?: Lens recommendation for BIF on D500, your thoughts
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Great advice has been given by many! Ive owned all but the 300mm pf. In the end, the primes were able to deliver the detail that was high on my priority list. Just can't beat the 300mm F2.8 II for sharpness and in lower light. Birds like the forest. I usually put it on the wimberly gimbal on a monopod if I have to be out for several hours. The 500mm pf is light enough to hike/hold (even looking up a lot) all day. Though I have fine-tuned this lens for the D500 and D850, the D850 renders better detail....not sure why, full-frame?
joe43
Well-known member
I also recommend the 500mm f5.6 pf. It is on my D500 almost all of the time. I also have the 300mm f4 pf and use it when I know that I might have two large birds in the frame interacting, like two great egrets in courtship.
Lbuckley67
Member
I currently use the 300 2.8 , D ll with the Kenco Pro 2x converter on my D850 with a grip, it blows away my 200-500 in auto focus speed and sharpness , it just so versatile, you can use it at 300 for real low light or slap a 1.4x con if you don’t want the 600mm
Jamie Baker
Active member
500 PF if you can!
The 180-400 is my dream lens. I currently use the older 200-400G w/ a 500PF. The 500PF is a great lens, but it has made me a bit lazy, as I don't use it with a tripod. The 180-400 w/ converter would cover both focal lengths in one optic... As a mammal photographer who only shoots birds occasionally, I think the 180-400 would be ideal for me. Sadly, the price of the lens is quite prohibitive.
I am 72 and shoot a lot of birds in flight all hand held and I have 2 Nikon D500's. One for long steep rocky Idaho chukar terrain without a battery grip that I use for photographing my falconer pal hunting chukars with his Northern Goshawk or any other time I need to go light and fast and it has a Tamron 18-400 married to it. The other D500 has a battery grip (with the big D5 battery) and for BIF it most commonly has a Tamron 150-600 G2 on it or a Sigma 60-600 or a Tamron 70-200 with 1.4TC. My other bird in flight set up is D850 with the Nikkor 500 PF ... I have a TC for it but have never used it ... I have my video record button set up to quicks change the camera to crop mode. It is a toss up as to which is my favorite bird in flight rig but I have won a number of awards and contests with the D500 and Tamron 150-600 G2 and the D850 with the 500 PF. If your staying with Nikkor glass the 500 PF is an amazing lens.
Karate Bob
New member
Just a thought, but with the incredible advice & experience that other shooters have shared, have you considered renting the lenses you might be considering? At least that way you can have hands-on experience with multiple set-ups before making a purchase. On the down hill side, however, is money spent to "test drive" that could have gone towards a purchase.
Chiguy
Member
Like you I have a Nikon D500 and you said you want a Nikon lens one of my camera club members has a D500 and let me borrow his Nikon 200-500 Zoom I shot a lot of birds with it nice lens. I was at a camera store event and the Tamron and Sigma reps were there with their telephoto lenses I tried the Tamron 150-600 G2 and ended up buying it as they were offering a rebate and after a year with it I can tell you its a good lens very fast lock on focus but at 600mm need to be stopped down for sharp image I shoot F8 to F11 depending on light. You should at least take a look at it
My results with my Tamron 150-600 G2 could be different than some. I sent mine along with my D500 to Tamron and they calibrated the lens to the body (not using the Auto Focus Fine Tuning in the body but tuning the lens to the body). It is a free service during the warranty period of the lens. The only cost you have is shipping to Tamron and they pay the shipping back. I find it sharp at 600 mm at f/6.3 ... I seldom stop down more than f/8. I have owned an early copy of the Nikkor 200-500 and it was back to Nikon for repair 3 times the last on a recall that finally fixed the panning focus problems. While the Nikkor 200-500 lens is a very good lens I prefer the Tamron 150-600 G2, the Sigma 60-600 and the Nikkor 500 pf for birds in flight. But with proper settings, good hand holding technique all can do a great job. This photo ... Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2 @ 600mm on my Nikon D500. Vibration Control mode 1 on. Manual mode with auto ISO, ISO 450, f/6.3 shutter speed 1/2500 second, single point focus, Auto Focus Continuous, Center-weighted metering
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Calson
Well-known member
Frankly I found myself using the 200-500mm on a D500 but also would take the 80-400mm as the 200mm end of the 200-500mm was at times too restrictive in terms of the field of view. If I could only have one lens for BIF it would be the 200-500mm but since buying the 500mm PF two years ago and selling the 200-500mm zoom, I still take the 80-400mm along as a companion lens as well.
The D850 has been the game changer for me as I have a 45MP FX camera and a 19MP DX camera in one body. For BIF it is better than the D500 if you add the expensive battery grip and some EN-EL18 batteries. The D500 is the better value but the D850 with the battery grip is the better camera overall. On my last trip to Costa Rica I would have the 80-400mm zoom on the D500 and use the D850 with my prime lenses. When I got back to the states I sold the D500 and bought a second D850 so as to have a backup for the FX D850. I only use the battery grip and EN-EL18 battery on one of the bodies. I found in Costa Rica that I could shoot for 2-3 days without needing to replace the EN-EL18 battery and so nightly battery charging was no longer necessary.
The D850 has been the game changer for me as I have a 45MP FX camera and a 19MP DX camera in one body. For BIF it is better than the D500 if you add the expensive battery grip and some EN-EL18 batteries. The D500 is the better value but the D850 with the battery grip is the better camera overall. On my last trip to Costa Rica I would have the 80-400mm zoom on the D500 and use the D850 with my prime lenses. When I got back to the states I sold the D500 and bought a second D850 so as to have a backup for the FX D850. I only use the battery grip and EN-EL18 battery on one of the bodies. I found in Costa Rica that I could shoot for 2-3 days without needing to replace the EN-EL18 battery and so nightly battery charging was no longer necessary.
I do like the D850 500 PF combo and use the battery grip with the EN-ENL 18a and now c batteries also and that jumps the frame rate up. I do maybe 2% of shots in a year that are not wildlife (landscapes etc.) so my 15-30, 24mm, 50mm, 24-70, 35-150 almost never get used ... but they are there when I need them. I still prefer the D500 for wildlife since I am not a big fan of more than 24 MP so bought another D500 that I use without the grip for long steep rocky hikes. But I do like the Dynamic Range of the D850 and the 500 PF complements it well. I am toying with the idea of selling the 850 and getting a D6 ... anxious to see what Steve thinks of the recent firmware update to the D6.
To stay within your budget I would just say that the 200-500 has served me quite well, and I much prefer it over the Tamron 150-600 G2, which I had before the Nikon.
Another way to stay in your budget would be to get the older 300mm f/4 ED-IF AF-S and a 1.4 TC. You can pick these up used in the $5-600 range. The older Nikon TC that is comparable might take a little hunting to find, but should be $100 or so. I have taken a lot of great, sharp pictures with this combination. The downside, of course, is no image stabilization.
Of course, all this supposes you can find anything is stock. Most of the lenses talked about look to be on backorder these days.
Another way to stay in your budget would be to get the older 300mm f/4 ED-IF AF-S and a 1.4 TC. You can pick these up used in the $5-600 range. The older Nikon TC that is comparable might take a little hunting to find, but should be $100 or so. I have taken a lot of great, sharp pictures with this combination. The downside, of course, is no image stabilization.
Of course, all this supposes you can find anything is stock. Most of the lenses talked about look to be on backorder these days.
From personal experience
1. 500PF
2. 300PF
3. 300PF + 1.4 TC
4. 200-500
They are all good lenses just that some are "gooder" than others.
Perfectly agree on this one, but ...
I have both the 500 f5.6 PF and 500 f4 G VR and I love them for different reasons.
The 500PF - and probably anybody having used one can confirm - is a breeze to shoot handheld and IQ is great. If mobility and agility is important for you this might be the way to go, especially if 500mm is enough and you don't have to bother about using a TC. With a TC you go to f8 and thus loose not only AF speed but also most of the AF sensors which can be a challenge with BIF shooting. Oh, and I ignored a potential issue with the budget, because there is a reason why these things are difficult to get ...
Not knowing about the market in your country it would be still difficult to get a 500 f4 G VR here in Germany for $ 2500. They are more in a range around € 4000 = around 4500.
If you find a good one for a reasonable price you get a great lens that alsos lives in perfect harmony with the TC-14EII (use it myself) and TC-14EIII (have heard of), which would give you a 700mm f5.6 with great IQ, AF speed and accuracy. The main disadvantage here is the weight and front-heaviness of this lens, which makes it difficult to handhold for a longer period. We are talking about 3,9 kg here plus body. If you get a good one for a reasonable price you should look for getting a support system, i.e. a tripod or a monopod (see @Steve 's recommendations to choose). Upon his recommendations I just got a monopod with a Wimbrley MH-100 for the 500 f4 and it's great to use and it is cheaper than an adequat tripod with a Gimbal.
One thing I certainly wouldn't do these days even if I have to stretch my budget a bit and this is buying a tele prime without VR.
Oh BTW: I had the 200-500 here side by side with the 500PF and I sent back the 200-500 after three days. Reasons were that I found myself shooting at the long end most of the time anyway, that the handling of the 200-500 didn't suit me - but that's personal preference only - and I wasn't really happy with the AF speed when comparing it with my other lenses.
But there are a lot of people here that are happy with this lens and it fits in you buget even new ...
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I would vote for the 300mm PF plus 1.4 x Tc. I have tried the 500mm PF twice, for a week each time (the second time, because I couldn’t quite believe my initial rejection of this much loved lens!!) but found the 300mm PF + TC to be just as sharp in the real world including pixel peeping some nature shots under the same conditions. Of course the 500 has slightly longer reach but it didn’t yield better results for me. My use case is relevant in that I am usually walking near my house along a lovely stretch of river (Tweed in South East Scotland) and I love having the 300pf with me everyday on my D500 .....helped me catch a kingfisher in flight and lots of wee birds and others that create a daily lockdown photo diary for me! It is just so easy to use and keep on the camera, significantly more so even than the 500pF. If my pattern had been one of planned intermittent outings to nature reserves or specific locations I might have been even more tempted by the 500pF. Hope that helps!
Calson
Well-known member
A problem I had with the D5/D6 is that at a DX amount of cropping they are effectively providing less resolution than a D2x camera. Often I cannot get close enough to fill the frame as I would like to do and so I am going to crop the image late in post. I would also need a 800mm f/5.6 lens to get the usable image size I get with the D850 and a 600mm f/4 lens. For me the optimum would be a FX 30MP for general photography but the D850 does allow for a DX crop that is like having a 19MP DX camera which works for me. The D5/D6 are great for sports or event or studio photography but less than optimum for most wildlife photography.
Cool you have the Tweed river close to your house
I shoot a lot along the Boise River that runs from the Sawtooth Mountains through the city of Boise and is about a quarter of a mile from my place. I have won contests with images taken with the 300 PF a very good lens, however like Steve I found the 300 PF with and without the TC not as sharp on the edges as the 500PF ... of course individual copies can make a difference ... I tested my 300 PF against my Tamron 70-200 G2 with a Tamron 1.4 TC on it when I bought it and the Tamron was sharper and as fast to focus as the nikon 300 PF and offered more versatility that is when I sold the 300 PF and bought the 500 PF. The copy I bought I find, as Steve did to be sharper overall especially at the edges, than the 300 especially with the 1.4 TC.Smarty
New member
I have both the 300PF and the 80-400, and both are great lenses, although the images from the zoom were disappointing when used with the 1.4 TC. I generally use the 300PF when out walking as it is so easy to handle, but the 80-400 comes into its own when I need to quickly change focal length. Pelagic trips are a prime example, as the seabirds can come very close to the boat, but I need the longer focal lengths for the BIF shots.
I have a D500 and D850 with a 500pf, 500f/4 , 500f4, 500pf
What I take with me is the 300pf and 500pf
Since I bought the 500pf I have not carried the 500f4 due to the size.
I shoot from a kayak pretty regular the d500 with 300pf is nice and small size
Easily fits in the dry bag.
And is sweet for birds, otters and seals that I encounter here where I kayak .
What I take with me is the 300pf and 500pf
Since I bought the 500pf I have not carried the 500f4 due to the size.
I shoot from a kayak pretty regular the d500 with 300pf is nice and small size
Easily fits in the dry bag.
And is sweet for birds, otters and seals that I encounter here where I kayak .
BAT
New member
Hi Guys,
Sorry but I'm going to throw a spanner into the works here and suggest that the only two versatile lenses listed so far have been the 80-400mm and 200-500mm.I've owned and used the 300mm F2.8 and granted, it is a superb lens but when it is constantly attached to a 1.4x or 1.7x T/C it's not a 'versatile' lens by any means. When in the paddock and you want to take an image of a sitting bird, well and good, as soon as a BIF comes by at a different distance, you are stuck with that focal length unless you want to suddenly attach or remove a T/C, by which time the bird has gone; that's not versatility!
Personally, I think that the better option, as mentioned above, would be the 500mm/f4, these guys can be used in all circumstances and offer a wide selection of Fstops for the varying light conditions.
Full disclosure, I now use the 200-500mm F5.6 zoom exclusively and once you spend some time with this lens, there's not much that you can't do with it.
My other 'birding' lens is the 300mm F4 PF and this is a beautiful piece of glass, but way too short for small passerines.
My dream lens is a 500mm F4 with VR II. . .
Hope this helps and fire away. . .
Sorry but I'm going to throw a spanner into the works here and suggest that the only two versatile lenses listed so far have been the 80-400mm and 200-500mm.I've owned and used the 300mm F2.8 and granted, it is a superb lens but when it is constantly attached to a 1.4x or 1.7x T/C it's not a 'versatile' lens by any means. When in the paddock and you want to take an image of a sitting bird, well and good, as soon as a BIF comes by at a different distance, you are stuck with that focal length unless you want to suddenly attach or remove a T/C, by which time the bird has gone; that's not versatility!
Personally, I think that the better option, as mentioned above, would be the 500mm/f4, these guys can be used in all circumstances and offer a wide selection of Fstops for the varying light conditions.
Full disclosure, I now use the 200-500mm F5.6 zoom exclusively and once you spend some time with this lens, there's not much that you can't do with it.
My other 'birding' lens is the 300mm F4 PF and this is a beautiful piece of glass, but way too short for small passerines.
My dream lens is a 500mm F4 with VR II. . .
Hope this helps and fire away. . .
Sorry about this one, but if you own a lens, you probably tend to forget about the other versions, especially the older ones
.This said, I can see the reason for your suggestion and that it would fit the budget, because these are significantly cheaper, even if you find one in real good condition.
kbird
Member
I am a woman getting up there in age - and have had this exact question. Thank you for asking Rick. I have found the responses very helpful.
I think you need to first figure out how long a lens you need. One of the best ways to do that, if you have Lightroom or other software that will allow, is to select photos you have already taken by focal length. Then see what how much length you need to do what you want. For instance, I have an old, but still spectacular 300mm 2.8 D II (pre VR). I love it and it was a great lens for shooting my kids swim meets. For wildlife and particularly birding, it's just too short. So I stick either a 1.4x tcon (performs very well) or a 2x on it. The latter is long enough (well, can you ever have enough lens for a bird), but it is very soft wide open at f/5.6, is useable at f/7.1 and generally good at f/8. But f/8 presents the low light/high ISO problems. I have rented a 200-500 a few times and have found it to be a very good and versatile lens shootable wide open. I have a 500PF reserved with a D6 for my Skagit River Bald Eagle trip in December so I'll be able to compare. My suggestion FWIW, is to buy the best lens without a teleconverter that fits your needs and budget. You also might try renting a couple of lenses and seeing what suits you best. Good luck.
SNEDDERS6666
Active member
Welcome young man to the forum of enlightenment and information,
MYount
Active member
I don't know if you have already made a decision but I'm a photographer that has to watch the budget at the moment. I have a d500, 70-200 f2.8 Fl, and 200-500 f5.6. I do have the 1.4 Nikon TCiii that I bought to be able to shoot a little later on the 70-200 and it works like a charm. I know that you are reduced to f8 and only the center focus point when used on the 200-500 f5.6 but I normally shoot f8 any for big. I use that combo all the time. It will definitely slow down your autofocus a lot early in the morning or late in the day but that's why I have the other combination and just have to get closer. I would love to have the money for a 500 pf and have considered the 300pf however I'm not in a position to make that jump at this time.