300 f/4 versus 300 f/2.8
Matt Shepker
I am a photojournalism student that will be graduating in May. Right
now, I own a Nikkor 300 f/4 EDIF. It is a great lens, but my parents
are asking me what I want as a grad. gift and now I need to know.
Should I upgrade to a Nikkor 300 f/2.8 or take the money and suppliment
it with my own and buy a 400 f/2.8. I have bee in situations that
the extra stop would have been helpful, but not critical for getting the
shot. Do I need it to be competitive out there?
I need some working journalists out there to tell me what they think.
Thanks in advance.
--
*-> Shepker <-*
Bob Sobolevitch
: Greetings
Shepker - there is no definitive answer to your question. I also had a 300
Nikon F4 EDIF-AF. I traded it in on a 300 Nikkor F2.8 AF (the latest one
before the ones with a built in motor) I got the same great optical
quality that I had with the f4 version except I had an extra stop. In 300
mm photography that is important both for the extra speed AND the use of
limited depth of field that you get at 2.8. I also got a lot of extra
weight, a bulky lens that really doesn't fit in most normal camera bags,
and had to do serious upgrading of my tripod and ball head.
I do primarily wildlie photography so my option would be to keep the 300
you have and go for the 400 preferably with the TC-14b and TC-301. But if
you do that you will need a good tripod/ball head. I used to use the Bogen
3020 with the Bogen joystick head. But now I have the Gitzo 410R with the
Foba Ballhead and an Arca Swiss type clamping system. I use those on my
Nikon 300 and the 600. But depending on what you shoot that may or may not
be ideal. You need to decide.
Bob
Darrell A. Larose
In a previous article, myr...@ksu.ksu.edu (Matt Shepker) says:
>Greetings
>
>I am a photojournalism student that will be graduating in May. Right
>now, I own a Nikkor 300 f/4 EDIF. It is a great lens, but my parents
>are asking me what I want as a grad. gift and now I need to know.
>Should I upgrade to a Nikkor 300 f/2.8 or take the money and supplement
>it with my own and buy a 400 f/2.8. I have bee in situations that
>the extra stop would have been helpful, but not critical for getting the
>shot. Do I need it to be competitive out there?
>I need some working journalists out there to tell me what they think.
>
Tough call, but I would probably get the 300mm f:2.8, sell the f:4 and
get a Nikon TC-14 1.4x multiplier, this will give you a 420mm f:4 as an
option. The 400mm f:2.8 would be nice, but it could be too long for some
uses. Overall the 300mm is most useful. Most stringers I know don't own
anything much longer than a 300mm. If they get an assignment from the
paper they can often get a longer lens from the paper's equipment pool.
It all depends on who you will end up working for.
I wish you luck in this career, It's a tough one so don't get discouraged
if things don't happen fast.
--
Darrell A. Larose.... ad...@freenet.carleton.ca
"..Just hitchhiking along the info highway..."
Chuck Tribolet
generation of Nikon big glass (with built-in motor), you
want the TC-14e and/or TC-20e. Not the older stuff (TC-14,
14-a, TC-14-b, TC-14c, TC-20, TC-201, TC-301). They will autofocus
(except for the TC-20e with 600 f/4 (Nikon says it won't
work, but I've found that it will IF the subject is bright
and contrasty)) and also pass all the good stuff from the
from the computer in the lens to the computer in the body.
And they are optically matched to the big glass.
Chuck Tribolet
Tri...@Almaden.IBM.Com
San Jose, CA
Silicon Valley - best day job in the world
Oleg US Citizen Volk
-->>it with my own and buy a 400 f/2.8.
Rent a 400/2,8 for a day and see if you can point it fast. If it takes ten
seconds for vibrations to die down, you will have a hard time shooting action
even with faster aperture.
--
New photos (Nov.15) at http://sunsite.unc.edu/otis/pers/Volk_O.html
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US Citizen as of November 16.
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*Some* faculty desrve to have theit necks broken.
Any volunteers for the post of executioner?
Eric Loyd
Bob Sobolevitch <bo...@caster.ssw.upenn.edu> wrote:
>Matt Shepker (myr...@ksu.ksu.edu) wrote:
>: Greetings
>
>: I am a photojournalism student that will be graduating in May. Right
>: now, I own a Nikkor 300 f/4 EDIF. It is a great lens, but my parents
>: are asking me what I want as a grad. gift and now I need to know.
>: Should I upgrade to a Nikkor 300 f/2.8 or take the money and suppliment
>: it with my own and buy a 400 f/2.8. I have bee in situations that
>: the extra stop would have been helpful, but not critical for getting the
>: shot. Do I need it to be competitive out there?
>: I need some working journalists out there to tell me what they think.
>
I agree with what Bob wrote (though I subsequently had my reader delete
it from this message) that states, basically, that it depends on what you
want. I'm not a pj. I'm a wildlife photopgraher. For me, the extra
100mm of range between a 300 and a 400mm is crucial. The extra stop is not.
I, personally, if someone said that I could have a 300mm/2.8 lens for graduation
(ah, the early days) or something else of comparable value, I would probably
pick the "something of comparable value." For me, that would be a few dozen
rolls of film (100' rolls of slide film go for about $100 these days), or maybe
a new Benbo tripod and head, or a shoulder mount, or a macro lens (I don't have
a really _good_ one), or...or...or...
It really depends on how useful that extra stop is to _YOU_, not the people on
the net. :-)
--
Eric C. Loyd Email: ecl...@rit.edu
Operations Coordinator II HTTP: //tronic.rit.edu/
Rochester Institute of Tehnology Phone: (716) 475-7320
103 Lomb Memorial Dr, Roch., NY 14623 FAX: (716) 475-5306
131G30000-D.GALENSKY(MT4743)1019MT
>: I am a photojournalism student that will be graduating in May. Right
>: now, I own a Nikkor 300 f/4 EDIF. It is a great lens, but my parents
>: are asking me what I want as a grad. gift and now I need to know.
>: Should I upgrade to a Nikkor 300 f/2.8 or take the money and suppliment
>: it with my own and buy a 400 f/2.8. I have bee in situations that
>: the extra stop would have been helpful, but not critical for getting the
>: shot.
>I do primarily wildlie photography so my option would be to keep the 300
>you have and go for the 400 preferably with the TC-14b and TC-301. But if
>you do that you will need a good tripod/ball head. I used to use the Bogen
>3020 with the Bogen joystick head. But now I have the Gitzo 410R with the
>Foba Ballhead and an Arca Swiss type clamping system. I use those on my
>Nikon 300 and the 600. But depending on what you shoot that may or may not
>be ideal. You need to decide.
>
i would suggest the same, but i do wonder how many photojournalists
go around lugging a thirty pound camera, lens, and tripod setup?
would a contax G2 with 28mm, 45mm, and 90mm lenses be a better
choice? i can see the application of a 400/2.8 for wildlife
or perhaps sports i guess...
duane
Otto Focus
ecl...@tronic.isc.rit.edu (Eric Loyd) writes:
If I was in the same situation, I would skip the lens and get an extra
camera body. Assuming you have at least two lenses, this might be handy
in photojournalism or news photography
DonRay4480
writes:
If you can get the 300 f2.8 GET IT!.....If you have your own lens it will
give you a big advantage over other staff members that have to get a pool
lens. If you keep it with you in your car you will be susprised how many
times you use it for features, spot news etc.....and it's great to have
for sports too.
Don Ray
Taylor Jones
ultra-fast, ultra-long lenses. Fortunately, many of the bigger papers
provide the big guns in their pool equipment. I understand that even the
big-time photogs at the Miami Herald do not own a 400 f/2.8 because the
long lenses are provded by the paper for use. Are you planning to shoot
lots of sports and under lights? If so, I'd try to sell the 300 f/4 and
buy the 300 f/2.8 lens because I have been in many sports situations where
an f/4 just couldn't do the job (and that's pushing TMAX 3200 to 6400!).
You may want to wait and see if the paper that hires you offers the 400mm
in its pool equipment. Good luck. You must have great parents.
Taylor
Matt Shepker (myr...@ksu.ksu.edu) wrote: :
Greetings
--
Taylor Jones
a005...@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us
Neil Barker
a005...@bcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us (Taylor Jones) writes:
>
> : I am a photojournalism student that will be graduating in May.
As a press-photographer working for a daily newspaper in the U.K.
I'd definately advise you to get the 300mm F2.8. I use the Nikon
one extensively for low-light sports etc and that extra stop makes
a big difference, not just for the extra shutter speed capability
it will give you, but also to get even more of a differential
between the focused subject and the background.
Good luck in your new career - I've often wanted to work as a
press-photographer with a newspaper in the U.S. Maybe one day..
I'd be interested if anyone could let me know how people go about
training for photojournalism in the US, to compare it with how we
do so in the UK. We only have one college course that is recognised
by the newspaper industry and it limits its intake to ensure that
as many people as possible get jobs at the end of the course.
Also, anyone know the address of the American Press-Photographers
Association, or similar ??
Thanks,
Neil
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: Neil Barker : One day, when I'm rich and famous :
: ne...@nbarker.demon.co.uk : I'll have a direct line to the :
: Birmingham, England. : Internet. Until then, I'll get :
: : used to engaged tones.... :
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Greeegor
in your shoes boy and... (I've always wanted to say that)
Gerry Cleaveland was the Photo Editor at the Denver Post when I started to
freelance there while I was in school. One day I got a call from him
telling me that he's tried to call me for an assignment and no one was
home and would I have lunch with him.
Over lunch I was told that to be a photojournalist you need three things -
Determination, A 300 f2.8 and an answering machine. He was right. DON'T
buy the 400 because it's limiting. UNLESS all you're going to do is shoot
sports (whoopee...) When you cover news the 300 will let you work inside a
real room (not a press briefing room) and it's easy to hand hold. Don't
let the ego "my lens is bigger than your lens" thing get in the way.
It's not a question.