I'm thinking of buying a used 500 f4 or 600 mm f4 lens for wildlife
(mainly bird) photography. Some are AF-S and some are AF-S II. Does
anyone know if the AF-S II is much better than AF-S?
VR is out of my price range, so that is not a consideration.
It's to be used on a Nikon D3 body. (That is an invitation for David to
post one of his silly comments).
Rita Berkowitz wrote:
> Dave wrote:
>
>> I'm thinking of buying a used 500 f4 or 600 mm f4 lens for wildlife
>> (mainly bird) photography. Some are AF-S and some are AF-S II. Does
>> anyone know if the AF-S II is much better than AF-S?
>
> The AF-S II is the much better and faster AF motor that is used in latest
> generation VR super-teles and last generation non-VR. Plus the AF-S II
> lenses are a bit lighter as well.
Thanks. The much faster was what I was hoping to hear. If it was a bit
faster, then I would not bother paying the extra.
>
>> VR is out of my price range, so that is not a consideration.
>
> And not needed! Keep a keen eye open and you should be able to snag a mint
> condition with all accessories 500/4 for $5,000 or a 600/4 for $6,000 tops.
VR for that money? I've yet to see a VR go for that. If you mean a
non-VR, AF-S II, then I would agree. There's a 600mm on for auction on
eBay at the minute, but the seller will not ship outside the USA, which
is annoying as I'm in the UK. Given the high shipping costs and the fact
I'm likely to pay VAT when a lens is imported to the UK, I will pay a
bit more for one in the UK.
> You will definitely want to get a TC. The 600/4 would be a nice choice,
> but
> is a real bear to shoot handheld compared to the 500/4. The 500 is the
> perfect compromise. Either one will make you extremely happy. I use
> the 2x
> TC which is nice, but will slow AF speed down a bit on the D3.
I have both the 1.4x TC-14EII and the 2x too (TC-20EII I think). I was
looking at getting the 1.7x, as I believe it is better quality than the
2x. The 1.4x is nice, but a bit short on focal length. I think the 1.7x
might be a better compromise.
>> It's to be used on a Nikon D3 body. (That is an invitation for David
>> to post one of his silly comments).
>
> It's all good, we're all family
"Rita Berkowitz" <ritaberk2008@aol.com> wrote in message
news:RY2dnVjfWqwg1SHVnZ2dnUVZ_judnZ2d@supernews.co m...
[snip]
> Sorry, I was referring to the latest non-VR versions. As for the 600 you
> are looking at on eBay this seller is a piece of **** and should be
> avoided.
> I wouldn't buy from any scumbag that adds surcharges for using PayPal.
> This idiot is asking for 4% in hopes of persuading you to pay in a method
> that saves them paying PayPal fees and forfeits the buyer's protections of
> using a credit card.
I don't blame him for wanting to cover his expenses, which PayPal is most
definitely a part of. A $6000 dollar sale would cost $150. 4% does go
beyond what is needed, however.
> I don't blame him for wanting to cover his expenses, which PayPal is
> most definitely a part of. A $6000 dollar sale would cost $150. 4%
> does go beyond what is needed, however.
By that logic, when you use a credit card, does the restaurant or store
charge you 2.5% (their CC processing fee)?
Nope. And neither should e-bay sellers.
[time was when I could haul out the AMEX card, and the vendor would go
pale (say after negotiating $5000 worth of furniture). AMEX charged a
hefty fee, about 4% in those days. So then I could negotiate another
bit off to pay by cheque ... doesn't work now, the CC co's have
stringent policies against such trading..]
In article <O6CdnS8BZZfI5iHVnZ2dnUVZ_vudnZ2d@giganews.com>, Alan Browne
<alan.browne@Freelunchvideotron.ca> wrote:
> > I don't blame him for wanting to cover his expenses, which PayPal is
> > most definitely a part of. A $6000 dollar sale would cost $150. 4%
> > does go beyond what is needed, however.
>
> By that logic, when you use a credit card, does the restaurant or store
> charge you 2.5% (their CC processing fee)?
some do, however, they call it a 'cash discount' because the merchant
agreement prohibits charging extra for using the card. nevertheless, i
have seen some places charge extra when using a credit card.
> Nope. And neither should e-bay sellers.
it's against paypal's rules to charge extra for using paypal, but i've
seen that happen too.
> [time was when I could haul out the AMEX card, and the vendor would go
> pale (say after negotiating $5000 worth of furniture). AMEX charged a
> hefty fee, about 4% in those days. So then I could negotiate another
> bit off to pay by cheque ... doesn't work now, the CC co's have
> stringent policies against such trading..]
some places will discount a non-credit card price.
nospam wrote:
> In article <O6CdnS8BZZfI5iHVnZ2dnUVZ_vudnZ2d@giganews.com>, Alan Browne
> <alan.browne@Freelunchvideotron.ca> wrote:
>
>>> I don't blame him for wanting to cover his expenses, which PayPal is
>>> most definitely a part of. A $6000 dollar sale would cost $150. 4%
>>> does go beyond what is needed, however.
>> By that logic, when you use a credit card, does the restaurant or store
>> charge you 2.5% (their CC processing fee)?
>
> some do, however, they call it a 'cash discount' because the merchant
> agreement prohibits charging extra for using the card. nevertheless, i
> have seen some places charge extra when using a credit card.
>
>> Nope. And neither should e-bay sellers.
>
> it's against paypal's rules to charge extra for using paypal, but i've
> seen that happen too.
>
>> [time was when I could haul out the AMEX card, and the vendor would go
>> pale (say after negotiating $5000 worth of furniture). AMEX charged a
>> hefty fee, about 4% in those days. So then I could negotiate another
>> bit off to pay by cheque ... doesn't work now, the CC co's have
>> stringent policies against such trading..]
>
> some places will discount a non-credit card price.
I haven't tried in a while. When I got a good quote for my scanner
(CAD$2700 ish) I asked "how much for cash instead of credit card" and
the fellow (quick on his feet) said, "oh, that's the price if you pay be
cheque."
IOW, you have to play this game in person at the cash register...
Prior to that (a couple sofa's) they simply wouldn't play at all (it was
during a major sale, so that may be part of it...)
During a recent trip in the S/W US, I did buy gasoline with cash as it
was 10 or 15 cents/gallon cheaper (on 15 gallons, worth it).
> Sorry, I was referring to the latest non-VR versions. As for the 600 you
> are looking at on eBay this seller is a piece of **** and should be
> avoided.
> I wouldn't buy from any scumbag that adds surcharges for using PayPal.
> This idiot is asking for 4% in hopes of persuading you to pay in a method
> that saves them paying PayPal fees and forfeits the buyer's protections of
> using a credit card. Anyway, that's the older version I AF-S and isn't
> worth $6,000 in that condition. It shouldn't take long before ebay pulls
> this auction.
>
He offers 'cash-back' after one leaves *postive* feedback. That I feel
is equivalent to buying postitive feedback, but eBay seem to think it is
ok, since I reported this seller over a week ago, but his tactics remain
the same.
>> I have both the 1.4x TC-14EII and the 2x too (TC-20EII I think). I was
>> looking at getting the 1.7x, as I believe it is better quality than
>> the 2x. The 1.4x is nice, but a bit short on focal length. I think
>> the 1.7x might be a better compromise.
>
> I would skip the 1.7X TC as it performs equally to the 2X. You'll be
> impressed with the 2X TC on either lens.
>
>
>
> Rita
I've seen a few places say the 1.7x is sharper than the 2x.
"Alan Browne" <alan.browne@Freelunchvideotron.ca> wrote in message
news:O6CdnS8BZZfI5iHVnZ2dnUVZ_vudnZ2d@giganews.com ...
> bino wrote:
>
>> I don't blame him for wanting to cover his expenses, which PayPal is most
>> definitely a part of. A $6000 dollar sale would cost $150. 4% does go
>> beyond what is needed, however.
>
> By that logic, when you use a credit card, does the restaurant or store
> charge you 2.5% (their CC processing fee)?
>
> Nope. And neither should e-bay sellers.
>
Not openly, anyway--it's called shipping and handling fees. Nobody in the
business world who's got any sense is giving anything away for free.
Alan Browne <alan.browne@Freelunchvideotron.ca> writes:
>By that logic, when you use a credit card, does the restaurant or store
>charge you 2.5% (their CC processing fee)?
Restaurants don't do that. But for many years, Mountain Equipment Co-op
offered a 2% discount for using cash/cheque instead of credit card.
Apparently the CC companies wouldn't let them charge extra for credit,
but they could phrase it as a discount for cash.
And even today, all the local computer system builders charge a few
percent extra for credit card payment. Their advertised prices are for
cash/debit, and they note that these are "already discounted" prices.
They've been doing it for years.
How much better is Nikon AF-S II to AF-S ? 
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