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bloodhunter

bloodhunter

bloodhunter

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30 Dec 2009
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Wigan Lancs
In the near future I will be upgrading from my now elderly Nikon D90 and want to go FX format. I was looking at the D810 as this has 36 megapixels which is three times more than the D90 so cropping will have less impact which is good thing for me but saying that I do like wildlife photography so a new couple of lenses will be on my purchase list too. I will be getting the Nikkor 400mm f2.8 VR and I know this will be my most single most expensive purchase ever but will enjoy the results it gives.

So if you can recommend a different Nikon camera body what would it be please.
 
For wildlife I would recommend the D500, 20mp DX crop with stunning performance. Especially if you plan on the 400mm f/2.8 and not the 600mm.

However,the D810 will work for wildlife very well and when you can get close enough will afford superior image quality. Shooting wildlife full frame is expensive if you really want to make use of the whole frame. Treating it like a crop camera where you choose the crop location in post processing has some advantages though in improving composition.
 
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The 400mm f/2.8 Does take the 1.4xTC very well but idally a TC should onoy be used in emergencies because they always lower image qyuality and focus ability, even on the best lenses. So if you have a 1.4xTC almost alwys on the 400mm then it is a clwar sign that it is the wrong lens and th 600mm would be better.


Saying that I have a 1.4xTC pretty much glued on my 300mm f/4.0, that is because I just keep chickening out on pulling the lever on a 500mm f/4.0 purchase!

A lot depends on what you want to shoot and the expected lighting conditions. The 400mm gives you stop but on FF is too short for birds really - I try abut it is a struggle. 400mm FF works OK for big mammals most of the time, but has limits for things like bears and wolves where you simply can't get that close. Really the 400mm is intended for sports, the 500 and 600 do better for wildlife, bird definitely at the 600mm end of things or the 800 even (but the 800mm is too limiting for bigger wildlife and is just stupid in price).

My personal favorite tele is the 500mm f/4.0 because it is a good balance between price, reach and weight but is a compromise because it is 1 stop slower than 400mm and 100mm shorter than 600mm. However, the 500mm is the most popular super tele for amateurs due to the price-weight-reach combo. There are also some subtleties, e.g. the 500mm fits in almost all overhead lockers on planes, the 600mm is too long for the smaller regional flights.

I suggest you try all 3 super teles out to see what works for you. It is very hard to comprehend how big any of them are. Also note that nikon has replaced all 3 with newer E versions, the main difference being the new version are way lighter and way ore expensive. Optically they are supposedly a teeny tiny bit better.
 
If you like doing wildlife get the 600 or you're be forever wanting more reach and even then you'll still find yourself reaching for a converter at times, moreso with FF than crop.

Whatever you do buy get a good tripod and head, don't scrimp.
 
If you mostly like doing wildlife photography I'd agree with D.P's recommendation at having a look at the D500 when it's released ( next month I think ). I had a chance to play with it and the D5 recently and they were both great cameras. Be aware though the D500 is an AP-C format camera, not an FX like the D810. If you really want to get an FX camera you might want to wait until the autumn as there are rumours Nikon may announce an update to the D810 then.

edit: Also, with respect to choice of lens, if you do choose the D500 then the 400mm VR F2.8 ( with a 1.4 x teleconverter ) would be more than adequate. On the other hand if you plump for a full frame camera then I too would suggest the 600mm VR F4 prime for that extra bit of reach you'd need. If you want something a bit cheaper then have a look at the new Nikon 200-500mm F5.6 offering.
 
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If you are open to suggestions, have you considered making the move to a CSC system.

Fuji have just released an awesome 100-400 f4.5-5.6 weather sealed lens with IS.

On a 1.5 crop works out at 150-600mm and with the 1.4x tele converter too is 210-840mm!

The new Fuji X-T2 should be released this summer too.

Here is an example at 400mm f5.6 (600mm)

Fuji 100-400 by Julian Jones, on Flickr

And 100% crop

Fuji 100-400 by Julian Jones, on Flickr
 
If it is of any use - I recently upgraded (part-ex) from a D800 600mmF4 (the last gen one which i've had for 5 years) to the 800f5.6.

The reasons for doing this were the prices were about to go up a notch, and I found myself using the 600 with the 1.4x on 75% of the time - 600mm on a full frame body just isn't that much magnification.

My old 600 was also one of the heavy buggers whereas the 800 is one of the newer slightly lighter FL models which should make it easier carrying it to places.

Longer term I would like to get the 400f2.8 like you are considering - and felt that the 400 and 600 would be too close together, whereas the 400 and the 800 would give me a better working range.


Slightly embarrassingly I've managed to go out a total of 3 times so far with the 800, but early signs are that it does feel (finally) like its a significant amount of magnification on a full body sensor. I don't think its a good value lens - it should be the same price as the 400/600, and its close focusing is a pita, at a bird hide the birds were too close to focus on, although when they backed off a bit they still filled the frame fairly satisfactorily, for example I think this was a near full crop:

DSC_7598.jpg



The point I'm trying to make here think carefully about what you might do in the future. The 600mm was a good lens but not very portable, and yet not huge amounts of magnification on a full frame, although I imagine it would be a different story on the D500.

The 500mmF4 has a lot going for it - a lot easier to cart about I understand, and more reasonably priced.
The 400F2.8 has that wonderful low light capacity (which I now realise I would really like with the D800 - my shutter speeds have dropped right off with a 5.6 maximum aperture).
 
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