Has anyone used the Nikon 300mm AIS IF ED lens on the RED?

[Stephen Pruitt]

Hi all. . .

I'm in a bit of quandry. Currently have a pretty nice set of Nikon-mount lenses for my RED (I'm using the new DX Underdahl mount):

Nikon 10.5mm f2.8 fisheye DX
Tokina 11-16mm zoom f2.8 DX
Nikon 17-35mm zoom AFS f2.8
Nikon 50mm AIS f1.4
Nikon 28-70mm AFS f2.8
Nikon 85mm AIS f1.4
Nikon 105mm AF DC f2.0
Nikon 135mm AIS f2.0
Nikon 180mm AIS f2.8

I was toying with the idea of buying the Nikon 300mm f2.8 AIS super telephoto lens to "complete" my package. It will probably run between $1200 and $1300 in good shape. But that's a REALLY long lens on the RED, equivalent to about a 450mm lens on a 35mm film camera. Having NEVER even used a lens that long, I wonder if it is such a specialty item that no one would likely ever use it or if it is such a killer lens optically that it would definitely find a place in the bag. I'm a sucker for rich boken, and I hear that that lens renders an extraordinary bokeh on the out-of-focus portions of the image.

Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts about this lens on the RED?

Would a 1.4x or 2.0x teleconverter make sense instead?

Thanks much.

Stephen

 

[Ariel Weiss]

I have this lens. just got my red so didnt get to try it yet, but regarding the focal lengh, it is good for animals and wild life and for sunsets or moon where you want really big sun ball behind your subject. for this, 300 is not so long and i recommand using it with x2 teleconverter. its fast so it becomes 600 f 5.6. see ken rockwells tests on it if you did not.

 

[Ariel Weiss]

p.s
its very big and heavy but i guess all 300 mm f 2.8 are.

 

[Jochen Schmidt-Hambrock]

I have the 400mm 2.8. Its huge and heavy, but the separation is incredible. I also used it as some kind of weird macro lens (you dont have to kneel in front of that little flower - you can shoot it from your hotel room....)

I´m always a bit afraid to put it on my sticks, because it surly exceeds their limits.

As a telephoto its not that usefull. Unless the air is very calm - mostly you get too much thermal movement. Not a problem in stills - a bit of a distraction in motion pics.

2.8 is fast enough for a 2x extender without problems (On the RED giving you a 1200mm, right? Nice closeup of neighbours nose hair?)

I will not use it very often, but it is a nice inspiration (the lense).

Regarding lens support: A RED universal mount on the 19mm rods is in exactly the right position to connect to the 400mm´s support.

Jochen