Lighter Nikon Telephoto Lens (Page 3): Thanks...

vbhargava Loc: San Diego

Mac wrote:

I'm 71.
I have that lens and TC combo. I'm very pleased with the results. Living in Florida I do a lot of wildlife photography with it. You will be pleased.

Thanks

DrJoeS Loc: Tampa Bay area (FL)

@Ricardo, that is a great set of images!! Where do you shoot?

vbhargava Loc: San Diego

Thank you guys, you have convinced me. I will also look at the 500pf. Thanks again.

vbhargava Loc: San Diego

Steve Perry wrote:

The 300PF + 1.4TC is an excellent combo, but on a D750 it'll come up short much of the time. I'd recommend a 500PF - super light, incredibly fast and sharp.

I quickly looked at 500mm PF on Nikon website and it weighs more than 1.5 kg, which may be a deal breaker. I looked at your YouTube video about 300mm PF and was very impressed. After viewing I started to consider 300mm PF lens. Another question would be if getting both tc14 and tc20 May be better. I realize, changing tc may be difficult at times. Look forward to your response. Thanks.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Probably the lightest, high end, telephoto I own is my Nikon 300 F4 PF. I do have a TC 1.4x III, but I have not used it with lens. Although that combination would work with my cameras, the autofocus would be too slow for me. I have also owned the Nikon 200-500, which is a nice, and somewhat lighter, lens. Look up the weights and choose, although I would consider the 300/4 PF a better lens by far. YMMV. Best of luck.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Probably the lightest, high end, telephoto I own is my Nikon 300 F4 PF. I do have a TC 1.4x III, but I have not used it with lens. Although that combination would work with my cameras, the autofocus would be too slow for me. I have also owned the Nikon 200-500, which is a nice, and somewhat lighter, lens. Look up the weights and choose, although I would consider the 300/4 PF a better lens by far. YMMV. Best of luck.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

vbhargava wrote:

I quickly looked at 500mm PF on Nikon website and it weighs more than 1.5 kg, which may be a deal breaker. I looked at your YouTube video about 300mm PF and was very impressed. After viewing I started to consider 300mm PF lens. Another question would be if getting both tc14 and tc20 May be better. I realize, changing tc may be difficult at times. Look forward to your response. Thanks.

The 2x just doesn't work that well on the 300PF. I mean, it's not terrible, but the 1.4 is really the best bet. You lose a touch fo sharpness, but it's negligible. Plus, the 2X will drop it to F/8 so only the center-area AF sensors will work (and usually slowly).

Also, the weight is 1.46 kg on the 500PF, vs .95 kg or so for the 300 + TC. About a half kg more.

Don't get me wrong, the 300PF is one of my all time favorites, but on a full frame camera, even with a TC, I'm worried it'll come up short much of the time. I know it would (and does) for me. However, if its weight makes it miserable to use, then it's a bad plan of course.

Another thought is to use the 300PF + TC with something like a D500. That's a match made in heaven for an effective, high performance, reasonably priced wildlife kit.

LeeinNC Loc: Morganton, NC

IDguy wrote:

Man. Everyone posting their ages. And what does that have to with question at hand?

Anyhow, the FX AF-P 70-300 is relatively light and has great image quality.

Age and muscle mass are prime subjects in the OP!

vbhargava Loc: San Diego

I have my old D5000 for for DX body, may be in the future I can buy D500. I agree a better DX body would add an additional 1.4 magnification. Thanks Steve.

ricardo00

DrJoeS wrote:

@Ricardo, that is a great set of images!! Where do you shoot?

Thanks Dr. JoeS!! I live in the Bay Area but have taken the 300mm f/4 to Alaska, Hawaii, the Grand Tetons, Madagascar and Borneo. It is easy to pack and carry up and down hills, etc. When sufficient amounts of sun light, I add a TC. I also have used it to take pics of my grandchildren doing sports (ie. soccer).

jefflane

I am 71. I switched from Canon to Nikon so I could use the 500 PF. I usually use it with my D850. It works great except with the TC-14E iii , the focus is a bit slower and for BIF, I have more trouble getting a focus lock unless I use single point with the center point. The images are great.

Bertk Loc: NY

thank you all, reading this posts has given me a lots of information. I might have to take a loss and reinvest into some thing similar.

ricardo00

fetzler wrote:

If weight is a concern have you considered micro 4/3. Olympus has great cameras and lenses. For my PenF I have a Panasonic 100-300mm lens there is also a 100-400 lens. Olympus has a 300mm f4. The set up is very light and flexible.

The weight of the Olympus 300mm f/4 (3.2 pounds) is so much more than the Nikon 300mm f/4 PF lens (1.6 pounds) that the Olympus combo is heavier than the Nikon gear (and when I tried a friends, less balanced). And for example, one can shoot the Nikon D7200 in either normal and get 1.5 x frame of reference (ie. 450mm) or 1.3 crop mode and get the same 2x as the micro 4/3 system with only a slight decrease in pixels.

GLSmith Loc: Tampa, Fl

The Nikon 300 was one of my first lenses. I still have it along with a 1.4 &1.7 TC...I initially used it in automotive racing, (24hr races) so I shots day & nite...Never had an issue, it is semi retired as I opted for the new Nikon 500mm F/5.6. Always found the 300 tack sharp

Harry13

[quote=vbhargava]Currently I have a Tamron 150-600mm G1 lens with Nikon D750, and am considering upgrading to a lighter lens. I am 76 years old and would like to switch to lighter gear.

I don't get you guys - "I'm old and I can't carry a pound and a half, I'm limited to 9 oz." So get a little point and shoot! Or if it's not too heavy, a normal lens. My old friend pro Charlie Harbutt made his living with a Leica normal lens!

I'm 89 and when I can't carry my GD equipment, I'll quit. One thing I won't do is complain about it. I almost got killed in Korea so the last 65 or so years have been on "borrowed time"! I'm pretty sure that I'm happier than I would have been if that shell had exploded a little closer! So I'm happy to carry my Canon 5Dc with a 70-200 L, heavy though it may be. It ain't heavy, it's my best lens (and I'm glad to be alive)! :-) Harry