For us Nikon shooters the D500 is going to make the shorter lenses a very
interesting proposition. 19 days until the official release date on 15
March.
Huge respect for some of the photos Australian birders take, and none more
than Graeme who I have admired over many years, but personally I'm not
giving up my 500 f/4!
While I absolutely love the 300 f/4 PF and find myself using it quite often
(including with tele-converters), by far the majority of my favourite shots
I have taken with a 500 f/4, which I don't have trouble hand-holding (but
accept that at 115kg I'm not the average build)! The beauty of the little
300 PF is that you can almost carry it incidentally while you bird or walk
around, and it fits easily in a normal bag... as opposed to the 500, every
walk with which becomes a photography expedition lugging a cumbersome lens!
Apparently no plans from Nikon to try the PF in the "super-telephoto"
lengths at this stage unfortunately, although last year's revisions of the
600mm and 500mm were 25 and 20 per cent lighter respectively.
On 24 February 2016 at 06:46, Rick Nash <> wrote:
> Hi Paul,
>
> Yes, agree with your points there. I probably should not have stated
> "totally unsuited"
> as there will be times when that extra focal length is needed.
> I shoot at 420 full frame most of the time and find that a good length,
> feeling quite cramped when I move away from this for most field situations.
> Put that on a crop sensor then as you say it's getting quite long.
> 300/2.8 with 1.4tc would probably be my ideal as well.
>
> Regards Rick Nash
>
>
> On 23/02/2016 11:20 PM, Paul Dodd wrote:
>
>> That's an interesting point of view, Rick.
>>
>> I would argue though, that a 300mm with a 1.4 on a full-frame body is
>> starting to get into the realm of super-telephotos - an effective focal
>> length of 420mm. Put that combination on a DX body like a D500 and you've
>> got 630mm - definitely a super-telephoto.
>>
>> I agree that lugging a 600mm around the mallee and hoping to get images
>> of a
>> Mallee Emu-wren is a tough gig, but I've actually found 500mm to be the
>> almost ideal focal length. It gives you enough distance from the bird that
>> you're not causing it stress, and with practice it is possible to home in
>> and focus reasonably quickly.
>>
>> Where I find 500mm simply too long is when the bird or birds come very
>> close
>> - and I encounter that situation often enough on pelagics. And for that
>> reason, amongst others, something like the 200-500mm is a very useful
>> tool.
>>
>> I have known several really top-notch bird photographers that use a 300mm
>> f/2.8 with either a 1.4 or 1.7TC as their standard rig, and have seen some
>> genuinely remarkable photographs from that combination. On the other hand
>> I
>> know of at least one really top bird photographer that shoots with a 500mm
>> f/4 with a 1.4TC that is ALWAYS attached.
>>
>> I guess each photographer finds the setup that best suits them and their
>> style.
>>
>> Paul Dodd
>> Docklands, Victoria
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Birding-Aus On Behalf
>> Of
>> Rick Nash
>> Sent: Tuesday, 23 February 2016 10:05 PM
>> To:
>> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Nikon 200-500mm lens review
>>
>> Interesting comments Graeme,
>>
>> I have long thought that the longer focal length lenses, 500-600, are
>> totally unsuited for field photography, especially for the smaller
>> bush/mallee birds.
>> Sensor technology has improved so much in the last couple of years that
>> shorter focal length lenses really come into their own, especially
>> combined
>> with reasonable teleconverters.
>>
>> I have been using the older Nikon 300/F4 with a 1.4tc, no VR, for years
>> now
>> and combined with the newer bodies ie D7200 crop or D810 full frame they
>> make a great, light, rig with outstanding results.
>>
>> So combine the newer 300/F4 with a D500 body and I agree that you have
>> close
>> to the ultimate birding field setup.
>>
>> Of course the big prime telephotos have their place and are magnificent
>> lenses in their own right but in most field scenarios I don't believe they
>> are the right tool for the job.
>>
>> Interested to hear other comments on this.
>>
>> Regards Rick Nash
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 23/02/2016 6:15 PM, Graeme Chapman wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Paul,
>>>
>>> Thank you for your useful comments regarding the new Nikkor 200-500 mm
>>>
>> telephoto.
>>
>>> I agree wholeheartedly with everything you wrote.
>>>
>>> In recent times I have virtually replaced all my birding lenses and now
>>>
>> have what I consider is the ultimate combination - these lenses (and
>> cameras) are so good that I doubt very much whether I will ever have to
>> buy
>> any more gear in my lifetime. The most important issue in future in future
>> will be being there. Two very, very important words.
>>
>>> I traded in the latest version of the 80-400 on the new 200-500 and in a
>>>
>> word, brilliant, I can even handhold it the VR is so good and in my copy,
>> the autofocus is spot on at 500 mm.
>>
>>> As you probably know from my website, I do a lot of photography of small
>>>
>> bush birds - most of the Australian ones are there already. However, as
>> you
>> noted, quickly homing in on a small subject with a 500 mm lens is not easy
>> - that fraction of a second dithering often means getting the picture or
>> not. Enter the new Nikkor 300mm f/4 PF lens - one of the best lenses
>> Nikon
>> have ever made and some say equal in quality to their legendary 300 mm
>> f/2.8.
>>
>>> Last year we spent a lot of time on Eyre Peninsula chasing Blue-breasted
>>>
>> Fairy-Wrens. All that time, I used the 300 f/4 PF, often with a 1.4
>> extender, a very LIGHT and manoeuvrable combination. It even works well
>> with
>> the 1.7x extender (= 510 mm). I also had the big 500 f/4 lens with me,
>> but
>> where did it remain? in its bag. I find that big lens too heavy to hand
>> hold, so it has to go on a tripod. If you are travelling in a car, often
>> the
>> time it takes to set up on a tripod is crucial. The outcome of all this is
>> that I have put the 500 f/4 VR up for sale, mainly because the new 200-500
>> is so much easier to handle, and even hand hold.
>>
>>> I should qualify my earlier statement - I do know of one item I'll buy as
>>>
>> soon as it becomes available and that is the newly announced D500 camera.
>>
>>> And so it goes on. My wife Pam says to me " I hope you aren't thinking of
>>>
>> buying any more cameras" - and for the moment, I agree.
>>
>>> Cheers
>>>
>>> Graeme Chapman
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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