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Archive 2016 · Is the 600 FL right for me?

  
 
joefoo
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


I attempted to order the lens in question, but there was some sort of technical difficulty with the web site. So while I wait for the IT guys to plug the cable back in, could I pick your brains?
I enjoy bird and wildlife photography with my D750 but my longest lens is the 80-400G. It has served me well, but it is clear to me that more reach would be better, not to mention the added IQ of one of the big guns. I have considered the 400 (with TC and D7200/D500), the 500 and the 600. Money isn't an issue, but I don't really want to buy all three and try to get them into carry on luggage
So is the 600 the one to go for or would one of the others offer more flexibility?



Jan 09, 2016 at 05:47 AM
Chris_88
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


I don't own any of the three lenses in question, but I have recently had the chance to handle the 500 and 600 FL. The 500 weighs only 3kg. Given that we're talking about a 500mm f4 lens, I found it amazingly light-weight and nimble. The 600 is larger and heavier, even though it feels lighter than its actual weight of 3.8 kg. I guess the question is whether you can live with 750mm f5.6 (500mm and the 1.4x TC on your D750) or need more reach (of course adding an APSC camera would help here too). If you need all the reach you can get in a handhold able package, then go for the 600mm. I guess, it depends on what you're shooting and how. For small birds, the 600mm is probably the way to go. For mammals it might be too long. The big advantage of the 400 2.8 of course is that it allows you to use the TC's and give you an 560 4 and 800 5.6.

I'd toyed with the idea of getting a 500mm prime (the old one, though), but just before I pulled the trigger, Nikon announced the D500. I want to see whether the D500 and the 200-500 5.6 will be sufficient for my needs, before I think about a big prime again.



Jan 09, 2016 at 06:02 AM
trenchmonkey
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


Money isn't an issue,
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR



Jan 09, 2016 at 06:28 AM
Christian H
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


The choice comes down to your shooting style. Many 600 mm shooters prefer the fieldguide style of bird photography: a tightly-framed bird fills the frame against a clean background (think Art Morris or BN Singh.) Birders obsessed with "getting more pixels on the bird" like this focal length.

500 mm enables you to play with wider framings, even with big game, which helps show animals in their place (think environmental portraits). And it's often long enough to get that tightly-framed portrait when you want it, especially since the TC 1.4 III is a perfectly good option.

How this plays out does vary with geography. If you live in wide open country, you might need a 600 to do the job of my 500 on the East Coast of the United States, where shooting distances rarely exceed 30 m.

I'd stay away from the f/2.8 400 unless you regularly face very low-light shooting conditions and/or you can get very close to your subjects as a matter of course.

Christian

Edited on Jan 09, 2016 at 06:39 AM · View previous versions



Jan 09, 2016 at 06:38 AM
joefoo
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


trenchmonkey wrote:
AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR


I'll wait until I'm ready to begin my study of the irises of small birds



Jan 09, 2016 at 06:38 AM
joefoo
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


Thanks all for your thoughts, the 500 is beginning to sound like the more attractive option.


Jan 09, 2016 at 06:42 AM
joefoo
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


Ok, the 500 is on it's way. If that plus a crop sensor plus a tc1.4III don't give me engough reach, I'll just switch to my 300WM. Thanks again.


Jan 09, 2016 at 07:05 AM
elkhornsun
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


For general wildlife photography I find the 400mm too short and I can use the 80-400mm nearly as well and without need for a tripod. I currently use a 500mm f4 lens which works well with the 3 Nikon teleconverter for greater image magnification.

The old 600mm f4 was heavier than I cared to manage but the new one is only a few ounces heavier than my current 500mm f4 and it would be my first choice. Even with bears and elk and moose I am still shooting at a distance and the 600mm would be great. The 800mm is a more limited lens unless you don't mind highly cropped perspectives as a matter of course.

I would rather have a 500mm, 700mm, 850mm, and 1000mm options with the 500mm lens and teleconverters so I can match the focal length to the subjects and the situation. Probably 10-15 percent of the time I would be able to take advantage of having a 800mm lens for wildlife photography and that is not enough usage for me to have one sitting on the shelf.




Jan 09, 2016 at 03:28 PM
harshaj1
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


I have the lens and loving it. I have a review on my blog, Took the lens to arctic circle for polar bears. Images are posted on Nature forum.
Harsha



Jan 09, 2016 at 03:55 PM
architect7
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Is the 600 FL right for me?


joefoo wrote:
Ok, the 500 is on it's way. If that plus a crop sensor plus a tc1.4III don't give me engough reach, I'll just switch to my 300WM. Thanks again.


This is my strategy as well with my 500mm f4D AF-S II plus 1.4x TC on a D500. I like to move around too much for a 600 f4 and 700mm f5.6 on a D500 is ideal especially for smaller birds while still being able to hand hold here and there. Your new 500mm FL is my dream lens and the FL lenses are supposed to resolve better on DX than any prior generation so that will be an amazing setup for birding.



Jan 09, 2016 at 09:34 PM





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