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I finally got my hands on a Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens (with D810 as the body). Before this lens I had a Nikon Nikkor AF-S G ED VR 24-120mm f/4.0 AF-S VR ED G Lens with the same body. I mainly upgraded to have a better experience (and zoom) in wildlife photography mostly. However, I noticed a couple of things that I'd like to know your opinion on:

I feel the zoom is not super different from the previous lens (Nikon Nikkor AF-S G ED VR 24-120mm f/4.0 AF-S VR ED G). I am cognizant of that 120/24=5x, and 200/70=2.85x and it might give the illusion that the new lens is not getting closer to the subject when I move from 70 to 200mm. Though, for such an expensive lens I have had better hopes.

Would a teleconverter be a good idea here?

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    'Blurry' how? Movement, focussing or generally unsharp? What shutter speeds are you using? Do you have a sample image?
    – Tetsujin
    Mar 17 at 16:18
  • @Tetsujin I will upload a sample image to the main question, thank you.
    – Perissiane
    Mar 17 at 16:20
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    The important ratio is 200/120, about 1.67. The maximum focal length is 1.67 times longer and the image will be 1.67 times larger on your sensor at a given distance from your subject. Many people try to shoot wildlife with a 200mm lens but you have to be very close to the subject to make that acceptable. Whether you can get that close depends on what wildlife you are talking about, your skills, and your patience. Most successful wildlife shots I have seen use a longer lens than this.
    – Ross Millikan
    Mar 17 at 20:23
  • Thanks for the advice. Do you think a teleconverter is a good idea? or I should go for a separate lens?
    – Perissiane
    Mar 17 at 21:59
  • If you search the site for wildlife you will find a lot of questions on the subject.
    – Ross Millikan
    Mar 18 at 2:38

1 Answer 1

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A 2x teleconverter will give you 400mm effective focal length. It will slow the lens down to f/8. Depending on the light level the shutter may be slow enough that you or the subject move more than you want. Most of the 400mm lenses out there are f/5.6 or faster. They also can be rather expensive.

You can give it a try. Go out looking for wildlife with your 200mm lens and take pictures. When you get home, imagine the subject is 2x larger in the frame and any blur is 8x worse-2x from the focal length and 4x from the slower shutter. Will that meet your needs? If not, you can think about what needs improving.

Added: Some numbers that may help. 200mm is 8 times the narrow side (24mm) of your sensor. That means that the narrow dimension of your field of view is 1/8 the distance to the subject. If something is 50ft away the width of the field is 6ft. You can fit a standing person in the frame at this distance. 50ft is close for wildlife. Do you want to be that close to a bear? If you are shooting a standing squirrel you will be cropping hard and not have many pixels left.

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