200-500mm replacement.

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Petrphotosss

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Hello fellow wildlife photographers and gear enthusiasts,

Today is my last day of the Victoria road trip (I hope to share some great photos here soon). Unfortunately, my Nikon 200-500mm lens has jammed again—this time, the zoom mechanism is stuck, and one of the screws is lodged under the plastic, causing some damage. This issue has occurred before and was fixed under warranty, but now that the lens is out of warranty, I'm hesitant to spend a lot on repairs, knowing this problem could happen again.

So, I'm considering replacing it and would love to hear your recommendations. I'm currently using a Nikon D500 and plan to stick with it for now. My options include:

  • A Sigma/Tamron zoom lens
  • Nikon 300mm f/4 PF + 1.4x TC
  • Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF
I'm leaning toward the 500mm PF, though it's the most expensive option. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on the best "bang for the buck" solution.

Thanks in advance!
 
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Petrphotosss said:
Hello fellow wildlife photographers and gear enthusiasts,

Today is my last day of the Victoria road trip (I hope to share some great photos here soon). Unfortunately, my Nikon 200-500mm lens has jammed again—this time, the zoom mechanism is stuck, and one of the screws is lodged under the plastic, causing some damage. This issue has occurred before and was fixed under warranty, but now that the lens is out of warranty, I'm hesitant to spend a lot on repairs, knowing this problem could happen again.

So, I'm considering replacing it and would love to hear your recommendations. I'm currently using a Nikon D500 and plan to stick with it for now. My options include:

  • A Sigma/Tamron zoom lens
  • Nikon 300mm f/4 PF + 1.4x TC
  • Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF
I'm leaning toward the 500mm PF, though it's the most expensive option. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on the best "bang for the buck" solution.

Thanks in advance!
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If you’re sticking with F mount lenses and mostly use your 200-500 at its long end then yeah it’s hard to go wrong with the 500mm PF. It’s a fantastic light weight, high quality lens.

FWIW, I went from the 200-500 to a 500mm PF plus 300mm PF plus a 1.4x TC and still use that combo for my light weight hiking wildlife kit even after switching to mirrorless and have no regrets.
 
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DRwyoming said:
If you’re sticking with F mount lenses and mostly use your 200-500 at its long end then yeah it’s hard to go wrong with the 500mm PF. It’s a fantastic light weight, high quality lens.

FWIW, I went from the 200-500 to a 500mm PF plus 300mm PF plus a 1.4x TC and still use that combo for my light weight hiking wildlife kit even after switching to mirrorless and have no regrets.
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DRwyoming said:
If you’re sticking with F mount lenses and mostly use your 200-500 at its long end then yeah it’s hard to go wrong with the 500mm PF. It’s a fantastic light weight, high quality lens.

FWIW, I went from the 200-500 to a 500mm PF plus 300mm PF plus a 1.4x TC and still use that combo for my light weight hiking wildlife kit even after switching to mirrorless and have no regrets.
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Thanks for your answer, but why would you keep both the 500pf and 300pf with TC? 🙂
 
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Petrphotosss said:
Thanks for your answer, but why would you keep both the 500pf and 300pf with TC? 🙂
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For larger mammals like Moose and Elk I sometimes find 500mm too much and the 300mm PF is also fantastic for small, almost macro subjects like Dragonflies, Butterflies and amphibians with or without the 1.4x TC.

Since moving to mirrorless I’ll also occasionally use the 1.4 TC on the 500mm PF as the resulting f/8 lens still focuses fine on mirrorless bodies and the combo delivers crisp high quality images.

Sure, there’s not a lot of situations where I’ll shoot with the 300 mm plus TC at 420mm over the 500mm but it can be handy for approachable very small subjects due to the fantastic close focusing distance of the 300mm PF which doesn’t change with the TC added. But mostly those two lenses plus a TC make a versatile solution for a lot of wildlife situations spanning 300mm to 700mm in a lightweight kit.
 
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DRwyoming said:
For larger mammals like Moose and Elk I sometimes find 500mm too much and the 300mm PF is also fantastic for small, almost macro subjects like Dragonflies, Butterflies and amphibians with or without the 1.4x TC.

Since moving to mirrorless I’ll also occasionally use the 1.4 TC on the 500mm PF as the resulting f/8 lens still focuses fine on mirrorless bodies and the combo delivers crisp high quality images.

Sure, there’s not a lot of situations where I’ll shoot with the 300 mm plus TC at 420mm over the 500mm but it can be handy for approachable very small subjects due to the fantastic close focusing distance of the 300mm PF which doesn’t change with the TC added. But mostly those two lenses plus a TC make a versatile solution for a lot of wildlife situations spanning 300mm to 700mm in a lightweight kit.
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Okay, that makes sense. Sounds like a pretty neat combo
 
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soundbyte said:
The 200-500mm is quite easy to repair ( I've done three) and there is a thread that addresses how to go about it here.
If you don't want to go that route and stay with the D500 then I agree with @DRwyoming that the 500PF (still available new on nikon.com.au) is a great lens.
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Amazing! I'll give it a try before I start spending any money. That said, I have to point out that the design of the lens is really poor, and no one seemed to mention it in the reviews I watched before buying in 2021. It really makes you question the value of those reviews.
 
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DRwyoming said:
For larger mammals like Moose and Elk I sometimes find 500mm too much and the 300mm PF is also fantastic for small, almost macro subjects like Dragonflies, Butterflies and amphibians with or without the 1.4x TC.

Since moving to mirrorless I’ll also occasionally use the 1.4 TC on the 500mm PF as the resulting f/8 lens still focuses fine on mirrorless bodies and the combo delivers crisp high quality images.

Sure, there’s not a lot of situations where I’ll shoot with the 300 mm plus TC at 420mm over the 500mm but it can be handy for approachable very small subjects due to the fantastic close focusing distance of the 300mm PF which doesn’t change with the TC added. But mostly those two lenses plus a TC make a versatile solution for a lot of wildlife situations spanning 300mm to 700mm in a lightweight kit.
Click to expand...

I also have both the 300mm PF and the 500mm pf. I love the 300mm MFD and it stays the same with the 1.4tciii. It's really lightweight. I also like using it as a 300mm f4 for closer subjects.
The 500mm is stellar as well. I take it out around 60% vs the 300pf with 1.4tciii about 40%.
Both were purchased for use with my d500 and I took solace in the fact that so many kept theirs for use on modern mirrorless like a z8 or z9. I'm heading in that direction at some point.
I also have a tamron 150-600mm g2 but it almost never goes out despite being a nice lens. I just don't like carrying it after getting the PFs. I do miss it's reach however .
 
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