AF- S 400 2.8 D (non VR, first edition)

[Frode]

Thanks for checking, that makes only 400mm 2.8 lenses later than year 2007 AFS serviceable,,, ouch

What would be a fair price for such a lens?

[Erik Lund]

Check KEH they have and EX grade at 4799 US$

You don't get them cheap... It so much depends; Has it been sitting in a Pelicase or shot Pro sports day in day out for 15 years,,,

[stenrasmussen]

My dealer has one in excellent condition for 4085 USD.

[Frode]

My dealer has one in excellent condition for 4085 USD.

Thanks, Sten 😀!

[Erik Lund]

Sten that's a great price! Go have a look at both Frode then let's know how they compare in 'looks' and feel

[Frode]

Sten that's a great price! Go have a look at both Frode then let's know how they compare in 'looks' and feel

Will do, Erik 😊.

Oh man I'd like a 400 2.8 😀!

[Bjørn Rørslett]

While the traditional field of application for the fast 400 mm lenses are sports and wildlife, don't forget such lenses can be put to good use for details and landscape scenery.

The concentration provided by a narrow angle of view both is a challenge and an advantage for the photographer. A large aperture (f/2. helps focusing under low light conditions and adds to the versatility of such lenses. It also allows for "focus stacking" (multiple exposures in-camera).

[Frode]

Sten that's a great price! Go have a look at both Frode then let's know how they compare in 'looks' and feel

I got my hands on the sample Sten suggested; almost as new 😀. Focusing ring smooth, glass are in exellent condition, mount almost no marks.

It does seem like it is pretty soft wide open and gets clearly sharper at f/4. I'll try some AF- tuning.

[Andy]

Frode,
check the lens rather with focus via live view.
Your AF tuning exercise can be done later, but for now you want to know how the lens performs wide open.
rgds, Andy

[Frode]

Frode,
check the lens rather with focus via live view.
Your AF tuning exercise can be done later, but for now you want to know how the lens performs wide open.
rgds, Andy

Good thinking, Andy, thanks🙂!

[MILLIREHM]

For BIF specifically, neither the tripod foot nor the lack of VR are in any way significant.

You need to use shutter speeds faster than VR can function, and this also renders wobbly tripod feet a non-issue.

For other forms of wildlife, especially early or late when light is low it's a different story.

Agree with the VR
but a strong disagree regarding the tripod foot, this might be only unsignificant if you use the lens handhold
if you use the lens with this worst ever tripod foot Nikon has everdesigned for a big glass- supertele with some support  it does matter even with fast shutter speeds

[MILLIREHM]

I called Fotocare in Oslo, and according to them Nikon don't produce any parts for this lens anymore. The AFS- engine in this lens is not the same as the one in the G- lenses. "High risk"- lens.....

Oh yes, its the first AFS- version (non VR).

Bad news - its a pity that the support time for expensive lenses like that is that limited, they should be able to be companions for a lifetime. I understand the issue with the AF-I lenses as this was a dead-end development
But the AF-S series ist truly good and you dont miss much with them. The first versions have better tripod support than follow up models

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Bad news - its a pity that the support time for expensive lenses like that is that limited, they should be able to be companions for a lifetime. I understand the issue with the AF-I lenses as this was a dead-end development
But the AF-S series ist truly good and you dont miss much with them. The first versions have better tripod support than follow up models

The guaranteed support life is 10 years. Usually spare parts are made in separate runs within the ordinary production cycle. However, if a certain part shows unusual failure rate, the spare part inventory stocks  can be depleted. Actually you won't know until it is too late .... Retooling is expensive and one has to realise these long super lenses are but a limited fraction of the overall lens production volume.

[MILLIREHM]

The guaranteed support life is 10 years. Usually spare parts are made in separate runs within the ordinary production cycle. However, if a certain part shows unusual failure rate, the spare part inventory stocks  can be depleted. Actually you won't know until it is too late .... Retooling is expensive and one has to realise these long super lenses are but a limited fraction of the overall lens production volume.

I know and understand this constraints, nevertheless I regret that it is like it is. Super lenses are more for prestige than for contributing a significant amount to the earnings though. It would be good for prestige to have an even more long term support philosophy like Leica appears to have. (the five dream minutes- over now)

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I don't disagree at all and sometimes the Mothership can provide real surprises. The point is that they don't throw away the spare parts after the 10 year period, they sell out. Thus, I once was able to get - from Nikon Japan - the eyepiece ocular lens for a finder to the 2.1 cm Nikkor-O f/4, a lens discontinued in the '60s ... Arrived in a nicely wrapping with specifications hand-written to it (this obviously had been in store much earlier than the bar coding system).