Nikon Chat: Nikon Digital Cameras and Equipment

By admin 　http://www.nikonchat.com/af-nikkor-telephoto-lens/

which telephoto lens should i get?

Its either the
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-300mm
or the
Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC

You need a “fast” (translation: low f-number) lens to shoot sports, because you will be using very fast shutter speeds to capture (and stop) the action. Unfortunately, the fastest lenses are very expensive and bulky/heavy to lug around. Many professional sports photographers uses lenses which alone cost more than my entire photography outfit!

For wildlife, you will need a long focal length lens which gets you close to the animals without spooking them. Perhaps something in the 500 to 1000 mm focal length range. (I’m assuming you’re using a film camera here. The focal lengths would be somewhat shorter for a digital camera.) In this case, a fast shutter speed and fast lens is not as important as in sports photography–unless you will be shooting gazelles as they run, that is! The main consideration for nature photography is excellent image quality and good color saturation. For this, “slower” film and shutter speeds are the order of the day. To eliminate camera shake, you probably will want to mount your camera on a tripod.

As a personal note, I used a Canon A-1 camera with a Tamron 50-200 f/5.6 zoom lens for all my general purpose photography for many years, with a great deal of satisfaction.

Nikon 300mm f/2.8G AF-S ED VR II Nikkor Super Telephoto Prime Lens