To view a larger version of these samples, click here; the related forum discussion is here. Alex shot these at the Katmai Peninsula in Alaska. Alex also discusses the issues involved and care that needs to be taken when approaching the bears, and how Timothy Treadwell, the “grizzly man” took things a bit too far before meeting his untimely death there. Explanation of bear behavior and “close calls” for individual pictures can be read here

You can also view the entire gallery here.

Alex talks a bit more about how he approached the bears, and the shooting conditions he had to deal with here and here, and explains in detail what else to watch out for when photographing grizzlies (part 1 | part 2)

This is the full list of equipment used by Alex:

1. Nikon D200 camera (2 units)
2. Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 AF-S VR - this lens was made for wildlife photography, and Alex used it to maximum effect
3. Nikkor 70-200mm VR lens
4. Nikkor 28-70mm lens
5. Nikkor 12-24mm f/4 DX
6. Gitzo tripod with Sidekick

The larger version of the images come in two installments - the first is of the small bird, and the second series focuses on the red-tailed hawk. I personally prefer the 1st series - the sharpness and detail in the feathers is something else, not to mention the amazing colors.

Humanoid also commented that it was fine to leave the VR (vibration reduction) mechanism on the lens in the ON position while mounted on the tripod. He used the Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S VR lens plus the AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E II and mounted the whole setup on a Bogen 3221 tripod with a Markins ball head (source).

If you’re interested in more Nikon D200 bird photography samples, see Janet Zinn’s bird photos with the Nikkor 200-400mm lens.

To view the larger version of the images and read through the forum thread, go here.

On top of superb composition and waiting for the ideal light, the spectacular effects in some of these photos were mainly achieved with the use of two photo filters: a Cokin P125 Tobacco Gradual (or Graduated) filter (see usage examples here) and a ND (Neutral Density) filter.

Nuno also put the Sigma 10-20 mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM lens to good use, making sure to compose in a way that exaggerated the foreground, thus leading the eyes into the main subject.

I’m seriously impressed by the saturated colors in the pictures - Nuno shot the photos in RAW mode and converted the NEF files in Nikon Capture NX.

View more of Nuno’s amazing landscape photos at his PBase gallery.

Sidenote: common filters used in landscape photography

Graduated filters are useful in landscape photography, and they help by darkening the sky, thus allowing you to ensure that both the sky and foreground are correctly exposed (read more here). Neutral density filters darken the entire scene, allowing you to use slower shutter speeds to capture the effect of silky-smooth water in motion, such as waves or waterfalls.

Go here to view a larger version of the images and read through the forum thread which he had started.

He used the Sigma APO 120-300 mm f2.8 EX IF HSM which he remarked was not as fast-focusing as the Nikkor 200mm f/2 VR. He talks more about the Sigma 120-300 here, commenting that it’s sharp even at wide-open apertures, and that he used the older, non-DG version. ISO 1600 was required to keep the shutter speed around 1/500 seconds, but even with this, the images are slightly underexposed due to the very dim lighting conditions there.

Of particular interest is his postprocessing method. The images were shot in RAW mode, and converted through Nikon Capture 4.4 where he decided to use COlor Mode IIIa for a boost in saturation and contrast, with NR (noise reduction) set at Intensity / Sharpness of 5 / 5. Noise reduction was further applied using Neat Image, and finishing touches and sharpening in Photoshop plus the FocalBlade sharpening plugin.

Lower end Nikon digital SLR cameras such as the Nikon D70 / D70s allows you to assign a name to, or rename an image folder. In higher end Nikon cameras such as the D2Xs or in this case, the D200, this feature is not available.

All that’s allowed is the ability to create new folders numbered 100 to 199 999 (thanks to TXCiclista for pointing out my error), and that’s it.

Just a little heads up for those upgrading from other cameras.

Glijn has very helpfully included identification data in the photos.

The first series of 7 photos are of a Leaf Insect, Phyllium celebicum. View the larger images and read the related forum thread here, and click here for a Google search on this species.

The insect in the second series (view here) is the Ghost Praying Mantis (search Google: 1st variation | 2nd variation), the insect that I mentioned I had not seen before.

Equipment used to shoot the photos are the Nikon D200 and Sigma Macro 105mm f/2.8 EX DG lens.

View more fantastic images by Glijn at his photo gallery.

The above series of portraits were shot wide-open at an aperture of f/2 with the “Fat Boy” (some owners gave this nickname to the lens) by Jeff-C - you can view a larger version of the images here.

You can view a larger version of the 2 fantastic images of cheerleaders below here. The bokeh from this lens is truly second to none.

Recommended Monopods

This post recommends the use of Manfrotto 679B Monopod, which is able to support the weight of the D200 plus Nikkor 200mm f/2 G lens combination. The Manfrotto 694 Magfiber monopod also gets recommended.

Recommended Camera Bags

A Lowepro backpack seems to be a good choice to carry the Nikon D200 + Nikkor 200mm VR combination.

Use With Teleconverter Lenses

A few owners mention of image degradation when using the Nikkor 200mm VR with teleconverters (more noticeable with 2x TC lenses), so use them only when necessary. Degradation also becomes more prominent the farther away the subject is from you.

The images were shot with the Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX lens mounted on a Nikon D200. The 17-55 is an ideal lens when on a city walkabout, offering a nice 17mm for reasonably wide shots, moderate telephoto at 55mm, and the ability to shoot wide-open at f/2.8 aperture when in low-light situations or a when blurred background is desired.

Links:

1. View a larger version of the images here.
   The entire Venice, CA gallery can be found here.
2. Venice, CA, on the map.

The pics were shot with the Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S lens, except for the two images on the extreme right - these were photographed with the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR lens.

Links:

1. View a larger version of these images: First series | Second series.
   Note from the shot details how FleJen used slow shutter speeds to achieve the motion effect.
2. You can find more information regarding the Copenhagen Historic Grand Prix race here.

With the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, you get the best telephoto zoom lens Nikon has to offer; you also get to pay huge amounts of money and carry a lot of weight and stick out like a sore thumb as you walk around in public areas with that lens mounted on your D200. It’s all worth it, however, if you’re looking for the sharpest images possible from a zoom lens, if you need wide-open apertures at f/2.8, etc - so, know whether you want or need the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR lens first, then vote with your wallet if it’s a YES.

For the rest of us who’re interested in buying a versatile lens with a huge zoom range that allows you to take pictures in almost all situations, look no further than the Nikkor 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6g IF-ED AF-S DX VR lens. In fact, Luke presents this series of images that best exemplifies the range of photos you can capture with this optic:

To view a larger version of the images and read Luke’s mini-review and account, go here.

If you have unlimited (or a lot of) money, go ahead and buy both. Otherwise, you might want to consider this “checklist” and 18-200 “trade-offs” to decide if the Nikon 18-200 or the 70-200mm best suits your needs.