Old, cheap and sharp: 70-210 f/4-5.6D

Hi,

This is my first zoom telephoto and I am very happy with the results.

I´d like to share some samples from my last vacation trip:

























I hope you enjoy.

Those are nice images, and it does look like a very sharp lens. Pretty girl(friend?), too!

I'm interested in how the long end performs. Do you have any samples at around 210mm, preferably wide open?

Julie

Looks reasonably sharp.... but I'm no so sure about the exposure. Lot of clipping.

windsprite said:

Those are nice images, and it does look like a very sharp lens. Pretty girl(friend?), too!

I'm interested in how the long end performs. Do you have any samples at around 210mm, preferably wide open?

Julie

Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback.
It was hard to find some samples because I usually stop down the lens.













It's not that sharp, but it's ok for a print.

SJShooter said:

Looks reasonably sharp.... but I'm no so sure about the exposure. Lot of clipping.

Click to expand...

I usually try to well expose the subject. In some photos the subject is backlit and gets hard not to overexposure the background.

Thank you for the feedback.

Nice, sharp and good colours. That's what I was looking at just yesterday, what lenses can be used with what models.

Here is a link to a chart I saw yesterday.

nikonians.org/nikon/slr-lens.html

--

.....Just from an amateur......'Sometimes it's to your advantage for people to think you're crazy.”

I orignally purchased this lens in the early 90s for use with my manual focus Nikon FE2/FM2 bodies. At the time I didn't have an autofocus Nikon camera. For the last three years I've used it to shoot youth soccer, and I've never had a parent complain about the quality. The only time there was an issue was indoors or in low light.

I've also had good success with the similar vintage 35-135.

Paul Wossidlo
http://www.PaulRichardWossidlo.com

Hi Phamatsuo,

This is a nice little lens. It has good sharpness, lite and performs O-K.

It is (if memory serves) a push pull so it draws in air. :-(
It has no AF-s so it is somewhat slow to focus :-(
(Some AF-s lenses can focus as fast as their screw drive counterparts.)
It has no VR :-(
It is dated :-(

It was popularized years ago by Kenny Rockywell when he came up with a typical rant that this was the best low cost zoom on the planet. But today, the new Nikkor's offer better performance at a very reasonable cost. A kit Nikkor zoom with AF-s and VR is a far better choice as a walk around do everything zoom.

For normal walk around use on DX the 55-200vr and the 55-300vr produce great results. (As does the 70-300vr) The 70-300m is a very good FX lens but more expensive.

One thing about all of the older lenses of that generation was, they had excellent build quality with real metal mounts. (As does the 70-300vr)

So, my feelings are pass this puppy up unless you can find one for under $200USD. I had three copies through the years and I was never really thrilled with it. I think CA's were an issue that may be resolved in today's more modern bodies. However, AF-s and VR are important features on this kind of lens, features you will appreciate.
--
Regards,

Jeff Morris / Homecinemaman

Adams, Gutmann, Steichen, Snoopy, Stigletz, Weston. they lead by example.

I hunt, I peck, I squint, all on a Dell M1330 13" laptop. So don't laugh, I'm happy there aren't more typo's!

I've been interested in using this lens for shooting fast action when I don't feel like packing my 70-200 VR or 300/4. Like you say, your samples look okay at the long end, but it's maybe not the best lens to use wide open. I will probably stick to my 28-200G or 180/2.8 when I want to go lightweight.

Thanks for taking the time to post the images. Very helpful!!

Julie

phmatsuo said:

windsprite said:

Those are nice images, and it does look like a very sharp lens. Pretty girl(friend?), too!

I'm interested in how the long end performs. Do you have any samples at around 210mm, preferably wide open?

Julie

Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback.
It was hard to find some samples because I usually stop down the lens.













It's not that sharp, but it's ok for a print.

Click to expand...