New Lens for My Camera

My Nikon D70 will be one year old next month. During my recent trip there were several times when a longer lens would have been very useful. I had an 80-300 zoom lens for my Minolta camera that I always regretted buying. It was almost impossible for me to hand hold the lens. It was extremely difficult to focus and no matter what I did the pictures were not as sharp as I would have liked. I did not want a repeat experience with the new Nikon. As soon as I got the D70 I started drooling over the Nikon 70-200 mm VR (vibration reduction) lens. It is a fast lens. It has two problems that are insurmountable for me. One, it is very heavy. I am getting older, and it is very tiring to lug camera equipment around. The second and biggest reason was the lens cost more than the D70 camera body and kit lens combined.

I considered several other Nikon tele zooms and third party lenses such as ones made by Sigma and Tamron. None of them really appealed to me. Finally last week after I came home from the trip I decided I would order the Nikon 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 G lens. I read reviews of the lens that covered the gamut from love to hate. On the plus side the lens is lightweight and inexpensive. On the negative side, it has a plastic lens mount, its auto focus is slow, it is rather soft at 300 mm and it has no macro capability. I ordered the lens from B&H Photo in New York. UPS delivered the lens on Monday. I took a few pictures of objects around the house. Then after dark I drove over the to shopping center and took a few pictures. I was very pleased with what I had seen so far.

Tuesday morning I went to Tyrrell Park. There is a bird sanctuary. I have never tried to photograph birds or any other kind of wildlife. I took my camera and tripod. I heard some birds but didn’t see any. I sat down on a bench and thought I would wait 15 minutes. A minute or two later I looked down and there was a wasp on my arm. I screamed and swatted it away. I left there in a hurry. I found out why I am not suited to be a nature photographer. I did take a few pictures of roses in the botanical gardens. The roses have seen better days and the new lens has a minimum focus distance of 5 ft. The next thing on my wish list is a Nikon micro lens. Maybe I will have one by spring of next year when the flowers are in bloom.