cmulcahy

<p>I have a Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 AFS lens that I am borrowing and considering purchasing. The purchase price would be pretty low because of a very strange spec or scratch on the 3rd (from the front) internal element. I can buy this lens for about $500 so if I needed to spend a little on cleaning....not a big deal. The body looks great. It doesn't look beat up at all.</p>

<p>I've shined a flash light into this lens and it's very clean. Other then this very strange looking artifact. At first glance it looks crystal like or a broken glass chip but it will not move. I looks as if the element is chipped or scratched. I've had several photographers look at it and no one can figure out what it is. They don't think it's mold or fungus. It's pretty large (about a 1mm in length) so if it were a particle it would likely move around if you shook the lens right? This will not move at all. </p>

<p>The plastic / glass window that covers the focus distance numbers on the barrel of the lens is cracked pretty good. (I've seen this on many Nikon lenses actually - so that didn't overly concern me) I'm wondering if a piece of that glass or plastic from that window didn't break off and get wedged in between two elements inside the lens? Is this possible? </p>

<p>The lens functions normally other then a little bit of grinding (like sand inside) when I manually focus. More evidence that maybe something got in there?</p>

<p> The AF works perfectly and is fast and quiet. The picture quality is good. Occasionally I think I get some sort of reflection off that "artifact" if I take pictures directly into a light source. (Which I rarely do) Otherwise I see no issues w/ the picture quality. <br>

My thought is to send this lens into Nikon and have them clean it and check it out. Will Nikon replace an element if it is scratched? How on earth would an internal element get scratched anyway? What do you think? What Nikon service center should I send this to? Does Nikon do a lens "tune-up" ? If so any idea what that would cost typically?</p>

<p>Thanks Mike, I some how missed that thread. I scanned over it quickly thinking it's doubtful there would be any info already up.</p>

<p>As for what I like to photograph. If it's interesting, unusual, or beautiful I'd love to see it. I was thinking there would be some cool landscapes or nartural formations in the area? I'm from wisconsin, I've never been to Vegas before (been to LA many times) It's not often that I see mountains or desert.</p>

<p>Some specific locations would be much appreciated</p>

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<p>Next week I'll be driving from LA to Vegas. Are there any really cool photography opportunities between the two cities?</p>

<p>Here are my top places to see in Ireland:<br /> #1 N59 in Co Mayo. The drive from Leenane to Westport is like no other place on earth. Find the Delphi Lodge when you are there. The surrounding mountains, rivers, streams, lakes, etc is one of the most beautiful places on earth....it will haunt you. Stay at the Delphi Lodge for a night if you can afford it. You will talk about that place till the day you die. Try to find the near by famine cross made of stone just up the road from the Delphi. Be prepared the view from that cross will bring tears to your eyes.<br>

#2 The Connemara. Located North West of Galway....Near the borders of Co Mayo and Co Galway. Get lost in the mountains of the Connemara for a couple days. Fly into Shanon, head straight to Galway after you land. Spend the night in Galway and then head to the Connemara. This is right on the way to Leenane and Westport (which I mention above)<br>

#3 Clare Island, Co Mayo. Home of the Grace O'Malley the Pirate Queen. This is off the beaten path. It's a short drive from Westport. You catch the fairy at Roonah. Rent a couple of bikes and ride up to the light house....and don't forget to check out the Abbey. Just ask the locals where it is, and they'll direct you to some old man's house....where he'll give you a key to get in the abbey. It's spookey! If you are lucky you might catch some traditional irish music and dancing at the island center.(the local only pub)<br>

#4 Ardara, Co Donegal. stay at the Green gate b&b. Just know this is no hotel. It's rustic, the owner (who's french) is not fond of rude snoby americans - SO BE POLITE!!, it's autentic, it's romantic, and it's one of the most beautiful little gems you'll ever stay at. (No TV, computers, etc) The beds are not comfortable, the ceilings are about 5' high...YEA it's a real old irish cottage. From there the locals will direct you to one of the most amazing spots in Ireland....it's easily two days of exploring this area but it's WELL worth it. Ask how to get to Glencolmcille from Ardara. The drive to Glencolmcille is unbelievable. Glencolmcille is an amzing little village w/ great pubs, music, and a well. Hike up the very large hill to see the well. You'll be glad you did. I never did find that well, but the hike and view at the top is something to see. ASK THE LOCALS HOW TO FIND THE VILLAGE OF PORT. Port is a famine village that is in ruin. There is one road in and remnants of the small fishing village are still there. (bring a bottle of wine and enjoy the views) There will be NO one any where in site.<br>

#5 Glenveagh National Park - Here you will find a picturesque small castle over looking the most beautiful lakes you'll ever see. The drive to get there is pretty nice as well.</p>

<p>#6 Malin Head - At the Northern tip of Co Donegal. If you like music stay at McGrory's in Culdaff and party till the sun comes up. It's a nice B&B / pub and it's only a walk from the beach. The drive from Culdaff to the Malin Head is amazing. While you are that far north you mine as well check out the Giants Causeway.</p>

<p>#7 Dingle - the drive from Tralee to Dingle is awsome. Just make sure you take the mountain pass and not the main road. It will scare the @#$ out of you, but it's worth it. The town of Dingle is beautiful. Take a boat ride, check out the silly dolphin boat ride. Stay at Gorhmans Cliff Top and hike down to the water.</p>

<p>The ring of kerry is VERY touristy and the locals treat you like a tourist. It is beautiful though. The traffic is horrible during the summer months. The Burren is very cool. I do like the south, but I would not go there during peak season (June-Sept) The cliffs of Moher are very cool as well. Near Shanon the town of Adare is pretty cool, and the Adare Manor is amazing. If you can afford it, stay there. The food at the Adare is something else. You will be treated like royalty. If you enjoy the whole touristy thing, then the south may be for you. If you like an adventure, just rent a car and head to Galway and then up to Donegal. The locals up there are less annoyed by foriengers and the land is much more wild.</p>

<p>Dan - I didn't figure out a percentage. I just looked at several MSRP's and the margins....there was a lower margin on the few items I looked at w/ the new pricing. I didn't take a really good look at the new pricing list. I'll do that later this week and see if I can't elaborate. I did notice a pretty big difference on a couple higher priced lenses. It was like a $100+ difference in margin. I don't want to guess what the percentage is and totally give you wrong info. </p>

<p> </p>

<p>I've got a good look at the price increases on the way. The funny thing the MSRP is at signigicantly lower margin $ for the vendors. <br>

I don't think Nikon needs to worry about going out of bussiness it's the retail stores that are going to take the hit. Us consumers are going to be left with a few large internet companies and box stores. Gone will be the service and expertise of the small shops that actually care about their customers. Once there are fewer places to buy, prices will go up and service will go down.</p>

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<p>Those who are critical of the 50 1.8 are not considering the price. <br>

Compare that lens to any kit lens costing 2 or even 3X as much and the 50mm 1.8 will out perform those lenses in terms of image quality.<br>

Compare that lens to a professional lens that cost 10X more and maybe it doesn't perform up to that. Not really a fair comparison. <br>

It's a good lens that performs very well. It out performs every 2.8 lens ever made at apertures wider then 2.8.... :) If you are asking for extreme sharpness wide open then you are asking too much. </p>

<p>As for bad samples...I tend to think the issue is AF. I think the 50mm 1.4D and the 1.8D do not AF very well opened up. The new 50mm 1.4G AFS has dramitically improved that issue. You just cannot consistently auto focus that lens wide open...at least I can't. I'm using a D300 and I find that I get better focus manually when wide open using the 50mm 1.4D. Both lenses produce VERY usable images wide open...so I frankly don't understand anyone being critical of it's performance. I can understand not liking the focal length or the bokeh....but for the price what do you want? It's a great lens for someone who can't afford pro glass but want something faster then the standard kit lenses that come w/ the cameras. I suggest any amature photographer who is entering the DSLR world to buy this lens. It's better then the kit lenses and it's inexpensive.</p>

<p>That price for a two lens kit sounds like a mistake. Either that or it's an opened box item, display, or returned. </p>

<p>You should be able to get the D60 kit for $100 more then the D40 kit. Difference being the D60 comes w/ VR lenses - which makes the D60 a much better buy.</p>

<p>Anyone who tells you to buy a D40 over a D60 is wrong.<br>

In most cases the D40 and the D60 are being sold as a kit w/ an 18-55mm lens. The D60 kits comes w/ a VR version of that lens, the D40 does not. That alone justifies the $100 difference in price between the D40 kit and the D60 kit. Last I looked the price difference between the two kits was $100.<br>

Add in the fact that the D60 gives you more resolution and a dust cleaning sensor as well....the D60 is a better buy.</p>

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<p>I got a chance to play around w/ the new 50mm 1.4G and I was very impressed with the image quality wide open. </p>

<p>I've read mixed reviews here, so I was expecting to be dissapointed. After taking about 20 shots w/ that lens wide open I was pleaseantly surprised. I don't know about the lab tests, but in real world situations I think this lens is a very nice upgade to the 50mm 1.4D. It was clearly better wider then 2.0 vs the 1.4D. </p>

<p>I'll also add that the build quality is much improved. A week ago someone here said it had a plastic mount....that is false. The body construction is very good. Is it worth an extra $160? To me...NO.....to the guy who has the $ to spend and is really looking for good image quality wider then f/2 then yes. <br>

I asked my self how much would I pay for this lens? I paid $280 on my 50mm 1.4D and I love that lens...but I do like the newer version better. If it cost $350 or less I'd probably sell my 50mm 1.4 to get it. The only negative I could come up with is the price. It needs to drop well below $400 for me to even think about buying that lens. At $440 I think it's way over priced. The market says it should not cost more then $350 IMO. The differences between the new version and the old version just are not that great to justfiy a $160 increase in cost.</p>

<p>All the time....</p><div></div>

<p><em><strong>I just can imagine spending the day with my face smushed up against the back of a camera</strong> </em></p>

<p>Not only could I imagine it, I'd love nothing more then to spend an entire day doing so. lol</p>

<p>I'm a bit curious as to why some people just hate Sigma. I'm guessing they were putting out garbage years ago?<br>

I got the 10-20mm Sigma and that lens is amazing for the price I paid for it. It's better built then many of the nikon and canon lenses available today. I've heard the Sigma 30mm 1.4 and the 50mm 1.4 are amazing lenses as well. <br>

Tamron for what ever reason seems to get a pass when it comes to lens quality, but sigma doesn't? Some of Tamron's lenses are the biggest pieces of @#$^ I've ever seen...in terms of build quality and AF. But they to have a few lenses that shine. <br>

Several of Nikon and canon's kit lenses are garbage but because of their name they get a pass. <br>

I've heard very good things about the Tokina wide angle, but I went w/ the Sigma for that extra width and I'm glad I did. I was just comparing wide angle lens prices yesterday and with out a doubt Sigma and Tokina offer the most bang for the buck and that includes Nikkon or canon. <br>

Finding a good 24-70mm 2.8 lens is easy if you are willing to spend around $1000. I would very much like to try Sigma's version.(assuming it's in the $500-600 range. I'd be surprised if it's not worth it's price considering how expensive the alternatives are.<br>

The Tamron 28-75mm 2.8 gives you pretty good image quality but the build and AF is not impressive at all.<br>

I do know dealers do not like to push Sigma because there is very little margin in their products, Sigma does not offer spifs to sales reps (while Tamron, Nikon, and some others do).</p>

<p>Maybe someone mentioned this already....but the most useful feature of liveview is being able to see your changes to color temperature when setting your white balance. You can see it "live" as you go warmer or cooler. I had my D300 for almost a year before I found you could do this....a nikon rep showed me.</p>

<p>Unless I'm making a living off of my photography there is no way that lens is worth the extra cash they are asking for it. </p>

<p>As far as image quality goes the only real improvement is at f/2 and wider.(according to reports I've read) Sure that would be nice to have...but for that price? I'm not all that excited. If the price drops to $300 then I might actually consider selling my 50mm 1.4d and getting it. If not, I'm perfectly happwy with my 50mm 1.4D which is about $150 cheaper....or in relative terms about 40% less expensive.</p>

<p>I've used it only to see what it does. I've tried using it a few times and found it fairly worthless, so I've never used it since. </p>

<p>Maybe I shouldn't give up on it so quickly? It looks like it has a practicle purpose when manually focusing.</p>

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December in Wisconsin