Nikon 600mm F4 G vs E real differences
- Thread starter ruley74
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Good luck! I also find it quite hand holdable, which was suprising to me even though it is half a kilo more than my Sigma 500 f4. To me, it feels about the same and really well balanced, not front heavy at all. That was a nice surprise, as I'm no bodybuilder and have matchstick arms
Still, its made to live on a tripod really. 
ruley74
Well-known member
Good to know, I'll mostly use it on a monopod but handheld is definitely something I will do. It'll be almost 1kg lighter and less front heavy compared to my 400/2.8.Good luck! I also find it quite hand holdable, which was suprising to me even though it is half a kilo more than my Sigma 500 f4. To me, it feels about the same and really well balanced, not front heavy at all. That was a nice surprise, as I'm no bodybuilder and have matchstick arms
cohenfive
Active member
As others have said, there is an enormous difference between the g and e...The weight difference is a game changer, especially as the e is better balanced as well. Handling is night and day. That being said, I'm thinking of selling my 600e and just sticking with shorter focal lengths...but it has nothing to do with the lens.
ruley74, There is a 600FL just come up on the facebook forum, 'nikon buy, swap, sell -Australia only'... 11k in excellent condition. The guy takes wonderful shots with it, check him out if you're interested.
ruley74
Well-known member
Thanks Laurence, really appreciated. Unfortunately i don't have facebook but i may be able to get a mate to have a look for me. Did it give a location? I guess then you have to ask vs 13250 new is the extra worth it for full warranty etc.
I think he’s in Melbourne
True...you may get it for 10k, but it’s always a bit of a gamble....
ruley74
Well-known member
Nikon Australia are out of stock.... back order
ruley74
Well-known member
OK, so I'm imminently about to order the 600E... one last question for @Steve or anyone who uses or has used a Z camera with the 600E...
How much does the 600E AF speed on the Z get impacted... further, is it a problem?
Realistically i see my potential next camera body as the D850 hinted replacement (if ever!) over a Z as i feel the "good for wildlife" Z will be a stretch too far for me but given the big primes are something you want to keep for many years.. just curious.
Cheers,
How much does the 600E AF speed on the Z get impacted... further, is it a problem?
Realistically i see my potential next camera body as the D850 hinted replacement (if ever!) over a Z as i feel the "good for wildlife" Z will be a stretch too far for me but given the big primes are something you want to keep for many years.. just curious.
Cheers,
Demodave
Active member
Depends on what "wildlife" you want to photograph. My Z6 works great with my 600G. But that is limited to mammals and sitting birds. Some limited success with bifs. Just Got the Z6II, and getting good results with bifs with the 500PF
Not great but good. Need more time to evaluate with the 600....
D500 and D850 are great with 600 for bifs.....
Not great but good. Need more time to evaluate with the 600....
D500 and D850 are great with 600 for bifs.....
AF speed gets cut in half. I can't say for sure yet if that's the case with the MKII cameras (I haven't had a chance to test, too busy), but my "seat of the pants" estimate is that it's the same as the original cameras. However, for wildlife work, we often don't need to move the focus ring much - most of the time our subjects are out far enough that the four ring only needs to move a few mm at a time. It's not usually a big problem. Where it can hurt is if the lens starts to hunt and racks back and forth through the four range - not fun. The limiter can help here though.
ruley74
Well-known member
ruley74
Well-known member
Well, deposit placed for ordering.... 4-6 weeks is the EDD. Hopefully here for a xmas pressie!
DaddySS
New member
Reviving an old thread again....I posted this in another thread, seems more appropriate here. Along the same line of discussion and switching now to F 600 f/4e vs Z 600 f/6.3; Although it's only two stops, the Z 600 f/6.3 is very different from the F Mount 600 f/4 when it comes to low light or softening the background. I have the 600 f/4e, and the 400 f/2.8g, and no way can I justify $13k on the z 400 f/2.8 TC but I was thinking if I sell the two F mounts and get the F 400 f/2.8e and use it with the TC 1.4III and the FTZ, I would essential have the Z equivalent for 1/3 the cost? I'd appreciate your thoughts, pros, and cons.
Well to me that sounds liek a good idea, but ...
- Admittedly I don't know about the price levels in your region of the world, but I would expect that an AF-S 600mm f/4 E and an AF-S 400mm f/2.8 G should bring enough in the wallet to get a Z 400 f/2.8 TC
- Although the AF-S 400mm f/2.8 E is for sure a marvel, you still have you juggle around with a separate TC and thus losse one of the major advantages of an integrated TC that you can flip with your finger tip
- I am using an AF-S 500 f/4 G on a Z8 with and without TC and yes, despite the age of the lens it produces great images, but it feels a liitle awkward to maneuver around with the combo sitting on a tripod. Although the Z8 is lighter than a gripped D850 I was using before, I wouldn't underestimate the strain you put on the joints, especially the one of the lens and the counterpart on the TC. The lever for the body weight is the length of the TC plus the length of the FTZ and any kind of harsh accelleration will do its job ...
- we are talking about another kg plus a bit in weight that the Z is lighter compared to the F-Mount with external TC. That's still something that makes a difference in handling
- Because i was hesitant with changfing from F to Z I got directly caught by the sharp decline of the value of my F-Mount gear because it is normal that the portion of people wanting "the new stuff" increases as time goes by, i.e. the longer you keep your F-mount components the less you'll get for them and the bigger the price difference to the new Z super prime will become.
- Depending on how you intend to use the UI elements on the Z lenses, this could make a difference, too. Not only that the F-mount lenses don't have the additional rings, I also found out that I can't use the buttons on my F-mount lens with the flexibility I can have it with a Z lens. Adnmittedly I can't speak for E lenses, but even to use the buttons of my 500 f4G the way I can do it with my Z lenses simply doesn't work.
IMHO it is o.k. to use lenses F-Mount lenses I already own adapted on my Z camera as long as I can't afford to swap for the native Z successor. This can work for years, beacuse - yes - some of the older super tele's are still top notch. But what I would try really hard to avoid is buying F-Mount components now for using them adapted on a Z. The only reason could be if there were an F-mount lens that is better than its Z successor or the type of lens you are after is not (yet) available for Z - the 500PF might just be one example.
All the best with your - well, not quite - million dollar decision
.My 500mm oldie currently gets surgery from Dr. Nikon and I hope it survives, because my dream (Z 400 f/2.8 TC) is about € 12k away - assuming that I could € 3k for my oldie - if I'm lucky.