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Neil H. said:
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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This is an excellent issue that you raise. I used the Wimberley AP-500 Quick Release Replacement Foot. I have the RRS quick release on my Wimberley WH-200 Gimbal Tripod Head II with Quick Release Base. See Steve, you do have a significant influence on people's choices. 😂 😂 😂 Yes set up is back heavy. And, that quick release foot did not provide sufficient clearance for the RRS quick release lever. Great point to consider if you wish to use the 500PF on a tripod Gimbal rig.
 
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Blue Tit D500+500PF, f6.3@1/1000 ISO900
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I have not read all the posts so if I repeat things already said I apologize.

I find that the 500 PF is a fantastic lens, one of my favourites, obviously, it plays in a different league than the corresponding F.4 but its good points are much more than a few faults that can be found. I don't want to discuss price, sharpness, weight and size because they are now standard elements in everyone's eyes.

One of the advantages that are often not considered about its very compact size is that being smaller and lighter it is less visible to animals. I'm obviously talking about shy subjects like deer, for example. Slightly moving a lens with a 105mm lens to better compose the shot gives much less to the eye than the giant 500mm lens hood, not to mention the 600mm. The same goes for vertical movement. I use it handheld to be more agile since I removed the tripod bracket from the first day. This allows me to be faster in the shots and more agile in moving. Keeping the light PF still is much easier.

As a negative factor, in addition to the difference stop, there is a more nervous blur due to the Fresnel lens and the propensity to create strange halos in the light points in case of a backlight. Fortunately, these are situations that happen very rarely and that in any case, can be mitigated by software.
 
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R.Philip said:
This is an excellent issue that you raise. I used the Wimberley AP-500 Quick Release Replacement Foot. I have the RRS quick release on my Wimberley WH-200 Gimbal Tripod Head II with Quick Release Base. See Steve, you do have a significant influence on people's choices. 😂 😂 😂 Yes set up is back heavy. And, that quick release foot did not provide sufficient clearance for the RRS quick release lever. Great point to consider if you wish to use the 500PF on a tripod Gimbal rig.
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Looking at buying the Nikon 500OF for my Nikon D500. Are you saying the 500PF with AP500 Quick Release foot won’t work with the WH-200 Wimberley Gimbal?
 
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LL4D500 said:
Looking at buying the Nikon 500OF for my Nikon D500. Are you saying the 500PF with AP500 Quick Release foot won’t work with the WH-200 Wimberley Gimbal?
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If you have the RRS quick release on your Gimbal, the AP500 foot is short and the camera rig obstructs the RRS quick release lever. If you have the tightening screw/knob on your Wimberly head, it is a none issue. Sorry, I don't have the 500PF any longer to take a photo for you.

You made me think now trying to visualize the issue. I have an L bracket on my D850 with MB-D18 battery pack. Maybe the lever was obstructed by the L-Bracket. I only tried it one time when I had the 500PF. I may have misinformed you guys. Sorry.
 
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I have posted to YouTube a six minute wildlife video, all shots (except landscape which were taken with the Nikon Z7 and 24-70S lens) this year using the D500 and the 500PF handheld. If you are interested check it out at
. This video shows the potential of the 500 PF. Video created with LrC. Enjoy.
 
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R.Philip said:
If you have the RRS quick release on your Gimbal, the AP500 foot is short and the camera rig obstructs the RRS quick release lever. If you have the tightening screw/knob on your Wimberly head, it is a none issue. Sorry, I don't have the 500PF any longer to take a photo for you.

You made me think now trying to visualize the issue. I have an L bracket on my D850 with MB-D18 battery pack. Maybe the lever was obstructed by the L-Bracket. I only tried it one time when I had the 500PF. I may have misinformed you guys. Sorry.
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Thanks! I have the D500, a 70-200 F2.8 E and a Nikon 500PF. The RRS foot for both those lenses is the RRS LCF11-C. It is 4.25” long. I also have the L bracket but not the battery pack.
I know when I put my body/lens/foot on my RRS Monopod w/Wimberley Monopod Head, I had to put Monopod head on left side to avoid having an access issue to PV and F1.
One of my RRS QR has the Knob and the other has the Lever. Don’t have the WH-200, but am thinking about getting it. If I have trouble with Lever, the Knob version should be OK.
Now that I think about it, I also have a Kirk 7”(?) Nodal Rail that should give me any necessary adjustment. Thanks!
 
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I've had the 500PF since its introduction. At the time of purchase I had a choice between a used (but unused) 500mm f/4G, new Sigma 500 f/4 S, and the 500PF. At the time of purchase I had the 200-400mm f/4G and 300PF, so I thought I'd buy the new Nikon for its low weight and portability. As many have stated, it is much more than a lightweight lens. It has the potential to revolutionize the way you take pictures because of its diminutive size. I am a traditionalist and have followed the "John Shaw School of Photography." For those too new to the field of Nature and Wildlife, John Shaw was a huge advocate of shoot it from a tripod ALWAYS. As one who has spent most of his photographic life shooting with a large and bulky tripod, it took the better part of a year to liberate myself from my 3-legged friend. While I still shoot much of my work (85%) with a tripod (even my PF lenses), I am now quick to release the lens from its bondage and shoot handheld when the situation requires it.
Optically, I find it as sharp as the 500 f/4G that others have mentioned, and too close to call when compared to the 500E lens. It's primary weakness is its depth of field. When the subject to lens is close and background distance is significant, it is no big deal... when the subject to lens distance is moderate and background to subject is close, you will miss the benefits of an f/4 maximum aperture. Finally, while the D500 is a great body to pair with the lens, the DX crop serves magnify the bokeh dilemma that I just described.
Someone mentioned strange bokeh... this is something that I rarely see (only once) and should not be a reason disregard the lens. If you shoot straight into the sun, you will see the fresnel lens bokeh, but the 500PF is much better at handling this artifact than is the 300PF (I have one of these too). The bokeh is smooth and pleasing so long as the background is not cluttered
I am not a bird photographer, but this lens has allowed me the liberty to chase birds while photographing other (mostly mammalian) subjects... samples below
regards,
bruce


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BLev65 said:
I've had the 500PF since its introduction. At the time of purchase I had a choice between a used (but unused) 500mm f/4G, new Sigma 500 f/4 S, and the 500PF. At the time of purchase I had the 200-400mm f/4G and 300PF, so I thought I'd buy the new Nikon for its low weight and portability. As many have stated, it is much more than a lightweight lens. It has the potential to revolutionize the way you take pictures because of its diminutive size. I am a traditionalist and have followed the "John Shaw School of Photography." For those too new to the field of Nature and Wildlife, John Shaw was a huge advocate of shoot it from a tripod ALWAYS. As one who has spent most of his photographic life shooting with a large and bulky tripod, it took the better part of a year to liberate myself from my 3-legged friend. While I still shoot much of my work (85%) with a tripod (even my PF lenses), I am now quick to release the lens from its bondage and shoot handheld when the situation requires it.
Optically, I find it as sharp as the 500 f/4G that others have mentioned, and too close to call when compared to the 500E lens. It's primary weakness is its depth of field. When the subject to lens is close and background distance is significant, it is no big deal... when the subject to lens distance is moderate and background to subject is close, you will miss the benefits of an f/4 maximum aperture. Finally, while the D500 is a great body to pair with the lens, the DX crop serves magnify the bokeh dilemma that I just described.
Someone mentioned strange bokeh... this is something that I rarely see (only once) and should not be a reason disregard the lens. If you shoot straight into the sun, you will see the fresnel lens bokeh, but the 500PF is much better at handling this artifact than is the 300PF (I have one of these too). The bokeh is smooth and pleasing so long as the background is not cluttered
I am not a bird photographer, but this lens has allowed me the liberty to chase birds while photographing other (mostly mammalian) subjects... samples below
regards,
bruce


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Bruce, These are very nice images. I love the Great Gray Owl and and the blue bird. I am 60 years old and have become fascinated with owls. I've seen less than 10 in my life and have started reading about them and have a trip planned to the Grand Tetons to possibly see a Great Gray. I hope I am lucky enough to possibly get a perch shot like yours. If I am extremely lucky, a landing, take-off, or bif shot of one would totally be a thrill of a lifetime for me.
 
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R.Philip said:
Bruce, These are very nice images. I love the Great Gray Owl and and the blue bird. I am 60 years old and have become fascinated with owls. I've seen less than 10 in my life and have started reading about them and have a trip planned to the Grand Tetons to possibly see a Great Gray. I hope I am lucky enough to possibly get a perch shot like yours. If I am extremely lucky, a landing, take-off, or bif shot of one would totally be a thrill of a lifetime for me.
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The Grand Tetons are an amazing place, but you either need a guide or some very good luck to see them there. There's a photographer called Steve Mathes who lives in the area and leads private tours. I have never shot with him, but his YouTube channel is inspirational and information rich. While his day rate is high, working with him might increase your chance of photographing a great gray.
As for my image, I live in MN and this owl was photographed this year in a well known boreal bird destination. The region is well known, so I'm not spilling secrets by telling you that I photographed this one in the Sax Zim Bog. I've been shooting here since 1994 before anyone but the locals knew the bog existed. I was researcher (behavior ecologist) in a prior life. With research on pelagic birds and monarch butterflies, I had some connections back in the day and was introduced to the bog by the Bell Museum staff. It was the wild west back then, and one could camp in a snow shelter and spend days photographing owls, boreal chickadees, moose, and sharp-tailed grouses. "The Bog" is now part of every Audubon Society list, and can get pretty crowded between late November and early March. I'd say you have a 50% chance of seeing at least one owl on any given day and will often see multiple species. Throughout my years there I have seen &/or photographed Great Grays, Hawk Owls, Boreal Owls, Snowy Owls and Barred Owls.
On this last trip, I was a little sad to see the reckless nature of the birders and photographers, as there is less respect for the animals and less awe in simply enjoying the experience. The drive to one up each other has cheapened the location for me. As such, I am searching for a few new locations where I can recapture the solitude that I use to enjoy... I'm linking few more owls photographed in the area and one from my secret spot ;-)
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BLev65 said:
The Grand Tetons are an amazing place, but you either need a guide or some very good luck to see them there. There's a photographer called Steve Mathes who lives in the area and leads private tours. I have never shot with him, but his YouTube channel is inspirational and information rich. While his day rate is high, working with him might increase your chance of photographing a great gray.
As for my image, I live in MN and this owl was photographed this year in a well known boreal bird destination. The region is well known, so I'm not spilling secrets by telling you that I photographed this one in the Sax Zim Bog. I've been shooting here since 1994 before anyone but the locals knew the bog existed. I was researcher (behavior ecologist) in a prior life. With research on pelagic birds and monarch butterflies, I had some connections back in the day and was introduced to the bog by the Bell Museum staff. It was the wild west back then, and one could camp in a snow shelter and spend days photographing owls, boreal chickadees, moose, and sharp-tailed grouses. "The Bog" is now part of every Audubon Society list, and can get pretty crowded between late November and early March. I'd say you have a 50% chance of seeing at least one owl on any given day and will often see multiple species. Throughout my years there I have seen &/or photographed Great Grays, Hawk Owls, Boreal Owls, Snowy Owls and Barred Owls.
On this last trip, I was a little sad to see the reckless nature of the birders and photographers, as there is less respect for the animals and less awe in simply enjoying the experience. The drive to one up each other has cheapened the location for me. As such, I am searching for a few new locations where I can recapture the solitude that I use to enjoy... I'm linking few more owls photographed in the area and one from my secret spot ;-)
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I've been watching Steve Mattheis for a couple years or more. Actually, watching him has been very influential in my interest in owls. I have always been fascinated by owls, but his videos escalated that interest. If you would have asked me 3 or more years ago about being interested in wildlife photography, I'd have told you that the cost of the equipment was prohibitive and that I would be sticking with other areas of photography. Between Steve Perry and Steve M, my interest in wildlife photography has developed. My interest in a D850 purchase in late 2017 actually resulted in the Youtube searches where I found both Steve's. Seeing their images and watching their videos brought me to this point. I just ordered a 2nd D850 and the 600mm f/4 E FL. I hope I have the latter by May 20th. In the interim, I am reading about owls, moose, bear, etc. I'm also doing research about the Teton's area via several photography books and a website someone turned me onto. By the time I go, I'll know the map of the area like the back of my hand and will know high probability areas of seeing the various subjects I hope to see. I'm also studying Steve Perry's books about Nikon AF system, Secrets of WL photography, and will be getting his E Book on Exposure Metering. That coupled with practice, I'm really looking forward to going to the Teton. I was in the Teton's in 09/2020 for a couple days, but the skies were smoke filled and didn't allow for the landscape shots I desired. I was there in 2015 and the smoke was even worse from the fires that year. I'm going their for two weeks this time and believe I will be prepared. With some luck, I hope to get the landscape images that have escaped me because of the fires my last two visits plus add to that some decent wildlife images. Thank you for the information.
Bob
 
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