Old44

I use my 300mm f/4 Pf and 1.4 TC III on my D750 and D500 and it is very long, especially on the D500. And it is very light, especially compared to the 200-500. Steve Perry has a wonderful review on the 300 vs 200-500 on FF and crop sensor

tomad Loc: North Carolina

Sony A7III with Sony 24-240 zoom... 3.2 lbs in a very small package.

Haydon

A Nikon D500 & Nikon 200-500 plus some *regular* weight training. Lose the neck strap and use a shoulder strap attached to the lens. Tripods do have a use but for a mobile solution not so much.

If this is still is too much and you have adequate backyard space, look at building a bird studio. You can control the light more if you position your studio and blind smartly as well as create a background of camo netting if desired.

Take a look this video to give you an idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5qY8SXzHA8

Keep in mind that throwing money at a problem isn't always the solution. In your own backyard bird studio you can get stunning isolated shots with a 300 mm lens.

davesit Loc: Media, PA

You are thinking about the Nikon Z 24-200 (not 24-240) lens. It was supposed to be released on June 1, but is delayed.

For what you want to do, the new Nikon Z50 or the Z6 should be more than adequate, especially if paired with the coming Z 24-200 lens. If you want to leave Nikon, there are plenty of other brands that would fill the bill. The bottomline is if you are comfortable with shooting with a AP-C sensor camera and not a full frame one.

I shoot with the Nikon D5, D850 and Z7. For landscapes, portraits and other non-wildlife shoots, I almost always use the Z7. It is lighter more nimble and the IQ is outstanding. The new Z system's biggest strength is the Z lenses, which seemed to beat the F-mount equivalent time and again, probably because of its new and wider mount,, allowing their designers to build from the ground up.

Canon, Fuji, Sony, Olympus and other manufacturers all make a camera that could suit your needs. Rent one and see for yourself.

Rent a system from lensrentals.com for a week and play with it and see how you like it. No sense buying something which you might regret a couple of weeks later.

murphle Loc: Wisconsin

I started with the D750 about 5 years ago. Went up to the D850, have the Z7..... Sold the D850 AND the 200-500 because I was sick of the weight and the damage/pain it was inflicting on my right shoulder.

I still have the Z7 and use it for a walkabout and landscape shooting; however, the sale of the D850 and the 200-500 was so I could downsize and begin to have fun again. I invested in an Olympus M1 MkIII and the 300F4. The 35mm equivalent reach I get from this system is 600mm, which I did not get with the D850, nor the D750. I wound up cropping in quite a bit on BIFs and other wildlife shots, so at that point, I lost all advantage of the full-frame system.

I've been a Nikon shooter for 5 years and after taking an original M1 Olympus for a test drive, decided it felt so good in my hand AND also felt like a tiny D850, so I got the M1 MkIII. I absolutely LOVE my M1 MkIII and the menu was so easy to learn - I felt it was similar to the Nikon, but far more feature rich. Its focus is super fast, the 300f4 is tack sharp, fast and solid. My shoulder thanks me and I can use my sling bag with the 300 F4 pro, the 40-150 2.8 pro and the camera with a 12-40 2.8 pro - all without requiring my husband (sherpa).

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Begin with the ends in mind.

What do you wish to do with your images? Post online? Make 4x6 prints? Make 8x10 prints? Make 20x16 or even 40x30 prints? Sell your work in galleries? Make point of purchase displays?

What do you photograph? Family and travel outings? Stamps and coins and insects? Industrial processes for training manuals? Real estate? Perfume and wine bottles? Fashion? Studio portraits? Landscapes and architecture? Street scenes? Riots, protests, wars, and political rallies? Nature? Auto racing? Night football in dim stadiums? Video?

Lots of people get caught in the GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) trap. They think their photography will improve if they only buy a better, bigger, heavier, more expensive camera.

That CAN make your photography easier. It MAY be necessary for certain kinds of work. On the other hand, if you can't explain precisely why you need an upgrade or just want one, it may be unnecessary and even fruitless. It WILL be fruitless if your knowledge, experience, passion, vision, and creative urges don't match your budget.

If you can narrow down the search a bit, finding a suitable solution is relatively easy. What do you do with the images? What do you photograph? What do you just plain WANT? Do you want to keep your existing lenses and use them in all their glory on a new camera body, or would you consider a trade and a brand switch?

Let us know some of the answers, and we can respond more precisely.

Canisdirus

If it's something you enjoy doing at the hobby level... go with micro 4/3'rds. You will gain reach with the least amount of weight. They all take great images...

drobvit Loc: Southern NV

👍 Five years ago (age 60) I was told I'd be using a walker the rest of my life. Proved those Physical Therapists wrong! Weight training, now walking my dog with 8lb ankle weights and carrying/boxing with 12lb dumbbells every day. Camera gear feels like nothing. Yeah, my back and right leg are messed up but, to use MilSpeak... Embrace the Suck!!!

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Lightweight cameras can jiggle. That is specifically why Olympus developed their IS system. Have you every handheld a successful 2 or 4 second shot? I have. Even one 4 second and four 2 second shots all in a row (5 shots , 100% sucessful). And there are others, and I have seen their shots, that have 10 second handheld shots. The percentages do drop as the shots get longer, but 10 second handheld shots are possible. No "gizmos" needed.

murphle Loc: Wisconsin

Definitely have gotten 4 second shots with the Olympus. With my Z7, I can't even do a good 1/10s shot. Shows how 'jiggly' I am. Cameras are fine.... I jiggle.:)

Dean L Loc: Memphis, TN

I have a Z6 and the Image quality is great, I also have a D7200 which to me had very good image quality with very good lens, however nothing compared with the D850 i'm sure. I find the Z6 and the Z lens great and lighter in weight.

PierreD

"As far as I can tell from my research; The better the performance the greater the weight."

This may have been true in the past but it is no longer the case by a long shot (no pun intended).... New lenses, such as some Olympus models, are for all practical purposes as good quality-wise as older models by other brands. This is the result of new lens designs, better lens coatings, etc... There is no reason to think that this trend will not continue - at least for a while, at which point the laws of physics may make further improvements impossible. When this is the case, new developments will probably be more related to progress in computational photography technologies.

dyximan

SMP How does your response address the op's question?

PierreD

It does to the extent that the OP refers to a direct relationship between performance and weight, which probably used to be but is no longer the case. This seems like an important consideration when selecting camera and lens, which is what the OP is asking about.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Consider Olympus Cameras. I have a Panasonic 100-300mm ( 600mm full frame equivalent)lens that is quite small and easy to use. The OMD-1 and OMD-5 cameras are quite good. Indeed there are some things that I can do with my Olympus that I cannot do with my Nikon.