Budget Travel Wildlife Lens
TLDR. Need a lens for my z50 to replace my tamron 18-270. Z mount preferred. Can use AF-S and AF-P through ftz. Must be faster than 6.3 at max length. Max zoom between 250 and
400. Handholdable preferred. VR preferred. $1000 Budget, will buy used on MPB or KEH.
Hello!
I’ve been getting into some casual wildlife photography and my tamron 18-270 isnt cutting it. The autofocus is terrible through the ftz ii, since it’s not technically compatible. It’s also very soft at 270, and the contrast and colors suffer. I’d like a new lens that can serve as a compact, travel wildlife lens.
First, the lens must top out between 250-500
Second, it must have a min f-stop of 5.6 or lower when fully extended.
Third, I will be traveling with it a lot, and I might not always be able to use a tripod. I’d like to be able to hand hold it. So, VR would also be nice.
Fourth, it must be able to autofocus well on my camera. That is, should be Z mount, AF-S, or AF-P so I can use PDAF. I prefer z mount though. Also, it’s worth noting that AF-P autofocuses at the same speed through the FTZ II as AF-S. So if only buy an AF-P lens if it was better in some other way.
Here are some of the lenses I’ve been looking at.
- Nikon AF-S PF 300 VR
- Nikon AF-S 70-300 VR
- Nikon Z dx 50-250