Nah. It's all rounded to the nearest actual focal length (i.e, 800 covers 800 and 840).So......the 800mm in over just a few years has equaled the usage of the 600mm over 10 years?
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Nah. It's all rounded to the nearest actual focal length (i.e, 800 covers 800 and 840).So......the 800mm in over just a few years has equaled the usage of the 600mm over 10 years?
Ten years ago you would have had to manually add the TC to get to 840. Now you can just flip a switch on you 600 TC. Do you find that with the 600 TC you are shooting more at 840 than you were before you were using that lens? Another way to ask is, what are your 600/840 percentages with just the 600 TC lens?Nah. It's all rounded to the nearest actual focal length (i.e, 800 covers 800 and 840).
So far, it's about the same. I'm fairly quick with external TCs, so I wouldn't hesitate to take one on or off in the past (and I still do with Sony). Sometimes though, I wasn't fast enough, so if anything I think I now get more shots since I'm not missing them while fussing with TCsTen years ago you would have had to manually add the TC to get to 840. Now you can just flip a switch on you 600 TC. Do you find that with the 600 TC you are shooting more at 840 than you were before you were using that lens? Another way to ask is, what are your 600/840 percentages with just the 600 TC lens?
For you and other wildlife photographers, 600 has long been the sweet spot. We all lusted for a 600 f4 lens. But I am wondering if because of the ease we now can get to 800/840, either by a 600 TC or 800 PF, is 800/840 gaining on 600 as the sweet spot for those who mainly shoot birds?
The 100 to 400 can be programmed with a function button to be cropped to give you a reach of more than 500 mm. I have used this, both as a temporary way to zoom in and also as a way to crop in camera.Interesting comment about the large animals. That's good information as I've not typically shot large animals. I can see how zoom helps with composition. The birds I've shot have been at marinas or lakes and so close enough that I could get a shot with the 70-200 with TC, and of course my lens length has limited to that. But even then I find difficulty often in finding the target and have to zoom out to locate it before zooming in again. My concern with both the 100-400 and 400 is the limited range. I think Wotan1's comments tha the 400 f/4.5 and the 800 pf would make a good pair is probably correct. Just a little more pricey than I'm ready for at the moment.
+1One has to be careful with testimonials on the internet.... my experience runs counter to some of the assertions here, but generally for image quality you can cover the differences between most options with a handkerchief. Except for the absolute low end (TCs on a consumer lens) and the absolute high end (spend $15K on a 400f2.8 or 600f4) most of us would have to do extreme pixel peeping to tell the differences.
One thing that hasn't been noted is that there is such a thing as *too much lens*. Extreme focal lengths have limitations, and shooting from further away is a poor compromise - too much air ruins a lot of shots. This is one of the things that inclines many to zooms, or using teleconverters. Yes, you need a 800mm lens for warblers, but you probably don't need one for waterfowl, for example. For what it's worth, I sold my 600f4 and don't lust after an 800mm. (I suppose it's possible that if 800mm was an option I might shoot differently). Currently using the 100-400 and 500PF, sometimes with TCs (looked at the 600PF but right now there's not enough benefit over the 500PF to pull the trigger).
If you haven't found him yet, Thom Hogan is one of the most reliable sources for Nikon information, and he's been doing it for years. Two relevant articles:
Best Telephoto Options in the Z Mount | Thom Hogan
What's the best telephoto option for a Z camera at 200-800mm?www.zsystemuser.com
Nikon 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens Review | Thom Hogan
Review of the Nikon 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Z-mount lenswww.zsystemuser.com
My advice? Start with the 100-400.