400mm f/4.5 VR S vs 500mm PF price

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macwalter said:
Also Steve recommended that I not wait too long to sell my dslr gear as they are losing value. I now have two z8s one with the 400f4.5 and the other with the 600pf.
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I agree on your opinion. I wanted to get 500 PF 2 years back and it was out of my budget, though I liked it so much. Now I can see used nice ones are going for $1500.
You think, it would drop further ? I feel it should be bottom for such a nice and sharp glass.
 
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Considering its price, ergonomics and above all optical quality, the 500 PF is a gift that keeps on giving. I also have the lighter 400 f4.5S but I've learned the 500 PF is more versatile. However, advantage to the 400 f4.5S as the better large mammal prime in general context, until you need tighter framing.

I kept mine not only in a mixed F-Z system, but because Used/Trade-in is seriously poor compensation to dump a E type revolutionary telephoto, which Nikon launched quite recently (August 2018). It's most certainly not obsolete, particularly IME on a Z9 with a TC14 III.

Compared to the 400 f4.5S, 700 f8 is distinctly superior to 560 f9 especially as a walkabout birding setup on a Zed MILC (although I cannot justify a 600 f6.3S PF). Light weight is the shared key feature in this comparison - as Commando Kit candidates, although the 180-600 is another versatile candidate (albeit heavier).

And fyi these interesting threads

My "journey" with the Nikon 180-600, featuring the 500pf

For several years I shot with the Nikkor 200-500 on a D500, a Z7ii, and eventually a Z8. The lens was not perfect, but I generally got good results and have had more than one person tell me that my copy was exceptionally sharp for the model. For what it's worth, Reikan FoCal rated it as high as...
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MTF data for the 500 f5.6E PF (including TC's)

Photography Life have updated their review of the 500mm f5.6E PF with Imatest data. These include both Teleconverters. The results with TC14 III corroborate the high quality of the images obtainable with this combination. And the review compares the older 500 f4G...
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Second lens to use with 800PF for birding

For birding, I am using a Z9 with 800PF almost all the time. I just ordered a Z8 to use as my second camera. For all you bird photographers what would be the most useful lens to use alongside the 800? 500PF (which I have), Z400 4.5, Z100-400 or F mount 600 F4 (which I have but would only...
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The best sale price I have seen for the 400mm f4.5 was very slightly under $3 grand.

The used price on the F mount 500mm PF is extraordinarily attractive at around $1500 or so.

I have no idea what used or reconditioned 400mm f4.5's go for these days.

from what I saw the 500mm was quite sharp and probably the equal of the 400mm. It also offered the advantage of longer reach.
 
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bsparks276 said:
I agree on your opinion. I wanted to get 500 PF 2 years back and it was out of my budget, though I liked it so much. Now I can see used nice ones are going for $1500.
You think, it would drop further ? I feel it should be bottom for such a nice and sharp glass.
Click to expand...
I suspect the higher price of substitutes is helping to preserve the price of a used 500mm PF. The alternatives are the 400mm f/4.5, 600mm PF, and maybe the 800mm PF. All are light, compact lenses like the 500mm PF.

I find the bokeh of the 400mm f/4.5 is an advantage compared to the PF lenses. The later Z PF lenses have improved, but specular highlights sometimes are unattractive with the 500mm PF.

It's always a tough call balancing price against alternatives.
 
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Personally I found the 500pf works fine in the z8 but I feel the 400f4.5 is more versatile as it works better in low light and has the advantage of better image stability and headless the 1.4 for 560mm and even does a decent job at 800mm with the 2x as long as the light is good and you avoid shooting in backlight situations where the CA can be an issue. I did wait until I got the 600pf to sell it. If money is the primary concern for 1.5k it is a good bargain. I sold my copy which was heavily used but with excellent glass and got 1375 with MPB. Another company only offered me 850 so the trade in value is going down. If you can sell it privately that is better
 
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bsparks276 said:
I agree on your opinion. I wanted to get 500 PF 2 years back and it was out of my budget, though I liked it so much. Now I can see used nice ones are going for $1500.
You think, it would drop further ? I feel it should be bottom for such a nice and sharp glass.
Click to expand...
Not sure when the 500mm PF price will drop, but am sure it will eventually get lower as parts to fix it become unavailable, there are fewer DSLR shooters, the price of the Z lenses come down, etc. But in the meantime, you are losing the opportunity to use it. So unless you plan to buy the lens and put it on your shelf, not sure what the point is to wait longer to see how much lower it can go. I would worry more about getting a good copy that won't break down.
 
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just got an email from Nikon Germany that many lenses (from what I can tell all lenses except the TC lenses) now have a discount of 10%. Some cameras also have a discount up to 500 Euros including the Z9 and Z8 as far as I can tell.
(I don't think that the Z9 discount means that we will see a Z9 II soon, this is just part of a larger effort to boost sales, I guess).


Maybe this is also happening in other countries.
 
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