Registered: Jul 26, 2008
Total Posts: 2751
Country: United States
I took the old 600 and the D4 out for a quick test run today. I didn't last too long because I've yet to get used to handholding the combined weight of roughly 15 lbs while hiking. Before I gave up however, I took a few shots with different settings. Let's go over some of them.
I really wanted to see how fast this handheld combo acquires focus, especially with BIF against very busy background with low contrast between subject/background. For this Snowy Egret flyby, it was a quick lift of the lens, AF point set to off-center, firing away a short burst (6 shots). Wow feel that shutter sound!
About 2 miles later, I found a Red-shouldered Hawk looking for something on the ground. I crawled while holding the heavy combo with one hand - not easy to balance. Again, focus was pretty good in single mode.
Lapping around towards the end of the trail, there were a couple of Caracaras playing in the field. Was windy so holding the lens still was quite a challenge. I got one of them at least.
My overall impression on this combo is that it's very good for what I wanted to do, but given the weight penalty, it won't be my bread 'n butter platform. If I get to sit in the car or use a Gitzo/Wimberley then it's a different story.
