500PF Owners a ?

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I got my 500PF a few months ago, my first reaction was wow, look what I’ve been missing. My 200-500 isn’t getting much attention any more.
First thing I did was change the foot to one from Kirk (which also suits the 70-200 FL). Along with my 300PF, I’m a pretty happy camper.
Would I love a 600 f/4.... sure but after two shoulder reco’s I happily trade the one stop for less pain
 
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Steve W said:
I got my 500PF a few months ago, my first reaction was wow, look what I’ve been missing. My 200-500 isn’t getting much attention any more.
First thing I did was change the foot to one from Kirk (which also suits the 70-200 FL). Along with my 300PF, I’m a pretty happy camper.
Would I love a 600 f/4.... sure but after two shoulder reco’s I happily trade the one stop for less pain
Click to expand...

Great to hear you love the lens. Mine will arrive the 1st of next week. What foot in particular did you replace it with if you don't mind sharing a link?

Thanks,
Hatch
 
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Hatch1921 said:
Great to hear you love the lens. Mine will arrive the 1st of next week. What foot in particular did you replace it with if you don't mind sharing a link?

Thanks,
Hatch
Click to expand...
I got the Kirk LP-64. It ticked all the boxes for me. I posted comments elsewhere about differences between this and the OEM foot and why this is more secure.
www.bhphotovideo.com

Kirk LP-64 Replacement Lens Foot for Select Nikon Lenses

Buy Kirk LP-64 Replacement Lens Foot for Select Nikon Lenses featuring Arca-Type Compatible, Double-Dovetail Design, Black Anodized 6061-T6 Aluminum, Replaces Lens' Original Foot, Additional 1/4"-20 & 3/8"-16 Sockets, Integrated Quick Disconnect System, Allows Reversed Len Hood Mounting...
www.bhphotovideo.com www.bhphotovideo.com
 
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Steve W said:
I got the Kirk LP-64. It ticked all the boxes for me. I posted comments elsewhere about differences between this and the OEM foot and why this is more secure.
www.bhphotovideo.com

Kirk LP-64 Replacement Lens Foot for Select Nikon Lenses

Buy Kirk LP-64 Replacement Lens Foot for Select Nikon Lenses featuring Arca-Type Compatible, Double-Dovetail Design, Black Anodized 6061-T6 Aluminum, Replaces Lens' Original Foot, Additional 1/4"-20 & 3/8"-16 Sockets, Integrated Quick Disconnect System, Allows Reversed Len Hood Mounting...
www.bhphotovideo.com www.bhphotovideo.com
Click to expand...
This was my post about the lens foot.

Replacement Foot for 500PF

We have all seen Steve’s video of the 500PF, in which the foot came loose and dropped the camera . I have just aqcuired this lens, and see that replacements are available from Kirk, Wimberley, Hejner, etc. Does anyone have a recommendation for one of these replacements?
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
 
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Hatch1921 said:
I have both lenses. The 500 PF is permanently attached to the D500 and is my go to for birds/wildlife. I use the 300PF on the Z7 or D750 while on game drives in the evening or early morning when animals are close to the track and the F4 helps. I find I can acquire focus on a fast moving Peregrine at close range with D500/500pf faster than any other combo I have tried. The 500PF/D500 for me is the ideal tool for wildlife hand held.
Click to expand...
 
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Love the lens & we have two of them now !

HMP_0343_GreatBabblerBlreHydRaos03Jan2020.jpg
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I shoot raptors and wading birds in flight. The 500PF is the fastest autofocus lens I had ever shot since my first 500mm in 1997. It is amazing. I use it either with the D850 with a battery pack for faster continuous shooting, or the cropped sensor D500 which becomes a 750mm field of view. The newer lens also adds better optics and 3 1/4 pounds versus about 8 pounds from my first fixed 500mm. In between those two lens I also had the 200-500mm which weighed a "mere" 5 pounds and change. These were shot at the Venice Rookery earlier this week.
Egret On a Mission Venice Rookery 020921.jpg
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Great Egret Timber Delivery Venice Rookery 020921.jpg
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Few raptors that i had shot with the 500 PF

Black winged kite
HMP_9973_BlackwingedyKiteBetteKotteLake01Jan2021-denoise.jpg
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Brahminy kite

HMP_9772_BrahminyKiteBetteKotteLake01Jan2021.jpg
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Shikra

HMP_1772_ShikraBetteKotteLake06Dec2020-denoise.jpg
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Hatch1921 said:
HI all,

I love the 300PF and have my eye on the 500PF. For those of you who own the lens or even rented it.. what do you love/hate about the lens? Do you find F/5.6 suitable for your shooting needs? i gone through a number of threads with amazing images being produced / captured with the lens.

If you own or have shot both the 300 and the 500... is the 500 sharper? Same?

Appreciate the input before I hit the buy button.

Thanks
Hatch
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Excellent lens mounted on my D500 this image was taken at 6:30AM before sunrise so f5.6 is not a problem.
BH 5.jpg
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Just to add my name to the chorus of "you can't go wrong", I purchased this lens around the 1st of December last year to take the place of my trusty 200-500mm/f5.6; huge reduction in weight (!), focuses faster, easier (as Steve alludes to) to swing up and get the shot. For me, my BIF keepers are more than double what I used to get with my 200-500. You won't regret it your choice to purchase. The image below was taken in my backyard with the 500 PF and D500. I also changed the foot immediately upon getting it to a Wimberly replacement foot which has worked very well for me thus far.
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Hatch1921 said:
YOUR ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED.

Thank you for shopping at B&H. An email confirmation is on its way

:) Thanks again all for the insight to how this lens performs. Who knows.. maybe it will replace the 300PF? Hard to let that one go... so light and fun to shoot.

Hatch
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Both PF lenses are great. My 500 mm PF has been my most used lens (on a D500, D850 and Z7) since I got one about two years ago. You'll love it. I shoot a lot from a kayak and walking around, so the combination of focal length, optical quality, light weight and maneuverability is great.

I kept my 300 mm PF when I got my 500 mm PF -- even with a 1.4x TCIII it's lighter, if I want a really light kit with some reach. I also sometimes carry it on a second body when I am using the 500 mm PF, if I think I might want a shorter focal length or f4. One other nice feature of the 300 mm PF is that it has a pretty good minimum focus distance (which does not change with an added TC) -- I find it a great combo for butterflies, dragonflies and the like.

And on trips where a backup may be a good idea, the 300 mm PF plus the 1.4x TCIII is a reasonable back up to the 500 mm PF.
 
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The 500Pf almost instantly became my favorite lens. Granted, I don't own any of the big f4 glass so no comment as to any comparisons. As others are sharing examples, here is a recent shot with mine and the D500.
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I have both lenses and have found no difference between the 500pf and 300pf regarding sharpness, but I do find myself using the 500pf more because of the reach, both are fantastic lenses for hiking, I also have the 200-500mm lens which is a fantastic lens but it is left at home since I bought the 500pf mainly because of the weight, though there is hardly any difference in sharpness.
 
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For me it was a no brainer decision to buy this lens when it was announced by Nikon. The specs do not provide a real impression of how a 500mm lens is the size and the weight of the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. For me it was a game changer with it weighing 5 lbs less than my 500mm and 600mm lenses and so no need for a tripod or monopod (and the extra 8 lbs of a gimbal head and legs). I also carry the 80-400mm lens in my small 18L backpack and so I have focal lengths from 80mm to 500mm with less weight than a singel 500mm f/4 or 600mm f/4 lens. The gain in mobility while shooting from land or from a boat is too great to relate in words.
 
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I have to say... I'm really excited to shoot this lens. Thank you all for the great comments and killer shots. I'll either post an exotic cat or duck shot first, lol, before I get a chance to go out in the desert to look for real wildlife. :)

Thanks again,
Hatch
 
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I don't believe there is one person that questions the IQ, AF speed, and mobility of the 500PF. Not one person posting in this thread questioned it. Some comments just indicated some of the benefits of the bigger glass. That in no way was a criticism of the 500PF. I enjoyed the 500PF when I had it. I opted though to try the 600 f/4E for the benefits stated.
Seeing all the great 500PF images on this thread has been enjoyable. I don't believe I saw one I did not like. Great images everyone. Keep the images coming...(y)(y)(y)
 
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Member's gallery
Take care with the foot replacement. I use my 500pf with a 1.4 TC on my gripped D850 with a RRS L-bracket. This rig is very back heavy and would not balance on my Flex-shooter ball head. A long 153mm foot gave plenty of room to also attach a micro-clamp. This allows me to carry the rig on a Magpul strap in either portrait or landscape orientation. I can also attach the QD quick release to the lens plate or if on a long walk "split" the Magpul strap and attach one end to the lens foot and the other to the L-bracket in either landscape or portrait orientation. The beauty of this set-up is that I can whip the 500pf lens off and attach a wide-angle landscape lens that can attach to the same ball-head in either landscape or portrait orientation.
 
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