equipment recommendation - What Nikon lens to buy to make photos of birds?

Currently, the zoomiest lens I have is a Nikon 18-200mm. I want to be able to take photos of wildlife, or in most cases birds, which I can't do at 200mm.

For a long time, I wanted to purchase a Nikon AF VR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED. It is very small and weights nothing; it's also really cheap (approx. $1000). On the other hand, I suppose that the quality of this lens is not very good, especially at 350 to 400mm.

Nikon also has a big and heavy AF-S f/2.8G ED VR at +$9000, and an even larger and heavier AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VR at +$8000. Those two lenses are not a solution: they are too expensive for me, and their size and weight makes it impossible to take them in a bag for long walks.

Is there a lens somewhere between, compatible with Nikon D7000? In other words, is there a lens with a slightly better quality at 400mm or more (including fixed-length lenses) than a Nikon 80-400mm, but not as expensive as Nikon's 400mm and 500mm lenses and not as big and heavy?

Answer

It's tough to get something ideal for birds that is both affordable and of quality. One of my favorite long zooms is the Sigma 100-300 F/4, it is not expensive and goes further than your current lens. Its also of excellent quality (certainly one of Sigma's best) but I honestly thing 300mm even on a cropped-sensor body can feel limiting for birds, then again it depends when and where you shoot birds.

If you don't want to pay the big bucks for something longer, then you're going to have to give up some quality and very importantly some light gathering ability. Luckily your cameras has a good high ISO performance. The most commonly used lens I see among birders (those who dedicate themselves to bird photography) is the Sigma 50-500mm F4.5-6.3. The quality is nothing great but you get awesome close shots. Remember that framing and composition make a shot much more than the ultimate quality of your less. Just make sure to select an ISO high enough to keep your shutter-speed at a level where you can freeze the bird's motion.

Nikon themselves make excellent telephoto lenses too, unfortunately you noticed the price is quite expensive. Sigma definitely carved itself a niche in super-telephoto lenses and offers a wide variety of lenses that reach out to 500mm.