OwlsEyes Offline Upload & Sell: On
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ChrisMak wrote:
Yes, I saw your very nice long eared owl images taken with the 800PF. What I like about the lens, is that you have the reach without needing a TC, without having to put up with an extremely large size and without having to carry a hefty weight. It is straight and simple and gets you close, and delivers prime quality.
I believe the consensus is that it is a clear step below the Sony 600GM regarding image quality, rendering flatter images and lacking the ultimate contrast and clarity of the 600/4 lenses, but it is clearly still a high quality prime lens. And the AF is allegedly a step below. For me, choosing between the Nikon 800PF and the Sony 600GM is nearly identical to the choice between the 500PF and a 500/4 lens: do I want the ultimate clarity and IQ, and top level auto focus, but with the price of large size and weight, and a hefty cost, or do I want very good prime IQ a step below the top-level lenses, but have the substantial weight and size advantage and half the price? I have decided to choose the latter option.
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At this point I do not think it is fair to characterize the optical performance of 800PF as a notch below any of the current batch of 600mm f4 lenses when a 1.4x is used to extend their focal length to 840mm. I have a friend who sold his 800mm FLE f5.6 for the 800PF and he claims that the performance is essentially the same. To be clear, I have not had, nor used, the 800PF long enough to make any grandiose claims about the optics. I am comfortable saying that it is as sharp as my 500PF (without converters), and does not exhibit the onion ring speculars that I've seen from my 500PF lens.
When comparing the 400 f4.5 to the 800PF, the 400mm lens seems to have a slightly more responsive AF, but I am not expecting lightning AF speed from an 800mm lens.
In my opinion, the one thing lacking with my 800mm PF lens is a photographer with prior experience with an 800mm lens. My longest lens to date has been 500mm. When used on the D500, I was at a 750mm field of view. The 800mm PF is longer and heavier than my prior long kit, and it will take time for me to refine how I will use it. Based on my day with swans, owls, and chickadees, I am confident that this is an excellent optic... I am hoping that the photographer will eventually catch up to its capabilities.
regards,
bruce
Edited on Jan 04, 2023 at 06:52 AM · View previous versions
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