p.1 #1 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR , what do you think of this lens? Would you buy one used for 3300 ?
I often wish I had something faster than F6.3 to work with in the early mornings , but is it worth the extra weight to grab one of the F-mount fast super telephotos. How does this lens perform on the new mirrorless bodies?
p.1 #2 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
JustShootMe wrote:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR , what do you think of this lens? Would you buy one used for 3300 ?
I often wish I had something faster than F6.3 to work with in the early mornings , but is it worth the extra weight to grab one of the F-mount fast super telephotos. How does this lens perform on the new mirrorless bodies?
I would grab it in a heartbeat at that price. Works great with mirrorless.
I had one, regret selling it..
p.1 #3 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
JustShootMe wrote:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR , what do you think of this lens? Would you buy one used for 3300 ?
I often wish I had something faster than F6.3 to work with in the early mornings , but is it worth the extra weight to grab one of the F-mount fast super telephotos. How does this lens perform on the new mirrorless bodies?
I've read some suggestions on the BCG forum that suggest all of the E F-mount primes are fabulous on mirrorless. I have the older 500 f/4 G VR that I bought for pennies on the dollar. I'd love to flip it up for the E version to cut the ~3 pounds off the weight and change the weight distribution to make it more hand holdable. I can hand hold the G version despite my messed up left shoulder still. I've used it on a gimbal and tripod also which is nice. I've also heard the E version improves performance at distances, and the MTF of the E are generally better.
At this price, it's a worthwhile lens to buy and use until it dies if you'll use the FL (and probably the excellent TC-14E III).
p.1 #4 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
The 500FL is amazing, my personal favorite of all FL's. Perfectly balanced and beautiful rendering. I took my z400 and the 500FL out to shoot side by side, I preferred every 500 image over the 400 images so my Z400 is currently for sale if that says anything.
p.1 #5 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
Kasper6188 wrote:
The 500FL is amazing, my personal favorite of all FL's. Perfectly balanced and beautiful rendering. I took my z400 and the 500FL out to shoot side by side, I preferred every 500 image over the 400 images so my Z400 is currently for sale if that says anything.
That says a lot actually , I own the 180-600 and the 800 PF , but I never carry the 800. I find it difficult to use at that focal length in the times I am out when the light is not ideal. If I'm gonna carry something that big might as well be a little faster , not so much worried about the reach. I'm gonna go put hands on the 500 today and see if I can stomach lugging that much weight around , I don't think it's physically much bigger than the 800 PF.
p.1 #6 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
I have no clue why the 500mm f/4E has fallen so cheap. It's an outstanding and extremely sharp lens, and an absolute bargain for what they go for these days! Takes the 1.4x III very well, and the 2x decently when used on Mirrorless.
p.1 #7 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
Nikon1960 wrote:
I have no clue why the 500mm f/4E has fallen so cheap. It's an outstanding and extremely sharp lens, and an absolute bargain for what they go for these days! Takes the 1.4x III very well, and the 2x decently when used on Mirrorless.
It's just supply/demand. A little over 10 years ago, we had options like 80-400G, 200-400's, and heavy, fast D and G primes. In the 10 years since, we have the F-mount PF's, the 200-500, and now a flood of Z mount PF and compact primes, 180-600, and the fantastic TC primes. The initial demand for a new large telephoto prime or zoom eventually reduces to a slower demand. All of those new introductions have offered meaningful improvement, whether it be IQ, weight, or functionality (TC) resulting in lots of VERY competent lenses coming onto the used market.
This is a boon for someone like me who always would have enjoyed a 500/4, 400/2.8 etc. but never could justify the $6000-10000 outlay for something that's just a hobby unless I saved for many, many years.
p.1 #8 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
Checked it out. … it’s a hard pass. AF motors were squealing , high pitched noise , probably on their way to failure. Not worth taking the chance to me. Camera store staff is sending it in to their repair guys for evaluation.
p.1 #9 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
JustShootMe wrote:
Checked it out. … it’s a hard pass. AF motors were squealing , high pitched noise , probably on their way to failure. Not worth taking the chance to me. Camera store staff is sending it in to their repair guys for evaluation.
If any of the AF-S supertele lenses sit too long without use they will develop a squeal. Most of the time you just need to run the AF back and forth a few times then it will clear up. Every few weeks I'll slap a body on my FL's and run the AF motors a few times if they haven't been used.
p.1 #10 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
Kasper6188 wrote:
If any of the AF-S supertele lenses sit too long without use they will develop a squeal. Most of the time you just need to run the AF back and forth a few times then it will clear up. Every few weeks I'll slap a body on my FL's and run the AF motors a few times if they haven't been used.
So how do you tell when the motor is actually failing ?
p.1 #11 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
JustShootMe wrote:
So how do you tell when the motor is actually failing ?
When you tested it out did the noise ever clear up? I have a lens that squealed when I bought it 5+ years ago, I use it quite frequently and never had an issue with the AF motor to this day. The superteles were made to be used and abused, they don't much like sitting on a shelf. The squeal is likely corrosion on the stator from sitting unused. In most cases if you just use the thing it will sort itself.
p.1 #12 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
Kasper6188 wrote:
If any of the AF-S supertele lenses sit too long without use they will develop a squeal. Most of the time you just need to run the AF back and forth a few times then it will clear up. Every few weeks I'll slap a body on my FL's and run the AF motors a few times if they haven't been used.
p.1 #16 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
I had 500/4e FL for a few years. I think it is excellent. I eventually switched to 600/4e FL mainly because I switched from D850 to D6 so I need more magnification as I could not crop as much with D6.
While it measures a bit worse than 400/2.8e FL and 600/4e FL, at least against 600/4e FL, I could not see any meaningful difference in sharpness. I also missed 3kg weight very much as I find 600/4e FL a bit too heavy for me to handhold for any significant period of time.
600/4e FL performs perfectly well with FTZ adapter so I assume 500/4e FL would be the same.
p.1 #17 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
I have one. Love it. More often than not I have a TC-14 on it for a very sharp 700mm/5.6. AF has a minor squeak if it sits for a bit, but it doesn’t really bother me. And for the price they’re going for now, my god what a bargain!!
p.1 #19 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
JustShootMe wrote:
Yeah the squeaking went away after a proper outing , thanks for all the advice. I dig this lens , I think it resolves more detail than my others.
Great first shots, congrats on the lens. If you plan on letting it sit for a while just remember to run the AF every now and again, great habit to get into.
p.1 #20 · Anyone own the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR
JustShootMe wrote:
Yeah the squeaking went away after a proper outing , thanks for all the advice. I dig this lens , I think it resolves more detail than my others.
Looks like exactly the results you would expect from this lens in skilled hands; congratulations and hope you continue to get good use out of it!
