Nikon VR 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 ED telephoto zoom lens

I have been using this lens on my Nikon D70 since I got it 2 months ago, in fact, it's the only lens I've used since I got it. I researched long zooms for months before deciding on this lens. I looked at the Sigma 50-500mm, the Nikon VR 70-200mm AF-S with TC's, a beautiful lens by the way, but in the end I asked myself; "What do I want this lens for?" I do nature photography almost exclusively; wildlife, plants, wilderness scenes, etc. I believe this lens is meant to be handheld, so the first thing I did when I got home with it was remove the tripod mount, and I now had about 2.5 lbs of lens, not heavy by any standard. I think it's more productive to talk in terms of what we have here, on any Nikon DSLR this is a 120-600mm lens, at 2.5 lbs, handholdable down to 1/6 sec in some cases for me. Galen Rowell, Moose Peterson, Jim Macgee, Gary Stanly, Ken Rockwell and Thom Hogan, to name a few pros, all used this lens for the same type of photography I do, walkabout and drive by. Using the focus limiter function gives about the same focusing speed as the Nikon 70-300ED. I shoot mainly wide open in aperture priority, and the bokeh of this lens with the 9 bladed diaphragm is nothing short of exceptional. I have shots of animals and birds against a background of the same color, and they really pop because of the DOF. I have a 2" diameter 1 foot long piece of styrofoam pipe insullation, cut along one side, that I slide over the top of the partially lowered truck window, and rest the lens on this for birds and other wildlife, and it works like a charm. I use VR in mode 1 exclusively, even though it's slightly tougher on the battery, because I've gotten to the point where I know when to release the shutter from the image in the viewfinder; it actually stabilizes in the viewfinder. I've seen complaints about the zoom ring being a bit stiff; I can't fault it, it's just stiff enough to prevent creep when pointing up or down. 2 other common complaints I've seen are small max aperture and relatively slow focus. Folks, you get what you pay for. Put AF-S and a max aperture in this lens of f2.8, and you'd have an outstanding piece of glass, at a price way outside the budgets of most of us. VR works, almost to the point of making you feel like you're cheating, and the auto sensing of panning is extremely useful. If done using proper panning techniques, the subject is popping sharp, and the blurred background is so perfect as to look almost unreal, or produced in Photoshop. I recently got the Nikon SB600 flash, which adds a bit more weight to the setup, but it sure adds nice catchlights in the eyes. The whole setup is nicely balanced, and is comfortable for walkabout. We have an international migratory bird sanctuary here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and I have no trouble wandering around the trails for 3-4 hours at a time, and I'm not a spring chicken. Another point is almost no ghosting or flare, even with the sun in the image, and some recommend putting the hood in the closet. I always have the hood on the lens, as much for protection of the outer element as for flare. I only use a filter if I have a specific need.

I have a friend in Virginia who posts his images on the same gallery as I do. His wife has a D70 and he has a D2X. When I started posting shots taken with the 80-400mm, his wife wanted the lens. He got it for her, but I noticed that he was using it all the time, so one day I asked her if he was going to keep it, joking, of course. She said he found it so convenient and easy to use, he went out and got one for himself, and his bird photos are the most popular on the gallery.

I hope this helps any of you who are having trouble making up your mind as I was. I've tried to be practical here and tell you how versatile and easy to use this lens is.