Nikon 600PF - Share Photos & Discuss!!!

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I think I intend to sell my 400 f4.5 and get the 800. The 600 is amazing though!
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A few over the last few days.

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Ralph said:
The detail and lighting on that shot are incredible. Well done Dan👍👍👍
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Thanks, Ralph. The bird sat there plenty of time for me to adjust exposure for the white.

Hooligans Imagery said:
Lens does amazing portrait work. Great job Dan.
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I really like this lens. Glad I sold the 500PF and upgraded to this one.
 
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In one of my last posts I listed the reasons why I wouldn't invest in a 600TC, and even went so far as cancelling the order I had placed for one. Well, I reassessed my situation and went through with the order 🫣 I'm at a point in my life/career where I can responsibly handle the financial burden, but as for the physical burden... I'm quickly re-confirming that peak performance comes with some massive tradeoffs (literally), and why I had ultimately swapped my previous Canon 600 f/4 for the 500PF. Why am I posting this in the 600PF thread? Because for me, it reaffirms that the 600PF is a gem, a spectacular powerhouse in a tiny package that is TONS more fun to shoot, and has the performance to nearly match the big gun in most every category (IQ, AF prowess).

The 600TC is a major handful, and so far I'm finding it's not an enjoyable lens to handhold and employ while out in the field. It's requiring me to make compromises in how I shoot, imposing limits on my mobility and agility that the 600PF frees you of. I knew this going in, but it's still a stark wakeup call after years of handling these featherweight PF lenses. Eventually I'll adapt to these limitations and incorporate the new advantages the lens brings into my shooting process (the built-in TC is most definitely all it's cracked up to be), as there are definite use cases that I can now unlock that were previously more restrictive before due to aperture (early morning low light + shooting under shaded forest canopy where f/6.3 isn't ideal). I'm excited to give it a go at warblers here in the next few weeks!

Historically I would sell off lenses when I swapped to new ones, but this time around, the 600PF is going nowhere. It's my all-time favorite lens, and the addition of the 600TC won't change that.
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MatthewK said:
In one of my last posts I listed the reasons why I wouldn't invest in a 600TC, and even went so far as cancelling the order I had placed for one. Well, I reassessed my situation and went through with the order 🫣 I'm at a point in my life/career where I can responsibly handle the financial burden, but as for the physical burden... I'm quickly re-confirming that peak performance comes with some massive tradeoffs (literally), and why I had ultimately swapped my previous Canon 600 f/4 for the 500PF. Why am I posting this in the 600PF thread? Because for me, it reaffirms that the 600PF is a gem, a spectacular powerhouse in a tiny package that is TONS more fun to shoot, and has the performance to nearly match the big gun in most every category (IQ, AF prowess).

The 600TC is a major handful, and so far I'm finding it's not an enjoyable lens to handhold and employ while out in the field. It's requiring me to make compromises in how I shoot, imposing limits on my mobility and agility that the 600PF frees you of. I knew this going in, but it's still a stark wakeup call after years of handling these featherweight PF lenses. Eventually I'll adapt to these limitations and incorporate the new advantages the lens brings into my shooting process (the built-in TC is most definitely all it's cracked up to be), as there are definite use cases that I can now unlock that were previously more restrictive before due to aperture (early morning low light + shooting under shaded forest canopy where f/6.3 isn't ideal). I'm excited to give it a go at warblers here in the next few weeks!

Historically I would sell off lenses when I swapped to new ones, but this time around, the 600PF is going nowhere. It's my all-time favorite lens, and the addition of the 600TC won't change that.
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What a great post. Thanks for these impressions.
I won't let my cats read this as they will claim the money I save on the lens should be spent on them.
Will you be adapting a monopod to use it, or what do you see doing?
 
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MatthewK said:
In one of my last posts I listed the reasons why I wouldn't invest in a 600TC, and even went so far as cancelling the order I had placed for one. Well, I reassessed my situation and went through with the order 🫣 I'm at a point in my life/career where I can responsibly handle the financial burden, but as for the physical burden... I'm quickly re-confirming that peak performance comes with some massive tradeoffs (literally), and why I had ultimately swapped my previous Canon 600 f/4 for the 500PF. Why am I posting this in the 600PF thread? Because for me, it reaffirms that the 600PF is a gem, a spectacular powerhouse in a tiny package that is TONS more fun to shoot, and has the performance to nearly match the big gun in most every category (IQ, AF prowess).

The 600TC is a major handful, and so far I'm finding it's not an enjoyable lens to handhold and employ while out in the field. It's requiring me to make compromises in how I shoot, imposing limits on my mobility and agility that the 600PF frees you of. I knew this going in, but it's still a stark wakeup call after years of handling these featherweight PF lenses. Eventually I'll adapt to these limitations and incorporate the new advantages the lens brings into my shooting process (the built-in TC is most definitely all it's cracked up to be), as there are definite use cases that I can now unlock that were previously more restrictive before due to aperture (early morning low light + shooting under shaded forest canopy where f/6.3 isn't ideal). I'm excited to give it a go at warblers here in the next few weeks!

Historically I would sell off lenses when I swapped to new ones, but this time around, the 600PF is going nowhere. It's my all-time favorite lens, and the addition of the 600TC won't change that.
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Sweet setup! Who makes the Skin on your 600pf? Thanks
 
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Hooligans Imagery said:
What a great post. Thanks for these impressions.
I won't let my cats read this as they will claim the money I save on the lens should be spent on them.
Will you be adapting a monopod to use it, or what do you see doing?
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I’ll be in the honeymoon phase for a time, so will be lugging this chunker around with me for just about everything for the foreseeable future (everything I’ve shot before is now new again since it hasn’t been shot at f/4 😂). I’ll still be going at it handheld, but doing more braced/supported shooting (kneeling, sitting, leaning against a tree, etc. I’ve vowed to never use a tripod, but we’ll see how this goes, and I may end up compromising with a monopod if my arms get too wrecked.

maxxus46 said:
Sweet setup! Who makes the Skin on your 600pf? Thanks
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Thanks! It’s from AlphaGvrd, which is a US company that sells the skins. You can find them on eBay (and other places like Aliexpress, I think); you pay a good amount less, but you don’t get customer support; I’ve ordered custom sized pieces of the skin for my Zemlin hoods, or if you need a replacement piece, AlphaGvrd will take care of you.
 
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MatthewK said:
I’ll be in the honeymoon phase for a time, so will be lugging this chunker around with me for just about everything for the foreseeable future (everything I’ve shot before is now new again since it hasn’t been shot at f/4 😂). I’ll still be going at it handheld, but doing more braced/supported shooting (kneeling, sitting, leaning against a tree, etc. I’ve vowed to never use a tripod, but we’ll see how this goes, and I may end up compromising with a monopod if my arms get too wrecked.



Thanks! It’s from AlphaGvrd, which is a US company that sells the skins. You can find them on eBay (and other places like Aliexpress, I think); you pay a good amount less, but you don’t get customer support; I’ve ordered custom sized pieces of the skin for my Zemlin hoods, or if you need a replacement piece, AlphaGvrd will take care of you.
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Great! Thank you
 
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MatthewK said:
I’ll be in the honeymoon phase for a time, so will be lugging this chunker around with me for just about everything for the foreseeable future (everything I’ve shot before is now new again since it hasn’t been shot at f/4 😂). I’ll still be going at it handheld, but doing more braced/supported shooting (kneeling, sitting, leaning against a tree, etc. I’ve vowed to never use a tripod, but we’ll see how this goes, and I may end up compromising with a monopod if my arms get too wrecked.
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I know you shoot a lot of small birds and stay on the move. For that use case you might want to try a monopod with an inexpensive shooting vee type support mounted on it. That way the camera isn't attached to the lens so you get support when you need it but freedom of movement isn't compromised. If you need to swing on something real quick you can simply lift the camera/lens and let the monopod drop or lean it against you. I actually started out with a cheap (rifle)shooting stick that had the vee support and a trigger type grip to quickly extend/retract it.

I resisted shooting supported for a looong time with both 200-400mm f4 and 500mm f4. After using the shooting stick/monopod for a while I finally got a nice tripod and gimble. It made a believer out of me and I regretted waiting so long. Trust me you gain more than you lose with one. For one thing you can stay on a subject for a long time waiting for something interesting to happen, a different pose, etc. Of course the biggest downside is lugging it around. From a shooting standpoint with a little practice you learn pretty quickly to track BIF and how to maneuver around the tripod legs. Actually I can track BIF better with tripod/gimbal than I do handheld.

But... getting back to the subject the 600PF is hard to beat for reach and great IQ in such a small, light weight package.
 
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Haven't been in this thread for a long while. Enjoyed going through the last 20 pages or so. Great work from everyone!!

Once the Z9II is released (assuming it meets my desired specs on paper) I plan to buy the Z9II and this 600PF lens to run my camera testing.
 
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I wear a Steadify telescoping monopod which uses an integral waist belt; this bears most of the weight via a yoke supporting the lens barrel. It's a significant advantage to handhold a heavy lens - 400 f2.8E rig IME

This works well to support even a relatively light rig, particularly if one is handholding for extended periods.

Long lens hand holding support

I have tried many approaches over the years but alway find that a monopod with the right kind of head works out the best. I can wrap a leg around the monopod and have much more support for a heavy lens. I use a special head that only tilts in one direction, like the Benro DJ90. With the 600mm...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
 
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NorthernFocus said:
I know you shoot a lot of small birds and stay on the move. For that use case you might want to try a monopod with an inexpensive shooting vee type support mounted on it. That way the camera isn't attached to the lens so you get support when you need it but freedom of movement isn't compromised. If you need to swing on something real quick you can simply lift the camera/lens and let the monopod drop or lean it against you. I actually started out with a cheap (rifle)shooting stick that had the vee support and a trigger type grip to quickly extend/retract it.

I resisted shooting supported for a looong time with both 200-400mm f4 and 500mm f4. After using the shooting stick/monopod for a while I finally got a nice tripod and gimble. It made a believer out of me and I regretted waiting so long. Trust me you gain more than you lose with one. For one thing you can stay on a subject for a long time waiting for something interesting to happen, a different pose, etc. Of course the biggest downside is lugging it around. From a shooting standpoint with a little practice you learn pretty quickly to track BIF and how to maneuver around the tripod legs. Actually I can track BIF better with tripod/gimbal than I do handheld.

But... getting back to the subject the 600PF is hard to beat for reach and great IQ in such a small, light weight package.
Click to expand...
I'm liking this idea, and am probably going to be slowly incorporating something along these lines at some point. Not being anchored to a mount so that I can shift positions quickly is a key feature. At the same time, I have the 600PF when I'm trying to be nimble; introducing a mono/tripod into the mix and the different approach it takes could bring a new dimension to my photography.
fcotterill said:
I wear a Steadify telescoping monopod which uses an integral waist belt, which bears most of the weight via a yoke supporting the lens barrel. It's a significant advantage to handhold a heavy lens - 400 f2.8E rig IME

This works well to support even a relatively light rig, particularly if one is handholding for extended periods.

Long lens hand holding support

I have tried many approaches over the years but alway find that a monopod with the right kind of head works out the best. I can wrap a leg around the monopod and have much more support for a heavy lens. I use a special head that only tilts in one direction, like the Benro DJ90. With the 600mm...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
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I've seen similar from Whistling Wings photography. Might be worth looking into, thank you very much for the suggestion.


Keeping things 600PF related, here's a Tree Sparrow in sunset light:
NIKON Z 8untitled_20250225_15-Enhanced-NR-3.jpg
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MatthewK said:
I'm liking this idea, and am probably going to be slowly incorporating something along these lines at some point. Not being anchored to a mount so that I can shift positions quickly is a key feature. At the same time, I have the 600PF when I'm trying to be nimble; introducing a mono/tripod into the mix and the different approach it takes could bring a new dimension to my photography.

I've seen similar from Whistling Wings photography. Might be worth looking into, thank you very much for the suggestion.


Keeping things 600PF related, here's a Tree Sparrow in sunset light:
View attachment 109555
Click to expand...
Great photo! It's an awesome combo, lightweight, small and super sharp!
 
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