I've seen both. I remember driving miles with my 500mm on crop body to see sandhill and chicks when I used to live in WI. Now in FL the parents bring their babies to our backyard and even a cell phone has too much reach . Lots of water birds up close. Anyhow even here blue jays are little shy.
MedicineMan404 wrote:
You guys have bierds landing on your feet and I have to wear camo and hide in a blind for a simple Blue-J! Maybe I'm not living right.
Anyone have updates on Lens delivery ? Specifically in the US .
I’m still waiting for mine.......ordered from B&H 8/29.
Any intel would be appreciated. ie. Where you got yours and when.
kbarrera wrote:
Anyone have updates on Lens delivery ? Specifically in the US .
I’m still waiting for mine.......ordered from B&H 8/29.
Any intel would be appreciated. ie. Where you got yours and when.
Thanks
Al
Everything I've heard is next shipment in November....and even then you may need to be NPS.....
NPS was shipping in October for current orders but B&H says they will have inventory for the general public by mid-November. Always a good idea to pre-order and be in the queue before they show an item is in stock on their website.
With all the attention to the performance of the 500mm PF lens it is easy to overlook what it can do for travel logistics. When I got a 600mm f/4G lens that weighed over 11 lbs. I soon found that I needed a stronger set of legs and a gimbal head (which added $1700 to the cost of the lens). Now with the 500mm PF weighing only 3.2 lbs it is feasible to go back to using a Wimberley Sidekick on a ballhead for general travel photography.
I have loved using the Wimberley Sidekick as it meant I had a ballhead for landscapes and panos that I could convert in the field in seconds for use with a telephoto lens and the Kirk BH-1 ballhead and Sidekick have a combined weight of 3.2 lbs as compared to my Gitzo fluid dampened gimbal head's weight of 2.98 lb so only an increase of 3 ounces to have the combo ballhead and gimbal head available for use.
That’s pretty much what I was told. I did ask them to check where I stood in the pecking order based on my order date.
They said there was more than enough inventory in that delivery to cover my order.
Getting itchy to get out, especially with the colder weather approaching.
elkhornsun wrote:
Joe - surprised that you got the sharp shot of the stilt with the teleconverter on the 500mm lens using the D850. I was planning on foregoing the use of my teleconverters with this lens but will be giving it a go when the lens arrives next week. B&H has an ETA for the lens of 15 November but getting mine through the NPS program.
I can see this lens being a bit of a game changer for shooting from a small boat. In the past I have used the 80-400mm or 200-500mm zooms in such situations but the AF of the 200-500mm leaves a bit to be desired. ...Show more →
I was surprised as well. AF and tracking with the 500PF and TC definitely takes a hit particularly in low light. I was quite lucky on this shot. This combo seems best suited for smaller birds in place and larger birds in flight.
Finally had a chance to shoot some surfing on the Northshore of Oahu.
Waves were relatively small - chest to head high.
Only enough time to grab a few shots.
Came away satisfied with the 500PF and TC-14e III combo.
Focus speed and tracking is solid and really no complaints with sharpness.
Easy to handhold.
Here are a couple of examples.
Aloha.
Northshore Oahu Surfing with Nikon 500mm PF and 1.4x TC
Northshore Oahu Surfing with Nikon 500mm PF and 1.4x TC
I'm currently leading a crane migration photography workshop at Crex Meadows in Grantsburg, WI. The morning was unexpectedly cold (32 deg, C) and windy (30 mph gusts). Photography was more challenging than expected, but the 11 participants toughed it out. We were rewarded with amazing evening light and conditions (images to be posted later).
We will be heading out for our final sunrise shoot in about 40 minutes. The pictures posted were made during the first morning post...
Anyone want to buy a Swarovsky 95ATX
I used to get shots like this ==impossible distance=== via
the digiscope and the image quality with the 1.7TCii reminds me
very much same with the Swarovsky at these distance, approximately 55-60 yards.
One thing I didn't do was let the rig acclimate, brought straight out
of the house/warm into 52F air.
Nikon D500
500.0 mm f/5.6
ƒ/10.0 850.0 mm 1/1250 640
While Saturday morning was beastly cold and windy, Saturday night and Sunday morning were glorious. Sure it was still in the lower 30's but the wind died down and all of the workshop participants had opportunities to photograph cranes crossing the moonrise at night and cranes catching the the warm glow of an October sunrise.
I have about 2500 images to cull down to 40 or so, but these two represent some of the amazing light we experience this morning. I know that there is another thread floating here that suggests that the 500 PF is the same as the 300PF + 1.4x or the 200-500 @ 500mm... this just does not match my experience with either of those combinations. I have them all, shot them all extensively, and I know that the 500PF has real improvements in image quality and AF speed.
OwlsEyes wrote:
While Saturday morning was beastly cold and windy, Saturday night and Sunday morning were glorious. Sure it was still in the lower 30's but the wind died down and all of the workshop participants had opportunities to photograph cranes crossing the moonrise at night and cranes catching the the warm glow of an October sunrise.
I have about 2500 images to cull down to 40 or so, but these two represent some of the amazing light we experience this morning. I know that there is another thread floating here that suggests that the 500 PF is the same as the 300PF + 1.4x or the 200-500 @ 500mm... this just does not match my experience with either of those combinations. I have them all, shot them all extensively, and I know that the 500PF has real improvements in image quality and AF speed.
MedicineMan404 wrote:
Love the Cranes....hoping they're headed to Bosque. We'll be there in about a month
Thanks
This group (about 14,000) is a different flock, and consists of only the Greater Sandhill Crane. They migrate south from Canada and Northern MN/WI to Florida. Bosque has a mix of greater and lesser sandhill cranes. The lesser sandhill is a good 6 to 8" smaller than these birds. While it is harder to get as close to the greater sandhills due to duck/goose hunting pressure in the area, we get some amazing flight opportunities and crazy good light. I've shot in both refuges and they both have an appeal. One of the treats of Crex Meadows is the 30,000 uninhabited acres that has little sign of roads and management (though it is managed), and the relatively few people who come to shoot the cranes. Yesterday morning it was my 10 workshop participants, me, and my co-instructor Brian. So that's 12 of us and maybe 5 cars of people who decided to wake up and be their for the blast-off. The evenings draw in a crowd... 20 to 25 vehicles (small by Bosque standards) and the mornings get the diehard photographers. I'll likely do the tour next year, as we charge very little because the cost of staying in the area is so inexpensive. Needless to say, we had some happy workshop participants because the light was incredible and the cranes did their thing!
Good to know Bruce.
We get Sandhills in our area too....east TN....3000-5000. Honestly we're going to Bosque for the better-half. If I can get anything there it is a Northern Harrier. They have eluded me for a long time. According to their checklist the odds are decent that some will be present.
