# Upgrading Gear: Nikon D7000 or Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 @ ring



## gryffinwings (May 5, 2013)

I'm trying to make up my mind on getting a D7000 or a Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8, I have the following gear:

Nikon D200
Nikon D5100

Nikkor 35mm f1.8
Nikkor 18-55mm VR
Nikkor 55-200mm VR
Nikkor 18-70mm VR
Yongnuo YN565EX

My budget is $1000.


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## Mach0 (May 5, 2013)

Save a couple bucks more and get the afs or the VR1.


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## Derrel (May 5, 2013)

I would buy the camera.


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## Mach0 (May 5, 2013)

Derrel said:


> I would buy the camera.



Orrrrrrr get the d7000 used and a push pull 80-200.


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## CaptainNapalm (May 5, 2013)

Derrel said:


> I would buy the camera.



Yes


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## gryffinwings (May 5, 2013)

That push pull variant is really slow to focus. Not getting it.

If I get the Nikon D7000 then I may actually add the Nikkor 50mm f1.8G, I prefer that focal length over my 35mm. Or I may get something else that is within budget, I would be getting a refurb from adorama for $744.


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## Mach0 (May 5, 2013)

gryffinwings said:


> That push pull variant is really slow to focus. Not getting it.
> 
> If I get the Nikon D7000 then I may actually add the Nikkor 50mm f1.8G, I prefer that focal length over my 35mm. Or I may get something else that is within budget, I would be getting a refurb from adorama for $744.



What's making you consider the d7000? Just curious.

By the way- afd lenses and the focus speed have a lot todo with the body. My 35-70 on my d90 is a lot slower than  on the d700. I actually find the 55-200 annoying. I've never used the 80-200 but I've used the 70-200 and the AF speed is awesome. The 80-200 was used by older pros for sports so I wouldn't call it slow.


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## sm4him (May 5, 2013)

If that were MY setup, I'd buy the D7000, sell off the 55-200 and buy the 70-300 instead.


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## gryffinwings (May 5, 2013)

Reasons: More advanced AF System. Better ergonomics. CLS. Manual controls. Etc.

 Watched a youtube video of the push pull version and it was a lot slower than the 2 ring version.

Why the 70-300mm and which version?


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## jamesbjenkins (May 5, 2013)

Save an extra couple hundred bucks and get a gently used 70-200 VR1. It's a huge step up from the old 80-200 and will serve you well for years after the D7000 and the 2 other bodies you buy after it have come and gone. Glass is almost always a better long-term investment.


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## Derrel (May 5, 2013)

The 70-300 VR is considered the best 70-300 from Nikon. I own one, and like it. It is widely said that it focuses much more-quickly than the 50-200 zoom. According to one testing I saw, the older 70-300 "ED", the one that has ED glass, is optically about the same as the newer VR. The older 70-300 G-series...UGH! I own one of those too, bought it years ago, and it's poor above 200mm--TONS of CA above 200mm....really not a good lens. I have used it as my soft-focus lens + Cokin 080 diffuser for some things.

I owned two of the 80-200 push-pulls...both were lightweight...that design weighs about 15 oz. less than the later models, so it is notably lighter, but it is not as good optically...has a fair amount of fall-off, and softens up at closer range, and at wide f/stop has some visible CA...it's a 20+ year-old, early design...later designs are simply better. The one-ring AKA push-pull 80-200's feel kind of kludgy by modern standards.

Honestly, in terms of SIZE, weight, and optics, I think the 80-200 f/4 Ai-S manual focus, the one with 62mm filter threads, is as good as the 80-200 one-ring--AND, these things can be had today for $100 or so. Pretty well-made lens...good optics...constant f/stop, smallish size...


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## 480sparky (May 5, 2013)

gryffinwings said:


> ...............Why the 70-300mm....




The current 70-300 VR is about the best value in the telezoom range Nikon offers right now.



gryffinwings said:


> ..............and which version?



Dis one.


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## goodguy (May 5, 2013)

Derrel said:


> I would buy the camera.



+1

Derrel a smart man.

Get the D7000!


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## KmH (May 5, 2013)

gryffinwings said:


> That push pull variant is really slow to focus. Not getting it.


Well the Nikon AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED Zoom Nikkor Lens 2 ring will focus on your D5100 as fast as you can turn the focus ring. It won't auto focus at all on a D5100, unless you can find a used (not very common) AF*-S* 80-200 mm f/1.8D 2 ring.


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## gryffinwings (May 5, 2013)

Well the plan would have been to get the 80-200mm 2 ring version and use it on my D200, I already know that it doesn't work with the D5100. So no need to remind me of that.

Now the 70-300mm VR is an interesting idea, but how does it stack up to the 80-200mm AF-D in terms on IQ.


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## SquarePeg (May 6, 2013)

Just got an email from B&H and they have dropped the price on a new D7000 w/ 18-105 VR to $996 (Mother's Day sale through 6/1).  That is about $200 cheaper than 2 weeks ago when I was considering a D7000.  The price for the body only has not changed.  OP it doesn't appear that you need the lens so probably not a great deal for you but for others who may be considering the D7000 w/ 18-105 and reading this thread...


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## fjrabon (May 6, 2013)

the push pull 80-200 is a disaster to try to focus with the D7000 for anything that's moving (ie most things you're using a 80-200 f/2.8 for).  The torque on the D7000's focus motor just isn't enough to to keep up with that lens.


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## gryffinwings (May 6, 2013)

The latest 80-200mm afd model is what I'm looking at. Sports isn't my intention, my intent is subject isolation with the f2.8 aperture. 

I don't get why you guys say it's slow on the D7000. I was watching this same combo on YouTube and it seems plenty fast. The push and pull version is very slow to me though.

I'm aware of the new prices, but don't need the lens, so why buy new when I can get a refurb body for $744 at adorama.


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## Mach0 (May 6, 2013)

gryffinwings said:


> The latest 80-200mm afd model is what I'm looking at. Sports isn't my intention, my intent is subject isolation with the f2.8 aperture.
> 
> I don't get why you guys say it's slow on the D7000. I was watching this same combo on YouTube and it seems plenty fast. The push and pull version is very slow to me though.
> 
> I'm aware of the new prices, but don't need the lens, so why buy new when I can get a refurb body for $744 at adorama.



The focus motor isn't as fast on the d7000 as some of the higher end bodies. I don't have the 80-200 but I can say the 35-70 is slower on my d90 but on the d700 is much faster and has a snappy torque feeling.


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## fjrabon (May 6, 2013)

gryffinwings said:


> The latest 80-200mm afd model is what I'm looking at. Sports isn't my intention, my intent is subject isolation with the f2.8 aperture.
> 
> I don't get why you guys say it's slow on the D7000. I was watching this same combo on YouTube and it seems plenty fast. The push and pull version is very slow to me though.
> 
> I'm aware of the new prices, but don't need the lens, so why buy new when I can get a refurb body for $744 at adorama.



The 2-ring 80-200 should be fine for you.  The only time I have a problem with the 2-ring on my D7000 is when I wan to quickly make large focusing changes.  It typically works plenty fast enough to follow focus on high school athletes.  But if I want to change from the QB to the WR, it can struggle at times with the D7000.  But it doesn't seem like focusing speed is a critical issue for you.  If it's not, and VR isn't an issue either, I actually prefer the 80-200 to the 70-200.  The focus breathing on the 70-200 has driven me nuts the few times I've used them (though perhaps that would go away as I got used to it).


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## Mach0 (May 6, 2013)

fjrabon said:


> The 2-ring 80-200 should be fine for you.  The only time I have a problem with the 2-ring on my D7000 is when I wan to quickly make large focusing changes.  It typically works plenty fast enough to follow focus on high school athletes.  But if I want to change from the QB to the WR, it can struggle at times with the D7000.  But it doesn't seem like focusing speed is a critical issue for you.  If it's not, and VR isn't an issue either, I actually prefer the 80-200 to the 70-200.  The focus breathing on the 70-200 has driven me nuts the few times I've used them (though perhaps that would go away as I got used to it).



I've never used the 80-200 but the 70-200 paired with the multicam fx3500 AF 3d tracking works awesome. Just saying.


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## fjrabon (May 6, 2013)

Mach0 said:


> fjrabon said:
> 
> 
> > The 2-ring 80-200 should be fine for you.  The only time I have a problem with the 2-ring on my D7000 is when I wan to quickly make large focusing changes.  It typically works plenty fast enough to follow focus on high school athletes.  But if I want to change from the QB to the WR, it can struggle at times with the D7000.  But it doesn't seem like focusing speed is a critical issue for you.  If it's not, and VR isn't an issue either, I actually prefer the 80-200 to the 70-200.  The focus breathing on the 70-200 has driven me nuts the few times I've used them (though perhaps that would go away as I got used to it).
> ...



If the 70-200 was built like the 80-200, didn't have the focus breathing issues and wasn't so much more expensive, I'd have already switched.  

As is, I constantly change my mind about 'upgrading' to the 70-200.  Much faster focus and VR (which I don't use very much in a 70-200 f/2.8 personally) v. build I like better (don't want to get into a 'is the build quality better debate), no focus breathing.  My policy is to never make an upgrade unless I'm convinced it's worth it for 2 months (this is a luxury I have, since I do most of my paid shooting on company gear, and don't 'need' the most up to date personal gear).  I've never made it two months without changing my mind on the 70-200 being worth the upgrade cost for me.


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## Derrel (May 6, 2013)

I went from an 80-200/2.8 one-ring zoom, the "early" model, to the 70-200 VR, the first-generation model, on the Nikon D1 and D1h pair along with a Fuji S2 Pro. The difference in the speed and reliability of the AF-S lens versus the screwdriver focusing lens, on those older camera bodies, was like night and day. The AF-s protocol is very different from screw-drive AF; AF-S can take an initial focusing reading, and using all that amazing data, color-aware and distance aware metering information, can drive the lens to the exact focus point in one,discrete operation; screw-drive does not work the same way...there is often some see-sawing, as well as occasional utter lock-to-lock screw-ups...

The pro Nikons like D1-D2-D3, seem to indeed have more "oomph!" in terms of handling screw-drive lenses; the old 80-200 one-ring is a massive lens that moves a LOT of glass and metal to focus...the new AF-S 70-200 models, and the old 80200 AF-S are all internal focusing, maintain their length, and do not rack-in and rack-out a big, herkin' metal barrel + elements when focusing; instead, they move very small,lightweight internal element groups, using high-quality,almost silent ultrasonic motors.

All-in-all, AF-S focusing tele-zooms are simply better performers. And this seems doubly so on the "consumer" type cameras that have the 7-volt and not the 11-volt electrical systems. At least this is my experience; there is a lot of variability in the word "focusing"--it can mean one thing to one guy, and another to another type of shooter.


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