The poor man's 400mm

[David Paterson]

I've owned a few copies of the 400mm f5.6 AIS and I've been thinking of selling the one I have at present. But I've run a few "real-world" tests, and I may not sell after all. The example is a 100% crop after moderate sharpening, re-sized for the forum.

I seem to be shooting a lot of sheep these days - they are all over my favourite morning dog-walk..

[Frank Fremerey]

certainly a keeper

[Akira]

I found my Ai 400/5.6 worked very well with my D610.  Your image just reassures my finding.

[jhinkey]

I originally owned the 400/5.6 ED-IF AIS which was excellent for me, but I eventually sold it when I got the ED AI (non-IF) version, which was a bit larger and heavier.  Both though can't be beat for a compact 400mm that are excellent lenses.

Though I love my 400/5.6 my hope is that eventually Nikon comes out with a 400/5.6E PF that is much lighter and at least as compact with excellent IQ (and certainly a price to match).

The one good thing about the f/5.6 ED-IF AIS version is there seems to be an adequate supply of them around, though it seems at inflated prices as of late . . .

[Ilkka Nissilä]

The Ai-S 400/5.6 cost quite a lot of money when it was still being manufactured - I recall the price of 15000 FIM or 2500 EUR in the late 1990s at a shop. I don't think it's a "poor man's" lens at all, rather an expensive specialist product. 

[David Paterson]

This lens does seem to be appreciated by a lot of people. I've sold the lens in the past, not because it wasn't good enough but because I wasn't using it, and my present copy gets very little use. Which is a pity because it is a lovely lens.

I find that it works very well on my D600 but less well on my D800; the much smaller pixel-pitch of the 800 may make too many demands on a very old design. Like many telephotos it is also better at intermediate distances than at infinity.

Ilkka - I meant only in comparison to (new) modern lenses; I'm sure it was an expensive item when new, but an excellent copy can be acquired today for a few hundred dollars.

[jhinkey]

This lens does seem to be appreciated by a lot of people. I've sold the lens in the past, not because it wasn't good enough but because I wasn't using it, and my present copy gets very little use. Which is a pity because it is a lovely lens.

I find that it works very well on my D600 but less well on my D800; the much smaller pixel-pitch of the 800 may make too many demands on a very old design. Like many telephotos it is also better at intermediate distances than at infinity.

Ilkka - I meant only in comparison to (new) modern lenses; I'm sure it was an expensive item when new, but an excellent copy can be acquired today for a few hundred dollars.

I have not seen one go for a few hundred $$ in a long time - at KEH they are currently typically $450 (bargain condition) to almost $900 for an excellent copy.  I sold my excellent copy of the ED-IF for $450 a couple of years ago and picked up an EX condition ED AI for $900 - prices have risen considerably since then it seems . . .

[KevinC]

Forget the lens talk...the texture of the hair on the right side of the photo is mesmerizing.  Great job.

[jhinkey]

I like my 400/5.6 ED AI so much I just picked up a second copy to have as a backup.  A good performing copy of these lenses really do well on 36MP+ cameras.

[Jan Anne]

Thanks for bringing this lens up Dave, I really miss having a 400mm lens, this might be a nice and affordable option.

[David Paterson]

Thanks for bringing this lens up Dave, I really miss having a 400mm lens, this might be a nice and affordable option.

I know the feeling and each time I have sold a 400/5.6, pretty soon I've bought another one. I don't use it much, but if I don't have one I feel like I'm missing something.

[Jan Anne]

Luckily buying and selling lenses is part of the fun with photography

That said the market for second hand manual focus lenses seems to have dried up here in the NL with all those mirrorless cameras out there, and when selling people bid ridiculously low where I usually got 85% of current new prices. This kind of forced me to buy new lenses abroad if I suspect it won't last long in the camera bag, this way I don't loose too much money.

[Wally]

I recently bought (on e-Bay) a 400mm/5.6 ED (non-IF, K type) in LN condition. Initially destined for the Df it performs great on the D800 too.
Finally it features a wide and solid tripod mount 
I couldn't be happier.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Put a CPU in it and you are on your way to an even happier state

Congratulations with your acquisition, by the way. It is a fine performer and I have many happy experiences with this lens for landscape shooting. Not my choice for action photography though, as its focusing throw is very long and slow to work. On the other hand, this also allows for very exact focusing.

[Wally]

Focusing is very slow indeed. I don't mind given the excellent quality.
For fast subjects I resort to my 200mm/2 VRII and a TC