Wildlife Photography across the Water: Review-Nikon 200-400 F4 VR 10 months on

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Review-Nikon 200-400 F4 VR 10 months on

Last night there were some dragonflies in my garden so i grabbed the 200-400 and some extension tubes and even though the light was low decided to give it a go and grab some shots, I have been stuck behind a PC for days so a quick fix is better then nothing, After i had had my fix and went through the images i realised just how versatile the 200-400 is, I have heard it mentioned by some that its probably the best lens in the world and i think that maybe true, I have used it for macro/close up type work in conjunction with extension tubes to handholding in the mountains and for birds in flight,pet and landscape photography-a jack of all trades and a master of them to, The 200-400 compliments both my D3 and D300, The images are sharp and have good depth in the colours, and it works well with the 1.4x and 1.7x extenders as long as you take into account the AF speed slows with the 1.7x the IQ is still good, Its no light weight sitting roughly between a 300F2.8 and a 500F4-Solid in the hand the build quality shines through, People moan that Nikon lenses are more expensive than the Canon equivalent (the 200-400 doesn't have one) but having used both systems i would say that the Nikon lens do feel very solid and that they also have a 5 year warranty which other manufactures don't offer, If i was to have just one lens then this would be the one

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.