Another hymn of praise for the 400mm f5.6 AIS (2nd image added) and *third*

[David Paterson]

I've liked this lens for a long time and have posted favourably about it before.

Yesterday, bored by the continuous bad weather, I discovered I could shoot from inside the back porch of our house (ie. indoors, out of the rain) and still get a usable image size of groups of birds interacting (squabbling) on our feeders.

I made quite a number of shots and the attachment  is a 100% crop from one of them - the 400mm f5.6 at f8, 1/200sec and 1000iso. The image has been sharpened but no NR applied. I know modern telephotos are superb, but I think this is an excellent result from a 30-year-old lens which you can pick up for few hundred dollars.

[Mike G]

Superb Dave, I get loads of these little chaps in my garden, but alas so far I have been a country mine away from this sort of quality, brilliant!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

A nice demonstration of its quality potential.

These old designs have little to be ashamed of. Contrast is undeniably lower but this is not always a disadvantage. Any CA issues are dealt with by modern software.

[David Paterson]

Thanks, Mike and Bjørn.

Though the goldfinch is pretty sharp it may not have been at the point of sharpest focus, and the feeders were swinging the whole time, so there may be even more to be had from this lens.

Here isone of my "group shots". I have images with 8, 9 and even 10 goldfinches in view, but the placing in this shot is so funny.

[Akira]

The second one is rather stunning than funny.  It looks like a time-resolved image of one bird.

Unfortunately I sold my venerable Ai 400/5.6 with the same optical design.  But now I'm enjoying my 40+ year old Nikkor-Q C 200/4.0 on a m4/3 camera.  So I think I can share your surprise and joy.

[bjornthun]

The group shot is very nice, and I think more interesting than the first one!

[John Geerts]

Yes, absolutely.  Very nice and vivid shot !

[David Paterson]

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.

Akira - I had a venerable 200mm as my long lens when I first visited Japan in '74/75 - it may have been the same model - I'm not sure. It was quite wobbly but very sharp.

Bjornthun - I really only intended that first image as a "technical" example, not to be taken seriously as a proper image.

[Akira]

Dave, if yours was multi-coated and had a hill-and-dale metal focusing ring, that's the one.

[David Paterson]

Another amusing shot of these cute but aggressive little b*ggers - shot with the 400 and showing the full height of frame; some cropping on the sides.

[Frank Fremerey]

Can you also post a picture of the lens?

[David Paterson]

Can you also post a picture of the lens?

You caught me at an idle moment, Frank - so here you are - on our kitchen table, mounted on my D600, lens-shade not extended. Needs a wipe to clean some greasy finger-marks but apart from that I'd say she was looking good.

[Mikes]

Nice catches there, Dave. You seem to have a very active and colourful back garden!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Just add a CPU to your nice 400 and you're good to go

[Frank Fremerey]

You caught me at an idle moment, Frank - so here you are - on our kitchen table, mounted on my D600, lens-shade not extended. Needs a wipe to clean some greasy finger-marks but apart from that I'd say she was looking good.

looks pretty much like the make of my 4.0/200 Micro.

thank you. The modern incarnations are much bulkier.