Nikkor 600/5.6 ED-IF AI-S

Pontus · Expire: 2016-08-25

Images taken with my old Nikkor 600/5.6 ED-IF AI-S (not the AI version and not the "new" AI-s version either) and my NEX-7.

This lens is the smallest 600mm lens made by Nikon and for a lens with such reach it is a joy to handle. It's amazingly compact for a 600mm lens at about 40cm and 2.8 kg.

First an iPad picture of the lens itself:

ISO 400 1/1250s wide open on tripod. Slightly cropped RAW, some basic processing in Aperture.

ISO 200, 1/400s, f8, tripod

100% crop, no processing

Viviane · Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 7:01 pm Post subject:

At first impression I thought, if this is what the lens sees and can capture, I would definitely want one of those. Until I saw the price on the internet and the rarity for just finding one.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/600f56.htm

Are there others who are as good as this lens but less expensive? Confused

I saw myself capturing many seagulls in the Netherlands with this lens. And we have them a lot.
The seagulls in this topic are Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla).
The other black and white bird is the White wagtail (Motacilla alba).

Very nice bird pictures Pontus and yes I know the European species. Another hobby for many years.
Is there a possibility to capture the gulls in flight? Maybe up in the sky with the sunlight shining through their wings? Lets see what bird photographers did in the seventies and eighties. You have to think like them back in mf historie.

Pontus · Expire: 2016-08-25

You do know your birds Viviane. You asked about other lenses as good but less expensive. I'm not aware of any, quality comes at a price. You could try the Rokkor 500/8 mirror lens which almost has the reach but is slower. No CA but not quite the sharpness either. And donut bokeh unless you are careful. Regarding pictures of birds in flight. Not with a 600mm lens, not by me anyway. The lens is (barely) hand-holdable but I always use a tripod.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

I was able to catch seagulls in flight by essentially baiting them.First time I ever tried this, I was on a beach in southern California. I had my wife toss wadded pieces of bread straight up into the air, while I laid flat on my back with my camera. The gulls flew above us, hovering, then swooping in to snatch the pieces of bread mid-air. I used my Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm to capture the images with enough depth of field dialed in to insure in-focus images. I got several keeper slides from this. I'd show you some but I'm on my phone right now. Maybe when I get back home.

About that lens, it's simply brilliant. If one has a good 300mm f/2.8, using a teleconverter will get you to 600mm f/5.6, and the combination will be about the same size and weight. As for image quality, well that will depend on your lens and tc.

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

About miror lenses, the Tamron SP 500mm F8 adaptall-2 55B is also a very good performer.

For instance, with 5D MkII :
Pelican
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20113/big_1176__MG_5405_2.jpg
Ducks
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20113/big_1176__MG_5415_1.jpg

with doubler (1000mm...), hard to manage
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20112/big_1176__MG_4596_1.jpg

with Olympus Pen E-P2, equivalent to 1000mm
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20122/big_1176_PenEP2Tamron_SP_500mm_f8_20120131_0056_1.jpg