Want a better hiking setup...thinking of trying Nikon

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RikWriter said:
When I go hiking currently, I usually either take the Sony 200-600, which isn't too heavy for me but is awkward and throws off my balance a little on rough ground, or the 100-400, which is a lot easier to handle while hiking and I also have a Cotton Carrier chest rig for it, but it's too short and when I add a 1.4X TC, the AF suffers badly.
Neither setup is very satisfactory and I've been kicking around getting the new Sony 300 2.8 to bring with TCs, as well as possibly the new Sigma 500 f5.6.

Then I thought about another thing. I started being serious about photography in 2003 when I bought the first sub-$1000 DSLR, the Canon Digital Rebel. I stuck with Canon because I was used to it until I decided to go mirrorless. At the time, Sony was the best thing going mirrorless wise and now all my gear is Sony. But in all that time, I never tried Nikon and I've always been curious how I'd like it.

So I was considering buying a Z8 and a 600mm f6.3 lens as a hiking setup. I've never held one though the weight seems incredibly light. I wondered if anyone here who's used one for that kind of thing could advise me how well balanced it is for hiking and whether it would feel more akin to the 100-400 or the 200-600 over rough ground?
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I am not sure why you need to switch brands to get a more compact hiking setup. What body do you have? Full frame or APS-C? The Sony a6700 and 70-350mm lens might suit your needs. The a7IV with 100-400mm lens might be suitable.

I don’t see how a switch to Nikon will get you a less awkward setup. FWIW, I am a Nikon owner.
 
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I dunno. Maybe I'm just curious to see how Nikon is, since I've already experienced Canon and Sony. But I get that
Craig Yuill said:
I am not sure why you need to switch brands to get a more compact hiking setup. What body do you have? Full frame or APS-C? The Sony a6700 and 70-350mm lens might suit your needs. The a7IV with 100-400mm lens might be suitable.

I don’t see how a switch to Nikon will get you a less awkward setup. FWIW, I am a Nikon owner.
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My gear is in my signature. And the answers to the questions you asked are in the first post, where I said I was also curious about the new Nikon lineup.
 
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RikWriter said:
I dunno. Maybe I'm just curious to see how Nikon is, since I've already experienced Canon and Sony. But I get that


My gear is in my signature. And the answers to the questions you asked are in the first post, where I said I was also curious about the new Nikon lineup.
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I usually look at forum posts on my iPhone. I had to dig around a bit to find your gear list. Quite impressive!

Again, I am not sure Nikon offers a setup that is less awkward than what setups you can currently put together. If you need AF suitable for action then the Z 8 and Zf might be your best Nikon choices. The 100-400mm lens with 1.4x converter would be pair up well with either of those bodies. If primes work for you the 400mm f/4.5 is supposed to be relatively light and compact and is supposed to pair well with the z-mount 1.4x converter.

Good luck with making a decision.
 
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Craig Yuill said:
I usually look at forum posts on my iPhone. I had to dig around a bit to find your gear list. Quite impressive!

Again, I am not sure Nikon offers a setup that is less awkward than what setups you can currently put together. If you need AF suitable for action then the Z 8 and Zf might be your best Nikon choices. The 100-400mm lens with 1.4x converter would be pair up well with either of those bodies. If primes work for you the 400mm f/4.5 is supposed to be relatively light and compact and is supposed to pair well with the z-mount 1.4x converter.

Good luck with making a decision.
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Thanks. The 400 f4.5 sounds very light and handy but for most of the shots I take, I feel like a 600mm would work better. That's the only thing holding me back from getting the Sigma 500 f5.6 for Sony, the lack of ability to use a TC. I've pretty much narrowed it down to either getting a Sony 300 f2.8 or buying a Z8 and a 600mm f6.3. I freely admit that the draw of experimenting with Nikon is part of it.
 
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RikWriter said:
Thanks. The 400 f4.5 sounds very light and handy but for most of the shots I take, I feel like a 600mm would work better. That's the only thing holding me back from getting the Sigma 500 f5.6 for Sony, the lack of ability to use a TC. I've pretty much narrowed it down to either getting a Sony 300 f2.8 or buying a Z8 and a 600mm f6.3. I freely admit that the draw of experimenting with Nikon is part of it.
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I’m a nikon owner but that sony 300 looks pretty impressive with a 2x on it. Here is a link to Mark Smith shooting with that combo. That may help you decide.
 
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For Nikon Z system, the Ideal hiking lenses include the 14-30 f4S, 70-180 f2.8, 300 f4E PF (with F-mount TC14 and TC17), and 500 f5.6E PF, or the 400 f4.5S and the new 600 f6.3 S PF.
The ZTC14 pairs well with with the latter two telephotos, although the 600 becomes a slower 840 f9.
 
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How about an OM-1 mark 2 and a 150-400. A little over 6# and about the same price as a Z-8/800ff which would be my alternate choice. The OM-1 is a pound lighter and easily carried on a Black Rapid strap.

For Birds-in-flight I would prefer the OM because of the zoom and the advanced Pre-capture and large buffer. For stationary birds I would prefer the Z-8 for better subject separation and better cropping ability.

My experience is that you need at least 800mm when hiking. Others may have different experiences.

Tom
 
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RikWriter said:
Yeah it's the size and even moreso with the hood on it. I can't count how many times I've banged the hood on a root or something and knocked it off, had to go back down the damn hill and retrieve it. I haven't tried the 200-600 in the cotton carrier because I'm hesitant to hang that much weight from the camera mount.
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I use Cotton Carrier to hold Z600 f4 &Z9. Length is more of a problem. There is a front strap to stabilize big end of lens but at 5’6”, I need to reverse hood and cap lens to use that. No perfect solution.
 
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I am a Nikon shooter. On a trip to my local camera store I looked at a Sony (model unknown) at the urging of the salesperson. It was way too small for me. The ergonomics with a large prime lens just seemed awkward. So, there is at least one small Sony out there that appears to be suitable for your needs. That said, I am sticking with Nikon.
 
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pnbarne said:
I am a Nikon shooter. On a trip to my local camera store I looked at a Sony (model unknown) at the urging of the salesperson. It was way too small for me. The ergonomics with a large prime lens just seemed awkward. So, there is at least one small Sony out there that appears to be suitable for your needs. That said, I am sticking with Nikon.
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No, the camera body has little to do with it. It's the lens.
 
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RikWriter said:
Thanks. The 400 f4.5 sounds very light and handy but for most of the shots I take, I feel like a 600mm would work better. That's the only thing holding me back from getting the Sigma 500 f5.6 for Sony, the lack of ability to use a TC. I've pretty much narrowed it down to either getting a Sony 300 f2.8 or buying a Z8 and a 600mm f6.3. I freely admit that the draw of experimenting with Nikon is part of it.
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If you decide to go the Nikon route handling of 600 6.3 won't be much different than 400 4.5 with TC (almost the same size & weight). You can walk with this thing all day and shoot 100% handheld (Nikon's VR is also very good).

I was suggesting looking at 400 + TC1.4 mainly because of how cheap it is. :)
 
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lukemeup said:
If you decide to go the Nikon route handling of 600 6.3 won't be much different than 400 4.5 with TC (almost the same size & weight). You can walk with this thing all day and shoot 100% handheld (Nikon's VR is also very good).

I was suggesting looking at 400 + TC1.4 mainly because of how cheap it is. :)
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Well, you only live once!
 
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Roybon said:
For hiking, you also have this system, which is very comfortable and can handle heavy lens, you just attach it to your backpack or cross-over on your chest, and it's done.

Video to demonstrate
Product
No affiliate with the company selling this.
it's called a "Bavette" in French
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MrJan Gear offers a similar carrier, though attributes its design to a Frenchman other than the one cited by the JAMA version.

mrjangear.com

Lens Carrier System - MrJan Gear

Make walking long distances with your long lens camera easy and comfortable with this simple and handy camera carrier system.
mrjangear.com mrjangear.com
 
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I have only shot a Sony a1 once so can’t give an opinion on the Sony side of things. However I do have the z8 and both the 100-400z and the 400 f4.5 and both TCs. As I only handhold and do a lot of hiking I don’t want monopods or tripods for these outings. When in Bosque last December I was able to shoot a lot with just the 400f4.5 and both TCs. The 1.4 works very well and I was surprised that the 2x if careful managed and good light gave me a lot of excellent shots.
I am very basic in terms of carrying gear so I carry binocs on a harness and a heavy belt with a loop of rope on the right side where I hang the camera by the tripod mount in such a way that the weight is on the tripod foot slightly angled so it doesn’t interfere with lens management and I can quickly raise the camera at will. It’s simple and it works great. I’ve done it this way for 10 years and never had a problem and in fact the loop saved my camera when the strap mount broke a few months ago. I hate cotton carriers but I don’t use big glass so that would likely be a game changer. The main thing to consider would be if you want a zoom or not. The 100-400mm lens is also good and sharp and decent with the 1.4tc at f8. If you want more reach the 600pf is outstanding and on my bucket list.
 
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The deterioration of my knees made gear weight a serious issue, so I ended up going with the following:
  • Nikon Z8
  • Z mount 400mm f/4.5 and 1.4 TC
  • Z mount 105mm f/2.8 Macro
  • F mount 70-300mm
  • Z mount 24-120mm f/4
  • Z mount 50mm Macro
Which of the lenses I take with me depends on what I am looking to photograph. Sometimes I will only pack the 400mm and 1.4TC. Other times I will also pack the 24-120mm if I think I will also be taking landscape shots. When hiking into a forest where f/6.3 just doesn't cut it, I take the 400mm and 105mm macro because of their lower apertures.
 
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I kind of feel disappointed because it would have been interesting trying out Nikon, but the truth is, it took me weeks to get used to Sony when I switched from Canon and I probably missed some shots because of it. After three years with Sony, I feel like I've settled in and transitioning to a new system would likely be a pain.
 
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RikWriter said:
I kind of feel disappointed because it would have been interesting trying out Nikon, but the truth is, it took me weeks to get used to Sony when I switched from Canon and I probably missed some shots because of it. After three years with Sony, I feel like I've settled in and transitioning to a new system would likely be a pain.
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Makes sense. It can take some time to adjust and if you need to make an adjustment to something quickly you could end up missing the shot. Hopefully the 300mm gives you what you’re looking for.
 
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