Apparently, this did not make it into the digest (mine, anyhow) the first
time around. 'Ere 'tis again.
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On Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:03:39 -0800 Dan Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in
nikon-digest [v04.n225/17]:
>I plan on taking several macro pictures when the spring
>brings new blooms, and so I need something that gives more magnification
>than my 80-200/2.8. I may eventually get the 105/2.8 or 200/4 micros but
>for now I want to use my zoom. I believe I have two options here:
>
>Extentsion tubes:
>
>Nikon double-element closeup lenses:
Dan --
Neither of these is the best choice.
These comments assume you're talkig about the non-AFS version of the
80-200/2.8. The best option for closeup use of this lens is Canon's 500D
closeup attachment in 77mm size. It is a multiple-element 'diopter'
auxilliary lens like the Nikon "T" attachments. Maximum reproduction with
the 500D @ 200mm is about .6X, or slightly greater than 1/2 life-size.
Use of a teleconverter like the Nikon TC-14B will increase reproduction to
about .8X, or slightly greater than 3/4 life-size, but at the expense of - 1
stop.
The Nikon 5T & 6T will work with step-down adapters. However, optical
performance with the 80-200/2.8 isn't as good as with the 500D.
Extension tubes are not a good idea with zooms. I'm sure there are folks
who use 'em and believe they're great. My experience using extension with
zooms has been disappointing, mostly due to vignetting problems.
In any event, the 80-200/2.8 is no substitute for a dedicated closeup lens,
irrespective of what attachments or adapters are used. It is a large,
cumbersome and relatively inflexible rig compared to just about any other
combination of closeup equipment (bellows excluded, of course). Also,
optical performance with the 500D is uneven across the focal length range,
being best at 200mm -- fortunately. Finally, while the multi-element Canon
and Nikon diopters are the best, none of them yield anything close to 'flat
field' results. This is ok if your subject is normally centered in the
frame, but don't expect good performance in the corners.
I have no experience with the new AFS lens, so can't comment substantively
about it.
Hope this helps.
