IDguy Loc: Idaho

I use it for wildlife. Need highest shutter speed and lowest ISO. Mine stays at 5.6.

The chart shows little difference at 500 mm, which it is also usually stuck on.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I shoot with that lens on a daily basis. It is sharp wide open but I have found that 6.3 is my sweet stop.
Try it, you may like it.
Best of luck to you with one of Nikon's finest lenses. You have made a great choice grasshopper.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

If you are using the lens for wildlife it won't matter that the corners are not tack sharp, i.e., the "sweet spot," as you will most likely be centering the wildlife or using the rule of thirds. Mine is always at f/5.6 as I use it for birds in flight and other wildlife and as fast shutter speed is the most important factor for me.

kb6kgx Loc: Simi Valley, CA

What... someone didn’t get that?

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

It appears f5.6 and maybe f8, with enough light, are the ones that allow autofocus. Reviews seem to indicate manual focus is more difficult than desired and is much less successful in keepers. If I owned the lens, I would try to use it at f5.6 and f8 most of the time.

epd1947

I seriously doubt that anyone’s eyes would be able to discern any difference in actual photos taken at f/5.6 through f/11, probably even at f/16. The issue I find with these charts is that the give the impression that one should always shoot at f/8 to avoid less than stellar results - but if normal views of a photograph will not discern a difference what does it matter?

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Defintely f.8. Great results.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"I seriously doubt that anyone’s eyes would be able to discern any difference in actual photos taken at f/5.6 through f/11, probably even at f/16 ...what does it matter?" epd1947 there is a VAST difference in the visual aesthetic between f/5.6 and f/16 or even f/11 for that matter with the AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR. Trust me, I have clients who demand subject isolation... Absolutely no excuses acceptable.

Since you don't shoot commercially for a living maybe you're naive here... And that's understandable since you claim to have managed a retail photo equipment entity for a decade and a half... Straight from your Apr 4, 2021 post "...I managed their (Cameta Camera) used equipment division for about 17 years..."

Please realize that commercial photography is likely one of the more competitive "Crafts" which one might choose to engage in i.e. practice... Commercial Photography is decidedly unique and not really closely related to equipment retail.

There is no way in hell I would shoot a league soccer match at f/16 UNLESS it was doing a team's "group shots" either on risers or half the team kneeling in the first row...

Below is an example of the stellar isolation possible at f/5.6 with the epic AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6 Nikkor.
This same capture would be a trash throwaway at f/16 with all the chaos of fans, cars and trucks cluttering the background area clearly visible...

Maybe do yourself a favor (and others here on UHH) by mastering commercial photography and bring that gift to the forums... Way too many sales persons and far too few actual commercial shooters here on UHH in my humble estimation... btw, you might try pitching your inferences on f/5.6 vs f/16 in the Sport Photographers forum epd1947 and see how much credibility it garners...

Yes I hold that there is a major difference between f/5.6 vs f/16... and so do my clients.
Wishing you all the best in your pursuit of commercial photography epd1947...
.

AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR on a Nikon D3 at f/5.6

(Download)

epd1947

No, I am not naive - my comment was strictly with regard to the "sweet spot" of the lens - As to the rest of your snarky remark - I did a fair amount of shooting professionally for more years than you are on the planet - so keep your asinine remarks to yourself.

sscnxy

hit
Hello Thomas. I always like to learn something about lighting when I study the catchlights in your marvelous portraits. In this photo, was the key light a beauty dish directly in front of and above the model? And was the fill light a gridded octabox directly in front of and below the model?

Thanks.
NY

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

"...was the key light a beauty dish directly in front of and above the model?" Yes NY good eye... This actually is a single light setup... and the key is actually a strobe fired into a small 28" silver octa parabolic which yields the same focused beam as a BD. Fill was added with a 30x40 inch white foam core just out of frame up against her left arm... You can count the 8 silver panels in her pupils and see the white foam core also reflected in her lower pupils...

The foam core reflector makes a considerable difference in the aesthetic of this look... filling in the shadows in her neck. Oh the background is simply a 4'x8' panel of white foam core... and just far enough away to yield gray without detail...

However it is the model who took this narrative totally over the top... She is formerly with Elite Model Management in NYC... btw, she is also a very gifted cello player and is finishing her college degree in the performing arts...

Hope this helps NY... and thanks so much for the kind words... they are truly cherished..

hrblaine

It's nice to see a couple of guys getting along here for a change. Way too many snarky comments going back and forth between posters imho. Harry

fstoprookie Loc: Central Valley of California

Thanks for info - I'm going to shoot a baseball game on Thursday and have never used my 200-500 for a game. Going to give it a shot. It'll be in mid afterenoon so somewhere around f8 will be pretty good. Anxious to see what I come up with. Only shot with it half a dozen times and have been waiting to shoot sports event in the daylight.

Never thought about shooting a portrait with it - Interesting

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Shooting in bright daylight should allow for f8 and good autofocus according to what I can find. You might even want to try f11 and see how well the autofocus works at that aperture.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Autofocus will work perfectly with the lens set to f/11 or any other aperture setting. It stops down only when the shutter is released.