Lens for a break!!!

Hi Everyone,

I need a little bit of help here! I’m going away for a two week holiday later this year and don’t won’t to lug all my big glass on the plane! (Even the 200-400mm f/4 is too big for this trip!) Therefore I’m thinking of taking my D300 plus a small 12-24mm f/4 WA and a zoom! I will have plenty of good opportunities to photograph birds so would like a decent reach so I don’t have to have huge crops when I edit!

I am looking at the following lenses below (I have 77mm Polarising Filters and would prefer not to buy another size);

• Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D AF VR Lens (77mm)

• Sigma 170-500mm f/5.6-6.3 APO DG Lens (86mm)
• Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Lens (Not Yet Available) (86mm)
• Sigma 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG APO Lens (77mm)
• Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM Lens (Not Yet Available) (77mm)
• Sigma 80-400mm f/4-5.6 EX APO DG OS Lens (77mm)

• Tamron 200-500mm f/5-6.3 SP AF DI Lens (86mm)

• Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X Lens (72mm)

What would you choose? Any help is really appreciated!

Many, many thanks,

How about a nikkor 300mm AFS F/4 and 1.7xTC? Fantastically sharp lens, very versatile (great for macro), and still sharp with the 1.7TC. Otherwise I'd get the 80-400mm VR.

Tim

Where are you going where a 200-400 is too big, I travel alot with a 500F4 and have no problems and they are about the same size

Dave

It's not the destination it's the family!

Baggage restrictions is the family not the airport, security or airline!

Given the choice of the wife's holiday shoe allowance and my camera allowance I settled on the Oly system for a very good reason

This is my ultra light travel kit


now covers 16mm to 540mm equivelence in old money with a 8mm fisheye lens

Mike

I think I would go for the
Sigma 135-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG APO Lens (77mm)

Especially you don't want to buy another pol. filter.

Good luck and enjoy you holiday.

I'd go for one of the Sigma OS lenses. The 120-400mm has the correct filter size you require, but the 150-500mm will give the extra bit of reach for birdies.(Canon mount will be available in the UK this week, Nikon fit in about three weeks.)

I've tried them and they seem very good for the money, despite not being designated as EX lenses. The body design is similar to the 50-500mm EX.

HIH

Ian

Thanks everyone!

I have decided to settle on a lens that I haven’t listed here!

You see over the past few months I have actually been deliberating whether nor not to purchase a 300mm f/4 for my mid-range work. Until Tim mentioned it, it just didn’t occur to me that this lens coupled with a 1.7x TC would be a killer at 510mm focal length. It will also serve very nicely as a Macro lens too! So it’ll be just prefect for what I had in mind (Shame it doesn’t have VR though!).

Thanks once again for all your input! It’s always appreciated!