More excited than a fat kid eating cake!!!!

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Congratulations on your good news. I’m sure you are excited and wanted to share your joy with everyone. I don’t mean to come off as rude or butting in, but next time please rethink your title. Their are children and parents dealing with weight issues and when they see a title like that, it is hurtful. I’m sure you meant no harm and merely wanted the title to attract attention. My profession involves working with children so maybe I’m just over protective. Anyway, enjoy your new camera and take lots of amazing pictures.
 
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Owney said:
Congratulations on your good news. I’m sure you are excited and wanted to share your joy with everyone. I don’t mean to come off as rude or butting in, but next time please rethink your title. Their are children and parents dealing with weight issues and when they see a title like that, it is hurtful. I’m sure you meant no harm and merely wanted the title to attract attention. My profession involves working with children so maybe I’m just over protective. Anyway, enjoy your new camera and take lots of amazing pictures.
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thank you for your feedback. I was a fat kid and now a fat adult. I do like my cake! However I don’t find this saying which isn’t mine offending.
 
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dtibbals said:
I completely understand! Just sharing my experience with the a1 which has led to a system change from Nikon to Sony has been painful enough I don't even want to bother unless someone PM's me which happens often. To me its an eco system and the 600 was what made me decide I should try something else before dropping that much money on a F mount 600. Well as I am sure you can tell how that went lol. One step closer to going to Costa Rica with you!
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I have not ordered a 600 f:4 yet but handling the Sony pushed me over the edge to buy the A1 and 200-600 to get started on that journey. Steve says it’s slightly sharper and I trust him but for me it was the weight and weight balance that got me over the hump to move to Sony. I’ve always dreaded 600 f:4 lenses - this one feels markedly different. If it’s sharper, to me that’s just the sherry on top.
 
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Steve said:
That one would be closer. I didn't compare them (didn't think to - I was mostly testing the new Canon 600 to make sure it was sharp). Still, I think the two would be very close. If I had to guess (and that's all this is), I'd guess the 500PF by a hair. When I tested that lens against my 600 F/4, they were really, really close. The 600 edged it out (esp towards the edges), but it was so close I don't think I could tell in actual photos.
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i am not sure... maybe the lens itself is sharper but as a system I get sharper shots from the 200-600 overall. Maybe it is the mirrorless benefits (no mirror slap, more precise AF), maybe it is a better Stabiliser... not sure what all the factors are but I get sharper details from the A1 + 200-600 than D850 + 500pf. Again, the 500pf may be better optically, but that’s not the only factor in the overall sharpness equation.
 
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Abinoone said:
Just curious, if the Sony 200-600 isn't that far behind the 600 f4 GM, how does it compare to the Nikon equivalent (200-500), in terms of IQ? Just asking as I contemplate my future equipment investments.
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On IQ, I prefer the 200-600 on mirrorless over the 500pf on dSLR but as I stated above there is more to that equation than just optical quality and I don’t have the tools to sort out all the variables.

But the often overlooked variable is comfort over long handheld periods - and in that case, nothing is better than the 500pf. So make sure you think about all the factors that matter most to you. If you shoot on monopod all the time, the 200-600 has no real drawback (well one, it doesn’t have a focus distance recall function) but if you shoot handheld, the 500pf is easier to hold for longer periods.
The 200-600 is no worse than my Tamron 150-600 G2 but i have been spoiled by the 500pf and the 200-600 is a step back in comfort. Whether it matters to you is for you to decide.
 
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Hut2 said:
I wish I could use manual over auto on occasion.
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I set the button on the lens to activate MF... not ideal but next best alternative. I hear you though, the A/M mode from Nikon is sweet. I wonder if Sony could do it via firmware. It’s all focus by wire anyway so it should be feasible...
 
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FB101 said:
I set the button on the lens to activate MF... not ideal but next best alternative. I hear you though, the A/M mode from Nikon is sweet. I wonder if Sony could do it via firmware. It’s all focus by wire anyway so it should be feasible...
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It’s on some lenses but sadly not the 200-600. I suspect it will make it on the MKII version some day. The MKII version of the 70-200 added features like this along with others. Sony listens and continues to evolve. I have a preorder for the 70-200f2.8 MKII. Announced a week ago and ships in December.
 
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dtibbals said:
I sold my 500PF when I bought the a1 and 200-600 so I didn't get to compare side by side. What do you think?
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I have done some test shots between the two lenses ( I still have my 500PF) and to try to be as fair as possible I mounted the 500PF onto the A1 for the test to take the camera out of the equation. The 500PF has less focus breathing and gets close to matching the focal length of the 200-600 (@600) when at closer distances. The 500PF was the sharper optic but not by much. Of course there can be copy to copy variation with all these tests so someones 200-600 could be better than their 500PF.

As to copy variation, I've owned two different copies of the Sony 100-400GM. My first copy was about equal at 400mm to my 200-600. The 200-600 at 600 was noticeably better than the 100-400 at 560. I sold my 100-400 when I bought my R5/100-500. After selling off the R5/100-500 I purchased a new copy of the 100-400. My new copy is sharper at 400 than my 200-600 and at 600 v 560 they are neck and neck.
 
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arbitrage said:
I have done some test shots between the two lenses ( I still have my 500PF) and to try to be as fair as possible I mounted the 500PF onto the A1 for the test to take the camera out of the equation. The 500PF has less focus breathing and gets close to matching the focal length of the 200-600 (@600) when at closer distances. The 500PF was the sharper optic but not by much. Of course there can be copy to copy variation with all these tests so someones 200-600 could be better than their 500PF.

As to copy variation, I've owned two different copies of the Sony 100-400GM. My first copy was about equal at 400mm to my 200-600. The 200-600 at 600 was noticeably better than the 100-400 at 560. I sold my 100-400 when I bought my R5/100-500. After selling off the R5/100-500 I purchased a new copy of the 100-400. My new copy is sharper at 400 than my 200-600 and at 600 v 560 they are neck and neck.
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I had both (just until this weekend when I sold my 500PF) and I never did a direct compare but I never got a shot from my 200-600 were I had wished I used my 500PF. I figured that was good enough and any minor differences I may see in a controlled test wouldn't be repeatable in a real world situation.
 
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dtibbals said:
I just received word that my Sony 600F4 that has been on order for 3 weeks now is shipping to my house!

If you are looking for one I was told 70 of them just hit the US warehouse and shipping out to dealers.
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Congrats! Mine also arrives today. I sold all my Nikon (and a bunch of M43 gear) last weekend and decided to take the plunge on the 600 f4. Called the store that has always been able to get me hard to find items (500PF) and he had one in stock. Like the 500PF calling smaller dealers will likely get you hard to find gear faster then the bigger stores :)
 
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Palmor said:
Congrats! Mine also arrives today. I sold all my Nikon (and a bunch of M43 gear) last weekend and decided to take the plunge on the 600 f4. Called the store that has always been able to get me hard to find items (500PF) and he had one in stock. Like the 500PF calling smaller dealers will likely get you hard to find gear faster then the bigger stores :)
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What dealer did you use?
 
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Palmor said:
I had both (just until this weekend when I sold my 500PF) and I never did a direct compare but I never got a shot from my 200-600 were I had wished I used my 500PF. I figured that was good enough and any minor differences I may see in a controlled test wouldn't be repeatable in a real world situation.
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I think this is a very important point that isn’t talked about enough. At a certain point, whatever little bit better something is, it won’t matter for or be noticeable in real World situations or at least most of them. There is a lot of discussion about what is better, what is sharper, what is faster, but unless it is an exact comparison, it doesn‘t matter and even then it may not make a difference. They are both very sharp, great lenses and there isn’t a great option to use the other lens on your camera.

I will probably buy the Nikon 200-600mm once released and won’t bother doing a controlled test against my 500mm PF as long as it performs decently 🤷‍♂️
 
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Palmor said:
Congrats! Mine also arrives today. I sold all my Nikon (and a bunch of M43 gear) last weekend and decided to take the plunge on the 600 f4. Called the store that has always been able to get me hard to find items (500PF) and he had one in stock. Like the 500PF calling smaller dealers will likely get you hard to find gear faster then the bigger stores :)
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Congrats on the 600!!! I also sold off all my Nikon gear this summer.
 
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dtibbals said:
What dealer did you use?
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Berger Brothers (on Long Island). I emailed Brad (the owner) on Monday and he called about an hour later and let me know he had one in stock. I really like dealing with smaller dealers since you get that personal attention. He even texted me a photo of the box all packed up and the UPS shipping label. I highly recommend them :)
 
I feel bad for the OP for a couple of reasons. One, they won't be able to peruse reviews and drool over the ultimate long tele, because they already own it. Two, when the photo doesn't make it to the cover of National Geographic they won't be able to say a better lens would have made the difference. Sigh....I volunteer to take the lens off their hands if it will ease their burden....
 
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Steve said:
Interesting. I too found the Sony seemed to have a little focus breathing going on, not much, but at close range the Canon did have slightly more magnification.

As for sharpness, I just looked at the results again and I can't decide which is better. It's so freakin' close. One moment I think the Sony has the edge, the next the Canon, then it looks about the same. Even with the TCs I'm just not seeing much if any difference. Super close... (Although I didn't compare 2X since I don't have one yet for the Canon).

What's really impressive is how close the 200-600 is to the 600 F/4 GM. Don't get the wrong, you can spot the 600 F/4 pretty quick, but the 200-600 isn't as far behind as I would have expected - it's really goof.
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Thx Steve .It is really nice to know that Sony 200 600 is pretty good.I just got my Sony A1 & 200 600 & can't wait to start using them .
Presently I am just going through the Mark Smith's set up video & guide
 
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Venkatesh VT said:
Thx Steve .It is really nice to know that Sony 200 600 is pretty good.I just got my Sony A1 & 200 600 & can't wait to start using them .
Presently I am just going through the Mark Smith's set up video & guide
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That is the video we all want from Steve! Mark did a great job! I suspect Steve's set up is similar but probably has a different take on some of the buttons and such. I haven't set up my a1 as much as Mark has since I am trying to figure out what I want and need as I do more than just wildlife with the a1. He had some ideas on button use I hadn't considered which does keep you out of the menus even more so I plan on adapting some of them. I took a different approach to the rear screen and seeing his set up is better than what I put together so I will be changing that as well.
 
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bleirer said:
I feel bad for the OP for a couple of reasons. One, they won't be able to peruse reviews and drool over the ultimate long tele, because they already own it. Two, when the photo doesn't make it to the cover of National Geographic they won't be able to say a better lens would have made the difference. Sigh....I volunteer to take the lens off their hands if it will ease their burden....
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:ROFLMAO:

While I too am suffering this affliction it may be worthwhile to note that my photo that was on the inside front cover of Audubon magazine was made with a lens that is now worth about US$100 in like-new condition.

It took a while but I eventually realized I'm doing this for my own pleasure, so I was able to revise bias the cost/benefit analysis to include non-monetary benefits :)
 
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