fcotterill
Well-known member
This question involves an interesting set of factors. The answer(s) depend on one's personal needs, and budget obviously, besides the diversity of subjects and respective conditions.
Here's an attempt to sketch out the challenges, and outline where to find resources to help settling final decisions for one's needs. This is a rough guide, and subject to personal biases, given opinions are sure to differ.
See a recent presentation by Brad Hill reviewing the Z System Telephotos, besides several blog commentaries by Thom Hogan. The Greater Nikon Ecosystem presents even more choices with legacy AFS G type F Nikkors let alone the newer E type primes and zooms.
It may appear we have almost too many options for the shorter focal lengths, but the options can be classified into subsets, on weight/ergonomics as well as focal length, speed and Zoom or Prime. This is where I find the distinction between Commando vs Destination kits useful ]
EDIT see Brad Hill's updated Gear Summaries
www.naturalart.ca
bcgforums.com
Ultimately, the truism is choices and purchases are for the individual photographer to conclude. Nonetheless, first and foremost, the final decision on a telephoto purchase begins with the What, Where, When, How. A useful point of departure in the evaluation is to list focal subjects, and also consider less common subjects.
The applications of telephotos often have considerable overlap. Exceptions to generalities are the rule. It's impossible to prepare for each and every opportunity out in the wilds. This is not surprising, because biodiversity covers a universe of immense variety.
Subjects: Birds or mammals are common, certainly prominent, wildlife subjects. Many wildlife photographers also concentrate on arthropods, plants, fungi etc. There's also the parallel needs to use telephotos for tight portraits and/or Animalscapes (a Brad Hill talk covered the interrelated topics of Animalscapes and Enviroscapes, 3rd Nov 2021).
One corollary is even a highly focused bird photographer is likely to need a shorter telephoto, even as short as ~200mm, besides a 600 being the primary lens, but may also need a 800mm and even more reach.
Habitats / Subject Behaviours: photographing small passerines perched and hopping about in vegetation is quite different from capturing images of flying birds. Capturing dragonflies and lepidoptera prioritizes the magnification factor of the telephoto and especially its MFD (minimum focus distance).
Here again, absolute Reach can be critical in its limits. Even a 800mm on a FX camera can be insufficient for more elusive subjects. Too often, it's impossible to adjust one's position relative to the subject. Think hides/vehicles versus stalking.
Africa exemplifies the challenges encountered in open versus cluttered habitats. The popular first world perspective imagines vast grasslands on volcanic soils, epitomized by parts of East Africa. The reality is over half this massive continent is dominated by ancient landsurfaces with their deeply leached soils. This domain of 'High Africa' is complemented by forested basins of 'Low Africa': dominated by the Congo.
There are the two vast arid zones. The SW Arid centred on Namibia, and the NE Arid zone, which stretches west to Mauritania through the Sahara, across north Africa.
Each of these huge realms support forest, woodland, thicket, and deserts - subject to rainfall regimes, topography and disturbance histories. In contrast, much of Central Africa is a mosaic of tall woodlands interleaved with grassy valleys (dambos). Rocky outcrops and mountain belts are also prominent.
Remarkable biodiversity occurs across this mosaic of habitats. Some destinations, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda, for example, present photographic opportunities across a range of habitats, including open grasslands, and denser woodlands with thickets to forests.
The biomes of southern Africa exemplify the range of relatively local opportunities, in which the wildlife photographer encounters interesting challenges in the diversity of Subjects. One meets distinctly different circumstances even within the eastern Lowveld or NE Botswana (including open woodlands, open water, riparian forests, grasslands, and different thickets), let alone in the deserts of the Kalahari and Namibia.
As in the Neotropics, the landscapes of each continent present their parallel diversity in exciting opportunities and challenges. The wildlife photographer packs accordingly: eg for Costa Rica versus the Pantanal.
Ethics : In wildlife photography, the primacy of Ethical considerations for living Subjects is the critical factor governing subject distances, and thus Telephoto Reach. Fundamentally, ethical principles govern the photographer's behaviour.
Here's an attempt to sketch out the challenges, and outline where to find resources to help settling final decisions for one's needs. This is a rough guide, and subject to personal biases, given opinions are sure to differ.
See a recent presentation by Brad Hill reviewing the Z System Telephotos, besides several blog commentaries by Thom Hogan. The Greater Nikon Ecosystem presents even more choices with legacy AFS G type F Nikkors let alone the newer E type primes and zooms.
It may appear we have almost too many options for the shorter focal lengths, but the options can be classified into subsets, on weight/ergonomics as well as focal length, speed and Zoom or Prime. This is where I find the distinction between Commando vs Destination kits useful ]
EDIT see Brad Hill's updated Gear Summaries
Natural Art Images: Brad Hill: Stuff I Use Part II: Lenses
Camera gear and related accessories regularly used by Brad Hill in the field. Part II - Lenses I currently use or have used.
www.naturalart.ca
Nikon's long lens strategy and the kits that will eventually be available
I hope that Nikon has spent considerable time working through which long lens to create. From what we are seeing on the lens road map (reading between the lines) 100-400 S 400 PF S 800 PF S 400 f2.8 w/ TC S 600 F4 w/ TC S 200-600 non-S a short kit might be 70-200 w/ 1.4 makes the range...
bcgforums.com
Ultimately, the truism is choices and purchases are for the individual photographer to conclude. Nonetheless, first and foremost, the final decision on a telephoto purchase begins with the What, Where, When, How. A useful point of departure in the evaluation is to list focal subjects, and also consider less common subjects.
The applications of telephotos often have considerable overlap. Exceptions to generalities are the rule. It's impossible to prepare for each and every opportunity out in the wilds. This is not surprising, because biodiversity covers a universe of immense variety.
Subjects: Birds or mammals are common, certainly prominent, wildlife subjects. Many wildlife photographers also concentrate on arthropods, plants, fungi etc. There's also the parallel needs to use telephotos for tight portraits and/or Animalscapes (a Brad Hill talk covered the interrelated topics of Animalscapes and Enviroscapes, 3rd Nov 2021).
One corollary is even a highly focused bird photographer is likely to need a shorter telephoto, even as short as ~200mm, besides a 600 being the primary lens, but may also need a 800mm and even more reach.
Habitats / Subject Behaviours: photographing small passerines perched and hopping about in vegetation is quite different from capturing images of flying birds. Capturing dragonflies and lepidoptera prioritizes the magnification factor of the telephoto and especially its MFD (minimum focus distance).
Here again, absolute Reach can be critical in its limits. Even a 800mm on a FX camera can be insufficient for more elusive subjects. Too often, it's impossible to adjust one's position relative to the subject. Think hides/vehicles versus stalking.
Africa exemplifies the challenges encountered in open versus cluttered habitats. The popular first world perspective imagines vast grasslands on volcanic soils, epitomized by parts of East Africa. The reality is over half this massive continent is dominated by ancient landsurfaces with their deeply leached soils. This domain of 'High Africa' is complemented by forested basins of 'Low Africa': dominated by the Congo.
There are the two vast arid zones. The SW Arid centred on Namibia, and the NE Arid zone, which stretches west to Mauritania through the Sahara, across north Africa.
Each of these huge realms support forest, woodland, thicket, and deserts - subject to rainfall regimes, topography and disturbance histories. In contrast, much of Central Africa is a mosaic of tall woodlands interleaved with grassy valleys (dambos). Rocky outcrops and mountain belts are also prominent.
Remarkable biodiversity occurs across this mosaic of habitats. Some destinations, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda, for example, present photographic opportunities across a range of habitats, including open grasslands, and denser woodlands with thickets to forests.
The biomes of southern Africa exemplify the range of relatively local opportunities, in which the wildlife photographer encounters interesting challenges in the diversity of Subjects. One meets distinctly different circumstances even within the eastern Lowveld or NE Botswana (including open woodlands, open water, riparian forests, grasslands, and different thickets), let alone in the deserts of the Kalahari and Namibia.
As in the Neotropics, the landscapes of each continent present their parallel diversity in exciting opportunities and challenges. The wildlife photographer packs accordingly: eg for Costa Rica versus the Pantanal.
Ethics : In wildlife photography, the primacy of Ethical considerations for living Subjects is the critical factor governing subject distances, and thus Telephoto Reach. Fundamentally, ethical principles govern the photographer's behaviour.
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I finally had to let go of the gear acquisition madness and take a look at my images catalogue to figure my ultimate tele lens choice. It appears i need a 500-600mm focal length as a starting point with an ability to reach upto 800mm with minimal compromise ( particularly snappy AF for fast action). I was initially planning on either selling my 500F4 E to partly fund the 4002.8S or retain the 500 and add an 800PF but Brad Hill's latest post has now ruled out the 400 option as i may end up using it almost always with a 2x TC to get to 800mm or with 2 stacked 1.4TCs, both of which may not be ideal for fast action.
