200-500f5.6 Priced Under $1,400: Are You Excited?

DaveyJ

Yes this is one fantastic lens. Many species of,birds and wildlife in about a month, have been a really remarkable captured. I tried the D7200, really good with this lens! But I admit the D7500 is faster to get settings swiftly entered, etc., and the results have been so awesome I just left the 200-500 on the D7500. What amazes me is that I have used lens that cost 10,000 to $15,000, this one seems better to me. One confusing factor is that Imbelieve as am using a much better camera. It isn't just the lens. I did own a fortune compared to this in medium and large format gear. This lens fits my style to a T and I did Need this lens years ago. I hope my trip to Yellowstone continues with this streak of good luck!

Msmoto

Does this mean I need to get one of these to shoot with the D500? It would be a heck of a lot lighter than the 400/2.8. And, as the price is so attractive, it just makes sense, especially if size is an issue.

As I may be using a Can Am Spyder to move around a race course, the need to carry the gear in a Pelican Case mounted on the rear presents itself. So, physical size can be an issue. Mmmm....

PB_PM

It would likely work, and be more flexible, just be prepared for slower AF than you are used to.

Photobug

Msmoto said:

Does this mean I need to get one of these to shoot with the D500? It would be a heck of a lot lighter than the 400/2.8. And, as the price is so attractive, it just makes sense, especially if size is an issue.

As I may be using a Can Am Spyder to move around a race course, the need to carry the gear in a Pelican Case mounted on the rear presents itself. So, physical size can be an issue. Mmmm....

Easy decision...YES, you need to acquire another lens. Try it out and determine if you need both or sell the larger and heavier 400/2.8. Love recommending other people spend $$$$$.

retread

I borrowed a 200-500 from Nikon for a while and liked the way it preformed. I guess what I did not like was the lack of f2.8. It handled well for it's overall size.

Msmoto

I think the use of this lens on the D500 may be the way to go. The low speed (f/5.6) does hamper the use of a TC to extend this, but, my experience with lenses over 800mm or equivalent is they are difficult to hold steadily, the atmospheric conditions are affecting the IQ, and my results confirm all of the above. But, with a crop sensor, the "300mm - 750mm" lens may be all one needs.

May get this rather than go for a Sony a6500 with their 100 - 400mm lens, which costs an additional $1100 more..... plus I would have to get the body, thus a total investment of nearly $4000.

DaveyJ

I have been absolutely amazed what the combination of the D7500 and 200-500 Nikkor have done here, and will try it out in Yellowstone National Park in a week or so. I looked at the various Sony cameras as a lady friend and photo store manager went that route. It sure as heck would not be what I would do! Higher price for a not very responsive system?

Photobug

DaveJ....please...please get up one early and arrive at the Mormon Barn outside Grand Tetons for that sunrise shot with the GT Mountains in the background. You will not forget it.

DaveyJ

I have to admit, the Mormon Barns (I am a farmer) have already been done very well by others. I will be out very early every day for 12 days. One of,my biggest priorities are bull elk photos, I helped introduce Rocky Mountain Elk when I was a scientist for State of West Virginia. We just got a big setback from the RMEF which has decided that re-introduction of Elk at our Home Farm in NYS is non-feasible due to NYS politics and bureaucracy. Tragic in that we have a Hope Chest Diary from the 1790s which was found in our farmhouse having one of the most amazing contemporaneous accounts written by a young woman who kept this diary for nearly fifty years. The house timber frame was brought from Binghamton, NY on Ox Carts and reassembled there on a three foot wide dry laid foundation. The diary also recounts cannon being moved to Albany NY during the e War of 1812. She described Alleghaney Elk bugling in the fall at that farm in 1790. They were killed off by hunting, the last bull elk was shot in Alleghaney in 1840. I will get to the Mormon Barn early at least one morning, and I have seen remarkable photos of that. Looks like the green grass that makes the scene pop though will be brown by then.... I think. We start our field,work with a Yellowstone River float trip,from Gardiner near Yankee Jim Canyon.

Photobug

Interesting back story on the Elk. Last year we looked for Elk for 3 days and on the 4th found them in The Grand Tetons. Then we get to Yellowstone NP and saw Elk every day. Go figure.

Looks like a nice trip...enjoy the float down the Yellowstone River. And just to get you in the mood:

DaveyJ

Your Moran Farm photo, which is lovely!, was taken in August or July if I remember? Again the grass is definitely green, and September photos of the same place are quite brown in comparison. Roger Whitaker's tune, Try To Remember a Time In September when grass was green and leaves were yellow ....was English influenced and looks that way on the Home Farm in NYS's Learherstocking Country (Broome County). At the famed Moran Barn scene all the images are decidedly brown in September, which I find discouraging and it definitely is a sign of heavy frosts.....,albeit the grass will be greener on my trip, I do hope so! I am wondering what camera and lens you used? According to many write ups I see, that scene usually has a group of photographers clustered from about where you took your very nice picture. My Go To lens often will be the 200-500 on the D7500 or th 16-80"on the D7200. Your photo looks to me like a D750 photo taken with the Nikkor 24-70? But that is just a quick guess.

Photobug

DaveyJ...you are going to kick your self on this one when you see what equipment I used for this shot.

My photo of the Moran Barn was taken July 9, 2016. Your probably correct about brown grass in September due to frost. It can still look good if its not dead.

Now for the surprise:
Nikon D7100 + Nikon 70-200mm @ 71 mm
F/8 at 1/500, ISO 200

I smiled when I saw your comment and had to go to the original image since I had the D750 + 24-70 and the D7100 + 70-200 around my neck. The D7100 produces excellent images.

Another teaser:



D7100+70-200 @71mm, 1/800 @ F/8 ISO200

DaveyJ

Many thanks for this info!!! You have been an inspiration. My son now has my trusty D7100 to use in places where documentation of construction is needed, as his D500 has no onboard flash. Again nice photo this time the tops of the mountains show! Wow! 200 ISO, I keep mine around 800 as I see no difference below that number generally. I also am impressed at the f8 as I almost always use f11. To me it makes July look like the time to photograph this scene. I will bet mine will be pretty bad by my standards compared to these!

I had a Nikkor 70-200 2.8 and sold it as the lens was pretty heavy, and the 70-300 was just plain getting great shots. These photos show the combo you have used is awesome. Guess I will plan on the D7200 being the primary camera with the 16-80 when I am there. Since we will have the car there, I will take a few with the D7500 and the 200-500 too, but the D7200 and the new AF-P DX VR lens 70-300 might be used to see how that compares...since this shot is one that doesn't lope off quickly when the shutter goes off. But just how crictical the light is remains to be seen. Last night it snowed briefly here, and tonight will be a low of about 32 degrees F. The color peak will be here when I return from Yellowstone, and Grand Teton.

vtc2002

@DaveyJ If you have the time you may want to drive down to the National Elk Refuge near Pinedale, Wyoming. Starting in late December they feed the elk but several herds remain there all year. Pinedale is about an hour and a half south of Jackson Hole. The drive is pretty and you will see pronghorn antelope, mule deer and ocassionly moose.
Square Top mountain at Green Lakes is a worth the drive if you have the time and is close to Pinedale. You will not have the crowd of people as you will have in Jackson hole.
I was on a assignment with the Department of Interior to photograph wildlife in several of the National Parks and Wilderness areas. The crowds in some of the places made getting photos without people and cars was challenging. When we went to Pinedale to shoot the Elk Refuge and the Wind River range in most places it was like we were the only ones there.
I will try to find some of my photos and post them.

Photobug

DaveyJ..thanks for the nice comment. Normally the 200-500 was on the D7100 and the 70-200 or 24-70 was on the D750. Then you run into this situation where you got the wrong lens on the camera and your scrambling to change lens to get a shot.

This guy decided to cross the road and cause all sorts of a traffic mess. And this was shot out of the SUV with the window down.

DaveyJ

Adorable! Now this photo has to me awesome personality! One of the best Yellowstone traffic photos I have seen!

Photobug

Every thing comes to a stop when a Bison is on the road.

D750 @ 70mm (24-70 F/2.8).

Photobug

And yes I was out of the SUV taking this picture. Used the SUV as a shield.

DaveyJ

I have a lot of wildlife at my place in the mountains. Yellowstone though is off the chart! Great shot! Soon I'll be there!

Photobug

I hope you see lots of elk and moose in Yellowstone. This one is from YNP.

D7100+200-500

DaveyJ

Back from Yellowstone. Many mountain passes were closed after we traversed them, due to snow and ice. great trip, great photos. The D7200, D7500, 16-80, and 200-500 were are magic combo, and the D3200 got some great stream shots while
I was fishing, including Mountain Lion, Wolf, Otter, and both free and landed Native Trout.

spraynpray

Can't wait to see the results in PAD @DaveyJ!

vtc2002

@DaveyJ Glad to hear you had a great trip. Looking forward to seeing some of your photos also.

Photobug

DaveyJ said:

Back from Yellowstone. Many mountain passes were closed after we traversed them, due to snow and ice. great trip, great photos. The D7200, D7500, 16-80, and 200-500 were are magic combo, and the D3200 got some great stream shots while
I was fishing, including Mountain Lion, Wolf, Otter, and both free and landed Native Trout.

Terrific.

Hiker

From what I have been reading here in the past several posts, the 200-500 has moved to near the top of my list. I'm also considering a Nikon 70-200 f4 to "replace" the 70-300. Just waiting for that sale. And Black Friday is not that far away!