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

MatthewK wrote in post #19007723
Nemesis bird:


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Is that a young Dark-Eyed Junco? They are here for the winter, but that one has a bit lighter color than I usually see.

We just got back from an extended weekend in Las Vegas. I took Wifey & M-i-L, so I had tie to go out & bird. I would never have expected that area to be a hot spot, but man was I wrong! It was awesome. I think our tally was 15 or 16 lifers - all within 30 minutes of the chaos of the strip. I've got a ton of shots to review & process, but I'll be getting to them soon. We just got back late last night, so all my gear is still in bags & backpacks.

I believe the brownish colored Juncos are the females.

Phil, I'm excited to see your bounty! I absolutely love birding in new places and seeing new species, and I always seem to have better luck at places that aren't >here<

What pack do you use for travel?

MatthewK wrote in post #19006082
Eastern Bluebird:

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Perfect! Mine won't come back until spring for nesting (4 boxes in the backyard which I need to clean out).

Jorgac wrote in post #19006278
This image really gives you an idea of how sharp this lens really is. I love bird photography and would love extra reach (I also miss the F4 of my old Canon 500mm) so I had a look at a Nikkor 600mm F4 FL last week. I was quite surprised by how light it felt (compared to how big it is) once I picked it up attached to my D850 and almost pulled the trigger. Suddenly I thought I should test it out in my SUV (which is where I do a lot of my shooting from) and that just brought home to me how amazing the 500 PF really is. To lift the 600 up and point it out the window was a precarious task and those extra seconds could easily result in a missed opportunity. That was the deal-breaker so the 500 PF is definitely for keeps.

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Bird is perfect. Background amazing.

MatthewK wrote in post #19007723
Nemesis bird:

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Wonderful pose, perch, background bokeh. Just 10 star in every way.

MatthewK wrote in post #19007874
I believe the brownish colored Juncos are the females.

Phil, I'm excited to see your bounty! I absolutely love birding in new places and seeing new species, and I always seem to have better luck at places that aren't >here<

What pack do you use for travel?

Well... I had hoped to make more progress on them tonight, but only got to look at a few.

Our new new captures (lifers, as some say) on the trip included: Costa's Hummingbird, Gambel's Quail, Anna's Hummingbird, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Eared Grebe, Horned Grebe, Black Phoebe, Verdin, Abert Towhee, Crissal Thrasher, Black-Tailed Gnat Catcher, Golden Eagle, Hermit Thrush, Green-Winged Teal, and Brewers Blackbird. There will likely be more as I go thru the images, but those were the ones we noted while in the field.

It was truly amazing to see that many new "to us" species in a three day period - IN LAS VEGAS!

Here's a couple quickies from the beginning of Day 1 that Wifey took.

Hats off for the jackrabbit shot, love it!

Sounds as though we're in for a show here, that's a diverse list! Definitely wanting to see the hummers!

MedicineMan4040 wrote in post #19007927
Wonderful pose, perch, background bokeh. Just 10 star in every way.

It really makes my day when I get a 10-star award from you! A few years back, when I was first seriously getting into birding, you left a comment on my first-ever Great Horned Owl photo. That single gesture really motivated me to keep pursuing the craft and improve, and I'll never forget it. Thank you very much, then, and now!

This is museum quality, Charles. The clarity around the eye and bill is a delight! How did you go about getting the completely black background?

MatthewK wrote in post #19007874
What pack do you use for travel?

I overlooked your question.

What I've been doing since getting the 500PF's is using one LowePro roller bag (an older version of the Pro Roller x300 AW) and a Think Tank backpack (StreetWalker HardDrive V2.0). With the two of them, I can carry plenty of hardware for both of us. While traversing airports, big parking garages, etc., I bungee the backpack to the extended pull handle of the roller bag & off we go.

I had carried some gear for night shots on the strip, but that never happened. On our most recent adventure to SoFL, I carried a CF monopod with the Wimberly monopod head in my clothes bag, but since I never used it, I didn't bother this time. Another example of the greatness of the uber-lite 500PF - Extra support not required!

Edit / Add:

I forgot mention that in addition to all the new captures, there were numerous other species that simply were not "new" to us including but not limited to: Bufflehead, Mergansers, Great Horned Owl, Canadian Geese, Snow Geese, Great Egrets, Blue Heron, Osprey (yes, Osprey in Las Vegas!), Mallards, RT Hawks, Northern Harrier, Greater Road Runner, Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker, Various Species of Sparrow, House Finch, Pigeons, Various Gulls, and who knows how many more.

All this at the "Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve". What a wonderful place!

Here's a couple more of Moma's shots.

Went out with the 500PF+1.4TC for the first time and visited a place where a lot of migrating Mallards winter. This is a pair of Gadwalls. Pixel sharpness suffers with the 1.4TC, but that is no surprise, it becomes a 700mm f8 combo after all on a 21mp crop sensor.
Still, I enjoyed the performance of the D500+500PF+1.4TC combo, AF was still fairly responsive and of course you are rewarded with reach.

Initially I intended to get a Z50 for the 500PF+1.4TC combo, because AF at f8 is a bit of a struggle for every Dslr regarding consistency and accuracy. Perhaps EyeSpyEagle can give his thoughts on the benefit of the Z50 over the D500 for use with the 1.4TC for fairly distant subjects? Is it worth the extra cash?

These are 3100px crops b.t.w.

EyeSpyEagle wrote in post #19008082
I overlooked your question.

What I've been doing since getting the 500PF's is using one LowePro roller bag (an older version of the Pro Roller x300 AW) and a Think Tank backpack (StreetWalker HardDrive V2.0). With the two of them, I can carry plenty of hardware for both of us. While traversing airports, big parking garages, etc., I bungee the backpack to the extended pull handle of the roller bag & off we go.

I had carried some gear for night shots on the strip, but that never happened. On our most recent adventure to SoFL, I carried a CF monopod with the Wimberly monopod head in my clothes bag, but since I never used it, I didn't bother this time. Another example of the greatness of the uber-lite 500PF - Extra support not required!

Edit / Add:

I forgot mention that in addition to all the new captures, there were numerous other species that simply were not "new" to us including but not limited to: Bufflehead, Mergansers, Great Horned Owl, Canadian Geese, Snow Geese, Great Egrets, Blue Heron, Osprey (yes, Osprey in Las Vegas!), Mallards, RT Hawks, Northern Harrier, Greater Road Runner, Yellow Shafted Northern Flicker, Various Species of Sparrow, House Finch, Pigeons, Various Gulls, and who knows how many more.

All this at the "Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve". What a wonderful place!

Sounds like you has a great time!

Chris1966 wrote in post #19008181
Perhaps EyeSpyEagle can give his thoughts on the benefit of the Z50 over the D500 for use with the 1.4TC for fairly distant subjects? Is it worth the extra cash?

Very nice captures of the Gadwalls.

In my experience, the Z50 will focus better with TC's (including the 1.7x & 2x if you have adequate light) than their DSLR siblings and provide better IQ. *Important* - When I say "better", I mean it will produce sharper results - I do not mean "faster" than a DSLR, because it is not - at least not yet.

I enjoy having the Z50 as an option and use it as a compliment to to the D500. I believe Robert was going to try some TC's out with his Z50 & 300PF & 500PF lenses too. Perhaps he can share his experience too.

Just curious - Is Nikon offering the "Yellow Box" program in your geography? Here, you can buy one and try a Z50 for 30 days and return it for a full refund at the end, if you choose to - no questions asked.

Chris1966 wrote in post #19008184
Sounds like you has a great time!

Thanks, we had a wonderful time. It's really nice when you leave totally pleased & ready to return.

Jorgac wrote in post #19006278
This image really gives you an idea of how sharp this lens really is. I love bird photography and would love extra reach (I also miss the F4 of my old Canon 500mm) so I had a look at a Nikkor 600mm F4 FL last week. I was quite surprised by how light it felt (compared to how big it is) once I picked it up attached to my D850 and almost pulled the trigger. Suddenly I thought I should test it out in my SUV (which is where I do a lot of my shooting from) and that just brought home to me how amazing the 500 PF really is. To lift the 600 up and point it out the window was a precarious task and those extra seconds could easily result in a missed opportunity. That was the deal-breaker so the 500 PF is definitely for keeps.

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This is an absolutely beautiful, publication quality, image Charles.

W O W!