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Short-Eared Owl by Luke S, on Flickr
Short-Eared Owl by Luke S, on Flickr
Short-Eared Owl by Luke S, on Flickr"Two from this weekend...
It took me a bit of practice using such a narrow FOV. But the reach and sharpness is amazing
It's hard to believe you can get images that sharp handholding an 800mm lens with those low shutter speeds.
I can't say how good or bad my technique is compared to other people's ability but the results seem to show that the VR/IBIS system is brilliant. Nikon states an ability to shoot up to 5 stops slower with the VR/IBIS and looking at my results it seems to be about right. If we assume that 1/focal length is the old norm, then 1/40>1/80>1/160>1/320>1/640>1/1280 so about 4.5 stops with the examples above.
Thank you very much, Robert. This Eastern Yellow Robin does have a tendency to sit dead still for decent amounts of time. However, many birds will sit still for 1/40sec and this is where 20 fps can help as you will get at least one of those frames of a still bird. In this case, I only rattled off 3 frames each one perfectly sharp.
While this would solve the issue for me, I don't think that is feasible for a setup of this weight, because the rule of thumb is if lens has place to attach strap, that's how Nikon intends the lens to be carried to avoid undue stress on the mount.
I take it this is your first "flagship" body? Or use with a vertical grip?Just something to keep an eye out for if you're carrying the setup using the strap lugs on the 800PF: after several outings, I've returned home to find a few hundred blank shots thanks to the Z9's vertical grip button been unknowingly switched on. Figured out that it is being caused by the camera strap, which is attached to the 800PF's strap lugs, rubbing against the switch while the camera/lens is hanging at my side, or when I transition it from shooting to hanging.
That vertical grip switch is the worst design feature of an otherwise brilliant camera. I'll either tape the switch, or find another way to carry the rig, probably by mounting the strap to the tripod foot, but I abhor the loss of control as the camera/lens hang+swing upside down from my shoulder as I walk through the woods.
Just watch a Gray's of Westminster video w/ the 600 TC, and they carry the setup with camera strap attached to camera body
That's an excellent image. Well done.
I shot w/ a 1DX2 + 600 f/4 for a year, mounted the same way using the lugs, and never had this issue, but the 1DX2's vertical grip switch was in a spot that it wouldn't rub.
Just something to keep an eye out for if you're carrying the setup using the strap lugs on the 800PF: after several outings, I've returned home to find a few hundred blank shots thanks to the Z9's vertical grip button been unknowingly switched on. Figured out that it is being caused by the camera strap, which is attached to the 800PF's strap lugs, rubbing against the switch while the camera/lens is hanging at my side, or when I transition it from shooting to hanging.
That vertical grip switch is the worst design feature of an otherwise brilliant camera. I'll either tape the switch, or find another way to carry the rig, probably by mounting the strap to the tripod foot, but I abhor the loss of control as the camera/lens hang+swing upside down from my shoulder as I walk through the woods.
Just watch a Gray's of Westminster video w/ the 600 TC, and they carry the setup with camera strap attached to camera body
The Z9 with the 800mm PF is the just about the best balanced long lens camera combination I have owned. With a black rapid strap attached to the tripod foot, the camera and lens are perfectly horizontal when hanging at my side. The 500mm PF was too light and so I had to keep the camera supported so that the lens isn't pointing up
Impressive Dan! Were you using a teleconverter?I've found that a good test for long lens sharpness is moon shots. Finally got clear enough skies and moon aloft at a reasonable hour to try out the 800PF.
No.
