Nikon 500mm/f5.6 PF Super Tele Formally Announced

Eh? 'He' refers to E,J Peiker, the author of the glowing review Joseph linked to and is decidedly male.

 

From here.. About NatureScapes.net Staff and Website Contributors

 

"E.J. was born in 1960 in Augsburg, Germany and moved to Ohio in 1969. He attended Purdue University and earned a Bachelors Degree in Electrical.....

With the 500mm/f5.6 PF, I kind of doubt that Nikon will also introduce a 600mm/f5.6 PF. For one thing the front element will be very big, and with so much magnification, it is hard to hand hold and locate your subject. (The advantage with the 200-500 is that you can zoom to 200mm to find the subject first.)

The 500mm/f5.6 with a D500 should be an excellent combo except for under dim light.

Edited November 15, 2018 by ShunCheung

Eh? 'He' refers to E,J Peiker, the author of the glowing review Joseph linked to and is decidedly male.

 

From here.. About NatureScapes.net Staff and Website Contributors

 

"E.J. was born in 1960 in Augsburg, Germany and moved to Ohio in 1969. He attended Purdue University and earned a Bachelors Degree in Electrical.....

Sorry. I presumptuously thought you referred to me - as your comments were right after mine and you had provided links in regards to this lens. EJ Peiker is a regular contributor at Naturescapes. Some of my friends/acquaintances know him. I have not visited Naturescapes for a long time.

 

With the 500mm/f5.6 PF, I kind of doubt that Nikon will also introduce a 600mm/f5.6 PF. For one thing the front element will be very big, and with so much magnification, it is hard to hand hold and locate your subject. (The advantage with the 200-500 is that you can zoom to 200mm to find the subject first.)

The 500mm/f5.6 with a D500 should be an excellent combo except for under dim light.

Agree 100%.

Edited November 15, 2018 by ShunCheung

Put in my order with Hunt's. Gary told me that delivery date is not known - can be a long haul. I am hoping it will come before mid-January for my trip to Yellowstone. Fat chance perhaps. Had my friend in Hong Kong to check availability there too - it's not available. I have no idea if this is one of Nikon's brilliant marketing ploy or bad management. It pleases no one.

Mary - you doing the winter expedition thing in Yellowstone? I went a couple of years ago, and thoroughly recommend it (though no wolves).

 

We pretty much ended up shooting through glass for anything interesting, because they didn't want us getting out of the vehicles near carnivores (and had to get close because of others without big lenses). Take a 500mm, but I wouldn't sweat the difference for the prime once there's a steamy van window in the way.

Will play it by the ear. Have enough long lenses.

My lesson from Yellowstone was that you can have enough long lenses, but you can't have long enough lenses. :-) (I wonder if I can hire a P1000?) Not so much in winter, though, because camping out on a hill waiting for wolves isn't so practical in snow.

 

Have a great time, and share photos!

you can have enough long lenses, but you can't have long enough lenses.

Isn't that the truth? My motto is "enough is enough". Can't have everything. :(

FYI

 

I spoke to my dealer last week as I had heard that there was going to be a shipment on the 15th. I was told that so far 95% of lenses have been going to NPS members and that Nikon are predicting a shortage for as long as 6 months.

 

I ordered mine in September and I’m not holding my breath.

I was told that so far 95% of lenses have been going to NPS members and that Nikon are predicting a shortage for as long as 6 months.

No wonder he asks if I am an NPS member. This is so terrible of Nikon.

I'm not sure whether limiting supply creates demand here?

 

Not with the likes of the the Sigma 50-600mm being 1/2 the price (& twice the weight ++) and pretty near as sharp.

 

Put nicely, LAS (Lens Acquisition Syndrome) needs satisfying NOW, not in 6 months....:D

 

LATE EDIT. Bizarrely, it's available grey here in the UK for £3199 in stock.

Edited November 20, 2018 by mike_halliwell

The zoom has a lot more weight, the light weight of the 500 PF combined with high quality is likely responsible for the strong demand - for now.

 

The demand is likely be high in the first months and then decline, as people with the required means have been parted with their money and got their lenses, what will Nikon then do with the personnel who were trained to manufacture this lens? If they train too many, and allocate more factory space to the initial run, and then the demand after a while is close to zero, what is the sense in that? The production life of this lens could be 10-15 years. Limited availability in the first year would not seem to be such a huge problem. In fact I don't understand at all why people are so anxious to pay the early adopter's premium price just to get it before others do. By waiting a bit, availability improves and there may even be an alternative option (600/5.6 PF, mentioned in the same patent with the 500/5.6 and 400/5.6 PF).

I don't mind waiting though it would be ideal for an upcoming trip down to photograph the eagles at the Conowingo Dam. I'm not interested in a 600PF myself. I see the 500PF combined with the Z7 as an ideal handheld walk around lens, the 600PF I think would be just a little too heavy and I think image quality would suffer.

LATE EDIT. Bizarrely, it's available grey here in the UK for £3199 in stock.

No kidding! Can you provide an internet link? Thanks.

Here you go...

 

http://www.eglobalcentraluk.com/nikon-af-s-nikkor-500mm-f-5.6e-pf-ed-vr-lens.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_s7fBRDrARIsAGEvF8TuJl5RTBMg9nJc4HiLMRk0Jk1nu97vY_5yFsuT_Ey9kWsi7cvbWsIaAn3TEALw_wcB

 

or roughly $4100...;)

Looks decidedly dodgy to me:rolleyes:

 

How come they can sell them discounted when they're as rare as the proverbial rocking horse poo everywhere else?

I've bought 5 lenses from them in the last 3 years, totaling well over £3K and have never had a problem

 

Only ever paid the price shown (by paypal) and have been regularly kept informed all the way regarding delivery etc.

 

As to 'HOW', well yes I agree on that...:D

Well, if you are willing to pay extra, I am sure that there are scalpers who are willing to sell one to you. For example, if you offer US$6000 ....

I just got off the phone with my dealer. My 500PF will be in my sticky little fingers on Friday.

Well, if you are willing to pay extra,

 

Shun, I don't think you understand.

 

It's list price from Nikon UK is £3600, 'scalpers' offering it at £500 BELOW official price at £3100 is not my definition of scalping!!

I just got off the phone with my dealer. My 500PF will be in my sticky little fingers on Friday.

Congratulations Dale! Now this is encouraging... do give us your review of the lens! :)

 

http://www.eglobalcentraluk.com/nik...0Jk1nu97vY_5yFsuT_Ey9kWsi7cvbWsIaAn3TEALw_wcB

or roughly $4100...;)

 

Thanks Mike for the UK link. It's interesting to see what are available in the UK and the prices. For now, however, think it would make more sense to wait a bit when the UK price costs US$500 more, as I am not really in dire need of this lens for Yellowstone. I do have Olympus M43 long lenses in 2x mode + 1.4x. I am thinking to use Nikon's superior tracking ability with this lens+D500, as well as the Olympus lenses. In fact, depending on weight and size in the final packing decisions, I may not even take Nikon equipment with me. Thanks again.

Shun, I don't think you understand.

 

It's list price from Nikon UK is £3600, 'scalpers' offering it at £500 BELOW official price at £3100 is not my definition of scalping!!

Mike, my post was a general comment. It was not a reply to your post, as I didn't quote anybody in that post of mine.

 

I still recall that there was some D800 shortage back in 2012 when it was first introduced. Back then some scalpers were offering it for some $3500, about $3000 above the suggested price. I would imagine you can do that same for the 500mm/f5.6 PF. There are often this kind of deals for products in high demand among Amazon third-party sellers.

Well, if you are willing to pay extra, I am sure that there are scalpers who are willing to sell one to you. For example, if you offer US$6000 ....

 

OK, I'm not willing to pay extra, I'm willing to pay LESS. £500 or maybe $750 below Nikon UK's pricing.

 

The only scalping here is what must be Nikon UK's massive mark up on a hard to find lens.

 

Not that I can afford £3100 anyway...;)

Of course, it assumes that for the lower price you're actually getting what you pay for. But it sounds as though Mike has had good luck there in the past.

 

Shun: I assume the D800 list price was never $500 ($3000 less than $3500), or I really got scalped by the UK prices! :-)

 

I've always been a bit confused about what a "fake" camera actually is. I understand something from the wrong region and therefore being blocked from service in the US (I still believe I've been given training that suggests you're not allowed to do this in the EU, but I may have misunderstood), but the concept of something that looks like (say) a D7200 that's not actually a D7200 seems like it would be vastly more effort for the seller than actually getting a real one. No accounting for folks.

You are right Andrew. Should have proof read my post. Back in 2012 the initial price for the D800 was $3000 in the US, and $3300 for the D800E. Initial shortage was quite serious, and I waited 2 full months for my D800E to arrive (mid April 2012 to mid June). There were some offers for the D800 for $3500 or so. The D800 was introduced in February and the shortage lasted about 6 months or so. The shortage for the D800E was even worse in those early days.