tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

Sorry... my error F 5.6 ...thank you for pointing that out... haven't had my coffee yet.

tiphareth51 Loc: Somewhere near North Pole, Alaska

F5.6...sorry, no coffee yet. Thank you for pointing this out.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

It is large and heavy - you will want and/or, I recommend a support ! The most versatile support I can recommend is my bodypod - https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-269999-1.html - followed by a good monopod with a good tilt head - I like the ones that adjust from the TOP. The bodypod also works as a good carpod. You will want to use all the focal length the 200-500 can provide as the 750 is not great for cropping and the 200-500 looses IQ around the edges of full frame.

You might be further ahead with a crop frame APS camera and one of the new small/light 100-400's ! ?

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cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

I have owned the Sigma 150-600 Sport and now own the Nikon 200-500/5.6. I did NOT care for the Sigma @ 600 and didn't use it enough to keep. I have had the Nikon 200-500 only since the recent sale and don't have much use under my belt. I can say that overall I like the Nikon better than the Sigma (did not like the Tamron ver 1 at all). I just used it the other day and after evaluating the images find it acceptable considering its cost. I was using a monopod most of the time (I'm 64) as I do with any heavy/long lens. Once spring sports season begins I plan to shoot a few outside sports using the 200-500 which will give me a much better idea of whether or not i'll keep it. I am considering the Nikon 180-400 with the built-in TC, but I do consider that item a bit overpriced. Time will tell. As a sports photographer I use my 400/2.8 quite a bit and I tend to compare everything else to that. Best of luck.

Mircea Loc: Oak Ridge, Tennessee

hi Greer, Ive had that lens for about 3 years and I love it. It pretty heavy, but with enough light and higher ISO I dont have problems hand shooting. Of course its better with a tripod but been in plenty of situations where extending a tripond was not an option and it worked great either hand helt or prop on car window, tree trunk etc. See a hand hold pic I took in Kruger from the car. Took some nice shots of the solar eclipse with it too, with a tripod of course. It would be best if you could go to a store or photo club where somebody has it and try it.
Cheers,

Mircea

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

Looks like you made a good choice.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I have held held it for short periods of time and try to use something as a prop to steady it, at times just my arms and body. I don't think it would be comfortable for long periods of time to hand hold it. I've shot assorted wildlife, including monkeys in Costa Rica, with it handheld. I prefer using it on a tripod. I am a 66-year old female so you could probably hold it longer than me.

Greer Loc: SOUTH GEORGIA

I must be missing a brain cell or two, but everyone says monopod and that seems more difficult than anything else. How could maintain a grip on the lens, balance it on the monopod, use panning, and at the same time zoom and/or focus? I would need 4 sets of hands. !!!!!!

Jules Karney Loc: Las Vegas, Nevada

I agree with renting this lens for the day. Then and only you can determine if this lens is for you.
Good luck and good shooting.

tennis2618

Two years ago I bought this lens and took it on a safari in Africa. Most of my shooting was done from a safari vehicle, both standing and sitting, and all freehand. It performed great— made my trip much more pleasing. I was 73 at the time and still use it a lot at 75. I’m in decent shape. GO FOR IT!

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Have you got a tripod? Shooting from a blind is an ideal situation to use one.

The Nikkor 200-500mm weighs 5 lb. By the time you add a camera to that, you've probably got about 7 lb. While this isn't really heavy to haul around (I bet your hunting rifles weighed as much or more), there aren't many people who could sit and hand hold one for very long while trying to get a shot of some critter.

If you don't already have one, get yourself a decent tripod. Don't skimp too much because a good tripod lasts a lifetime while a cheap one usually ends up in the trash after about a year.

With a large 200-500mm, you also might find a gimbal adapter such as a Wimberley Sidekick or Induro GHBA very helpful. With a gimbal head, the lens and camera are held in relative equilibrium an can be moved with a light touch. There are various types of gimbal heads, but the 200-500mm isn't all that big a head and a less expensive adapter should work fine with it. Maybe you won't buy this now, but sometime in the future. If it's a possibility, it's important to note these are used in conjunction with a reasonably heavy duty ballhead with an Arca-Swiss compatible quick release platform, and take this into consideration when shopping for a tripod.

You can easily spend as much or more than the Nikkor 200-500mm on a tripod to support it! Gitzo and Really Right Stuff tripods run $700 to $1000 for the legs and another $300 to $450 for the ballhead. But there are more affordable. For example, the carbon fiber Oben CT-2381 in kit with their BC-139 ball head for under $500. You can find similar from other makers... Feisol, Benro, Manfrotto and more. You could able to reduce the cost a bit with an aluminum tripod, instead of carbon fiber. Aluminum weighs a bit more and carbon fiber helps absorb some vibrations better than metal, but an alu tripod usually costs less and can serve well. The Oben ball head mentioned as an example is rated to support almost 40 lb., which would be fine with a gimbal adapter and a large lens. Just be sure any other head has sufficient load capacity (2X to 3X the weight to be put on it) and is compatible with the Arca-Swiss QR system if you want to be able to use it with a gimbal adapter in the future.

If the added cost of a tripod is out of the question... how about a monopod? Those can be helpful supporting the weight of a large lens and camera for a period of time and aren't expensive. It might not be necessary shooting ground level subjects out of a blind, but there are special heads for monopods available too. They only have a tilt axis because there's no need for a panning axis (simply rotate the whole rig). The only problem with a monopod is that while all set up, it's awkward to set it aside while waiting for critters to wander by for a beauty shot. A lens & camera on a tripod can simply be left in place, ready to use. A monopod isn't so convenient. Like tripods, there are both aluminum and more expensive carbon fiber monopods. Personally I don't see need for carbon fiber in this case. But that's up to you. I'd put more of my money into a monopod head with adequate load capacity and a quick release to allow rapid setups.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

If you are ONLY going to use it in a blind, a tripod and gimbal is your answer .....

As mentioned earlier, on the 750 full frame, the Tamron 150-600 G2 would be a better option because of less cropping - on crop frame, the 200-500 is the choice IMO.

With birds in flight, and airshows, you should be handholding - otherwise, use support - your compositional and auto focus accuracies and therefore, your keeper rates will be better than handheld !

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Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

You will love the 200-500. It produces super pictures if you do your job.Since you have a deer blind just attach that puppy to a tripod and prepares your self for a great day of shooting. Happy shooting..

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

You will love the 200-500. It produces super pictures if you do your job.Since you have a deer blind just attach that puppy to a tripod and prepares your self for a great day of shooting. Happy shooting..

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

You will love the 200-500. It produces super pictures if you do your job.Since you have a deer blind just attach that puppy to a tripod and prepares your self for a great day of shooting. Happy shooting..