Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens !!

Here's a couple of Theresa's shots from the weekend.

This was an interesting sequence - less then 1/2 second and too fast to see what happened the naked eye. Again, courtesy of the Mrs.

1) Come to Momma

Haven't been around here lately so catching up on all the great shots! Of course if I want to see Phil's shots I have to go over to the 800PF thread. Now that Warbler migration is just starting things are going to start to get interesting here. Kentucky Warbler (kinda rare for Northeast Ohio) and a Prairie Warbler.

DocRoger wrote in post #19374768
Haven't been around here lately so catching up on all the great shots! Of course if I want to see Phil's shots I have to go over to the 800PF thread. Now that Warbler migration is just starting things are going to start to get interesting here. Kentucky Warbler (kinda rare for Northeast Ohio) and a Prairie Warbler.

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Lovely shots Roger.

We just got back from a trip to FL, so I have 1000's of shots to go through. It was the 1st trip we've taken in several years that "my" 500PF did not come along. Theresa had her D500 & 500PF, but I shot the Z9 & Z glass the entire time. So far, the 800PF has not seen a tripod or monopod once.

EyeSpyEagle wrote in post #19377214
Lovely shots Roger.

We just got back from a trip to FL, so I have 1000's of shots to go through. It was the 1st trip we've taken in several years that "my" 500PF did not come along. Theresa had her D500 & 500PF, but I shot the Z9 & Z glass the entire time. So far, the 800PF has not seen a tripod or monopod once.

I've been meaning to check in with you about how life is going w/ the 800PF, and whether or not you miss the 500PF How's the lens while hand holding out in the field? You run into any situations where the FOV or MFD gave you any trouble?

Migration is full bore here in Wisconsin, and I'm very happy to report that everything is just fine, there's plenty of activity and birds to photograph Tons of activity in my backyard, as we butt up to a stream, and we'll most likely have nesting Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers. More exciting though, is that just a few blocks away, there's an awesome little park along a trout stream that sees a ton of bird activity, so I'm very happy to officially have my first go-to birding spot in my new home state! Also met a local birder who dished me some key birding spots to hit around the area, so now the scavenger hunt is on.

Here's a couple of Baltimore Orioles, one from the backyard cherry tree and the other from the town park. The 2nd shot has much better light, as it was shot during golden hour w/ slight haze cloud cover which lent some nice diffusion:

MatthewK wrote in post #19377232
Migration is full bore here in Wisconsin, and I'm very happy to report that everything is just fine, there's plenty of activity and birds to photograph Tons of activity in my backyard, as we butt up to a stream, and we'll most likely have nesting Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers. More exciting though, is that just a few blocks away, there's an awesome little park along a trout stream that sees a ton of bird activity, so I'm very happy to officially have my first go-to birding spot in my new home state! Also met a local birder who dished me some key birding spots to hit around the area, so now the scavenger hunt is on.

Here's a couple of Baltimore Orioles, one from the backyard cherry tree and the other from the town park. The 2nd shot has much better light, as it was shot during golden hour w/ slight haze cloud cover which lent some nice diffusion:

I can't imagine having such opportunities "in the back yard"! I'm really glad to hear that you've clued in on some good spots locally.

So far, (limited as my time has been) I've been really happy with the 800PF. It's basically a 500PF on steroids. I have not used a tripod or monopod once. I've had it out for several 2~3 hour walks and had no issue with the size or weight. It's totally hand holdable.

"So far", the only time I've experienced an MFD issue was on a boardwalk in FL that had a bush immediately against the railing and there was a Green Heron nest inside. The nest was about 5 ft from the railing, so no-go with the 800, but I did photograph it with the 100-400. Heck, even the 500PF would not have worked for that one.

I also had a "challenge" (not issue) with magnification / FoV during a private "birding boat tour" we took on Blue Cypress Lake. The Captain asked if we've like to see some Barred Owls, so naturally I said sure. He maneuvered the boat into small area that looked like we were heading into the Cypress woods - very close to the trees. Within a minute, there were two Barred Owls "in our face"! The was not too so close there was an MFD issue, but they were so close I could not fit the whole Owl in the frame. Lol! I think I got some good shots, although they will be portraits that do not include the whole body.

I can't believe the extreme amount of wildlife we saw. This may have been one of our best trips yet.

Barred Owls
GHO - Adult & Juvi
Burrowing Owls - Adult & Juvi
Bald Eagles - Adult & Juvi
Osprey - 100's!
Swallow-Tailed Kites
Oyster Catchers - Adult & Juvi
Green Heron - Adult & Juvi
Black Crowned Night Heron
Great Blue Heron - Adult & Juvi
Little Blue Heron
Black Necked Stilts - Adult & Juvi
Wood Storks - Adult & Juvi
White Pelicans
Brown Pelicans
Royal Terns
? Terns
Gulls Gulls Gulls
Cormorants
Anhinga - Adult & Juvi
Whislting Ducks
and so many more I have have forgotten
Gators
Lizards
Iguanas
Black Bear - Adult & Cubs
Water Moccasins

We also visited Butterfly World which has butterflies & birds from all over the world, but they are captive.

I'm ready to go back, but it is beginning to get warm & humid out there. :-/

I'll start posting some shots this weekend. I have a crapload to process.

EyeSpyEagle wrote in post #19377243
I can't imagine having such opportunities "in the back yard"! I'm really glad to hear that you've clued in on some good spots locally.

So far, (limited as my time has been) I've been really happy with the 800PF. It's basically a 500PF on steroids. I have not used a tripod or monopod once. I've had it out for several 2~3 hour walks and had no issue with the size or weight. It's totally hand holdable.

"So far", the only time I've experienced an MFD issue was on a boardwalk in FL that had a bush immediately against the railing and there was a Green Heron nest inside. The nest was about 5 ft from the railing, so no-go with the 800, but I did photograph it with the 100-400. Heck, even the 500PF would not have worked for that one.

I also had a "challenge" (not issue) with magnification / FoV during a private "birding boat tour" we took on Blue Cypress Lake. The Captain asked if we've like to see some Barred Owls, so naturally I said sure. He maneuvered the boat into small area that looked like we were heading into the Cypress woods - very close to the trees. Within a minute, there were two Barred Owls "in our face"! The was not too so close there was an MFD issue, but they were so close I could not fit the whole Owl in the frame. Lol! I think I got some good shots, although they will be portraits that do not include the whole body.

I can't believe the extreme amount of wildlife we saw. This may have been one of our best trips yet.

Barred Owls
GHO - Adult & Juvi
Burrowing Owls - Adult & Juvi
Bald Eagles - Adult & Juvi
Osprey - 100's!
Swallow-Tailed Kites
Oyster Catchers - Adult & Juvi
Green Heron - Adult & Juvi
Black Crowned Night Heron
Great Blue Heron - Adult & Juvi
Little Blue Heron
Black Necked Stilts - Adult & Juvi
Wood Storks - Adult & Juvi
White Pelicans
Brown Pelicans
Royal Terns
? Terns
Gulls Gulls Gulls
Cormorants
Anhinga - Adult & Juvi
Whislting Ducks
and so many more I have have forgotten
Gators
Lizards
Iguanas
Black Bear - Adult & Cubs
Water Moccasins

We also visited Butterfly World which has butterflies & birds from all over the world, but they are captive.

I'm ready to go back, but it is beginning to get warm & humid out there. :-/

I'll start posting some shots this weekend. I have a crapload to process.

Good to hear about the 800PF being a 500PF on steroids Phil!
I also had a recent trip to my main bird migratory area, and put the Sony A1+200-600G through its paces.
I was amazed at how much wider the scope of images I was able to capture was. Of course many BIF shots, but also shots with only one or two opportunities to take the shot, the success rate was amazing. Not just "ok" in focus, but spot on literally every time.
I could shoot very fast running about Sanderlings that were a guaranteed failure in the past, but also put the tracking box on the Sanderling and compose freely while the A1 stuck to the Sanderling like glue. Also sudden opportunities where a group of Eiders or Spoonbills flew by at fast pace, the A1 would immediately awaken and grab the birds instantly, and again, not just acceptably but spot on.

I hope you are experiencing the same kind of auto focus with your Z9. My partner asked me multiple times: "so how do you like your new camera?" and I would routinely say: "I don't have to work so hard", or "I can capture images that I was never able to capture before".

But it was not all perfect yet, the 200-600 is indeed a very nice lens, especially considering the price, it has auto focus that would suit a 10K lens. But it is no prime lens, and i.m.o. cannot match the 500PF for image quality or for the special 500PF "pixie dust". It is a solid good perfomer and tremendous value on the A1 though.

My dilemma now is, that I cannot go back to older generation auto focus anymore. The joy of using an A1 type camera, and the sheer possibilities it gives me, has spoilt my plan to get a Z6II with 800PF to regain the "pixia dust".
I would face an impossible dilemma of which combo to take on trips: A1+200-600, or Z6II+800PF. The Sony combo for the truly astounding auto focus, or the Nikon combo for the pixie dust.

I will be closely following your contributions to the 800PF thread, because I have a decision to make:

-Sony 600GM + 1.4TC
-Nikon Z9+800PF

I have a feeling my days are limited with the D500 + 500PF combo - but with everything being back-ordered I will be using it for quite a while until supplies are replenished. Here are my photos from today - a day that took in the whole spectrum from Indigo to Scarlet. ߘ

DocRoger wrote in post #19377718
I have a feeling my days are limited with the D500 + 500PF combo - but with everything being back-ordered I will be using it for quite a while until supplies are replenished. Here are my photos from today - a day that took in the whole spectrum from Indigo to Scarlet. ߘ

Those are amazing photos.
Beautiful composition and setting.
They really grab the attention.

DocRoger wrote in post #19377718
I have a feeling my days are limited with the D500 + 500PF combo - but with everything being back-ordered I will be using it for quite a while until supplies are replenished. Here are my photos from today - a day that took in the whole spectrum from Indigo to Scarlet. ߘ

These are both lovely shots Roger.

The Scarlet Tanager is stunning.

Here's one of Momma's shots from our recent FL trip.

I have no idea what this is. She got this while we were at Butterfly World, down near Miami.

EyeSpyEagle wrote in post #19377243
I can't imagine having such opportunities "in the back yard"! I'm really glad to hear that you've clued in on some good spots locally.

So far, (limited as my time has been) I've been really happy with the 800PF. It's basically a 500PF on steroids. I have not used a tripod or monopod once. I've had it out for several 2~3 hour walks and had no issue with the size or weight. It's totally hand holdable.

"So far", the only time I've experienced an MFD issue was on a boardwalk in FL that had a bush immediately against the railing and there was a Green Heron nest inside. The nest was about 5 ft from the railing, so no-go with the 800, but I did photograph it with the 100-400. Heck, even the 500PF would not have worked for that one.

I also had a "challenge" (not issue) with magnification / FoV during a private "birding boat tour" we took on Blue Cypress Lake. The Captain asked if we've like to see some Barred Owls, so naturally I said sure. He maneuvered the boat into small area that looked like we were heading into the Cypress woods - very close to the trees. Within a minute, there were two Barred Owls "in our face"! The was not too so close there was an MFD issue, but they were so close I could not fit the whole Owl in the frame. Lol! I think I got some good shots, although they will be portraits that do not include the whole body.

I can't believe the extreme amount of wildlife we saw. This may have been one of our best trips yet.

Barred Owls
GHO - Adult & Juvi
Burrowing Owls - Adult & Juvi
Bald Eagles - Adult & Juvi
Osprey - 100's!
Swallow-Tailed Kites
Oyster Catchers - Adult & Juvi
Green Heron - Adult & Juvi
Black Crowned Night Heron
Great Blue Heron - Adult & Juvi
Little Blue Heron
Black Necked Stilts - Adult & Juvi
Wood Storks - Adult & Juvi
White Pelicans
Brown Pelicans
Royal Terns
? Terns
Gulls Gulls Gulls
Cormorants
Anhinga - Adult & Juvi
Whislting Ducks
and so many more I have have forgotten
Gators
Lizards
Iguanas
Black Bear - Adult & Cubs
Water Moccasins

We also visited Butterfly World which has butterflies & birds from all over the world, but they are captive.

I'm ready to go back, but it is beginning to get warm & humid out there. :-/

I'll start posting some shots this weekend. I have a crapload to process.

Wow, didn't realize how many posts I've missed in this thread, apologies for not replying to you here, Phil. It's apparent from your trip report that I visited the wrong part of Florida That's a bunch of wildlife you all saw! Also good to hear that the 800 performed just as I figured it would, similar limitations as the 500PF, and I think pairing it with a 100-400 is almost a requirement, especially in Florida.

We went to a butterfly house in Key West, and they had a bunch of birds from South America in there. Got a lot of shots, makes me wonder how similar it is to real life shooting in the jungles.

DocRoger wrote in post #19377718
I have a feeling my days are limited with the D500 + 500PF combo - but with everything being back-ordered I will be using it for quite a while until supplies are replenished. Here are my photos from today - a day that took in the whole spectrum from Indigo to Scarlet. ߘ

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forum: Nikon Lenses

Uh oh... what you going to switch to then, Doc? Man, everyone is leaving 500PF land, pretty soon it'll just be myself and Theresa posting in here

MatthewK wrote in post #19378731
Uh oh... what you going to switch to then, Doc? Man, everyone is leaving 500PF land, pretty soon it'll just be myself and Theresa posting in here

I was almost afraid to ask that question. :-/

I still have mine!