I think your review is very accurate. I love this lens, it opens the word of wildlife photography to people who can't afford to buy lenses that cost almost as much as a car.
Excellent, brief and fairly full review. I like how you covered all the important points. The lens has it's drawbacks, but the positive aspects of this line far outshine it's limitations. I'm hoping to try my "pre-owned" version of this Nikon lens ASAP. Thank you 🙏 for your review, it is gretly appreciated. 👍 😌 👏
Outstanding value for the money Lens. I often grab it instead of my 200-400mm Nikkor mostly because of the weight/size advantage. At f5.6 its a little slow but at least it's not one of those horrid variable aperture lenses...
It is an absolute 'fun lens'. I've taken many amazing photos of birds with it and married to my D500 it provides a field-of-view equivalent of 750mm. Mine has a Kirk arca-swiss plate attached to it. BTW, do you use the TC17e with your 300mm AF-S lens?
I have the 200-500 f5.6 new boxed but am keeping the 200-400 its been with me to long to sell . I expected the 500 to match the £4000 + lens , although its sharp the pro lens just pips it , so the 2-500 has been stuck in its box from day 2 .
Hello and thank you for this review. Ive had my 200-500mm for two years now although having said that I only use the lens in the spring and summer for photographing birds. I have found that the f5.6 can be frustrating when taking birds in heavily wooded areas. I tend to set my camera (D850) to Auto ISA, Aperture Priority- f5.6 speed 500th. This helps to keep the ISO down, but once the light starts going, up goes the ISO which I don't like. Sometimes the images are just too noisy! The other issue I find is the lens being able to track moving birds. This could well be my technique that needs looking at, but it rarely gets a good lock on & just keeps hunting around, then the bird has gone! Otherwise I have been extremely happy with this lens and would recommend it to any wildlife photographer who's looking for a great lens at a very competitive price. I look forward to your next review of this lens when you have been able to put it through its paces.
Thanks for this - the higher noise in images from lenses with a smaller aperture is a point often not mentioned by advertising etc..! :-) I also notice the slightly darker viewfinder.
If you do bird photography in heavily wooded area, you should pick up a prime lens for bigger aperture but then the prime cost bucket more. The Z6 has an extended usable ISO range than both the D850 and Z7. Tracking bird in a dim, heavily wooded area - well that's a topic for another day.
I got this Lens in Dec 2015, and have produced some very sharp shots at 500mm @ 1/15 sec, which verifies how well the VR works. I have also used it on my D200, but can do so only at 5.6. It was very sharp on my D810, not so much with my D850, but Nothing is sharp on it, regardless of the AF Tuning.
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 I don't know about lens, everyone seems happy with it. As for D850, I use a D850 on top of my D5300 and it's a fantastic body, and everyone views it as such. D200 is an older body and can support AF only up to f/5.6. Maybe your D850 had sensor issues, or you weren't shooting with right settings(RAW lossless compressed). My D850 is working very well, no issues with the body. It had hiccups with 3rd party grip and battery, and with Lexar UHS-2 card, but once I made a switch to ProGrade CFExpress B, it was working beautifully. BTW I bought my D850 from a seller which barely used it, body had 2215 shutter actuations only. Came with box and everything except warranty. Body is in pristine condition, not a scratch.
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 I also plan to buy original MB-D18 grip and original EN-EL18(D5) battery next year, as I want to keep it OEM. After all, that's the best route to go with.
@@astanisystems The Lens will only work on a D200 at 5.6, as the D200 can not control an Electronic Aperture. It is fabulous Lens for the price. The D850 was a Piece of Fecal matter, and I, thank goodness, do not own it any more. I do pity the poor Bastard that buys it Secondhand. Luckily you didn't buy mine, it had about 10,000 activations on it, and less than 5% were moderately sharp. 0% were sharp. It didn't matter which Lens, AF Mode, AF settings, AF Fine Tuning, Shutter Speed, f-Stop, Picture Controls, NEF settings, it never produced an in focus image. I had the MB-18, It never gave any operational issues, just it would loosen after a few days. I really like having the Grip as an Integral part of the Body,
There are so many AI-S lenses with ED glass (gold ring) you really can't go wrong with them compared to non-ED versions ...really depends on your needs
You should be able to fit the lens and take photographs using the D5200 body but there will be no autofocus (obviously!) and also no auto-exposure. The D5200 has no AI coupling lever and so it will have no idea what aperture is set on the lens nor will you be able to set the aperture electronically from the camera body. You will have to use the camera in manual mode to set the shutter speed and set the aperture on the lens. You will then need some sort of external light meter to find the correct exposure, transferring these values to the camera and lens manually (or use trial and error!). Hope this helps… 😊
It is such a joy to have consistent content coming from this channel
I appreciate your pragmatic approach to reviews.
Best reviews on UA-cam , no BS or jargon talk , nice 👍
Thank you! Excellent review--as always.
I think your review is very accurate.
I love this lens, it opens the word of wildlife photography to people who can't afford to buy lenses that cost almost as much as a car.
Always appreciate your videos. Very informative and logical.. Thank you.
Enjoyed your review. Many Thanks.
Excellent, brief and fairly full review. I like how you covered all the important points. The lens has it's drawbacks, but the positive aspects of this line far outshine it's limitations. I'm hoping to try my "pre-owned" version of this Nikon lens ASAP. Thank you 🙏 for your review, it is gretly appreciated. 👍 😌 👏
:-)
Will it work with Nikon D850?
By this time next year I’ll probably get one of these
I'd like to see a review of the 14-28mm zoom. That may be my next lens, if I don't buy this one.
Thank you for sharing.
Incredibly well done lens review only to be uploaded to youtube at 360P
Any thoughts of this lens sitting on D3500? Thx.
Outstanding value for the money Lens.
I often grab it instead of my 200-400mm Nikkor mostly because of the weight/size advantage.
At f5.6 its a little slow but at least it's not one of those horrid variable aperture lenses...
great video bud , bags are a pain , especially for the 200-400,f4 .
This Mini Review was more useful and helpful than most of the full reviews. Tank you.
It is an absolute 'fun lens'. I've taken many amazing photos of birds with it and married to my D500 it provides a field-of-view equivalent of 750mm. Mine has a Kirk arca-swiss plate attached to it. BTW, do you use the TC17e with your 300mm AF-S lens?
I think a lot of the quality of the images from the 300/4 AF-S comes from the simplicity of its optical construction so I rarely add any TC to it...
What is your opinion on using this lens on Nikon D800e?
I have the 200-500 f5.6 new boxed but am keeping the 200-400 its been with me to long to sell . I expected the 500 to match the £4000 + lens , although its sharp the pro lens just pips it , so the 2-500 has been stuck in its box from day 2 .
I love this lens!
Only just bought this lens! Can't wait to try it out
Hello and thank you for this review. Ive had my 200-500mm for two years now although having said that I only use the lens in the spring and summer for photographing birds. I have found that the f5.6 can be frustrating when taking birds in heavily wooded areas. I tend to set my camera (D850) to Auto ISA, Aperture Priority- f5.6 speed 500th. This helps to keep the ISO down, but once the light starts going, up goes the ISO which I don't like. Sometimes the images are just too noisy! The other issue I find is the lens being able to track moving birds. This could well be my technique that needs looking at, but it rarely gets a good lock on & just keeps hunting around, then the bird has gone! Otherwise I have been extremely happy with this lens and would recommend it to any wildlife photographer who's looking for a great lens at a very competitive price. I look forward to your next review of this lens when you have been able to put it through its paces.
Thanks for this - the higher noise in images from lenses with a smaller aperture is a point often not mentioned by advertising etc..! :-) I also notice the slightly darker viewfinder.
If you do bird photography in heavily wooded area, you should pick up a prime lens for bigger aperture but then the prime cost bucket more.
The Z6 has an extended usable ISO range than both the D850 and Z7.
Tracking bird in a dim, heavily wooded area - well that's a topic for another day.
Late to the party. My focus has now switched from this lens to the 2-400 f4. Thank you for shining light upon murky grey tones.
I got this Lens in Dec 2015, and have produced some very sharp shots at 500mm @ 1/15 sec, which verifies how well the VR works. I have also used it on my D200, but can do so only at 5.6. It was very sharp on my D810, not so much with my D850, but Nothing is sharp on it, regardless of the AF Tuning.
Bad copy?
@@astanisystems
Piece of Fecal Matter. I finally had a Happy Day with the D850. The Day I got rid of it, when I got the Z9. Night and Day difference
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 I don't know about lens, everyone seems happy with it. As for D850, I use a D850 on top of my D5300 and it's a fantastic body, and everyone views it as such. D200 is an older body and can support AF only up to f/5.6. Maybe your D850 had sensor issues, or you weren't shooting with right settings(RAW lossless compressed). My D850 is working very well, no issues with the body. It had hiccups with 3rd party grip and battery, and with Lexar UHS-2 card, but once I made a switch to ProGrade CFExpress B, it was working beautifully. BTW I bought my D850 from a seller which barely used it, body had 2215 shutter actuations only. Came with box and everything except warranty. Body is in pristine condition, not a scratch.
@@pjimmbojimmbo1990 I also plan to buy original MB-D18 grip and original EN-EL18(D5) battery next year, as I want to keep it OEM. After all, that's the best route to go with.
@@astanisystems
The Lens will only work on a D200 at 5.6, as the D200 can not control an Electronic Aperture. It is fabulous Lens for the price. The D850 was a Piece of Fecal matter, and I, thank goodness, do not own it any more. I do pity the poor Bastard that buys it Secondhand. Luckily you didn't buy mine, it had about 10,000 activations on it, and less than 5% were moderately sharp. 0% were sharp. It didn't matter which Lens, AF Mode, AF settings, AF Fine Tuning, Shutter Speed, f-Stop, Picture Controls, NEF settings, it never produced an in focus image.
I had the MB-18, It never gave any operational issues, just it would loosen after a few days. I really like having the Grip as an Integral part of the Body,
What is the best way to contact you ?
Hello, you mentioned nikon 400mm f3.5 is a great lens, is there any other old lenses you would recommend as being of outstanding quality? thank you
There are so many AI-S lenses with ED glass (gold ring) you really can't go wrong with them compared to non-ED versions ...really depends on your needs
JKLenses, the name sounds so familiar
I replaced my 200 -400 f4 with this lens , the pack size is more manageable 😃 with the body atached
Hi, is this lense compatible with Nikon D5200 ?
You should be able to fit the lens and take photographs using the D5200 body but there will be no autofocus (obviously!) and also no auto-exposure. The D5200 has no AI coupling lever and so it will have no idea what aperture is set on the lens nor will you be able to set the aperture electronically from the camera body. You will have to use the camera in manual mode to set the shutter speed and set the aperture on the lens. You will then need some sort of external light meter to find the correct exposure, transferring these values to the camera and lens manually (or use trial and error!). Hope this helps… 😊
@@jklenses8611 thank you very much! I was about to buy one for my 5200. You saved me
@@anuruddhadissanayake4881 200-500 f5.6 will play nicely with D5200 if this is the kind of focal length you are after... :-)
@@anuruddhadissanayake4881 Get a D500, you won't ever regret it. D500 is like a mini D5 in DX mode.
Beware quality control on this one.