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Every think about using your phone as the wide angle lens/camera. Depending upon the phone you can get excellent images and many phones support raw.
 
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I use the Tamron 18-400 on a D500 when I need something for grab and go or very light and compact. So when chasing chukar hunting friends and their dogs around in steep canyons I take the battery grip off and put the Tamron 18-400 on and go ... it takes good to very good images depending on operator error or luck and the image situation. I have also used the 18-400 quite successfully on my D850. My wife uses one on her Z50 but for her bird photography she uses her Tamron 100-400 and it is easier to change the focal length, faster to focus and yields very good image IQ. I have a Tamron 100-400 also and use it when I need variable focal length and using my D850 for birds with in camera cropping (just my personal preference) that combo produces great images and is very versatile. However my favorite birding wildlife lens on my D850 is the Nikon 500pf f/5.6 and that lens is an amazing lightweight marvel. When weight is no object I use my D6 600 f/4 E combo (90 % of the time for birding anymore). I have friends that do great stuff with their Olympus gear that was mentioned earlier here. Good luck there is a wide range of amazing options out there anymore,... if you can actually buy what you want with all the shortages :)
 
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I often use my phone for snapshots, as a macro lens and to get a GPSs location attached to the photo. With 12mp, its photos are close in quality to 35mm film camer photos. (16mp produces photos as good or better than film from 35mm cameras.)
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Rodamu said:
I often use my phone for snapshots, as a macro lens and to get a GPSs location attached to the photo. With 12mp, its photos are close in quality to 35mm film camer photos. (16mp produces photos as good or better than film from 35mm cameras.)
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My iPhone 11 pro can do some amazing portraits and macro stuff and suprisingly good video but I do not have the know how to make it do BIF and good bird shots and even landscapes that hold up well to close scrutiny.
 
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Rodamu said:
I recommend the Nikon Z50 with the Nikon 28-300mm best quality lens and the necessary adapter. It will give you a range of 40-450mm equivalent with a lightweight system that will take high quality photos. You can add the Z50's 16-50mm lens for wide angle photos. The lens is very small and light.
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Good suggestion, I considered this but found that lens to be heavier than I liked. I think, for the time being, I will go with a Z6ii and Nikon 24-200 Z lens. A light sharp combo that appears fast enough and will be cropable when necessary.
 
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Rodamu said:
I often use my phone for snapshots, as a macro lens and to get a GPSs location attached to the photo. With 12mp, its photos are close in quality to 35mm film camer photos. (16mp produces photos as good or better than film from 35mm cameras.)
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i never really think of my phone as a camera, except to shoot stuff like merchandise in a store, or directions etc. but I should probably start doing so. It looks like it may have possibilities, tho my resolution is not very high.
 
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gKhan said:
I shoot all types of subjects but this post primarily concerns wildlife. I use a D780 with a Tamron 28-300 lens because most of my wildlife shots occur when I am hiking in the mountains. On any given hike I use a full range of focal lengths with the zoom lens. I have been shooting wildlife for almost 60 years and can no longer carry multiple lenses nor a very long lens such as a 500 or 600mm. Also, I never take a tripod but will use my hiking staff, trees or rocks etc to steady the camera when possible. Everything is hand held but I can get decent shots hand holding the 300mm zoom. I frequently leave the established trails in order to get shots , so in most cases, my wild life shots are usually taken at around 90 to 150mm. So, hand holding has not been a major problem, but I would like to increase the range.

Though picture quality is very important to me, the pictures I take are more for documentation of where I have been and what I have seen rather than for a magazine cover. I should add that the vast majority of pictures I have seen on this site significantly exceed what I generally see on magazine covers.

I want to lighten my load so have tried a Nikon Z6ii and really like the camera but the Tammy lens is not fully compatible with it. I also would like to increase the focal length for those situations where I cannot get close enough with my 300. But keep in mind that I want to retain the wide angle capability too, so a zoom is needed. I like the Z6ii but am limited in zoom lens choices---don't forget that I am also shooting landscapes, flowers, old mine sites and artifacts etc on most trips.

Here is what I have come up with and would appreciate any comments or suggestions that you may have.

I looked at a list of lenses that are compatible with the Z6ii and have pretty much settled on the Tammy 18-400. There are no mirrorless lenses that meet my needs.

I initially disregarded the 18-400 because it is for crop sensor cameras and the Z6 is full frame. But since I will need an adapter to make DSLR lenses fit, I can use a crop sensor lens on the camera by using the adapter. I gain a crop factor of 1.5 so the 400 mm lens now becomes 600 and the 18mm wide angle becomes only 27 mm--- which is about what I get with my current 28-300 FF lens. The 18-400 is physically larger than I would like but I can live with that for the advantage of gaining super long telephoto lens. Also, the footprint of the Z6 helps a lot towards the portability.

So far I have been quite pleased with the image quality and I assume it will be the same as with a FF, except for the crop factor difference. I think I would be comfortable printing them up to 20x30 and probably larger.

If this is not the case please let me know what you think. So far I have taken less than 500 shots with this combination and have not taken it on an extended hike but I have been very impressed with the results. I usually flunk these sanity checks so please give you your considered opinions. I really am greatly impressed with the quality of the shots posted on this site so any comments you make will be valued and appreciated. Thanks.
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I would suggest you take a look at the 70-200mm Z lens - its fantastic.
Although I'm not a fan - the 70-200 with a teleconverter would give you the reach without the weight.
500mm is the maximum focal length that i'm happy to use without a support (tripod etc).
 
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EricBowles said:
Really good posts. It would be worthwhile to have a separate thread focusing on preparation, how you decide what to carry on a normal trail, off-trail, etc.

A few years ago I invited a photographer friend who was reasonably fit to join me on a trip to a hike-in lodge. The trail was 7 miles with an average grade of 8%. We both brought full camera bags with about 20 pounds of gear - along with rain gear, water, snacks, and other things for overnight. He is a medical doctor with emergency room training and had some emergency medical supplies. A little past halfway, his legs started to cramp. I ended up carrying his full pack and mine while we would walk 100 feet and then rest for the last two miles. A three hour hike turned into 8+ hours. He was prepared to spend the night on the trail if needed. We made it alright, but it was certainly unexpected for both of us. The next year we made the same hike without any issues - and he had dropped 25 pounds of body weight and was exercising regularly. Two years later he was certified and provided medical support for a month at Everest Base Camp. Certification required a timed hike/jog with a heavy pack over a grade.
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Your story reminds me of a time when I was hiking AMC hut-to-hut in the White Mountains of NH with my wife. About a third of the way in, Mary somehow threw her back out and I ended up carrying her pack and my own - about 50 pounds of gear in all. Then it started snowing - hard. We would hike about 1,000 feet, then rest. Thank God we had proper weather gear and food. What started out as a four-hour hike turned into nine hours - by the time we reached the hut, we were both exhausted (me especially). I learned always to be prepared in the Boy Scouts, and it has served me well.
 
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gkhan,
You are correct: the 28-300 zoom with adapter is big and bulky. One final consideration: do you sometimes need a flash? If so, remember that the Z50 is the only Nikon mirrorless camera that has a built in flash.
 
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Rodamu said:
gkhan,
You are correct: the 28-300 zoom with adapter is big and bulky. One final consideration: do you sometimes need a flash? If so, remember that the Z50 is the only Nikon mirrorless camera that has a built in flash.
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I don't need a flash but there are a couple times a year I could use one. Usually, just to fill flash a face against an interesting background. Though it would be nice to have, its minimal use for me, is offset by other advantages in cameras without a flash, but thanks for the suggestion.
 
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My light weight lenses that I use a lot with my Nikon D500 and D850 are the Nikon AF -S 24-85mm f5.5-4.5 G ED VR and the Nikon 70-200mm f4. If I need a faster lens, I add my Nikon 55mm f2.8 macro lens (manual focus) or a Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.8. I usually find when hiking that most of my shots are taken with either the 24-85 or the 70-200mm. I rarely have to change lenses while on the move. And that means that one of them might just stay in the car while I am out and about.
 
AlexY said:
I have a D500 and have been using a Tamron 18-400mm lens for almost 3 years now. It is my walking around lens and it affords very good images. I use it for wildlife, landscapes, and portraits, though I do have other lenses which I will use for special pictures - a Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 for landscapes, a Sigma 18-35mm f 1.8 for portraits and landscapes and a Tamron 150-600mm G2 for wildlife, as well as a Sigma 10-20mm for landscapes, plus a Sigma 105mm macro.
The 18-400 is still my lens of choice for wandering about, camera in hand, looking for adventure. Why not get a D500 to go with your 18-400 Tamron? Below, a photo taken with the D500 and the Tamron 18-400 (350mm or ~525mm FX field of view, f6.3, 1/800s, ISO 2000, hand held, Algonquin Park, one week ago)
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cheers,
Alex
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I bought one of these for my wife's D7500 a few years ago. It's a pretty handy lens for walking around or taking on road trips. I enjoy it.
Would be terrible on a full frame though.
 
Out of curiosity I just now put the Tamron 18-400 4/3.5-6.3 on the D850 and took a shot out back with it from a distance of about 52 feet.

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Rodamu said:
Reminds me of when I used Tameran zoom lens in the late 20th Century. They weren't perfectly sharp, especially on the edges.
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I don't think any lens that zooms from 18-400 mm is gonna be tack sharp though. I could be wrong.
 
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I use the Tamron 18-400 on a D500. As others have said it isn’t the sharpest arrow in my quiver but “good enough” for a lot of my work. Although it doesn’t carry the wide end the Sigma 100-400 is a very sharp lens. Worthy of a consideration if you’re not doing a lot of wide angle landscape stuff. I carry the lens a lot in summer heat here in Kentucky. In cooler weather, especially during bird migrations and whitetail rut I carry a 200-500. A bonus is the 100-400 is designed for FX and works on DX. The DX lens will work on the FX cameras but in DX mode. On a Z6 you are losing some of the mpix of the sensor if that is important to you.
Jeff
 
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Ken Miracle said:
Odd ... did you have the 850 on auto crop ? I have never experienced vignette on my 850 with that lens but have never not had it auto crop to DX mode.
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That would be the difference. By default the D850 will crop to DX when a DX lens is mounted so you would not see the edges.
Here looks like an FX view of the DX image circle - as you can see here though, the image circle is actually quite a bit bigger than APSc and if you are ok to crop to 8x10 instead of 2x3 ratio, you'd probably get about 16mp our of a 24mp body (eye balling it) which is useable. If you crop to true 2x3 APSc ratio though you need to cut the sides but also top and bottom and you end up with about 12 to 13MP out of 24 would be my guess.
 
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gKhan said:
Wow!!! All of the responses to my inquiry have been really well thought out and reasonable. Though they may suggest different solutions to my problem they all seem to be well-intentioned and based on facts rather than opinion. I truly appreciate that and have seriously considered virtually all of them to be viable solutions.

I cannot reply to everyone individually so will try to comment on the most prevalent comments.

Regarding taking multiple lenses: I initially rejected that idea because it would require some life style changes on my part. After knocking around wildernesses in the Rockies and even some extreme excursions in Alaska I have had and have observed some really frightening things concerning getting lost, accidents and completely disoriented situations.

If I get out of sight of the vehicle or the trail head I always take a pack that has enough gear, clothing and food/water in it for me to survive at least one very uncomfortable night. That is probably overkill, especially on very short hikes, but I have done it for years and luckily never had to use any of that stuff in an emergency situation---but many folks have thanked me for using my water purification pump. I also carry a Garmin Inreach SOS GPS device, so I am probably not as dumb as I look.

I'm still here, but a good friend of a son in law of mine thought she could get by with just minimal gear/planning, tee shirt, water bottle and shorts and she has not been seen nor heard from in years. She had probably left the established trail like I occasionally do and who knows...??? People and organizations have looked for her or her remains for at least two or three summers with no luck. So, things will happen and you need to be prepared and aware.

BUT, due to some of your comments, I am seriously considering taking two lenses covering from about 24 to 200 or 300 mm. It is probably time for me to learn to stay on the established trails which are used by other people so I can leave behind some of that extra gear I take and make room for another lens.

A serious concern I have with doing that involves having to change lenses on a mirrorless camera outdoors in gusty, dusty, wet winds. Sitting on a soft rock or fallen tree juggling two lenses and a camera in a rocky dirty environment does not seem like my idea of happiness but I guess I can learn. Like all acquired skills I will start practicing that. I rarely change lenses out doors.

I do use my hiking staff as a monopod but the darn quick release pad keeps getting broken but it does help when used.

Suggestions about non-Nikon cameras are interesting and I may look into that depending on how other solutions pan out.

I had done a lot of research on alternate lenses and today, by accident, I ran across a Nikon Z 24-200 lens that I somehow had overlooked when I looked into Z lenses. That will probably be the final solution or maybe I'll even go to a Nikon 24-300 DSLR lens but that is so darn heavy I will probably avoid it. And, of course, the two lens solution is still viable. We'll see.

Thanks again for everyone's help and advice. I appreciate it. It was helpful for several reasons. Sorry for rambling on for so long.
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WOW, lots of great help and options from a lot of photographers.....

I have no real solution as to what is the best option for you, however i do feel if looking for more length hand held with a zoom your moving into an area of considering the importance's of ....

maintaining image quality
good image stabilization,
good light gathering capacity,
avoiding magnification multi-pals getting to high.

ie: 18-400 has a 22.2 times magnification multiplication, 24-200 is a 8.33 times magnification multiplication, a 70-200 FL or Z lens has F2.8 and a magnification of only 2.85:1,
really high magnification multiplication generally comes at a cost or compromise in a whole area of things, however lets not create any concern that currently is for you not an issue.

If you cant get the perfect lens then consider a light 70-200 F2.8 FL or Z version with a 1.4 TC on a Z7II that gives you exceptional image quality, stabilization, and super corp ability equal to or exceeding easily 400mm equivalent, added to that you have f2.8, ability to use lower shutter speeds, need for lower iso, it ticks all the boxes. Oh yes the Z7II at 45mp has stunning image quality, takes a TC better than FX, its also got DX mode, in summary consider a Z7II, 1.4TC, even a 2x TC as well, 70-200 Z lens and your never going to look back.........hopefully, and its super light and compact.

Only another option to confuse you LOL

OZ Down under
 
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