Comparing Lenses

What we have here are two Nikkor Lenses. The big dude is an 80-200mm f2.8 AF lens and the other is a compact 55-200 f4 AF lens.

The 80-200 retails for around $1,500
The 55-200 retails for around $150

Ivey has the big lens and I put it through its paces on the D50. I took a series of shots with both it and my compact lens. The only difference I found was the benefit of the f2.8 aperture. In low light the f2.8 rocks. On the whole I like my compact lens way better.

1: It is less than 1/4 the weight of the 80-200
2: It takes up less space
3: Its AF mechanism is slightly quicker

I thought I would see some appreciable difference at maximum zoom but both lenses appeared the same. The compact lens had no aberrations at the extremities. Nikon really made a great little lens. The big lens looks much better on the camera body than the small compact lens, but it is not as useful to me and does not give me as great a range.

So what do I want for my D50? Not much. A speed flash would be nice. But even that is not critical. Filter kit? No I have a UV and Polarizing filter and anything else can be done in photoslop. A higher power lens would also not be that helpful because then you end up having to shoot a lot on a tripod or monopod, unless you get a $5,000 lens.