Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF preview

[arash_hazeghi]

just got my 500mm f/5.6 PF this lens is SMALL

my first impressions here

http://arihazeghiphotography.com/blog/af-s-nikkor-500mm-f-5-6-pf-preview/


stay tuned for more

[Juan Fernandez]

I am very curious to hear what you have to say about this lens vs the Canon 400DO!

[arash_hazeghi]

I added some side by side comparisons with the 200-500, there is simply no comparison :)

[Bruce Elkman]

I am very curious to hear what you have to say about this lens vs the Canon 400DO!

The Canon lens will not work with my Nikon cameras so it is a moot point. I have noticed that images taken with this lens on a D850 are quite a bit sharper and higher in contrast than images made with the D500 of the same subject at the same distance in the same lighting. The new sensor design used in the D850 provides more of an IQ improvement then mere megapixels would lead one to expect.

[arash_hazeghi]

I think Juan wanted a comparison between the two because the Canon 400 DO MKII (http://arihazeghiphotography.com/blog/canon-400mm-f4-is-do-mark-ii-review-battle-of-the-light-lenses/)set the bench mark for light-weight compact professional lenses in terms of sharpness, size, weight, focus speed etc. I am not sure if anyone would cross shop the Canon 400 DO II with the 500 PF as the latter is much smaller, lighter and costs half as much but for comparison purposes the 500PF appears just as sharp as the 400 DO II. the 400 DO II can reach 800mm f/8 (with the 2X TC) while with 500PF tops out at 700mm f/8 (with the 1.4X TC) so on paper 400 DO II can give more reach for the same aperture, but this advantage is a bit deceiving because the only Canon camera that can actually focus with the 400 DO II and the 2XIII is the 1DXII which has only 20 Mega pixels. The 45 Mega pixel Nikon D850 has more effective reach when paired with a 500 PF and the 1.4X TC and the whole combination of camera + lens + TC costs about the same as the Canon lens alone. It has better overall AF for action and flight and is tiny. So although the 400 DO II was my favorite lens since the day it came out, today I'd have hard time justifying its 7K price tag for bird photography where longest reach is most needed. For other subjects such as sports the DO comes out on top obviously because of its f/4 max aperture.



I will soon publish my review of the Nikon 500PF, I think it's a great lens. I don't have a D500 but the lens is tack sharp on both my D850 and D5.

[Bruce Elkman]

To get 500mm and an equivalent image size I would need to add the 1.4x tele extender to the Canon 400mm giving me a 560mm f/5.6 lens weighing in at 5.1 lbs. To me a 5.1 lb lens setup is not comparable to a 3.2 lb one for hand held use.

Odd that for all the tele lenses produced by Canon, including 4 different 400mm lensesm that they have not produced an equivalent to the 200-500mm zoom or the 500mm PF. In the lightweight tele category the only option is the 100-400mm zoom lens.