Need lens advice: Nikon AF-D 80-200 f2.8 D

stefanhuberfilms

stefanhuberfilms

Veteran
Hi folks!

I recently pulled the trigger on a Sony FS700 and since i already owned a few nikon primes i'm currently looking for a nice zoom lens. I thought it would be good to go with manual nikons. I already read about the 80-200 AF-D lens, which should have a long focus throw and no change in length while zooming, so this would be a big plus for me

If anybody is using this lens for video, would you be so kind to post something you shot with it? That'd be great!

Any recommendations or hints are greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Stefan
 
Im looking into this lens as well to pair with my d600. Are you looking for the push pull or the 2 ring style?
 
They're both beastly big lenses... the older push-pulls with no tripod mount will take some creativity with your rail system. Tons of mojo and a real go-to lens for me for fashion stills and people... not my fave for video though, by a long shot. Especially on APS-C. I have shot some cool footage of the moon with one, but I've never had a shoot where I even considered it for a minute. I grab a 100 2.8 when I need to go long. It's compact and lovely.
 
thanks michael, i tested it yesterday. It's a big lens, i wouldn't suggest to use it without a lens support. The build quality is great, its massive and can take a beat (worst case), i really like that nothing is moving in or out while focusing and zooming, thats a big plus when using a mattebox or follow focus. As for the image quality so far: i really like it, the focus throw is not as long as on a manual nikon prime for example, but it's ok. I will do some further testing over the weekend. Which things should i test in your opinion? I thought: Sharpness @ different apertures, different focal lenghts and focal distances, Rack Focus, Focus consistency while zooming, Bokeh, Breathing, Lens Flare. Anything else?

Lens in comparison to my FS700:
2013-03-28 20.10.09.jpg
 
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how much resistance does the focus ring offer? is it heavy like the old AI lenses? Or lighter like the 50mm 1.4 af-d
 
i'ts a bit more than the af-d series, but not as smooth as the AI series. maybe some sealing tape could improve that... hmmm, disassembling - anyone?
 
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i know my 50mm 1.8 d is pretty smooth. Compared to my old canon glass its a treat to have that when manually focusing in video mode. The canon glass is a nightmare. The manual focus on the g series lenses seems to be about comparable to canon l glass (super light and no hard stops).
 
The one thing i have been looking for is breathing and holding focus during a zoom (there is a name for that but i can't recall off the top of my head). Sharpness at 2.8 through the zoom range as well would be great.
 
My super old Nikon 135 f2.8 and my Pentax 50 f1.4 have the smoothest focus of all my lenses, way smoother than the Nikon 50mm 1.8 D, which i used to shoot with for a while. I don't like the breathing of the 50mm, which is way to much IMO. The Pentax 50mm has very less to no breathing, you can get those Pentax lenses pretty cheap btw...

I think the Af-D 80-200 is pretty sharp wide open, and holds the sharpness throughout the whole zoom range. Unfortunately i didn't have time to test it enough.
 
Had some time to test it today.

Copied from Vimeo:
Sorry for the shaky footage, i just had a crappy lens support, the lens definitely needs to be hold firmly on rods! I didn't use a follow focus, everything done by hand. Feel free to download the video!
Camera: Sony FS700

My thoughts:

+ sharp lens wide open
+ sharp at any focal length
+ smooth zoom ring
+ focus stays the same when zooming out and in again
+ built like a tank

- not parfocal, focus moves a little towards infinite while zooming out, usable at apertures smaller than f5.6
- focus throw could be a little longer - no big deal though, no problem with a good follow focus
- breathing, but acceptable


regards
 
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thanks for the very thorough test. It seems like a really solid lens. The breathing isn't that bad. I mean obviously there is a little breathing but its nothing compared to the 50mm1.8D you're right. I was shooting with that lens this morning and it really shocked me how much it breaths
 
Yes i like it a lot. I already ordered one :-) oh i forgot to write about the breathing, there is some, but its only visible to me when racking the whole focal distance. (Or almost the whole distance like in the video)

I'd be interrested in the breathing of the AIS 50mm f1.4...
 
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