There is a lot to consider here, and I think what I will say is different from those who have already shared. I am a nature photographer that shoots about 70% wildlife and 30% landscapes and small patterns. I've had all the gear mentioned here and others that have not been mentioned.
I am fortunate to live where I can get fairly close to mammals and large birds, and when I cannot, I either work to get close and/or use a combination of converters and cropping. Unlike others, I am willing to crop deep and use technology like Gigapixel to create large enough files that I can print at 16x24. A click on me and my posts will show you the variety that I photograph.
My primary kit is the 400TC, 100-400, and 24-120. I will stack 1.4x converters on my 400TC when I need 800mm and I will use the DX crop if I need more. My light kit is the 180-600 with the 24-200mm lens. I can do 95% of my work with the light kit as I do with the primary and have traveled with the light kit when space is a factor. While @ 600mm the 180-600 is not as sharp as my 400TC w/ 1.4x it is more than sharp enough if there is adequate light and a fast enough shutter speed. The quality of the image is far more reliant on good light, subject position, and composition than it is on sharpness. The mix of noise reduction and resizing tools are so good these days that "best in sharpness" is a 4th level contender of importance.
So now your situation... if I did not have my primary kit for wildlife and all I had was the 24-200 + 180-600, and I had the money to make it happen, I'd by the 800mm PF. I sold my 180-600 and 800PF in the summer of 2023 to buy my 400mm f2.8TC, but this was because I wanted the f/2.8 aperture more than the longer focal length. I am not a small bird photographer and the 800PF was not used as often as the zoom. Given that I like the 400 to 600mm range for mammal photography, it made sense to shift my gear... note, I did not use the judgmental term "downgrade or upgrade." I don't look at any shift in gear these days in those terms, I look at them with the perspective of... best gear to meet photographic intentions.
If you invest in the 800PF, you will find that your 180-600 will be used as it was designed to be... between 180-600 on an FX sensor. Both lenses will be portable and hand-holdable, you will just need to practice finding your target with the longer lens.
I hope this helped,
bruce
Apr 12, 2026 at 03:35 PM
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