Nikon 400/2.8 II non VR?

Hi all,

Tried to search for views, opinions and images of birds taken with lens... here's the story...

For landscapes I have made the switch to Nikon, with a D700 24-70/2.8 and a 70-300/4.5-5.6 VR

My wife is still using Canon gear for wildlife and will use my old 500/4 IS. I am looking to get a long prime again. I have a chance of a near perfect 400/2.8 Mark II which looks really attractive, with a 1.7 tele thrown in free. If I were to buy a 500/4 VR new the difference in price would be about US$2K.

The 400/2.8 is very attractive, lighter, smaller and possibly even faster... and cheaper.. Non VR, not a massive drama, shooting in Tibet the light is killer most of the time.

I would love to know who is using this lens and a look at some of the images...

Oh: I am waiting for the D400 upgrade before buying a DX body, but that will be it's companion... or of course the D700.

Thanks all...

The 440/2.8 is lighter than wahat? Cerainly to any 500 f/4. 400/2.8's usually weigh very close to what a 600 f/4 weighs as the front elements are identical on those two where the 500/4 front element is smaller. I know of no 400/2.8 that is lighter tahn any 500/4. Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you are saying.

That said I used to have a Nikkor 400 f/2.8 non VR and it was one of the finest lenses I have ever owned.

On the Canon side, if memory serves, my older 400 f/2.8 is 12.8lbs, a pound heavier heavier than the newer IS version and more than four pounds heavier than my 500 f/4 IS at 8.5 lbs. For wildlife, the 400 is great with both converters, just heavy, so I prefer the 500 which I can handhold for birds in flight as well.

According to Nikon spec, the 400/2.8 II weights 4.4Kg and a Canon 500/4 weighs 5.35kg... Anyway, its immaterial now, as the sale fell through, so I have bought the 300/2.8 and will use with TC's... I don't need the length so much at altitude in Tibet or Nepal. Thanks for the replies though.

The Canon 500/4 IS weighs 3.88kg. It's the Canon 600/4 IS that weighs 5.35kg

I stand totally corrected... It's been a long weekend of checking lenses!! Anyway, the 300/2.8 VR is on the way.