Any information about these lenses would be greatly appreciated as I continue my quest to find a sharp, useable long telephoto that costs less than the new D4
Do these focus well enough to be useable for shooting large mammals in the West?
How about large birds... eagles, raptors?
How is the exposure metering with the D700 and the D3S?
Thanks,
Bob
7508 manufactured between 1988 and 2005. serials are 200001 - 207509 if you buy one and are wondering the appox age. known by many as the best overall IQ of any of the old super telephoto manual focus lenses- it's is one of the last made/designed, so that's makes pretty good sense.
it's lighter than any other 500mm super telephoto nikon made (only 3000 grams) compared to- 4200 for the AF-I, 3800 for the AF-S I, 3430 for the AF-S II and 3880 for the AF-S VR. it's manual focus, so it's ability to focus depends on your veiwfinder, and your personally experience/skill with focusing longer lenses. it's a P lens so metering is not a worry.
from personal experience at 500mm, don't go MF- esp if your going to spend $2500+ on a 500mm P, go a bit higher for 4-5 and get something AF- your amount of shots in focus will murder what you could do with your own hands- believe me. worst case scenerio- buy a 300mm 2.8 AF-S I or II for 2500-3500 and get and shoot it with a 1.4 or 1.7x tc- that'll still stomp a MF 500mm for B.I.F shots and whatnot.
As Ed mentions - it is a manual focus lens. There is a learning curve to properly use a super telephoto, because it is not like other lenses, or photography. Plus, you can spend quite a bit on support as well...heavy duty tripods, gimbal heads etc. I intend to sell my AFS version I in the next week or two.
Some samples using the TC16A + D2x [=800mm f/6.3 af):
?zz=1"> The Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus) by labecoaves, on Flickr
500mm f/4 P AI-S + TC-16A AF teleconverter test (= 800mm f/6.3). Limited auto focus possible using an old D2X camera.
f/9.5, ISO 100, 1/100s, Gitzo 3531 + Wimberley II gimbal head
Consider this image is a ~ 50% crop.
?zz=1"> Moon by labecoaves, on Flickr
Moon shot (spot metering, real colour of moon is gray not white),
field test of 500mm f4 P MF + TC16A = 800mm f6.3 AF (using D2x).
Consider this is a 50% crop of original image.
?zz=1"> Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher Myiozetetes similis by labecoaves, on Flickr
Vermilion-crowned Flycatcher.
D2x + Nikkor 500mm f/4 P AI-S + TC-16A first field tests.
AF is possible with D2 series cameras without any mod of the TC.
Consider this is a 60% crop of original image.
?zz=1"> Pitangus sulphuratus Great Kiskadee by labecoaves, on Flickr
The Great Kiskadee - a subadult - note yelow base of bill (gape)
Not a great perch, but just a field test of 500mm f4 P MF + TC16A = 800mm f6.3 AF
Consider this is a 30% crop of original image.
This is one lens that I sold and I shouldn’t have. It is very sharp even wide open with a 1.4TC. There is only one bad thing about the 500mm f4 AI-P and that is it won’t auto focus.
It is great for static objects but I don’t think you will get many keepers of birds in flight. The focus ring is nice and smooth and the lens is hand holdable ( I aways used a tripod, because I had a hard time focusing and holding the lens in a stable manner ). Optically I doubt it is that far behind the latest model. I was very happy with the lens. But sold it when I needed some funds, stupid stupid.
Personally, I wouldn't go manual focus for anything I might use on moving subjects (kids, sports, wildlife). As much as we complain about modern AF these days, it still beats the heck out of even my relatively young (24yo) eyes. Even when I first got into photography I at least had the aid of a split prism viewfinder to help out. I am sure there are plenty of people who have nailed the technique of fast accurate MF, but I am not one of them. I need to take my time, preferably with Live View.
ryanpfleger
Not all of us can afford the auto focus versions of the 500mm.
I would be afraid to purchase a very old auto focus 500mm f4 because of parts for repairs, I don’t think Nikon is maintaining parts for lens older than ten years now. And with the 500mm f4 AIS-P there isn’t much to go wrong, they are built extremely well and I just don’t see them wearing out.
I would love to have an auto focus 500mm, but I don’t make money with my photos ( very much any way, about $100 a month ) and finance wise I am retired with limited funds and can’t afford the cost for a 500mm.
Dennis
---XR--- wrote:
. worst case scenerio- buy a 300mm 2.8 AF-S I or II for 2500-3500 and get and shoot it with a 1.4 or 1.7x tc- that'll still stomp a MF 500mm for B.I.F shots and whatnot.
uintaangler wrote:
...
Do these focus well enough to be useable for shooting large mammals in the West?
How about large birds... eagles, raptors?
...
Bob
The OP do not specified BIF or small moving birds.
So, for large mammals and birds, static or not moving too fast, the 500mm MF (with TCs if necessary) is more than enough.
Another good lens that can be found below US$ 2000.00 is the 600mm f/5.6 EDIF, however it has no CPU and is 1 stop darker.
These long MF tele lenses are incredibly sensitive to accurate focus - I now have both the 500/4P and 600/5.6 ED-IF AIS (new) and to get the most out of them the OVF of ANY Nikon DSLR just cannot be relied up (nor can the green dot). Live view is the only way to nail the focus and even then the line-skipping of the D800 makes it hard.
Very very slight movements of the focus ring at far distances makes all the difference regarding sharpness - closer in they many not be quite so sensitive, but I've not used mine for anything closer than several hundred meters.
A good copy of the 500/4P is a capable lens for sure if you are willing to be patient with it.
During my studies we had MF 500 and 600 we could use , and as the only student in my class who was really interested in Wildlife and nature, I had them pretty much all to myself for about 3 years xD.
Static objects are ok to shoot with those lenses with no problem, but when it comes to anything that moves (especially birds) it becomes a pain in the ass to get a good shoot , there is a lot of learning on how to focus with such Tele, and to keep your subject in the frame and focus while it moves @500mm through the viewfinder is a hard task even after you train yourself to focus manually...
after my studies (or actually already towards the end of my last year I took a small loan and got myself 300mm 2.8 VRii (didn't have any used in my broad general area at the time so had to go for new...).
I would really recommend that you take one of those lenses for a couple of days of shooting before you buy one, and join the recommendations to go for an AF model.
There is a reason the best BIF photos are made with lenses that cost in the mid to upper 4 figures.
They are THE tool for the job. AF is required for ultimate quality.
The P lens is fully capable of top quality images of static subjects. Jhinkey knows what of which he speaks. He has shown some fine examples on the MFNG thread.
The fast 300 + tc option is a good one. The 500P also does ok with TCs and is another level of reach.
I look forward to the next quantum leap of manual focus assistance (focus peaking, split screen, interchangeable screens, really anything!) to bring out the usefullness of this lens.
If the large mammals the OP seeks are at a zoo or Yellowstone for example, the lens will not dissapoint when the proper technique is followed. Also it should be noted that prices vary considerably and patientence pays off. Good luck.
Ggear was just promoting his ad to this old thread.
I dont think the OP is going to reply back considering this is a thread from 2012. Let us let this thread go back to slumber and continue conversation of this fine piece of glass at MF thread.
VIDEO TEST
NIKON D810 camera, 60-fps, 1920 x 1080,
NIKON 500mm f/4.0P IF ED lens, Aperture set at f/5.6. (Focus: on mountains)
- Wyoming - Bighorn Mountains - Cloud Peak (6:40PM) April 11, 2016
