Nikon 200-500mm lens review

Hello Andy, Paul, Rick and others,

I’m glad to hear there are still some keen Nikon devotees and not everyone has moved to the grey side. (that is only one stop from the dark side!!)

The only point I would like to emphasise is that the 300 mm F/4 PF, even with 1.4x or 1.7x extender is LIGHT, really easy to handhold and manoeuvre so that if you see a bird, you can home in and focus within a second or two. With the 1.7x in poor light it can hunt a bit on low contrast subjects but by all accounts the new D500 will improve this. In terms of quality I can only repeat what I have read – that it is indeed equal to the 300mm f/2.8 resolution wise, just a stop slower. I have never owned the 2.8, but I have handled one and to me it needs to be mated to a heavy camera like a D4 to achieve some sort of balance because the lens itself is so end heavy. When you do that, the combination is certainly NOT light. I can hand hold the 300 PF all day – with a D7100 it just hangs over my shoulder like an ordinary camera, but like any telephoto, the results will be better off a tripod. Another plus, there is very little focus breathing with this lens so when you go in close, the focal length remains much the same.

I haven’t had the 200-500 mm long enough to fully evaluate it , but my initial surprise and pictures are enough. I can hand hold it for short periods, but it is still a heavy lens and if I need to use it for an hour or so, like sitting watching waders, it would need support like a tripod or bean bag – and of course the pictures would be better. If anybody wants to see a pic or two I have taken in the garden, I would be quite happy to email them.

For those looking for what I call ultra telephoto (that is up around 1000 mm focal length) according to the reports so far published, the 200-500 does quite well with the 1.4x, and on a DX body like a D7100, D7200 or especially the new D500, the equivalent focal length will be 1050 mm. However, with such great magnifications like this the problems are also great – camera shake, mirror vibration, atmospheric effects and the need to maintain a high shutter speed all take their toll. Recently, in the quest for a light, very long equivalent focal length system, I made a brief (and expensive) venture into the Nikon N1 mirrorless system – V1 and V2 bodies, FT-1 adaptor and the superb little 70-300mm zoom but the “ease” of use (more like difficulty with my big hands) and results weren’t up to what can I could achieve with the DSLRs. So I sold it.

In response to your question Andy, the lens I used to use in the past was the fastest manual focussing tele lens ever made, the Leitz Televit with Telyt 400 f/5.6 and 560mm f/5.6 lenses. These days if it was still made it would cost a fortune. Leitz equipment in those days was (and probably still is) precision optical equipment, if a bit antiquated. By comparison, the modern gear from the orient is rubbish. If you know of any beginners or lovers of the manual gear, I’m selling this as well, I can’t take it with me.

The newly announced D500, now not due until April some time, will be Nikon’s flagship DX camera – amongst all the other guff like autofocus at f/8, frame rate, noise (or lack of?) few people have commented on the new viewfinder. I have always maintained if you want to know how good a camera is, just look through the viewfinder.

Cheers

Graeme