Nikon MF 600mm f5.6 and 500mm P f4

[Ender]

Hi,

I like to find out anyone in CS use these 2 lens for birding. What the quality of lens and the pro and con ? Could share pic taken with these lens?

Thanks in advance.

[espn]

I know of peope who uses the AF-S 500/600 f/4 but I have on idea about the MF and P versions

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Ender Hi, I like to find out anyone in CS use these 2 lens for birding. What the quality of lens and the pro and con ? Could share pic taken with these lens? Thanks in advance.

The 600/5.6 is a nice lens, image quality is not quite as good as the 600/4 but the lens is far more compact and lighter. Go for the AIS version and avoid the older AI and non AI versions as they suffer from a couple of issues with the focusing unit and standing wave vibrations when used in windy conditions. Bokeh is above average, contrast is good and the focus on a well serviced unit is not heavy. It's one of my favourite lenses for swamp work and when I need a light lens for remote hides and bright light sports work.

The 500/4 P is a great lens, as it has the inbuilt matrix chip. Bokeh and contrast are slighly lower than the AFS 500/4. Sharpness is excellent.

Just remember that using any manual focus supertele for birding is going to tax your abilities to the limits when it comes to focusing and it takes a long time to become profecient at fast manual focusing. With that said I'd recommend either lens for birding.

You'll find plenty of shots taken with both lenses online. I no longer post my work as it just gets nicked and shows up elsewhere.

[MountainMan]

Hi Ian,

Any experience with the Sigma 800/5.6 ?

I got the Nikon 500 f4P. Excellent lens, even with a 2x converter (TC301) on. Quick to focus (yes some getting used to is necessary). Would highly recommend this lens to anyone serious on bird photography.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by MountainMan Hi Ian, Any experience with the Sigma 800/5.6 ? I got the Nikon 500 f4P. Excellent lens, even with a 2x converter (TC301) on. Quick to focus (yes some getting used to is necessary). Would highly recommend this lens to anyone serious on bird photography.

I abused a Sigma 800/5.6 a couple of years back for a day and frankly it was a very dissapointing lens.

When compared to a Nikkor 400/2.8 AFS-II with TC-20E and a 600/4 AFS with TC-14E the Sigma showed noticable hunting and hesitating in AF focusing even in reasonable lighting conditions.

Image quality was just about on par with the nearly 35 year old 800/8 P series of Nikkor supertele head units that use a common focusing unit (400/600/800 heads). Image quality (sharpness, bokeh, contrast, flare) was well below that achieved with either of the AFS Nikkors mentioned above as well as the 800/5.6 AIS Nikkor.

Final verdict: I passed on the Sigma .. will keep on using the 800/5.6 AIS when i need an 800 without TC.

PS: Try your 500/4 P with a TC-14 ... it gives a KILLER 700/5.6 that has few peers.

[King Tiger]

Ian, are you a full time photographer?
You seem to have the some of the bazooka lense.

[Ian]

Originally Posted by King Tiger Ian, are you a full time photographer? You seem to have the some of the bazooka lense.

Yes I'm a full time photographer and have been since the late 70s. I own some 20 superteles.

[obviousdude]

Originally Posted by Ian Yes I'm a full time photographer and have been since the late 70s. I own some 20 superteles.

[Luv4nature]

I'm more familiar with various versions of the 500mm so I'll just comment on the 500mm F4P. I think of all the super-tele lenses (inclusive of the 400mm F2.8), the 500mm F4P is the most cost effective and most portable lens.

-It has micro chip built-in to match auto exposure features with current bodies

-It is compatible (physically and optically) with current converters like the TC-14e/II, TC-17 and TC-20e/II, with only very slight mod on the converters. So you only use 1 set of converter for this lens as well as your other AF-S/I lenses

-Optically, the 500mm F4P is only slightly lower in contrast and sharpness as compared with the 500mm AF-S/ II versions. But it is still an outstanding lens nevertheless

-When used alone or even with 1.4x converter, the 500 F4P is bright enough for accurate manual focusing

-AF-S autofocus is still preferred for higher in-focus rate and also to cope with actions, but the manual focusing has the advantage of focusing any spot within the viewfinder vs. focusing only on the focusing spot by the AF. Regular birdie photographers will know about this; the eyes of the subjects don't normally fall within one of the 5 focusing spots in the viewfinder. So either one let the AF spot dictate the composition, or the need to perform pre-focus / manual focus override. By doing the latter, there's little difference between manaul and AF lens.

-Using dSLR bodies, one is less constraints on the no. of shots, so just take more shots and bracket the focusing slightly if you're not so certain of getting the focusing right

If budget is no concern, the 600mm F4 AFS-II is the way to go. But for 1st time super-tele buyer with limited budget, I think getting a used 500mm F4P is a serious consideration. If you're lucky, sometimes it can be seen in the market for around S$3k. (--buying new, that can only pay for a 70-200mm VR lens!)

[Ender]

Thanks for the info....lan, Luv4nature, espn and ...

I read online ...there are people in US who chip MF lens with P chip. I wonder if there any service in Singapore? I might go for 600mm 5.6...cos its light and longer reach...500mm can also consider...

[Ian]

Originally Posted by Ender Thanks for the info....lan, Luv4nature, espn and ... I read online ...there are people in US who chip MF lens with P chip. I wonder if there any service in Singapore? I might go for 600mm 5.6...cos its light and longer reach...500mm can also consider...

You're welcome Ender.

As far as I know (and anyone feel free to correct me here) there's only one or two guys in the states doing the conversion. Cost is around 85-125 USD and you may need to ship the lens to / from the states (cost around 200 USD each way) to have the surgery performed.