70-200mm ... any users out there?

Camera Gear, How-To, Questions
User avatar
mdvaden
Posts: 525
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Contact:

70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by mdvaden » February 28th, 2015, 6:44 pm

Anyone using 70-200mm?

Likely that I will buy one in the next couple months. Just curious who else might be using one and how much mileage you get from the lens.

...

User avatar
oldandslow
Posts: 175
Joined: August 22nd, 2012, 12:47 pm

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by oldandslow » February 28th, 2015, 9:52 pm

My son has a Canon 70-200 f4L and he uses it a lot. I just bought a Tamron 70-300 with what
Tamron calls vibration control. It is amazing in its sharpness and color separation. For an old guy who is none too steady, the vibration control is special. I keep thinking that I must have gotten an extra good copy. Once the newness wears off, I don't know how much I will use it. I took a little hike last week and only used it once out of about 50 shots. I was happy to have it for that one picture.

User avatar
kaltbluter
Posts: 397
Joined: June 2nd, 2014, 10:36 am

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by kaltbluter » March 1st, 2015, 8:21 pm

I also have a Tamron 70-300. I use it mostly for birds and bugs. For a less than $100 lens I think it does pretty well.

ImageIMG_2031

ImageIMG_2047

ImageIMG_2054

ImageIMG_2058-blossoms

ImageIMG_2059

ImageIMG_2070

ImageIMG_9458

Imagedragon fly smile close

Imagefly on corn

ImageIMG_0959

User avatar
sprengers4jc
Posts: 1036
Joined: October 22nd, 2013, 11:35 am
Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by sprengers4jc » March 2nd, 2015, 7:40 am

I, too, use a Tamron 70-300 with a Pentax mount. I picked it up for $90 used at B&H. Great lens!

PS: love that dragonfly smile, Karl! :P
'We travel not to escape life but for life to not escape us.'
-Unknown

hikin_mike1960
Posts: 92
Joined: April 2nd, 2009, 9:57 am
Location: Sherwood, OR
Contact:

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by hikin_mike1960 » March 2nd, 2015, 8:14 am

Tamron has a 28 to 300mm lens that costs about $625 and it is a great lens. It is my number one lens for hiking if I bring my big camera, Canon 5D mark 3. It does a great job.
Take a walk with Mother Nature and find peace.
http://www.takeawalkwithmothernature.com

User avatar
jdemott
Posts: 651
Joined: July 23rd, 2010, 1:43 pm
Contact:

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by jdemott » March 2nd, 2015, 9:09 am

I have a Nikon 80-200 f/2.8. Back when I was shooting film, I used it all the time as my main lens for any kind of telephoto shots. Great lens, fine optics, built like a tank, and weighs as much as several bricks ( I was younger and didn't notice the weight so much). When I switched to a DSLR with an APS sensor the lens became effectively 120 to 300mm, more focal length than I needed for most situations...and it seemed to be getting heavier...some times I carried it and sometimes not. Now I am even more sensitive to weight--still getting older, plus I think I'm doing more hiking and less photography--so I generally use a mirrorless camera and leave the DSLR and all the heavy lenses at home. I'm thinking about selling all my Nikon gear since it doesn't get used much.

User avatar
sprengers4jc
Posts: 1036
Joined: October 22nd, 2013, 11:35 am
Location: Vancouver, WA

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by sprengers4jc » March 2nd, 2015, 11:42 am

jdemott wrote:I have a Nikon 80-200 f/2.8. Back when I was shooting film, I used it all the time as my main lens for any kind of telephoto shots. Great lens, fine optics, built like a tank, and weighs as much as several bricks ( I was younger and didn't notice the weight so much). When I switched to a DSLR with an APS sensor the lens became effectively 120 to 300mm, more focal length than I needed for most situations...and it seemed to be getting heavier...some times I carried it and sometimes not. Now I am even more sensitive to weight--still getting older, plus I think I'm doing more hiking and less photography--so I generally use a mirrorless camera and leave the DSLR and all the heavy lenses at home. I'm thinking about selling all my Nikon gear since it doesn't get used much.
John, what are you using for a mirrorless? One of the Sony Alphas?
'We travel not to escape life but for life to not escape us.'
-Unknown

User avatar
mjuliana
Posts: 397
Joined: July 23rd, 2012, 2:32 pm

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by mjuliana » March 2nd, 2015, 4:51 pm

Nikon or Canon? I have the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII and it gets used a lot but not for hiking/backpacking. Just too heavy and I've gone to a Sony A6000 for hiking. I still use my Nikon DSLR for ski racing and portraits. For ski racing, I use it for slalom events and younger kids. For senior portraits, it's on my camera 90% of the time when I'm not in the studio. Some samples:

Image

Image

Image

The question is what do you want to do with it? For me it would be too short for wildlife and too heavy to carry hiking as a secondary lens. For portraits and sports, it's a killer lens though.
Thanks,
Mike J

User avatar
jdemott
Posts: 651
Joined: July 23rd, 2010, 1:43 pm
Contact:

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by jdemott » March 2nd, 2015, 5:25 pm

John, what are you using for a mirrorless? One of the Sony Alphas?
Actually, I'm using a non-interchangeable lens camera--Canon G1X Mark II. It has a sensor a bit larger than the Micro 4/3rd cameras (closer to APS-C), and I have added the electronic viewfinder. Zoom range is 24-120, which is fine for almost everything I want when hiking, and I don't worry about changing lenses.

There are a lot of great choices out there now for mirrorless cameras that have sensors which give near-DSLR quality.

User avatar
kaltbluter
Posts: 397
Joined: June 2nd, 2014, 10:36 am

Re: 70-200mm ... any users out there?

Post by kaltbluter » March 5th, 2015, 6:24 am

Some more examples of the Tamron 70-300 VC on an APS-C Canon.

Post Reply