version of the Nikon 80-400, sold it and upgraded to the new one now, and also own the Nikon 400 f2.8

VR. I have shot Nikons for over 40 years and now use 2-D800 bodies. I am tremendously happy with my gear and

results. My most important tip for you would be to start first always working to achieve the highest shutter speed possible

with whichever lens you choose. Your keeper rate will be much better and you can glean probable causes for your

imperfect shots by evaluating your shutter speed and comparing hits and misses. I have found nothing more important.

After reaching some level of competence in shooting long lenses you can then begin to refine your shooting technique

using all of your camera controls...but first shoot at 1/1000th sec and higher every chance you get to let your lens show

you what it can do so you gain confidence in your equipment.

John

Art...here's the first thing to do to determine if you have a lens sharpness or "other" problem. Get outside in bright

daylight, pick a subject with contrast and shoot a couple of frames at 1/2,000 sec. at f4 and f5.6...if they are sharp, you

have an issue other than lens sharpness.

<p>Kurt,<br>

Welcome to the D8__ world. I bought 2 D800's to replace my 2 D300's the day the D800's were available. First off I listened to all the talk about " tripod required " for sharpness noise that initially erupted because of the 36MP file size. What a load of crap. I own some good Nikon glass..16-35 f4 - 24-70 f2.8 - 70-210 f2.8 - the astounding new 80-400 VRII and the amazing 400 2.8 VR. Although not a pro by a hundred miles I can truthfully say that the D800 has changed everything about how I feel about digital photography. It is simply astounding with the D800. I almost never miss a shot I want. I break EVERY rule and the camera consistently captures great shots. Shots at 5,000 ISO...no problem...shots handheld at 1/40th...no problem...<br>

My only advice is shoot everything you want and shoot at any setting it takes to get the shot. <br>

I'm not good a sharing or posting to photo sites but here are a few almost all shot with the D800.</p>

<p>http://500px.com/johnr78735</p>

<p>Best regards and get shooting.<br>

John in Austin</p>

<p> I am dumbfounded by statements like this;</p>

<blockquote>

<p>" I'm quite amazed at the IQ I get from my Tamron SP 70-300 VC zoom on a D800."<br>

<br>

Someone actually, consciously, bought a Nikon D800 to put a Tamron lens on it...</p>

</blockquote>

Alastair,

I bought the 150-500 Sigma and sold it after a month or so...it was just too soft for my use.

John Rogers

Austin, Texas

I own both the Nikon 400 f 2.8 VR and the new "80-400 VR II"...and now I am planning on selling my 400...the new 80-400 is that good. I

shoot 2 D800 bodies.

John Rogers

Austin, Texas

I have a new D800 Nikon that has spots on the sensor. What should a sensor cleaning cost in the US...Texas is where I live but any info

would help.

John in Austin

Received my D800 in June...no left focus point issue and no dust after extensive use. Just returned from 3 weeks in Colorado and New

Mexico where I shot over 24 GB's of jpg fine images, changing lenses many times...no problems...and the most "keeper images" I've ever

had from any camera.

John Rogers

Austin, Texas

Tom,

If you decide to sell and buy something feel comfortable with the Tokina 11-16....I've shot Nikon glass for over 40

years...everything from the 10.5 fisheye to the 400 f2.8 VR and the Tokina was the first non Nikon glass I have ever

purchased and I absolutely love it.

John in Austin

NAS

+1 for what Wouter recommended...IF you are serious you certainly will need 2 bodies and at least the 24-70 and 70-200 as well as the

flashes...the end result will be what you want/expect much quicker...

John in Austin

<p>I shoot with 2 D300 bodies and have the Nikon 400mm F2.8 VR, Nikon 70-200 F2.8 and various other Nikon lenses. I know what a sharp photo is. I owned both the Nikon 80-400 and the Sigma 150-500. The Sigma searched relentlessly, was able to produce sharp photos only at 1/1500th sec. or faster and was sold as quickly as I could find a buyer. The notion that the 80-400 is slow focusing is bogus...once you set the focus limiter. I shot birds in flight all ove Argentina with it with great results.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.<br>

John<br>

Austin, Texas</p>

<p>Thank you Elliot. Do you use this? I generally sharpen with Smart Sharpen in Photoshop but find the images from the body already set to in camera sharpening to be very good. I would appreciate your recommendation and experience.<br>

John</p>

<p>Robert,<br>

I owned the Sigma 150-500 and sold it after a short while. I was never able to get great results from the lens. It was OK if I could shoot at 1/1000th and higher. With the D90 the 300 f4 would give you great results even with the 1.4TC...depending on the available light. The 1.4TC combination makes the effective focal length 630mm. Anything that long will need a tripod and good light to consistently make great images. The 300 f4 becomes effectively a 450mm lens and also will produce many more keepers when on a tripod. It certainly can be handheld with good technique. I currently shoot with the Nikon 400mm f2.8 VRll with the Nikon 1.4TC always on it and love the results, so don't be afraid of the 300 with the 1.4TC.<br>

Good luck,<br>

John<br>

Austin, Texas</p>

<p>Let me take a stab at this from another angle as a Monday morning quarterback...<br>

You paid somewhere around $7,000.00 for this item. I'll take a wild guess that you did not pay with cash, but rather with a credit card.<br>

You are obviously a person of some financial means.<br>

Did you try calling your credit card company and arranging a return for credit for defective merchandise?<br>

Visa, Mastercard and American Express all have such policies...especially for their high use customers.<br>

From my vantage point as an American Express cardholder for over 30 years I would have been told immediately "No problem sir we will take care of it."<br>

End of story.</p>

<p>Let me take a stab at this from another angle as a Monday morning quarterback...<br>

You paid somewhere around $7,000.00 for this item. I'll take a wild guess that you did not pay with cash, but rather with a credit card.<br>

You are obviously a person of some financial means.<br>

Did you try calling your credit card company and arranging a return for credit for defective merchandise?<br>

Visa, Mastercard and American Express all have such policies...especially for their high use customers.<br>

From my vantage point as an American Express cardholder for over 30 years I would have been told immediately "No problem sir we will take care of it."<br>

End of story.</p>

<p>How many versions are there of the Nikon 400mm f2.8 VR?<br>

John</p>

<p>Anyone out there tried the Monostat brand of monopods??? any recommendations?<br>

John<br>

Austin, Texas</p>

<p>35mm f1.8 - 70-200-f2.8 VR-400mm f2.8 VR-D300</p>

<p>Stay at the View Hotel inside Monument Valley if you can. Wake up and go to sleep with outstanding views of the icons in the valley. Make the loop drive as suggested. Get up early, stay out late and photograph continually. It's all good.<br>

My last visit was in December 2009 and the valley was covered in snow...first time I've seen snow in 10 plus trips to the valley.</p>

<p>John Rogers</p>

<p>I've had the identical problem for the last couple of months. After several hundred shots I isolated my problem to one area...shutter speed. I moved up to 1/2000th and more and now my shots are sharp. I shoot a D300 with 70-200 - 80-400 Nikons and a Sigma 150-500.<br>

John</p>

<p>I own both the Nikon 80-400 and the Sigma 150-500. After extensive shooting with the Sigma I have finally begun to obtain sharp results. My best results are obtained with the lens on a tripod, VR off and shutter speeds above 1/1250 sec.at f/8. I have yet to get sharp photos handheld...period. I bought the lens to go long and that's where it stays... in the 400-500mm range. It is very fast focusing and captures birds in flight on my D300 very well. I wouldn't think of using a TC on these lenses. The 80-400 is very similar but image quality in my opinion is better.<br>

John</p>

<p>I went about this another way due to the fact that I was a little concerned about hooking my $2,000.00 camera to my $1,900.00 HDTV...and with my lack of technical elegance blowing up both ! I bought a Panasonic with SD card access and run my photos as my own version of wall art and the quality is outstanding.<br>

John</p>

Rick,

I've been traveling to the area for over 50 years...so my best areas are;

The loop from Durango west to Mancos and north to Dolores then on to Rico, Telluride, Ridgeway, Ouray, over Red Mountain to Silverton and back to Dolores. Between Dolores and Rico watch for Hillside Drive...a good road with incredible Aspen shots and overall scenic views. Between Rico and Telluride is Trout Lake...simply beautiful in the Fall. At the end of town in Telluride is Bridal Veil Falls. After Telluride and before Ridgeway on the right is a pullout overlooking the Double RL Ranch (Ralph Laurens) with a cross tied Aspen fence with great vistas of Mount Wilson...and then onto Ouray and Silverton.

CBS's Charles Kuralt wrote that this drive is one of the 3 best in all of his world travels and has more 14,000 ft. mountains along the road than all of Switzerland.

John Rogers

Austin, Texas