I really wanted to find some type of longer lens than what I have, but the problem always comes down to weight. Currently my longest is the 300mm f/4 PF coupled with a Nikon 1.4x teleconverter (focal length of 420mm).
The super zooms are out simply due to weight. And even the Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF is hefty with a weight of 3.2 pounds. It weighs the same as the Nikon 300mm f/4 (non-VR) which was too heavy for the chronic tendonitis in my hand.
So I decided to try out this option - Nikon 300mm f/4 PF with a Nikon 1.7x teleconverter. Wide open the aperture is f/6.7. It brings my focal length to 500mm. What are your thoughts on quality? I did the same type of post processing I normally do. The images lack the incredible sharpness of most of my lenses yet it is still pretty good. Every image today had a purple sky - and didn't use a CP filter. Altered the sky's color which didn't take much of any extra time. Next time I might try a slightly faster shutter speed to compensate for the longer focal length - and possibly stop down to f/7.1 for a slight increase in DoF.
Here is a screen shot of a NEF with the purple sky.
Below are two images from today. In the second, the hawk must have been mid-blink. :eyetwitch: It's definitely the first time I've ever photographed that.
The super zooms are out simply due to weight. And even the Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF is hefty with a weight of 3.2 pounds. It weighs the same as the Nikon 300mm f/4 (non-VR) which was too heavy for the chronic tendonitis in my hand.
So I decided to try out this option - Nikon 300mm f/4 PF with a Nikon 1.7x teleconverter. Wide open the aperture is f/6.7. It brings my focal length to 500mm. What are your thoughts on quality? I did the same type of post processing I normally do. The images lack the incredible sharpness of most of my lenses yet it is still pretty good. Every image today had a purple sky - and didn't use a CP filter. Altered the sky's color which didn't take much of any extra time. Next time I might try a slightly faster shutter speed to compensate for the longer focal length - and possibly stop down to f/7.1 for a slight increase in DoF.
Here is a screen shot of a NEF with the purple sky.
Below are two images from today. In the second, the hawk must have been mid-blink. :eyetwitch: It's definitely the first time I've ever photographed that.
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