p.10 #1 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
Wow! Congratulations Lance! I think the 400 vs 600 choice becomes even more difficult with the Z mount glass, considering the weight savings and in-built TCs. I think the 600 makes perfect sense for you as you photograph a lot of birds. That inbuilt-TC is such an addiction right?
Lance B wrote:
Well, after much deliberation and angst, I made the decision to sell off my 400 f2.8E FL VR and 800 pf to fund the 600 f4 TC VR S! I weighed the 400 f2.8E FL VR + hood + FTZ + 1.4x TCIII = 4.460gms, the Z 600 f4 TC VRS = 3,500gms a 1kg saving!!! It certainly feels much lighter!
So, after picking it up late this afternoon, I went to the local national park to take a few quick snaps to see how the new lens performed. I'm very impressed. Mostly shot at 840mm in low light. The Cormorant was across the river, and the Eastern Yellow Robin was not letting me get close and he is a very small bird. They are all cropped a fair bit, maybe 30%.
p.10 #2 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
gannis wrote:
Wow! Congratulations Lance! I think the 400 vs 600 choice becomes even more difficult with the Z mount glass, considering the weight savings and in-built TCs. I think the 600 makes perfect sense for you as you photograph a lot of birds. That inbuilt-TC is such an addiction right?
p.10 #4 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
The Sacred Kingfishers have returned from their migration up north and I got a number of shots as the pair moved about their territory at the Royal National Park. Most are shot at 840mm but a couple with the bare 600mm once they got used to me and I could get a little closer. A smallish bird at only about 200mm (8") in length from tip of that huge beak to end of tail.
p.10 #7 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
some of my favorites from a recent trip to Yellowstone/Tetons
I'm not used to photographing large mammals (or any size of mammal), so the lens accidentally ended up primarily being a portrait lens. missed some shots because of it, but now I know for next time
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/2000s2000 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/2000s2200 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/1000s200 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/2000s250 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/2000s200 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S Z TC-2.0x lens1200mmf/8.01/1000s640 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/1000s720 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/1000s180 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/200s16000 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/1000s1100 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens840mmf/5.61/1000s280 ISO0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens600mmf/4.01/1000s220 ISO0.0 EV
p.10 #9 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
The pine marten in your first set and the otters charging the water are really great photos.
It looks like you were super productive. What month (early or late) did you make these images?
I think this is some of the best work you've posted on FM... nice job!
p.10 #10 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
Lance B wrote:
The Sacred Kingfishers have returned from their migration up north and I got a number of shots as the pair moved about their territory at the Royal National Park. Most are shot at 840mm but a couple with the bare 600mm once they got used to me and I could get a little closer. A smallish bird at only about 200mm (8") in length from tip of that huge beak to end of tail.
It looks like you're making great use of the 600TC... Based on subject matter like this, I know you made the right choice in lens.
I really love the unique postures/expressions that you've captured throughout...
p.10 #12 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
Lance B wrote:
The Sacred Kingfishers have returned from their migration up north and I got a number of shots as the pair moved about their territory at the Royal National Park. Most are shot at 840mm but a couple with the bare 600mm once they got used to me and I could get a little closer. A smallish bird at only about 200mm (8") in length from tip of that huge beak to end of tail.
p.10 #14 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
OwlsEyes wrote:
The pine marten in your first set and the otters charging the water are really great photos.
It looks like you were super productive. What month (early or late) did you make these images?
I think this is some of the best work you've posted on FM... nice job!
bruce
thanks Bruce! this trip was October 6 - October 14 2024. We just got back
I tend to agree, I think some of my best images came from this set. I think the biggest factor is that with previous gear and setups, I was always adding TC's and cropping. with the 600TC, it's often too much lens - and as a result, most of the images are frame filling to start with
it's crazy to look at an edit and see it's a full size image file of 45MP, when I usually would produce 20MP or smaller ones.
with a few tweaks to my technique (autofocus), I think I'll be able to get some really great stuff from the 600TC moving forward
p.10 #17 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
nmerc_photos wrote:
the vast majority were handheld, but some were with a monopod. I don't ever use tripods unless I'm filming video - which isn't often
Very glad to hear! I was worried about the increase in weight over my 800 6.3 but sounds like it's manageable!
p.10 #18 · Official Z 600mm F4 TC VR S Image Thread
OwlsEyes wrote:
It looks like you're making great use of the 600TC... Based on subject matter like this, I know you made the right choice in lens.
I really love the unique postures/expressions that you've captured throughout...
bravo my friend!
bruce
Thank you very much for your very kind and generous comments, Bruce. Much appreciated!
I am very glad I went with the 600TC, it really does fit my use case better than the 400TC. However, I am sure I would have been happy with either as they are both stellar lenses.
Mostly shot at 840mm in low light.
