Nikon 70-200mm VR

Just curious ... could one use the Nikkor 70-200mm VR as a 'macro' setup on a FF camera (D700) with a 500D diopter?

Probably. What's the minimum focus distance on that lens? I use a Tamron 70-200 that has an MFD of 30" and it works well w/ the 500D

Cheers

James

I believe not, and this is why:

Magnification on this lens is 1:6.1 not even with a diopter yo´ll get close to 1:1, not even 1:2.

James tamron is different because the magnification factor is the double, so a diopter could get te lens close to 1:2 or so.

The weight, diameter and fully extended lenght, won´t justify this lens underwater. At least for me.

The MFD is 5´ BTW...

Probably. What's the minimum focus distance on that lens? I use a Tamron 70-200 that has an MFD of 30" and it works well w/ the 500D

Cheers

James

Thanks, James ... that thread comparing the Tamron and the Sigma is what got me thinking. The official minimum is 60 inches, but an oline reviewer who shall not be named says it focuses a bit closer on manual.

I don't have it yet ... got a pretty good deal on Ebay for a new one still in the box ... should arrive Monday. I've got the 1.7 TC and I'm gonna shoot some friends surfing next weekend. With the TC and the DX crop I've got a 500MM+ reach which should make for some fun shooting - even at 5.1MP. Anxious to see what VR does with a monopod ... my hand-held technique stinks at this point. I never had anything anywhere close to this big. My last SLR was an OM-4 and the biggest lens I had was a 300, but it was not an auto-focus and was so much lighter than these VR AF jobbers.

Not sure I'll ever get underwater with it, but I do now have the 17-35MM, the 70-200 VR (on the way) and a 500D ... all I need is an Ikelite housing and a couple ports and I'm there ... that impossible dream is ever closer ... and then the complaing about the corners and the fisheyes ... you know the rest ...

I can't really imagine using the 70-200 underwater. It's huge. I'd worry about the torque on the port mount - assuming you could find a port that fits. OTOH it's a great lens to have on a boat for topside use in case some dolphins or whales show up. It seems to work pretty well with the 1.4 and 1.7 teleconverters too.

Clinton

Just curious ... could one use the Nikkor 70-200mm VR as a 'macro' setup on a FF camera (D700) with a 500D diopter?

Jeremy, you're in for a treat! That lens is so sharp i get goosepimples. I use it a lot on land, and i love it. VR is a nice feature, but if you want to see what this lens can achieve in terms of sharpness, put it on a tripod. However, IMHO, it'll be useless underwater. The reproduction ratio is low, the setup is huuuuge, is there a port that'll work?

If you don't want to reach 1:1 reproduction, the 60mm micro nikkor would be the better alternative. The same type of shots, a much smaller setup, better closeups, ability to focus further away, to catch e.g. fish in action. With the 70-200 you'll be stuck within a limited focusing range.

Phil

Thanks, all! I finally have it, and it is pretty big ... I think I'll look at the 105VR if I decide to house this bad boy.

I love this lens; unfortunately the reviews for FF are not as stellar as they are for DX. I have yet to use it on my D700.

I love this lens; unfortunately the reviews for FF are not as stellar as they are for DX. I have yet to use it on my D700.

Here's a review I saw on DP Review a while ago:

http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/nikon_70-200_2p8_vr_n15/

Look at the results of the D300 v D3

The conclusion was pretty much - "They designed this for DX" but forgot to add DX to the name.

As for taking into the ocean for macro - I'd think the distance to subject would be too high and the bckground, out of focus, texture might seem strange compared to true macro lenses (but I've never tried it so I can only speculate).

rinjani