I’ve written before about my propensity to sell equipment that I’ve not used in while. Sometimes, though, I have to keep this urge in check. At one point, not to long ago, I had considered selling my Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8. This lens is by far the sharpest lens with the most beautiful bokeh that I have seen. I had decided to sell it since I hadn’t been using it. Let’s face it, it’s a tank! It’s very heavy and cannot be used hand-held at all unless you have some really high shutter speeds. My arms shake just thinking about it. 
I use it on the tripod 100% of the time.
Well, I didn’t sell it. I had taken the pictures of it and was about to put my listing on eBay, but then chickened out at the last moment. I decided to place it on the camera and get reacquainted with it and boy am I glad that I did. This lens have definite “wow” factor. Little needs to be done to the image, especially sharpening. This lens, when you zoom in to 100% all you get is sharpness and hardly any chromatic aberration. All of my lenses should be like this! However, to round out the ‘desired set’. I’d need:
14-24mm f/2.8 ($1800)
24-70mm f/2.8 ($1700)
Nikon D700 ($2700)
Now, let’s see … that comes to $6,200 USD! That’s a lot of paper. I figure that if I have all of those sweet, non-DX lenses, I might as well have a non-DX body! 
Well, at the rate that we are burning through money in my family this year, it ain’t gonna happen! No part of it! Now, if some rich blog reader would like to donate these items … well, how could I say no?
This photo, as well as the photos from the last 4 days have been taken with the 80-200mm. I find it hard to take it off of my camera, now!
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9 Responses to “A close call”
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I’m not sure how the weight of your 80-200 lens compares to the 70-200/f2.8 from Sigma that I use on my Canon. But, although I don’t use it that often, I’m not tempted to sell it (unless I can afford to replace it with the corresponding L lens from Canon). For exactly those reasons that you describe in your post: if you decide to put it on…yesss!
Beautiful shot! I can’t wait for our flowers to start blooming in earnest around here, I’ve been itching to do some of that sort of photography for months now
Paul, good decision to keep the Nikon 80-200mm. I’m hanging on to mine for the same reasons–wonderfully sharp and fast. The only cons are that it’s big and heavy and doesn’t have VR. But those are inconveniences certainly not deal breakers.
Whew! Close call. No way I could be pried loose from my Canon 70-200 f2.8—even though I go long periods without using it. Thank goodness you didn’t succumb to that dastardly implulse to clean out the camera bag.
What a beautiful photo of tulips.
@Anita: What can I say? Sometimes the anti-packrat in me flares up.
I’m glad that I beat it this time!
Incredible – you really thought about selling *this* lens? In spite of quite a number of really good lenses I already have, a 2.8 tele zoom is something I am lusting for since a long time – and beeing it only for the gorgeous low-DoF shots you can achieve with this… Good that you chickened out. I don’t think it looses its value at a considerable rate, so not selling it should not be hard to justify
@Markus: Actually, it hardly looses value at all. I think that I paid $950, or so, for it several years ago and am convinced that I could have gotten $750+ for it. However, there is no way that I’m getting rid of it. It’s sweet!
I regret selling mine. I did it when I got the 70-200 VR (actually to help pay for it) – but now find that the Nikon 70-200 VR has corner quality issues on full frame sensors.
Very few professional lenses LOSE value over time, unless they’re damaged. I guess that’s why the lens makers are constantly trying to find gimmicky new features to throw into their lenses to convince owners to upgrade…
I’m actually of the opinion that some of Nikon’s older lenses are actually better than some of their more modern lenses. One thing I like about the d300 is that I can use those lenses on it, as well as my 25mm Zeiss lens.