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

Chris1966 wrote in post #19439763
I love Golden Plovers and Curlews, which are both extremely shy here. So kudos for getting up so close with the Curlew!
I will be picking up my birding activities again after a pause due to the shock over the avian flu catastrophy in western europe.
I will be travelling to a major migratory spot where large numbers of Crane birds gather for a week or two and gain weight before resuming their journey to their wintering grounds in Africa.

P.s. what is your favorite birding lens, the 500PF or the 800PF?

Hey Chris,

I was very proud of my wife getting these. She loves to "best me". Lol!

Honestly, I really like them both.

On the FF Z9, the 500 often falls a little short from a reach perspective although it does quite well with a 1.4x TC on the Z Bodies.
The 800PF gets me right back to the same basic FL I was used to with the D500 & 500PF with a bonus 50mm, so because I've been shooting the Z9 most of the time, the 800 is getting the most action. While it's a tad larger & heavier than the 500PF, it's not that much and I have yet to shoot the 800 from a tripod. It's "hand hold-able" like the D500 / 500PF.

Good luck on you coming adventure! Hope you see an abundance of migrants.

It's been a while since I've touched my birding rig, as winter is normally a down time for activity, plus I've been focused on my new Fuji X-T5, dealing with sick kids and shoveling snow Having a major case of cabin fever, I stepped out back and snapped a few shots of the winter resident Dark-eyed Juncos as they endured a snow storm.

MatthewK wrote in post #19457200
It's been a while since I've touched my birding rig, as winter is normally a down time for activity, plus I've been focused on my new Fuji X-T5, dealing with sick kids and shoveling snow Having a major case of cabin fever, I stepped out back and snapped a few shots of the winter resident Dark-eyed Juncos as they endured a snow storm.

They're very nice Matthew.
Love the setting and composition.
You certainly haven't lost the knack.
Family life is never dull . But it's not nice when the kids are sick.

The X-T5 looks interesting and sounds like you're impressed.
Birds? Will it perform well there?

Thank you, Richard! Winter is a trying time when you have young Petri dishes bringing home all sorts of germs from pre-school I’m actually fine with the snow and cold, it’s the being trapped indoors that bugs me haha

I’ve entertained the idea of adapting the 500PF to Fuji for use in birding, as it would be nice to consolidate down to one body/system, but for various reasons I continue to keep my use cases for gear segmented. Nikon for birding, Fuji for family/travel. Sure, either brand could be used for both, but I think each has their strengths and qualities that make using them for specific purposes justifiable.

On the topic of the X-T5: it’s near perfect as a camera, in my opinion the one thing it’s lacking which would put it over the top: the shallow buffer depth. For birding, this is a deal breaker, but for general family/travel/street, it doesn’t affect me. Whereas, my Z9 has an almost infinite buffer with an even high resolution sensor, but it’s also $4k more expensive!

If I was to consolidate into one system though, it would be tough, but I’d go all Nikon before I went all Fuji. Nikon has a catalogue of classic primes that would be so amazing to shoot with. Someday I might just go that route if Nikon was to release a smaller body Z9

Here are a couple of recent shots of the local winter birds. I'm still enjoying using the 500PF with the Z9 but I will say I am getting very intrigued by the native 400mm f/4.5 Z lens. Anyone else thinking of making the move?

DocRoger wrote in post #19460917
Here are a couple of recent shots of the local winter birds. I'm still enjoying using the 500PF with the Z9 but I will say I am getting very intrigued by the native 400mm f/4.5 Z lens. Anyone else thinking of making the move?

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Amazing colours and details. Very nicely captured.

DocRoger wrote in post #19460917
Here are a couple of recent shots of the local winter birds. I'm still enjoying using the 500PF with the Z9 but I will say I am getting very intrigued by the native 400mm f/4.5 Z lens. Anyone else thinking of making the move?

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Winter birding... doing what we can, with what we got. That Cardinal looks very regal in the soft light, atop of a great perch! It's all Juncos and Cardinals here as well, w/ some Gold and House Finch, Chickadee, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers.

Quick question, Doc: did you get a chance to use the Z9 in the recent sub-zero temps, and if so, how did it perform for you?

As for the 400 4.5: having a native Z mount lens is tempting, though the 1.4 TC would be mandatory, and I'd be in DX mode 99% of the time; neither of which is a bad thing, especially when the other option is the 500PF and the FTZ adapter. At this point though, I'm patiently waiting for the 800PF, so will stick w/ the 500PF, but if I had to choose b/w them anew, I'd 100% go w/ the native Z mount lens (400 4.5).

DocRoger wrote in post #19460917
Here are a couple of recent shots of the local winter birds. I'm still enjoying using the 500PF with the Z9 but I will say I am getting very intrigued by the native 400mm f/4.5 Z lens. Anyone else thinking of making the move?

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I am on the pre-order list for a 800PF lens, and have been since late april. It appears that I am moving up at a rate of 1 per month, so still half a year to go. I have sold my 500PF and I don't intend to re-purchase it, if only for the always-on VR on the Z9. I hated that with the Canon 400DOII adapted to the Canon EOS-R. So ahead of the 800PF I will most likely get the Z400/4.5 with the Z1.4TC.
I really like the rendering of that lens from what I see posted, the colors are magnificent and appear a bit more lively than the colors of the PF lenses. Additionally, it seems to be doing really well with the 1.4TC, and 560mm is more my preferred focal length than 500mm.
The only thing now holding me back from switching back to Nikon is the rumored gripless Z(8?) body that should be released around end of februari, ahead of spring. Nobody seems to have a clue what kind of camera it will be, but if it has the stacked sensor, I will go for that body, if not, then the Z9.

avondale87 wrote in post #19460997
Amazing colours and details. Very nicely captured.

Thank you Richard

MatthewK wrote in post #19461352
Winter birding... doing what we can, with what we got. That Cardinal looks very regal in the soft light, atop of a great perch! It's all Juncos and Cardinals here as well, w/ some Gold and House Finch, Chickadee, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers.

Quick question, Doc: did you get a chance to use the Z9 in the recent sub-zero temps, and if so, how did it perform for you?

As for the 400 4.5: having a native Z mount lens is tempting, though the 1.4 TC would be mandatory, and I'd be in DX mode 99% of the time; neither of which is a bad thing, especially when the other option is the 500PF and the FTZ adapter. At this point though, I'm patiently waiting for the 800PF, so will stick w/ the 500PF, but if I had to choose b/w them anew, I'd 100% go w/ the native Z mount lens (400 4.5).

I did use it briefly when I stepped out my back door for a few shots. No prolonged exposure to the single digit temps. Guess I'll stick with the 500PF a little longer but that 400mm 4.5 sure seems to be calling my name.

Chris1966 wrote in post #19461558
I am on the pre-order list for a 800PF lens, and have been since late april. It appears that I am moving up at a rate of 1 per month, so still half a year to go. I have sold my 500PF and I don't intend to re-purchase it, if only for the always-on VR on the Z9. I hated that with the Canon 400DOII adapted to the Canon EOS-R. So ahead of the 800PF I will most likely get the Z400/4.5 with the Z1.4TC.
I really like the rendering of that lens from what I see posted, the colors are magnificent and appear a bit more lively than the colors of the PF lenses. Additionally, it seems to be doing really well with the 1.4TC, and 560mm is more my preferred focal length than 500mm.
The only thing now holding me back from switching back to Nikon is the rumored gripless Z(8?) body that should be released around end of februari, ahead of spring. Nobody seems to have a clue what kind of camera it will be, but if it has the stacked sensor, I will go for that body, if not, then the Z9.

Yes, a gripless body would be a nice addition to their line-up. Good luck!

MatthewK wrote in post #19457200
It's been a while since I've touched my birding rig, as winter is normally a down time for activity, plus I've been focused on my new Fuji X-T5, dealing with sick kids and shoveling snow Having a major case of cabin fever, I stepped out back and snapped a few shots of the winter resident Dark-eyed Juncos as they endured a snow storm.

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Matt, I love these!

DocRoger wrote in post #19460917
Here are a couple of recent shots of the local winter birds. I'm still enjoying using the 500PF with the Z9 but I will say I am getting very intrigued by the native 400mm f/4.5 Z lens. Anyone else thinking of making the move?

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Very nice Roger. I've seen some really nice shots from the 400 4.5 and they seem to take TC's quite well. That said, I've had good luck with TC's on the 500PF as well.

First photos of the New Year! Took a little trip up to the North Woods of Wisconsin, an area which sees the transition from the deciduous hard woods (your typical maple/oaks/etc), to the spruce/fir of the northern Boreal Forest. My goal/target bird to see was the Boreal Chickadee, but alas I came up empty handed on this trip, as from what I read, they sometimes won't make it as far south in certain years. So, I made the best of it, and got to enjoy an abundance of Red-breasted Nuthatch, a species we get further south, but nowhere near the numbers that I saw this weekend! What made it a little extra special, is that there had recently been some hoar frost, which covered all of the vegetation/branches in sharp, white ice crystals:

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MatthewK wrote in post #19468645
First photos of the New Year! Took a little trip up to the North Woods of Wisconsin, an area which sees the transition from the deciduous hard woods (your typical maple/oaks/etc), to the spruce/fir of the northern Boreal Forest. My goal/target bird to see was the Boreal Chickadee, but alas I came up empty handed on this trip, as from what I read, they sometimes won't make it as far south in certain years. So, I made the best of it, and got to enjoy an abundance of Red-breasted Nuthatch, a species we get further south, but nowhere near the numbers that I saw this weekend! What made it a little extra special, is that there had recently been some hoar frost, which covered all of the vegetation/branches in sharp, white ice crystals:

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Sorry you find a Boreal Chickadee, but you definitely made good use of your time on this trip.
These are excellent Matt!