Nikon lens for EX-3
 

I have a Sigma 70-300 nikon mount. Looks great until you focus it. The image jumps around when handling the focus ring. Plastic parts with poor tolerances. (it's not the mount, I tried both)

I can solve this by going to some of the very good, and very heavy, and very expensive nikkor lenses.

Anyone with good experience using some of the cheaper nikon mount zoom lenses on an EX-3? I'd like to get out to 300mm but will settle for 200mm if necessary.

Depends what you mean by "cheap". 2 favourites are Sigmas 100-300 f4 and 120-300 f2.8 (about £1000 and £1500 repectively).
Or there are plenty of second hand manual focus lenses out there like the 50-300s from Nikon and Canon.
Best to try and stay away from the more consumer type lenses as they are optically pretty disastrous and with build and handling to match.
Steve

Ed, the Nikon 80-200mm 2.8 D is a cracking lens and can be picked up on Ebay relatively cheaply.

Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 AF-D

I use it on an almost daily basis and its tac sharp.

The Nikon 300mm F4.
Nikon 300mm f/4 AF Review

Another super lens and again can be picked up cheaply on Ebay if you wait a month or so.

Those two will keep you happy for years. I use them on the Adaptimax and they give a stunning image.

Here are a few lenses that I enjoy using on the EX-3. You didn't say what you were intending to shoot. All these lenses are well built and focus easily.

Nikon 70-200mm AF-S Nikkor f2.8G ED VR Lens

Beautiful lens, tack sharp, easy to focus with good IQ. Great all-rounder. The older 80-200mm f/2.8 is just as good, if not better in some respects.

Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 D AF VR Lens

Versatile, well built, focuses well, not as sharp as it could be.

Nikon 300mm f4 D AF-S IF ED Lens

Lovely lens, tack sharp, easy to focus great IQ, but lacks the versatility of a zoom.

Nikon 200-400mm f4 G VR AF-S IF ED Lens

My most used lens for wildlife. It’s big and heavy. Great IQ, tack sharp easy to focus.

"cheaper nikon mount zoom lenses"

$1500 to $5000 doesn't fit my idea of "cheap".

I suspect there are no inexpensive lenses, Nikon or off brand, that have solid focus rings. Seems all the cheap lenses have loose fitting plastic focus rings that jump around when handling. This post is to verify that.

Anyone having success with the sub $500 nikon mount lenses?

Thanks

If you can live with primes, things like Sigma 400 f5.6 are cheap and handle well. Also Sigma MF 70-210 f2.8 has lovely focussing and good optics, you may find them cheap secondhand.
As a rule if you look for constant aperture zooms (like 70-210 f2.8 or 100-300 f4) they tend to be more professionally-oriented and have better build and handling as well as obviously optics too.
Steve

Unfortunately quality glass has always been expensive. You get what you pay for. However, as I mentioned in another post many of these ‘Pro Lenses’ can be purchased cheaply if the SWM (Silent Wave Motor) has been worn out. Photographers need the AF but videographers do not. A friend purchased an 80-200mm f/2.8 that had no AF but was optically perfect for £100 ($160). A photographer would happily sell a lens that is useless to them for something than have it sitting on the shelf doing nothing!

Take a look at the older AI lenses as they were built like tanks but I haven’t used them for so long now I couldn’t help you specific models.

Paul there are bargains to have as I type this on ebay. I don't know these lenses or the seller, but here's a 400mm Nikon at a low price.

Nikon ED Nikkor 400mm 5.6 lens for F3 F5 D300 FM3 D700 on eBay (end time 19-Oct-09 02:04:38 BST)

Has a buy it now of $658.

Or for anyone UK based and reading this thread right now this might be a suitable lens to bid on - current bit 269 Quid (again, I don't know the seller and have no experience of using this lens on my EX3). Chris H & Mods - not sure if it's OK to post eBay links - if not just remove and please accept my apologies...)

NIKON ED AF NIKKOR 80-200mm 1:2.8 D Lens on eBay (end time 18-Oct-09 21:34:58 BST)