chris_h12

<p>Today I stopped back at the local camera store where i purchased the 200-500 and we hooked it up to a TC-1.4 III just for fun. using it hand held, the results were pretty impressive and the auto focus only balked once on a shadowy subject (D7200 body). I had previously tried a couple of shots with my TC-20 III and I really wasn't all that happy with the results....I plan on trying it again, though.<br> Here's the pic I tried post the other day. One of my initial shots with the 200-500</p><div></div>

<p>I haven't been able to get out with the new lens much but here is a pic i took just after picking it up last week. The picture was shot at 200 feet or so and the eagle was in full flight.<br /> This is where the rubber meets the road for me as these are the real world shots I'll be taking and I'm pretty pleased so far.<br /> 1/1500 sec f5.6 @ 500mm<br /> <br> edit: sorry but i just cant seem to post it. Can anyone point me to the forum instructions for posting pictures? Thanks!</p>

Thank you both for the welcome! Mary...I have found it to be very sharp at 500mm. I think you'll be very happy with the results!

I received my Nikon 200-500 on the 17th. I live in southeast PA and purchased it at a camera store in Delaware. So far I am very pleased with it. The lens is pretty heavy and bulky, but that was expected and doesn't cause me any angst. You can hand hold it, but you'd be hard pressed to lug it around all day. I've had it out to take eagle pictures twice now and I'm really starting to like it. The auto focus is quick and precise but I have had situations when it has lost its lock on the bird and picked up the rocks or trees in the background. This doesn't seem to be an issue with the lens, rather, I think it is just me pushing its limits in an attempt to see what it will do. These are long shots (300-500 meters) under challenging conditions. At more normal distances, the results have been VERY good. The birds are sharp and clear while the background is pleasantly blurred. At f5.6 and 500mm the subject is nicely isolated from the background and fairly leaps off the screen at the viewer.....it makes for very dramatic pictures. Another thing to note about the autofocus is that it is absolutely silent. Strangely silent would be more accurate as there is no noise nor sense of internal moving parts whatsoever....a nice feature for wildlife for certain. Today we stacked it up against a Tamron 150-600 and the Nikon just blew the Tamron away. We had identical D7200's at the same settings and both cameras were tripod supported. Both photographers used wired remotes to try and eliminate any user influence.......all shots were as identical as we could make them and the Nikon was in a different league across the board. It's a very nice lens and barring any issues, I think it will be very difficult to best in its price range.