Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VRII For Sale! - 03 Feb 2019
Update 2/10/2019 - Nikon D500 and accessories listed below sold.
I'm a bit surprised that I'm doing this. But, it is time to start thinking about the next chapter in my bird photography story. With my recent foray into the Sony a7III as my new digiscoping kit, I've been spending a lot of time exploring the Sony side of bird and sports photography and thinking hard that it is time to make the switch (for better or for worse). So, I've decided to sell my
| Equipment | New | Used |
| Nikon 300/2.8 VRII | 5496.95 | 3500.00 |
| Nikon TC 14EII | 189.00 | |
| Nikon TC 17EII | 269.00 | |
| Jobu Jr. Gimball Head | 339.00 | 200.00 |
| Lens Coat | 80.00 | 50.00 |
| Lens Coat Rain Coat | 125.00 | 50.00 |
| Total | 8221.85 | 4258.00 |
I'm asking $3000.00 for everything. I'll even throw in extra Nikon flash units (SB-800, (2) SB-600) if you are interested in hummingbird photography. Original boxes included.
I purchased the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VRII back in 2011 (see blog post). Since then it has been my constant companion on every birding trip in and out of the country. Optically, it is one of the finest lenses ever produced, and I fully expect to miss this lens once its gone. At a little over 6 lbs. it is a bit heavy, but I've always hand-held it and have gotten wonderful images from it. Purchasing a Cotton Carrier has allowed me to bike/hike many miles with this thing secured to my chest, taking the weight off my neck and shoulders. I'll include the Cotton Carrier as well, but you might wish to purchase your own... The Lens Coat shown is new and replaces the original that I purchased with the new lens. I even have a new Lens Coat Raincoat for the lens (black) that is wonderful to have in rainy / snowy weather (used once). Glass is clean! No internal dust or mold. There is wear on the outside of the lens, and the rubber is starting to show its age, but AF is fast and focus is smooth (the lens was professionally cleaned by Nikon when I returned from Africa in 2013). Note: VR is quiet and wonderful when the naked lens is on the camera; with the TC's it starts acting up when batteries are low or contacts are dirty/loose - Nikon says this is normal... The lens hood is new as of last year when I replaced it after losing the original in the field.
Nikon answered the dream of every bird photographer when they introduced the D500. This camera, coupled with the 300/2.8 VRII (and 1.4X and 1.7X TC's) have never been apart. This has helped to keep both the sensor and lens elements clean all this time. At 10 fps it is plenty fast for capturing birds in flight and lightning fast AF of the 300/2.8 VRII has made this THE birding kit. With the TC 14EII the effective focal length of the rig is 300x1.5x1.4 = 640mm. With the 17TCEII it is bumped up to 720mm. The 128GB XQD Card has been more than plenty large enough to handle my shooting capacity such that I've never had to use the Scandisk 128GB SD card in Slot 2. I purchased the Nikon MBD-17 battery park to handle 8 AA batteries so that I never have to run out of juice in the field. Camera viewfinder has a glass cover on it for protection (no scratches).
I purchased the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VRII back in 2011 (see blog post). Since then it has been my constant companion on every birding trip in and out of the country. Optically, it is one of the finest lenses ever produced, and I fully expect to miss this lens once its gone. At a little over 6 lbs. it is a bit heavy, but I've always hand-held it and have gotten wonderful images from it. Purchasing a Cotton Carrier has allowed me to bike/hike many miles with this thing secured to my chest, taking the weight off my neck and shoulders. I'll include the Cotton Carrier as well, but you might wish to purchase your own... The Lens Coat shown is new and replaces the original that I purchased with the new lens. I even have a new Lens Coat Raincoat for the lens (black) that is wonderful to have in rainy / snowy weather (used once). Glass is clean! No internal dust or mold. There is wear on the outside of the lens, and the rubber is starting to show its age, but AF is fast and focus is smooth (the lens was professionally cleaned by Nikon when I returned from Africa in 2013). Note: VR is quiet and wonderful when the naked lens is on the camera; with the TC's it starts acting up when batteries are low or contacts are dirty/loose - Nikon says this is normal... The lens hood is new as of last year when I replaced it after losing the original in the field.
I purchased the Jobu Jr. Gimball head for digiscoping, but found that it wasn't practical. I've never used it in the field as I always hand-hold the Nikon Rig. I purchased the Really Right Stuff tripod collar for the 300/2.8 VRII when I purchased the lens and it fits the Jr. nicely. I even have an extra long plate (purchased for digiscoping) that is included. Tripod sold separately...
I've included a smattering of images from this rig throughout this post, but if you wish to see all images then check out the original post from 2011 (see above) and scroll through newer posts. The Canvasbacks and Redhead images were just taken a few days ago; the image quality really has me questioning this decision).
If interested, please contact me via email at jerry.jourdan@gmail.com
We can discuss shipping terms.
Thanks for looking!
Jerry
