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Except Thom doesn't make sense this time. The Japanese have been devaluing their currency intentionally meaning the US Dollar is stronger in relationship to where it has been, that should lower prices in the US. We can't have it both ways. A year or two ago we were talking about the reason prices are up is due to the lower value of the dollar compared to the yen and now he is saying that the higher prices are due to the higher value of the dollar compared to the yen (yen devaluation)? Sorry, he is off the mark here.

E.J. Peiker wrote:Sorry, he is off the mark here.

Sorry he's off the YEN here!

I had been waiting for this lens for a long time and almost figured it would never happen. Now I have to really try one before I plunk down that much $$ or read some good reviews. I still think it could be a real winner for Nikon!!

I don't understand the Coolpix A. They should have put their 1" sensor from the Nikon 1 series, attached a fast f/1.4 35mm equivalent lens, added VR and priced it at $800.  That would make for a great carry-anywhere compact. And how does Nikon come up with their naming convention?
 
Cheers,
 
Jim

E.J. Peiker wrote:Except Thom doesn't make sense this time. The Japanese have been devaluing their currency intentionally meaning the US Dollar is stronger in relationship to where it has been, that should lower prices in the US.  We can't have it both ways.  A year or two ago we were talking about the reason prices are up is due to the lower value of the dollar compared to the yen and now he is saying that the higher prices are due to the higher value of the dollar compared to the yen (yen devaluation)?  Sorry, he is off the mark here.

With due respect E.J. my thinking is the ever increasing prices in the latest camera gear from all manufacturers has less to do with exchange rates but rather are the result of rampant inflation due to misguided central bank actions the world over. The price increases we're seeing will be the norm for a very long time to come.

As for the lens, based on the MTF charts this version is definitely an improvement over the existing, but it's not pro league, that's for sure. Still, the MFD and MTF @400 might make it a good butterfly and dragonfly lens. Going to make me think a little harder about a new 200-400VRII.

What rampant inflation?  Certainly not in the US or Japan.  At least not yet although certainly the risk is there given the central banks policies for the last few years...
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/japan/inflation-cpi
http://inflationdata.com/inflation/imag ... _chart.htm

One issue I have with f/5.6 zooms is that generally lenses like this need to be stopped down a stop or more for optimal sharpness. On a high density pixel body like a D800 or D7100 (and even a D5200), you are already recording diffraction stopped down just one stop to f/8 and by f/11 it is very noticeable in fine detail.

My thought on stopping down and pro class is that good lenses are designed for instance as a F4 and are put out as 5.6, allowing wide open shooting. These lenses tend to be heavier than one would expect.

Mike Ogle wrote:My thought on stopping down and pro class is that good lenses are designed for instance as a F4 and are put out as 5.6, allowing wide open shooting.  These lenses tend to be heavier than one would expect.

No, that can't be possible at all - the math simply doesn't allow that!  If they were, the front elements in every case would be 1.414 times larger than required for the spec aperture.  For example, a 500mm f/4 lens has a front element of 125mm or 500/4.  If it were designed as an f/2.8 lens, the front element would be 500/2.8 or 177mm.  lenses are designed for the aperture they are marketed at.

The largest aperture is the focal length divided by the diameter of the entrance pupil.

All pro lenses are sharper stopped down and it is especially true for zooms.

So much for my theory,I stand corrected. I even measured my big lens, the 500 was 130 and 154 for my 600. My sony 70/400 seems to be sharp at 5.6 @ 400mm and the 500 f4 doesn't seem to get better with stopping down, so are these lenses an anomaly?

If you tested them on a resolution chart, you would see that they are better a stop down, especially in the corners.  Most of the really good lenses are very good in the center wide open and you might not notice any drop in resolution in photographs but get them out to the corners of a full 35mm frame and they aren't that good until you stop them down a bit.

Can't wait for E.J. to get his hands on one of these.Would love to hear his opinon on how it performs.

sschupbach wrote:Can't wait for E.J. to get his hands on one of these.Would love to hear his opinon on how it performs.

Since I actually buy all of the stuff I review, it won't be right away.  There is no way I'm plunking down $2700 on an f/5.6 zoom without a whole lot of data first from sources I trust.

If I was Sigma, I would have a big smile on my face while drawing up plans for a high end "Sport" version of this zoom lens. Apart from their macro lenses I've tended to avoid Sigma but I think they are on a role with their latest 35/1.4 & 120-300/2.8 iterations. Produce a 100-400 lens of similar quality, priced around $2K and they will have a viable alternative for Nikon & Canon owners.  I sometimes think that Canon & Nikon have an unspoken rule not to undercut each other by too much, much like the gas companies.

Cheers,

Jim

E.J. Peiker wrote:

sschupbach wrote:Can't wait for E.J. to get his hands on one of these.Would love to hear his opinon on how it performs.

Since I actually buy all of the stuff I review, it won't be right away.  There is no way I'm plunking down $2700 on an f/5.6 zoom without a whole lot of data first from sources I trust.

E.J., I was thinking more that you would be performing a MA service for a new owner.You could then relate your opinion on how sharpness compares with some of the other
400mm options.

Yup I am sure i will but those usually trickle in a few months after new gear comes out. My only point is I won't have a review a few days after release like I did on the 28/1.8 and the 70-200/4

E.J. Peiker wrote:Yup I am sure i will but those usually trickle in a few months after new gear comes out.  My only point is I won't have a review a few days after release like I did on the 28/1.8 and the 70-200/4

I can wait.

E.J. Peiker wrote:We'll have to wait to answer that Roy  Certainly at slower shutter speeds due to VR, you have an advantage with this lens but the 300/4 is an insanely sharp lens (less so with a 1.4x but still good).

Thanks for the response E.J., and of course I knew that any comments on my question at this point would be nothing but speculation.

I have already researched the 300/4 to death and I agree every indication is that it is one of the sharpness budget telephoto ways to go paired with the 1.4 teleconverter. Wish I could go to one of the big boys 500/600 but my budget and shooting doesn't justify that. I also am not the type to continuely wait for the next new thing, I just bought a D7000 to backup my D600 a couple of weeks ago knowing full well that Nikon was on the verge of releasing an update. For me I buy the best I can afford at the time I am ready to buy, so more than likely I will be going ahead with the 300/4 and 1.4 teleconverter.

Again thanks,

Roy

Gary Irwin wrote: Still, the MFD and MTF @400 might make it a good butterfly and dragonfly lens. Going to make me think a little harder about a new 200-400VRII.

It will also focus closer than the old lens so that would help for those subjects as well. I am not a pro so I think the price is going to preclude me (and maybe some others) getting one. Looks like I'll have to stick with the Sigma 120-400-good lens as long as you stop down to f8.

A good side by side comparison of old and new plus MTF curve comparison between the two plus a few others...
http://nikonrumors.com/2013/03/05/nikko ... more-55308

E.J. Peiker wrote:A good side by side comparison of old and new plus MTF curve comparison between the two plus a few others...
http://nikonrumors.com/2013/03/05/nikko ... more-55308

The MTF looks very good.