Terry Danks wrote a plea for IS AF-S hand-holdable 300s and 400s for
birders. Other subscribers have been threatening to buy an EOS to use a
Canon 300IS.
Wait, wait! Before you rush off and spend money.....
The fast 2.8 AF-S's were actually designed TWO years ago at Nikon, the
AF-S zooms being released now were designed LAST year.
Since the current AF 300 has never even been upgraded to a D lens,
and the 400 4.5 or 5.6 is a standard telephoto that's missing altogether
in AF, we don't have to be psychics to know what lenses mother N is
working on now. Those are "larger market" lenses than any of the exotic
super fast optics that have been on the wish lists on this digest.
So the probability that we'll see Nikon 300&400 4-5.6 AF-S's in 1999
is very high. Some of our colleagues may still be clearing the EOS
bodies and Canon IS lenses off their charge cards....
And by the way, based on extensive shooting with an AF-I lens, I'll
bet we won't care about IS or VR stabilization if the 300&400 AFSs are
reasonably light and well balanced.
paul easton
