GinaLola
Member
If you could only have one lens for your Z9 to use for bird photography (shorebirds, seabirds and backyard songbirds) which one would you buy?
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For what you describe the 800mm 6.3. The one caveat may be carrying it on "long hikes". With the Z9 it's about eight pounds. I just finished shooting for three months with the Z9/800mm on the SC coast. Below are links to photos I've posted here in the forum. If you decide to go that route while the lens is on order you may want to get out and practice a bit with your 400mm/2x TC just to get a feel for shooting with 800mm field of view. Some people have a hard time getting used to it.Thank you for the replies and questions, As for what I shoot, it’s all the above. BIF, perched birds, handheld, on a tripod, at close range, or on a sandbar out in the ocean. I do a lot of the social media for our bird club at the beach so I shoot every possible bird on our island. (Near Charleston, SC). I have the Z100-400 which I love but once I add TCs the widest aperture is f/11 at 800mm. That works at times but sometimes I need the reach and more light. I’m a strong 60 year old female but don’t want anything super heavy as I carry it on long hikes with our bird club. I’m in this purely for the enjoyment, not a career. I have the budget to buy either Z lens but would rather invest in one or two that will get me the best results. Considering the weight time I want to make sure I’m waiting for the right lens. I’d hate to order the 800 and then realize the 600 would serve my needs better. So that’s the detail behind my question. Thank you!! All advice appreciated.
LOL pretty much what these sort of threads end up being.So this is the thread where we all get to say you should get what I've got?![]()
Have you tried the Z 1.4x TC with your Z 100-400 mm lens? I find that can be quite useful when you want the flexibility of a zoom and more reach. It gets you to 560 mm, although it is f8 at the long end. Optics seem good to me. I used that last year in Yellowstone (winter) for mammals; Iceland for puffins and other sea birds; and Hudson Bay (fall) for polar bears and arctic foxes. In each case, I also brought the 500 mm PF and 1.4x TCIII. A versatile set.Thank you for the replies and questions, As for what I shoot, it’s all the above. BIF, perched birds, handheld, on a tripod, at close range, or on a sandbar out in the ocean. I do a lot of the social media for our bird club at the beach so I shoot every possible bird on our island. (Near Charleston, SC). I have the Z100-400 which I love but once I add TCs the widest aperture is f/11 at 800mm. That works at times but sometimes I need the reach and more light. I’m a strong 60 year old female but don’t want anything super heavy as I carry it on long hikes with our bird club. I’m in this purely for the enjoyment, not a career. I have the budget to buy either Z lens but would rather invest in one or two that will get me the best results. Considering the wait time I want to make sure I’m waiting for the right lens. I’d hate to order the 800 and then realize the 600 would serve my needs better. So that’s the detail behind my question. Thank you!! All advice appreciated.
At this moment it would be the Sony 200-600mm adapted zoom I currently own. It's an amazing lens, and with each passing month in which Nikon does not offer its own version it seems like a better and better investment. A second choice would be the 600mm f4Z, which I don't own and is oh, so expensive so it's likely I never will own it.If you could only have one lens for your Z9 to use for bird photography (shorebirds, seabirds and backyard songbirds) which one would you buy?
That's helpful. The 800mm PF is great - especially for songbirds and more distant shorebirds. It's fine for birds in flight but you will need practice due to the narrow field of view.Thank you for the replies and questions, As for what I shoot, it’s all the above. BIF, perched birds, handheld, on a tripod, at close range, or on a sandbar out in the ocean. I do a lot of the social media for our bird club at the beach so I shoot every possible bird on our island. (Near Charleston, SC). I have the Z100-400 which I love but once I add TCs the widest aperture is f/11 at 800mm. That works at times but sometimes I need the reach and more light. I’m a strong 60 year old female but don’t want anything super heavy as I carry it on long hikes with our bird club. I’m in this purely for the enjoyment, not a career. I have the budget to buy either Z lens but would rather invest in one or two that will get me the best results. Considering the wait time I want to make sure I’m waiting for the right lens. I’d hate to order the 800 and then realize the 600 would serve my needs better. So that’s the detail behind my question. Thank you!! All advice appreciated.
100% spot-on w/ my observations regarding the 800: it's a supreme lens when you have the room to employ it, but for up-close jittery song birds in thick vegetation the AF and handling are proving to be just a bit too cumbersome (for me, at least). The 400 4.5 + 1.4TC (and the 500PF before it) is turning out to be perfect for this role, so it makes a great compliment to the 800PF.From your follow up post about your use case I don't think you'd like to lug around the 400TC or 600TC. For what you shoot I think the 600TC is the ideal lens for the subjects but not the ideal lens for your shooting requirements.
I think you either go for 800PF or 400/4.5 with 1.4TC. I have the 400/4.5 with 1.4TC and it is every bit as good as the 500PF and more stable on the camera with weight balance more towards the camera because you don't have to use the FTZ.
I think 400/4.5 with 1.4TC as needed is an awesome walk around lens. At 560 f/6.3 it will give you that extra 2/3 stop over the 100-400 and a bit better IQ and AF.
If you can handle the 800PF (as mentioned above 8lbs on a Z9) then that can be a good option. But mind the MFD of that lens and make sure 800mm will work for your subjects. Depending on where you live and where you bird it may be too much focal length a lot of the time and if you are walking narrow paths with say warblers in close proximity the MFD may be too long. 400/4.5 with 1.4TC may be better option.
The 500pf focuses faster in the Z9 then it does on the the D5/D500. .73 second on the DSLRs and .52 second on the Z9. There is no issues using the FTZ II adapter.At this moment it would be the Sony 200-600mm adapted zoom I currently own. It's an amazing lens, and with each passing month in which Nikon does not offer its own version it seems like a better and better investment. A second choice would be the 600mm f4Z, which I don't own and is oh, so expensive so it's likely I never will own it.
The 500mm PF lens, with and without the TC14eiii, is another good choice. Supposedly it "autofocuses slowly" on the Z9 because of the FTZ adapter, but it seems plenty fast enough to me for just about all purposes.
I do now own the 800 PF, and it is fantastic for birds-at-a-distance, but it would NOT be my first choice as a one and only tele because I don't find it ideal for "backyard birds" or feeder birds. At close distances (15 feet being as close as it gets) the shallow DOF is actually a cause of some frustration.
The Sony 200-600 is chosen for portability and flexibility. The Sony 600 f/4 is chosen for a faster aperture, slightly better image quality, better with a TC including a 2X, and faster focus. I have a friend that has both and uses both on a pair of A1's for bird photography.100% spot-on w/ my observations regarding the 800: it's a supreme lens when you have the room to employ it, but for up-close jittery song birds in thick vegetation the AF and handling are proving to be just a bit too cumbersome (for me, at least). The 400 4.5 + 1.4TC (and the 500PF before it) is turning out to be perfect for this role, so it makes a great compliment to the 800PF.
I love what the Nikon system has going for it so far, but the Sony 200-600 just makes a ton of sense as a one lens solution; mounted on the A1, I'd consider it to be the ultimate wildlife setup.
Very good info, thank you! It sounds like the Z 800 will be perfect for long distance shots of shorebirds out on the beach, in the restricted nesting area, and out on the sandbar. Hopefully it won't take too long to get it!I have owned the Z 800mm for a year and loved the lens. Could easily shoot with it on a tripod, monopod or handheld. Sometimes it was too much lens. But I also have the Z 400mm f4.5 and with a 1.4X TC on it I could easily shoot at 560mm with great results. Or use the 400mm without TC and it is a great flight lens.
Now I have the Z 600mm TC and I have, with some regret, sold the 800mm. The 600mm is harder to hand hold and it is certainly more of a burden to carry around. But it is an incredible lens, very sharp and with great versatility in that I can with a flip go from 600mm to 840mm.
But if I didn't have the 600mm, I think a great combination would be the 800mm along with the 400mm f4.5 with 1.4X TC.
Another reasonable and light weight option would be to have only the 400mm f4.5 and use it with both the 1.4X and 2X teleconverters, which will get you out to 800mm. The quality of the 400mm 4.5 with 1.4X TC is very good and the quality with the 2X TC is reasonable.
Here is the shot you are talking about. The image is completely unprocessed and uncropped. Nickerson Beach, Long Island NY last summer. Sanderling birds running around like crazy at the shoreline. Bird is only about 6 inches in size. Used the Z9 with Auto Area AF and animal detection. Z 800mm with 1.4X TC, handheld.Very good info, thank you! It sounds like the Z 800 will be perfect for long distance shots of shorebirds out on the beach, in the restricted nesting area, and out on the sandbar. Hopefully it won't take too long to get it!