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

Chris1966 wrote in post #19000415
It's just funny, I held and took some shots with the 7DII+400DOII+1.4TC, and then took the D500+500PF and wondered if it was made of fairy dust
I've shot the sigma 500, Pentax DA560 and Canon 400DOII, isn't a serious wildlife lens supposed to weigh something? You should really feel it in your left arm if you have handheld a super telelens for a few hours, and surely, I feel it with the 400DOII+1.4TC, but with the 500PF, it feels like I could casually handhold that lens all day long.
Gone is the sweat and hard work, perhaps I should hand it to my spouse when we go out together and take the 400DOII myself. She is still full of awe over my wildlife shooting, but with the 500PF, she can do it herself I'm sure

Seriously though, this is a revolution in super tele shooting, isn't it, and of course the Nikon D500 behind it is a beast, I hope the shutter doesn't scare the birds, it's well.... present! It is really unbelievable to think what kind of reach and IQ you can easliy carry (abroad) in nothing more than a small backpack, certainly with the 1.4TC for good light.

O a side note: do you shoot with VR sport mode? I noticed that in VR normal mode, the image tends to jump a bit at shutter release, and I seem to get more slightly blurred shots than with VR sport mode at shutter speeds 1/250s or slower.

About the mirrorless 5DV, how much more notice can Canon give than by releasing a mirrorless 5DIV successor? I have not heard much on a dslr 5DV...
But that sensor intrigues me, just the resolution I would like, not too little, not too much, 20mp at 1.5x crop mode, so with current sensor tech, still good at higher iso. With the 400DOII+1.4TC, that would even give me slightly more reach than the D500+500PF. So I'll be hanging on to the 400DOII till next year and see how I feel about it then...

Try it out, and you'll notice a big difference b/w VR normal and sport mode when you go to shoot a small bird. Normal is nigh unusable for anything moving!

I had the same revelation as you did Chris: I was using the 1DX2 + 1.4TC + 600 III alongside my new D500PF, to photograph Indigo Buntings in a sunflower field. The jumbo combo not only was smoking my arms from moving in and around the tall sunflower stalks, but my shots were just looking "blah"... on the other hand, the diminutive Nikon rig was so agile and airy, and the photos were absolutely perfect. It was then and there, that I knew my days of lugging big Canon gear were over, and it's been a honeymoon ever since.

Don't forget a Lens Coat to protect your new 500PF!

MatthewK wrote in post #19000549
Try it out, and you'll notice a big difference b/w VR normal and sport mode when you go to shoot a small bird. Normal is nigh unusable for anything moving!

I had the same revelation as you did Chris: I was using the 1DX2 + 1.4TC + 600 III alongside my new D500PF, to photograph Indigo Buntings in a sunflower field. The jumbo combo not only was smoking my arms from moving in and around the tall sunflower stalks, but my shots were just looking "blah"... on the other hand, the diminutive Nikon rig was so agile and airy, and the photos were absolutely perfect. It was then and there, that I knew my days of lugging big Canon gear were over, and it's been a honeymoon ever since.

Don't forget a Lens Coat to protect your new 500PF!

Yes, the lenscoat cover, of course...
Just curious, what AF mode do you mostly use?

b.t.w. incredible dynamic range from the D500, wipes the floor with the Canon 7DII, but is also a good step above my former Pentax K3II. Especially recovering high contrast shots is a breeze. And very good color depth too!

Chris1966 wrote in post #19000639
Yes, the lenscoat cover, of course...
Just curious, what AF mode do you mostly use?

b.t.w. incredible dynamic range from the D500, wipes the floor with the Canon 7DII, but is also a good step above my former Pentax K3II. Especially recovering high contrast shots is a breeze. And very good color depth too!

100% of the time use AF-C with single point.

I’ve recovered shots from the D500 that had no business being recovered High ISO doesn’t scare me anymore, that’s for sure.

MatthewK wrote in post #19000683
100% of the time use AF-C with single point.

I’ve recovered shots from the D500 that had no business being recovered High ISO doesn’t scare me anymore, that’s for sure.

I see, that is also the AF setting that I use 90% of the time with the 7DII: single point C-AF, except for BIF. For the Nikon I will have to experiment with group AF vs 3D tracking AF.

Regarding the 7DII's IQ: I was more or less happy with IQ in good light for viewing on screen, but it was mainly the printing (A3+ size) where it became painfully obvious that an updated 7DIII was a must. Comparing the 7DII prints with my Pentax K3II prints was no joy. I am also very happy to be rid of the AA filter. People can say what they want about AA filters, but when I went from the Pentax K5II (with AA filter) to the otherwise identical (but no AA filter) K5IIs, it became obvious what the impact of the AA filter on crop bodies is, perhaps lower resolution FF bodies is another story. The AA filter in the 7DII is very present.

Chris1966 wrote in post #19000831
I see, that is also the AF setting that I use 90% of the time with the 7DII: single point C-AF, except for BIF. For the Nikon I will have to experiment with group AF vs 3D tracking AF.

If you set AF-On + AF Mode to a couple different buttons, each with a different AF Mode, it will be quick & easy to access / evaluate the different modes "on the fly".

Also, I don't know what metering mode(s) you preferred historically, but on the Nikons "for me", Spot Metering has been wonderful for birding 99% of the time. The D500 (and the other Nikon bodies I've tried) use the active AF point as the metering point. On the 7DII, Spot metering was performed in the center of the frame, regardless of where the active AF point was. I believe the only Canon body I had the used the active AF point for metering (other then center) for metering was the 1DxII.

For "challengingly" lit scenes, the Nikon Martix metering mode works very well. It's similar to Evaluative mode on the 7DII.

...back to regularly scheduled programming.

Here's a couple from lunch break, yesterday.

EyeSpyEagle wrote in post #19000957
If you set AF-On + AF Mode to a couple different buttons, each with a different AF Mode, it will be quick & easy to access / evaluate the different modes "on the fly".

Also, I don't know what metering mode(s) you preferred historically, but on the Nikons "for me", Spot Metering has been wonderful for birding 99% of the time. The D500 (and the other Nikon bodies I've tried) use the active AF point as the metering point. On the 7DII, Spot metering was performed in the center of the frame, regardless of where the active AF point was. I believe the only Canon body I had the used the active AF point for metering (other then center) for metering was the 1DxII.

For "challengingly" lit scenes, the Nikon Martix metering mode works very well. It's similar to Evaluative mode on the 7DII.

With the Canon 7DII I am cautious not to underexpose because of the severely limited ability to bring back in post. With the Pentax K3II I usually exposed conservatively, keeping to a lower iso because I could easily recover exposure at lower iso, but higher iso was not the K3II's forte. Now with the D500 I have a range of possibilities it seems, because it is virtually iso invariant, but also handles higher iso's very well

I cannot overstate how good it feels for me to have such a good crop sensor now after having been on a stern diet for a year. You certainly learn as you go along...

Chris1966 wrote in post #19001126
With the Canon 7DII I am cautious not to underexpose because of the severely limited ability to bring back in post. With the Pentax K3II I usually exposed conservatively, keeping to a lower iso because I could easily recover exposure at lower iso, but higher iso was not the K3II's forte. Now with the D500 I have a range of possibilities it seems, because it is virtually iso invariant, but also handles higher iso's very well

I cannot overstate how good it feels for me to have such a good crop sensor now after having been on a stern diet for a year. You certainly learn as you go along...

**whisper: just wait until he tries Topaz DeNoise AI on these NEF files, he'll be falling out of his chair!

No DeNoise on this one though, too lazy, kept it in LR...

New buddy @ lunch today. From the look of his crop, he just ate too.

MatthewK wrote in post #19001180
**whisper: just wait until he tries Topaz DeNoise AI on these NEF files, he'll be falling out of his chair!

Fact Check: TRUE

LOL!!!!!

Just curious, has any of you experimented with a 95mm screw in metal lens hood?
That would make storage much easier when using a long lens bag, and cycling. That way, it should be possible to quickly take out the lens and store it again, resting on the lens hood and no need to put on the cap all the time. I am hesitant to store it (with camera attached on top) while resting on the supplied plastic lens hood. It does not seem that sturdy.

EyeSpyEagle wrote in post #19001020
...back to regularly scheduled programming.

Here's a couple from lunch break, yesterday.

Sweet details Phil!

mandokid1 wrote in post #19001987
Sweet details Phil!

Thanks Denis.

Chris1966 wrote in post #19001927
Just curious, has any of you experimented with a 95mm screw in metal lens hood?
That would make storage much easier when using a long lens bag, and cycling. That way, it should be possible to quickly take out the lens and store it again, resting on the lens hood and no need to put on the cap all the time. I am hesitant to store it (with camera attached on top) while resting on the supplied plastic lens hood. It does not seem that sturdy.

I have not. I regularly stand mine (with D500 & Battery Grip) and Wifey's (just D500) on the end, using the standard issue lens hood. I have not tried that in a bag, though.

How's it going? Let's see some Europe thru the 500PF...

I came across a small group of Yellow-Rumped Warbles eating berries over the weekend, but try as I might I just could not get any of these guys to venture out of the shade.

Z50, 500PF + 1.4x TC