Camera is getting too heavy!

[Natalya]

Hi, I am in my mid 80th and my D500 with the 200-500 mm lens is getting too heavy. I love shooting stationary and if lucky some flying birds.
What Mirrorless camera lens combination would you recommend? Possibly not selling the D500 / lens for now.

I also have the D810, 70-200 mm, 16-35 mm and 24-120 mm lenses which I think I could/should sell to raise some money for the new purchase of the mirrorless camera set.

I would appreciate some comments/advice.

Thanks, Natalya

 

[bleirer]

People here love their 500pf's and it would save you 2 pounds. Also have you followed this thread?

My selection process (so far) for upgrading from a D-500/500pf

In deciding to upgrade my D-500/500pf combo I considered three factors: Weight. The R7/100-500 rig is 4.3# if the lens foot is not added. The D-500/500pf is 5.1#. A third consideration, the Sony A1/200-600 is 7# (Weights approximate) while a 4th, a Canon R5/100-500 is 5#. Cost. The R7/100-500...

bcgforums.com

 

[DRwyoming]

Hi, I am in my mid 80th and my D500 with the 200-500 mm lens is getting too heavy. I love shooting stationary and if lucky some flying birds.
What Mirrorless camera lens combination would you recommend? Possibly not selling the D500 / lens for now.

I also have the D810, 70-200 mm, 16-35 mm and 24-120 mm lenses which I think I could/should sell to raise some money for the new purchase of the mirrorless camera set.

I would appreciate some comments/advice.

Thanks, Natalya

I second the advice above, the 500mm PF will save a lot of weight if you're shooting at 500mm a lot and I'd stick with the D500 unless you really want to move to mirrorless as the D500 is a pretty light camera body already and a very good wildlife performer. If you do want to move to mirrorless within the Nikon lineup then a Z6 or Z6II could be a good move that keeps the weight low or even a Z50 if you want the lightest weight and want to stick with a crop sensor for wildlife work.

Another light weight Nikon option would be a Z7 or Z7II paired with a 300mm PF and a teleconverter handy when you need it. The high resolution of the Z7/Z7II and the in-camera crop mode (that fills the electronic viewfinder of the mirrorless camera so you see the resulting image as it will be captured, not just an outline of a small crop area image) and the super light weight and small size of the 300mm PF is a great combo for high quality in a lightweight camera package. The 300mm PF and all of the Z cameras work really well with both 1.4x and even 2x teleconverters so having one or both of those handy is a way to get a lot of wildlife focal length out of a very small and light weight lens.

If you're open to other brands there are some very good Sony, Canon and Olympus offerings that can save weight and move you into mirrorless.

 

[FB101]

For the lightest weight with really good performance nothing will beat Olympus. A few compromises of course but far less than you’d expect.
‘If you want to stay Nikon, then z7ii with a 500pf lens is probably your lightest option.

 

[Natalya]

Thank you very much for all your fast replies. I will check into the weight of the 500pf lens with my D500 and also the z7II paired with the 300pf. The 300pf would also work with my D500 and 1.4 teleconverter.
Natalya https://www.flickr.com/photos/adventure_photography/

 

[pnbarne]

To lighten the load I bought a 500pf. I love it! It is mounted on a D850 but it is starting to spend more time on an z7ii. The z7ii/500 pf turns out to be a decent light weight combination that is good for walk about. I have no experience with the z6/6ii but I can’t imagine it would be remarkably different weight wise.

 

[DRwyoming]

Thank you very much for all your fast replies. I will check into the weight of the 500pf lens with my D500 and also the z7II paired with the 300pf. The 300pf would also work with my D500 and 1.4 teleconverter.
Natalya https://www.flickr.com/photos/adventure_photography/

I love the work on your site, really nice images!

Looking at those images you should really take a good look at some combo with the 300mm PF. One of its unsung features is a really short minimum focusing distance which makes it a great lens for semi-macro images like the snakes and some of the flowers on your site.

That said, and though I find plenty of uses for my 300mm PF, I love the 500mm PF and for things like the small songbirds and wading birds on your site it's hard to beat though a 300mm PF and a 1.4x or 2x TC gives the 500mm PF a run for its money especially on a Z series camera that has no trouble focusing those combos.

 

[Natalya]

Thank you very much for looking at my Flickr site. You are able to see what I am shooting and I believe your suggestions are excellent. I may start with the 300mm PF and try to sell my D810 and 70-200mm lens to possibly buy the z7II.
Thanks, Natalya

 

[Woody Meristem]

The lightest you could go and get acceptable images would be an Olympus E-M5 iii and an Olympus 75-300mm ii lens (150-600mm FF equiv) but the OM1 and100-400mm (200-800mm equiv) would give you better photos at the cost of more weight and bulk. I'm almost 81 and really like the Olympus 100-400mm which focuses to about four feet at all focal lengths.

 

[Natalya]

Thank you very much but I think I like to stay with Nikon, I am familiar with it. You have nice images of the hummingbird.
Natalya

 

[Bluetail]

I hear you, Natalya! I have a D500 and the 500mm PF, and the weight and balance of both are aggravating a persistent shoulder problem. I want to echo what DRWyoming said above re: the 300mm PF. That's been working well for me, and it's light enough to shoot with for hours without dealing with nagging pain later. I couple it with the 1.4 tc, and have been using the 500mm PF less and less. Good luck!

 

[Andrew Lamberson]

If you are looking for light and flexibility, I have been really pleased with my Z6II with either the PF 300 or the PF 500 with the 1.4 TC.

The F to Z lens adapter is lightweight and works super with the TC and both lenses.

I've had the 500 PC with the 1.4 TC attached to my Z6II all spring. 700mm of get out and get 'em !

The 300 PF just went on the Z6II to shoot macro with its short minimum focus distance of 4.6 feet.

 

[Calson]

The only way to achieve a substantial weight reduction is to go with a camera that uses smaller and lighter lenses. No Nikon Z camera is going to provide you with lighter lenses.

Consider instead the Olympus (now OM-1) lenses and cameras. They have pro level bodies and lenses including f/2.8 constant aperture lenses. The Olympus 40-150mm f/2.8 lens provides the field of view of a 80-300mm f/2.8 lens. This lens weighs 1.67 lb as compared to a Nikon S 70-200mm f/2.8 lens that weighs 2.99 lb or 79% more. As a f/2.8 zoom lens it works well witht the 1.4x and 2x Olympus teleconverters. The Olympus 100-400mm compares to a 200-800mm lens on the Olympus or OM-1 cameras and it weighs 2.46 lb as compared to the 200-500mm lens that weighs 5.07 lbs or twice as much.

The Optical stabilization of the Olympus cameras and lenses is as good as that of any Z camera and actually better with the Olympus integration of camera stabilization in tandem with lens stabilization at this time. Full line of f/2.8 zoom lenses and great primes for macro and wildlife. You also save money as well as weight as it is less expensive to produce the smaller MFT lenses.

 

[Natalya]

Thank you, that confirms my thought. Maybe later the Z7II after I have raised some money with selling some other lenses and the D810.
Natalya

 

[Natalya]

Thanks Calson, I will look at some images and will compare to Nikon images. I very much like the quality of the Nikon images.
Natalya

 

[joe43]

Lets see if this excel table I made will post: It shows weights nd prices of various Nikon combinations.

Nikon D500 plus various lenses, excl teleconverters and adapters
June 1, 2022, US Prices		lb		Combined
	MFD	Weight	Price	Weight	Price
D500, with battery and image cards		1.89​	$1,600​	1.89​	$1,600​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens	3.28 ft	1.87​	$1,400​	3.76​	$3,000​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens	3.61 ft	3.15​	$1,900​	5.04​	$3,500​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens	7.22 ft	5.07​	$1,100​	6.96​	$2,700​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Lens	4.59 ft	1.66​	$2,000​	3.55​	$3,600​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens	7.22 ft	6.38​	$5,500​	8.27​	$7,100​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens	9.84 ft	3.21​	$3,300​	5.10​	$4,900​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens	11.81 ft	6.81​	$10,300​	8.70​	$11,900​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens	14.4 ft	8.40​	$12,300​	10.29​	$13,900​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR	6.56 ft	7.70​	$12,400​	9.59​	$14,000​
Nikon Z9 plus various lenses, excl teleconverters and adapters
		lb		Combined
	MFD	Weight	Price	Weight	Price
Z9, with battery and image cards		2.90​	$5,500​	2.90​	$5,500​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens	3.28 ft	1.87​	$1,400​	4.77​	$6,900​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens	3.61 ft	3.15​	$1,900​	6.05​	$7,400​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens	7.22 ft	5.07​	$1,100​	7.97​	$6,600​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Lens	4.59 ft	1.66​	$2,000​	4.56​	$7,500​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens	7.22 ft	6.38​	$5,500​	9.28​	$11,000​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens	9.84 ft	3.21​	$3,300​	6.11​	$8,800​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens	11.81 ft	6.81​	$10,300​	9.71​	$15,800​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens	14.4 ft	8.40​	$12,300​	11.30​	$17,800​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR	6.56 ft	7.70​	$12,400​	10.60​	$17,900​
Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Lens	1.64 ft	2.99​	$2,300​	5.89​	$7,800​
Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Lens	2.5 ft	3.20​	$2,700​	6.10​	$8,200​
Nikon Z6 II plus various lenses, excl teleconverters and adapters
		lb		Combined
	MFD	Weight	Price	Weight	Price
Z6 II, with battery and image cards		1.40​	$2,000​	1.40​	$2,000​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR Lens	3.28 ft	1.87​	$1,400​	3.27​	$3,400​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens	3.61 ft	3.15​	$1,900​	4.55​	$3,900​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR Lens	7.22 ft	5.07​	$1,100​	6.47​	$3,100​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Lens	4.59 ft	1.66​	$2,000​	3.06​	$4,000​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II Lens	7.22 ft	6.38​	$5,500​	7.78​	$7,500​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens	9.84 ft	3.21​	$3,300​	4.61​	$5,300​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens	11.81 ft	6.81​	$10,300​	8.21​	$12,300​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR Lens	14.4 ft	8.40​	$12,300​	9.80​	$14,300​
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR	6.56 ft	7.70​	$12,400​	9.10​	$14,400​
Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Lens	1.64 ft	2.99​	$2,300​	4.39​	$4,300​
Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Lens	2.5 ft	3.20​	$2,700​	4.60​	$4,700​

 

[Tom Reynolds]

Thanks Calson, I will look at some images and will compare to Nikon images. I very much like the quality of the Nikon images.
Natalya

I wrote the thread on upgrading from the d-500 to a Canon or Olympus. Thing is that I have both a 500pf and a 300pf that result in a big weight savings over the 200-500 so the super 4.5# solutions nay not be your cup of tea.

 

[jeffnles1]

A buddy of mine has a Canon R5 and a 100-500 Canon lens. I was amazed last week when he let me carry it around a while at just how light and handy it was. I’m seriously considering the R7 and 100-500. It seems to be the closest mirrorless right not to the D500 and 200-500 I currently lug around

 

[Tom Reynolds]

300pf/D-500. Absolutely great lens if you can get close enough

 

[Pistnbroke]

Same problem here...I bought the Tamron 100-400 and never looked back.

 

[philippe]

.

 

[bleirer]

The other thing to consider is how you are transporting and supporting the gear you already enjoy using. Many here are not far behind you. At some point we all have to get over the minor embarrassment of being the oddball that is wheeling gear around with whatever unconventional combination of devices, both purpose-built and adapted. Things like wheeled walkers with storage or modified luggage carriers, etc. And also of supporting the lens on a monopod or tripod. It's probably a different thread, but it can still be possible to use the same gear but with some clever accommodations.

 

[Venkatesh VT]

I have both A1 & Z9 . My wife uses Z9 & 500 PF . She is 55 years old & has no problem with it for both stills & videos . Sadly A1s video is not so good
Hence I would recommend z9 & 500 PF for all hybrid shooters for the best bang for bucks

 

[Patrick M]

If weight is a concern, then have yiu tried the Z50? It’s a DX but its very light. Coupled with the z 100-400, equated tom150-600 and takes both teleconverters.

 

[Rook]

The Nikon 300pf f4 lens is very light and portable. It's also quite versatile, when used with the 1.4x TC, it would give you a reach of 420mm or effective reach of 630mm with a D500. Autofocus is snappy too..