just today there was a discussion among TTL members about focusing speed.... someone posted a shot of an F-22 Raptor shot with a 600mm f4 VR lens on a Nikon D3...... well, fancy equipment can get fancy results and there's little to debate about it.... what would matter more to average people is whether something like this can be achieved with much less investment...... the simple answer is, no.... but something close to this can be achieved for sure....... it all comes down to personal acceptance; how close I would like to go.... if I tend to get happy with cheaper results then expensive hardware is just like trophies on a showcase......
I've had my stint with cameras like D50/D80/D90 and D700...... what I've found is that entry level cameras are far from high-end cameras in terms of focusing speed..... a good lens can look like an average one on an entry-level camera..... and on the other hand, a high-end body can bring the best out of average lenses and make them look good...... a good lens would obviously look excellent...... I first discovered this while on my Sundarbans tour in 2009..... the Sigma 50-500mm (BIGMA) lens on the D700 produced such spectacular results that my D90 became almost totally idle throughout the 4-day tour..... focusing speed is simple no match!!
my experience says that.....
good lens + good cameras = excellent results
good lens + average cameras = decent results
average lens + good cameras = average results
average lens + average cameras = rubbish!!
I've shot with the BIGMA on D80/D90 and got decent results...... these are some shots taken with the BIGMA on Independence Day (26th March) in 2008...... they were shot with the Sigma 50-500mm lens @500mm f8 on a Nikon D80.....
BT-6 trainer.....
F-7M......
MiG-29......
mind you.... these are relatively easy situations to shoot..... subject is a spot against a white background on a bright sunny day..... though traveling at more than the speed of sound...... the ones I've faced in the Sundarbans were much harder, with fuzzy background in much lower light...... yet, the D700 made the BIGMA shine....
