Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

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Archive 2009 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Dan Bellyk
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p.1 #1 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

I currently have the 200-400 and have debated on selling it for the Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VR.
The extra reach is great but loosing the zoom capability sucks, trying to decide if it's worth the extra money. Let's see those excellent pics from this lens!!

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:01 AM

colincarter46
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p.1 #2 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

I did the same thing, I sold my 200-400 for the 500 VR and very glad i did

here is a shot with the 2x TC on the 500 Vr or my D300.

I was finding that the 200-400 was great for close subjects but with the teleconverters and distance subjects the quality was not what I was expecting.

Nov 20, 2009 at 08:18 AM

RKnecht
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p.1 #3 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Wow...that is a great shot. I have never seen good shots with the 500 or 600 with the 2.0 TC. Care to share any more from this combo?

Nov 20, 2009 at 12:34 PM

Scott Grant
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p.1 #4 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

i've only ever seen a 200-400 once in my lifetime but have shot a ton with my 500VR since the spring. it is one hell of a lens! i do find the reach is fantastic, especially when using a 1.7X converter. if you focus correctly and use sufficient shutter speeds the combo is quite sharp wide open.

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Nov 20, 2009 at 01:10 PM

colincarter46
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p.1 #5 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

RKnecht wrote:
Wow...that is a great shot. I have never seen good shots with the 500 or 600 with the 2.0 TC. Care to share any more from this combo?

thanks for the compliment, much appreciated.

I had the lens supported on a beanbag pointing through a hide window. I believe it was taken at F8. I was using autofocus with the image stabiliser turned off. Its a great lens and the autofocus still works great on the D300 and even better on my D3 bodies. Nikon did a fantastic job with all their new VR equipped telephoto lenses.

Here is one with the 1.7x on the D3

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Nov 20, 2009 at 02:10 PM

Gary Irwin
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p.1 #6 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Scott Grant wrote:
i've only ever seen a 200-400 once in my lifetime but have shot a ton with my 500VR since the spring. it is one hell of a lens! i do find the reach is fantastic, especially when using a 1.7X converter. if you focus correctly and use sufficient shutter speeds the combo is quite sharp wide open.

...

That's some beautiful work Scott. Are these all with the TC17EII?

Nov 20, 2009 at 03:07 PM

Gary Irwin
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p.1 #7 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Hi Dan;

As you know I have both the 200-400VR and 500VR. I still like the 2-4 for certain things, but when reach is needed the 500+TC17EII is what I reach for. In fact I'm finding I'm using the TC17EII more than ever for the smallish birds around these parts. So the only thing I might caution you about is that you might need to think about matching the 600VR with your D3s.

These are all taken with the D300+500VR+TC17EII = 850mm; (most from a monopod, some hand held)...

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Edited on Nov 21, 2009 at 05:56 PM · View previous versions

Nov 20, 2009 at 03:35 PM

bwield
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p.1 #8 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

850mm.. 9 pound lens.. and Handheld

? With sharp results... good sweet jesus....
Very nice shots

Nov 20, 2009 at 03:49 PM

Scott Grant
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p.1 #9 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Gary Irwin wrote:
Scott Grant wrote:
i've only ever seen a 200-400 once in my lifetime but have shot a ton with my 500VR since the spring. it is one hell of a lens! i do find the reach is fantastic, especially when using a 1.7X converter. if you focus correctly and use sufficient shutter speeds the combo is quite sharp wide open.

...

That's some beautiful work Scott. Are these all with the TC17EII?

thanks Gary. you have some beautiful work yourself!

#6 was with 1.7X
#7 was with 1.4X
#8 was with 1.7X

the rest were naked with either D300 or D700.

Nov 20, 2009 at 04:08 PM

Gary Irwin
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p.1 #10 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Scott Grant wrote:

#6 was with 1.7X
#7 was with 1.4X
#8 was with 1.7X

the rest were naked with either D300 or D700.

Thanks Scott...I especially like #6 (which I've seen posted before) ... very impressive.

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:49 PM

Gary Irwin
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p.1 #11 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

bwield wrote:
850mm.. 9 pound lens.. and Handheld

? With sharp results... good sweet jesus....
Very nice shots

Thanks but that doesn't happen to often..usually only when I have to move quick to grab a shot and there's no time to plant the monopod properly. Of course good light (high SS) is essential when hand holding -- and as always 8 FPS and VR are your friends!!

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:54 PM

allstarimaging
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p.1 #12 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Wow, these are really outstanding. Curious for those of you who have both care to comment on the 200-400F4 vs the 500 F4 both wide open at F4 in terms of IQ. I know there have been some comments on vignetting with the 200-400 wide open I assume that is not an issue on the 500. Thank you for posting.
jack

Nov 20, 2009 at 05:57 PM

Go4Long
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p.1 #13 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

it never ceases to amaze me how well the long primes take the teleconverters.
can't wait for my 300 2.8 to show up, despite the fact that it's not AS long as the these I'm still super pumped

Nov 20, 2009 at 07:05 PM

Dan Bellyk
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p.1 #14 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Wow these are all amazing shots!! Got me drooling

Nov 21, 2009 at 12:37 AM

grosema
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p.1 #15 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

I think you should Dan
Having that Lens with your D3s soon to be.... what a combow that would be

All I can do is dream

Those pic's on here are way -way nice

Nov 25, 2009 at 04:13 AM

spentomuch
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p.1 #16 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

I knew better than to click on this topic
Now I have long lens envy

Nov 26, 2009 at 02:15 AM

dj dunzie
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p.1 #17 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Thank God linemen and hockey forwards are as big as they are... I couldn't afford the 500VR added to my kit, but shots like these sure speak wonders for it... keep 'em coming!

Nov 26, 2009 at 03:22 AM

tc-photo
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p.1 #18 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Ok, I can't take it anymore, I've got to know.

Please don't take this the wrong way as I'm not questioning/bashing anyone, I'd just like to hear from guys who do it....as to why and what is the interest.

Here it is:

Why would anyone pay $5000+ for a lens to take pictures of birds?

I can see the eagle...because...well...it's an eagle, but I just don't get the obsession with "birding"....but I also don't understand hunting...whether it's deer, squirrel, rabbit, etc. Maybe there's some hidden connection there, I don't know.....

Those of you who are "birders" could you give me some insight? Again, I'm not being sarcastic or trying to put down birders in any way, I'm just trying to understand the whole birding thing in general. They just sit there on a branch, they don't move, there's not really any "challenge" in getting the shot that I can see.....what is your "motivation" to shoot birds.

Thanks....and let's not turn this into some ugly....bash TC thread. As I said, I'm just curious......

Nov 26, 2009 at 04:13 AM

LLondon
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p.1 #19 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

The challenge of capturing a picture of something that most people will never see. The ones of the birds feeding are the kind of things we live for.
Some of us just love being outside.

Nov 26, 2009 at 04:29 AM

smjphoto
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p.1 #20 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

TC,
If you think there is no challenge in taking bird shots, you can't have tried it. Long lens technique is much tougher than "regular" photography. Finding and stalking the subjects is a time consuming and often frustrating task. As far as not moving, they usually seem that way until you try to get close enough...
It is like most challenging things in life; if it were easy all the time it wouldn't hold one's interest. Though the pictures may or may not capture the moment in an exciting way for the viewer, I promise you the average person taking the photo had a heightened experience and was involved in a moment with the natural world above and beyond that of the casual observer. Conveying that moment is the essence of a good photo.
The statement of "They just sit there on a branch, they don't move, there's not really any "challenge" in getting the shot that I can see.....what is your "motivation" to shoot birds. " could be applied to all sorts of subjects with just as much folly. What about landscapes? portraits? flowers? still life? product shots? It just sits there, what's the challenge? Nothing moving... yet most would agree that taking a good landscape photo,etc. can be immensely challenging.

I'm not implying that you should like or appreciate bird photography; that's a personal thing, but implying it is simple or easy is wrong and simplistic. I do suggest to you to try to capture some bird photos on your own just for the challenge, even some easy birds, just so you can appreciate a little of the nuances involved and how much of the technical aspects of photography come into play. Even a picture of a duck at the local park can be a challenge to get a really sharp, crisp, well exposed, well lit, and well composed image. Try it and post one here to impress the rest of us.

I hope this helps. I don't mean anything ugly,
Stuart

Nov 26, 2009 at 07:50 AM

firewireguy
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p.1 #21 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Surely the lure of birding is the uber-mega equipment needed!

Nov 26, 2009 at 10:14 AM

Gary Irwin
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p.1 #22 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

tc-photo wrote:Why would anyone pay $5000+ for a lens to take pictures of birds?

I can see the eagle...because...well...it's an eagle, but I just don't get the obsession with "birding"....but I also don't understand hunting...whether it's deer, squirrel, rabbit, etc. Maybe there's some hidden connection there, I don't know.....

Those of you who are "birders" could you give me some insight? Again, I'm not being sarcastic or trying to put down birders in any way, I'm just trying to understand the whole birding thing in general. They just sit there on a branch, they don't move, there's not really any "challenge" in getting the shot that I can see.....what is your "motivation" to shoot birds.

Thanks....and let's not turn this into some ugly....bash TC thread. As I said, I'm just curious......

[OFF TOPIC] (my apologies to Dan the OP...)

Hi TC: Well, believe it or not birding has always has been popular and is increasingly so with the aging metro populations that want to connect more with nature. I've heard that in North America birding is the fastest growing hobby. Anyway, whether you
"get it" or not just boils down to personal preference.

I can tell you that photographing birds is one of the most challenging photographic activities as it requires a lot of time, effort to learn the techniques, travel, and of course money. Like anything else, show me an excellent avian photograph and I'll show you how it could be better, so striving for that elusive perfection is a big part of the game. Unfortunately it's hard to dabble in avian photography because of the expense of the equipment and dedication necessary if you're serious. Yet the popularity of the hobby is undeniable given the number of forums dedicated to nature photography.

All I know is that is my photography hobby meshes nicely with my love of birds/nature that I've had all my life. Unfortunately for my wallet, I've developed a taste for sharp images of very challenging, mostly distant subjects! But being at the later stage in my working career I can afford to spend the money...something I couldn't do in my 20's, that's for sure.

I agree with you about one thing though...I prefer "action" shots as opposed to static portrait shots of birds. Here's one of my best from the Summer. Getting this shot required me to sit for hours at at time over many weekends in August and September waiting to catch this Osprey fishing for dinner....

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Was it worth the effort? You bet!

Here's hoping you find your passion for life!

BTW, that was taken with my D300+500VR, so I'm not completely off topic!!

[/OFF TOPIC]

Nov 26, 2009 at 06:22 PM

Dan Bellyk
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p.1 #23 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

No problem at all Gary keep them coming....Excellent shot and one to be VERY proud of!!

Dan

Nov 27, 2009 at 03:33 AM

HOWARD KEARLEY
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p.1 #24 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Nov 27, 2009 at 03:19 PM

Dan Bellyk
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p.1 #25 · Lets see those Nikkor AF-S 500mm f/4G ED VRI Pics

Very nice Howard and hand held

Dec 01, 2009 at 03:51 AM


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