helpful suggestions requested: I have a client in the investigations business that is looking to purchase a camera body and telephoto lens that is suitable for low light surveillance...

Bill May

I have a client in the investigations business that is looking to purchase a camera body and telephoto lens that is suitable for low light surveillance work. cost is not the chief factor, speed and hand held ability plus clarity over a distance of 500 feet. Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions. Client is in NY area.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

Nikon D5 or D6 with f mount 400mm f/2.8 lens
https://www.adorama.com/us1581434.html?gclsrc=ds

This will provide superior low light quality & speed, but not at over 500 ft. For that distance he/she would need a rock steady tripod with an 800mm lens and a 2x tc. But that combo doesn't lend itself to low light. I could make it work but a novice will need to learn photography.

Bayou

Low light at 500 feet? That's a very tall order, and calls for the very best full frame gear. In the Nikon world, which is what I know best and as mentioned by ecobin, the D6 (or older D5) are the low light kings.

Nikon's longest and fastest lenses would be needed. The cost of all this will be in the 20 grand range. Even with the right gear 500 feet is very challenging, and handheld? Maybe handheld and well braced on a beanbag, but not freely handheld.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

Bill May wrote:

I have a client in the investigations business that is looking to purchase a camera body and telephoto lens that is suitable for low light surveillance work. cost is not the chief factor, speed and hand held ability plus clarity over a distance of 500 feet. Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions. Client is in NY area.

Since he is in the NYC area, he should go to B + H so he can hold the camera before purchase. I have always had very good advice when I go to the store. Also I would look at a micro 4/3 camera or mirrorless.

Bill May

thanks, I think the Nikon D6 fits the body bill, just a matter of the lens.

Bill May

My thoughts exactly I think it's due for a trip downtown to be B an H

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Bill, I used to do that kind of work. I used a Nikon F with a 400mm f/5.6. and Tri-X. In a test posed scenario, one could read the cover of the book a friend was holding at a distance of about 250 feet. The image was grainy but definitely readable. The subject sat in a shadowed area of an incandescent bulb-lit parking garage.

I'd definitely listen to the D6 suggestions. I'd also listen to the "stop by B and H" ones, as well. There are a couple of B and H employees that are members of this site. You might make arrangements to meet with one of them at the store to assess the suggestions made.

On another test, I photographed some police officers from a distance of about 100 yards with a 500mm f/8 mirror lens on the F. When enlarged, one could read the shoulder patch on one of the officers.

One other consideration. Those long lenses are definitely not stealthy.
--Bob

Bill May wrote:

I have a client in the investigations business that is looking to purchase a camera body and telephoto lens that is suitable for low light surveillance work. cost is not the chief factor, speed and hand held ability plus clarity over a distance of 500 feet. Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions. Client is in NY area.

Ron 717 Loc: Pennsylvania

Bill May wrote:

I have a client in the investigations business that is looking to purchase a camera body and telephoto lens that is suitable for low light surveillance work. cost is not the chief factor, speed and hand held ability plus clarity over a distance of 500 feet. Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions. Client is in NY area.

Nikon P1000 camera. with a 24-3000mm telephoto lens, it will cover almost all situations that might occur.

Bill May

Thanks that is much appreciated I will make arrangements if persons watching the site from B and H contact me I would love to make arrangements for us to go down and see some product.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Bill May wrote:

Thanks that is much appreciated I will make arrangements if persons watching the site from B and H contact me I would love to make arrangements for us to go down and see some product.

Maybe you should contact them?

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Bill May wrote:

I have a client in the investigations business that is looking to purchase a camera body and telephoto lens that is suitable for low light surveillance work. cost is not the chief factor, speed and hand held ability plus clarity over a distance of 500 feet. Thanks in advance for your helpful suggestions. Client is in NY area.

You didn’t say if concealment was a criteria so the answer to that may change your choice.

For the best visual quality you want a large fast lens and camera with good low noise high iso specifications.

For concealment a super zoom camera would be better.

There are also IR night vision tools that might work for your client and there are companies that specialize in this type of equipment. You can locate them by searching.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

A lens with modern VR is good for longer exposures. I got a 200-500 in 2015 and the VR blew away the VR on my older lenses. I have a hand held photo of a guy about 80 meters away. You can read the text on his tie. Another at 500mm and 1/10 second hand held is not perfect but pretty sharp. In preliminary testing, I can read the microprinting on a $50 bill at about 25'. The D4/5/6 should be adequate unless the light is REALLY low.

I have a D4 and a D5. I consider them pretty similar, but the D4 has better color so it gets used preferentially. The D5 relies more on image processing for the low light stuff but it is slightly better than the D4 there. I don't have a D6 but I suspect the improvements there are primarily in the image processing.

Topaz denoise does a good job in clarifying low light shots.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

DirtFarmer wrote:

A lens with modern VR is good for longer exposures. I got a 200-500 in 2015 and the VR blew away the VR on my older lenses. I have a hand held photo of a guy about 80 meters away. You can read the text on his tie. Another at 500mm and 1/10 second hand held is not perfect but pretty sharp. In preliminary testing, I can read the microprinting on a $50 bill at about 25'. The D4/5/6 should be adequate unless the light is REALLY low.

When the Pentax KP first came out, several reviewers found that it compared very well to the Nikon D500 in low-light situations, and all recent Pentax’s have IBIS. Today, I would suggest the Pentax K-3iii, which I’m sure B&H has.

kymarto Loc: Portland OR and Milan Italy

I would ditch the DSLR suggestions and go with the Canon R3, which has the best low light response of any existing digital FF camera. A couple of MF bodies do better, but then the rig with a long lens gets really ungainly. Mirrorless will allow much better viewing and focusing than a DSLR, since it shows the image as it will be shot instead of an image slightly darker than ambient conditions, as would a DSLR

dbrugger25 Loc: Raleigh, NC

I strongly favor Canon cameras and have a 5D Mark 4 and an R5. But, the off-white colors of the Canon telephoto zoom lenses might not be best for surveillance work.

The Canon R5 does work very well in low light and the electronic viewfinder does amplify the liew so you can see the subject in very low light. The 100-500 zoom is an amazing, very sharp lens.

Camouflage covers are available for Canon zoom lenses. The 45mp sensor and combination of lens and in-body stabilization woule be very helpful. I have had good results in low light situations.