70-300VR Nikkor

There have been a number of posts lately about this lens
on the Nikon forums.
Seems for the most part many shooters really enjoy the
versatility that comes with it.

In spring of 2006 I purchased one from B&H as I needed more reach
then the Tamron 18-200 was giving me on a D50. Gave the 18-200
to my son in law and took off with the 70-300VR have a blast shooting
eagles in the Pacific North West.

Soon I was back in Thailand shooting wild mountain monkeys under a
triple canopy jungle just down the road from our place.

Now shooting in those conditions creates a few challenges being that
the light is quite often filtered at best. Or at other times the light is
blindingly bright.
Once I figured out how to balance this problem and still get a reasonable
photo out of the deal this lens gets used more and more.

While back in the states last October I picked up a mint used D300 so
know the 70-300 is used on both cameras shooting wild monkeys.

One will have the 17-55 2.8 Nikkor while the other wears the 70-300VR
and back and forth it goes as I shoot monkeys.

My shooting partner uses a D80 with a Sigma 70-300 and there is no
comparison in the quality difference between the two lenses.

My flickr web is full of examples using this lens on both the D50 and D300.

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents with photos taken in real life conditions.









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Jon in Thailand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/af2899/
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A little on the red/warm side though.
I also use Nikon glass only (70-300VR and 16-85VR).

I've owned Nikon, Canons, Hasselblad, Bronica etc and always that manufacturer's lenses and accessories (off topic I know but maybe useful to some).

I don't have the desire or need for the heavy and $$$$ 2.8 lenses but if I ever return to shooting weddings would likely get them.

Steve

Nice pictures!!! And the lens is not a fast one!

As a contribution regarding the 70-300VR, some pictures taken almost 3 years ago at Yellowstone river.

I too enjoy the lens, although not always the result is crisp.









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Francisco Romero

and here's my shots takes with same lens.

I have always found your pictures to be fascinating, and visit your galleries often. I'm guessing that you do not want to be too close to the monkeys very often. Many of them look angry and intimidating. A little off topic, but I'm curious - do monkeys have a sense of "family"?

Now that you've been carrying the D300 for a while, do you find the weight and size to be OK? I use a D50 and occasionally a D90 - I've always considered the higher end bodies too large for my taste.

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pschatz100
It's not how many pixels you have... but how you use them.

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Thank you for the kind words, very humbling.

Started shooting these monkeys with a D50, 17-55 2.8 Nikkor.
Had to get up close and personal most of the time which did
have it's moments !!

I was always concerned about the dark areas under the triple
canopy jungle but one day I just put the 70-300VR on and
came home with some keepers.

Last November I took the D300 out with the 17-55 on plus
the D50 with the 70-300. Carried it all in a Think Tank Belt.

Lately I have been just using the D300 with the 70-300VR on
and it too seems to be creating some keepers as you have seen.

The weight is an issue but with one camera one lens it's no problem.
When there is 2 cameras, lens plus batteries est Think Tank belt is used.

The monkeys use sight, sound, smell and touch as a means for survival.
There is three things I see the monkeys do the whole time I'm there.
They eat and breed, when they aren't doing that they are fighting.
This is a tribe or a gang but most of all they are Wild Animals !!

They do attack un provoked and their bites are quite often very severe !
One of my nieces lost her arm due to a monkey bite and thousands are
bitten here every year.

As for family I believe they have their mothers scent and sound embedded.

The photo included was done rather quickly with not a lot of time for focus.

Hope I didn't get to side tracked and answered all your questions.....;-)
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Jon in Thailand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/af2899/
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If you are really interested in monkey family structures, there is much research available. For starters:

http://www.google.com/search?q=primate+social+groups&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1

http://www.google.com/search?q=Monkey+family+behavior&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1

This is my favorite. Was truly amazed when I read about it:

http://www.google.com/search?q=Monkeys+trade+meat+for+sex&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1

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Why Not Help Someone to Feel A Little Better Every Day?

Thanks. Not only do I like your pictures, I also appreciate the comments you post along with them. They help me understand the pictures and make them far more interesting.

If you ever decide to publish a book, let us know.
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pschatz100
It's not how many pixels you have... but how you use them.

Fascinating stuff. Reading about what's going on when the pics were taken always broadens ones perspective of what one is seeing. Great pics.Excelent lens.
Probably will be my next purchase. Thank you for sharing.

nice pictures.

Did I read it right? Aperture is F/95?

AndyHWC said:

nice pictures.

Did I read it right? Aperture is F/95?

Click to expand...

HAHAHA i saw that too. i was like dang man that is some shallow DOF for f/95.0! i'm guessing it was just a muckup in the EXIF.

someome stated that they are heavy on the orange/red and i want to say that i enjoyed that. with the influx of so many SLRs on the market, along with the ability for anyone and everyone to share ever mediocre picture they take, i feel that it is important to define a "style". not necessarily for ALL of your photos, but what i'm saying is that the red/orange style in these photos make them unique. they stand out stylistically from all the other pictures of monkeys i've seen on the internet.

now i don't know whether or not it was done on purpose, but i like it. remember not every photo has to be 100% accurate color balanced. i was just talking about this in another thread... there's the "mathematic" part and the "artistic" part to the photo. mathematically these photos are too orange/red. artistically i think they are amazing.

Nice work,

I have the same lens (july 2008) but recently I broke my VR i think.

When I startup my D50, the view in the finder moves up and down three times and I dont hear the VR noises and lagging view anymore when following a subject. Of course I checked all my settings and they are fine. I can still take picture, but no VR apparently.
Does anyone have experience in having VR repaired (cost wise)?

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'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.', Eleanor Roosevelt
http://www.vidja-photography.net

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LOL, Thanks for your words, it is artistic for sure with all the yellow
bananas behind the little monkey.
The most recent up load shows the grays in the mothers fur and
the black in the baby's fur, plus a spot of yellow from the jack fruit.
The f95 is puzzling and as you said it could be a EXIF communication
between the lens and camera, just a guess there??

Thanks again for your comments and I hope you can take a moment
to visit my flickr web and view the most recent photos....;-)
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Jon in Thailand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/af2899/
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Just went back into my flickr web to check on the red and
yellow colors in this photo.

It is not like this photo at all, red and yellow tint is not there.
Not even close.

So my guess is it's a dpreview thing, IMHO...........;-)
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Jon in Thailand

http://www.flickr.com/photos/af2899/
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