Z800 + 1.4TC=Inconsistent Results

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DRwyoming said:
FWIW, it took me a long time to adjust my thinking on extra long focal length lenses to view them as great tools for small to very small subjects at moderate distances rather than a tool for moderate to large subjects at long distances. Even without substantial heat distortion shooting across very long distances means an awful lot of atmosphere with its dust, water vapor and other particles that rob sharpness.

For years now I’ve tried to stick with the rule of thumb that I won’t add a TC to my 600mm lens for subjects much larger than a beer cooler as the results are usually disappointing. I started that idea with not using a TC on my 600mm f/4 when shooting anything larger than a basketball when I shot crop body cameras. Sure if an amazing larger subject is in great light but way too far away, I might try it but my expectations of a great shot are low. Basically if I need 800+ mm or longer on a full frame camera to capture a full body image of a large animal like a Moose, Elk or similar then I’m just too far away.

On the other hand for a tiny warbler or something the size of a Kestrel at modest distances having 1000mm or more is fantastic!

I realize a lot of folks pick up extra long focal length lenses plus TCs hoping to shoot from much farther away but in my experience that doesn’t generally produce great results though once in a while when everything lines up it can surprise me.
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I wound up this year coming around to your thinking. I mostly use my 500 pf + 1.4 (on a D500 no less) on small birds at short to medium distances to try and get tight shots. This is a challenge with the slower AF on that rig, but it works better than some would think. I have also gotten decent shots with larger stuff a bit further away when I have really good light; but not too far.

This time of year, for example, I'll take the 500 and 1.4 out with the explicit goal of getting close shots of migrating song birds.

But yeah, in the end, with a lot of reach, I'm not going for the same critters further away; I'm going for more pixels on the same critters at the same distance. One exception to that was Yellowstone, where I had the rig on a tripod and was taking shots of wolves far far away. They were not great shots ... simply too far .. but they were better with the extra reach of the 1.4. It was the only option I had.
 
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