D810 & 200-500 wait for the sunshine?

Still summing up this combo but in good light it does pretty good.

I do struggle a bit when the light drops as the 200-500 does struggle to AF in less than bright conditions, so as the sun drops I find it hunts a little.

The thing is why spend almost £3500 and to get the best out of it you have to only use on sunny days, which in the UK is not that often!

I guess in most instances the images below whilst fairly sharp are not to everyones liking because of the harsh light, and most photographers shoot at both ends of the day when the light is much better. However this will mean using either a fast lens f2.8 or increasing the ISO to say 6400, or using a tripod. But if you are shooting action the tripod wont help.

That said I think bang for your buck the D810 & 200-500 can give excellent results, but the high res files take a lot of space up and it may be my technique but I do find it a little more challenging to nail focus and this could be because of the 36mp and also at 500mm you dont have much DOF.

I have been a photographer for over 30 years and I still got hooked by the 36mp, which for landscape and studio is phenomenal, but its not the best choice for Wildlife and even less so for BIF due to the 5fps.

In my case I bought it as an all round camera but as I have got more into wildlife and BIF I have started to find its weaknesses for "my needs"

The 200-500 is a great lens and nothing can touch it for the money, but remember its a 5.6

Anyway a few full size images from the other day!

Interestingly the last 2 shots was taken with a much cheaper set up!












This was taken from about 500 yds away and I only took it to identify the bird its now been deleted - This is where the D810 comes into its own, cropping!

Shots look good to me. When the light is good I am able to focus on low contrast subjects pretty well. When the light gets low I need to focus on a higher contrast subjects or it will hit or miss or just miss.

Excellent Lion shot.

Just my opinion based on the threads you have started. You seem to be making this harder than it has to be. There is never going to be a perfect solution for every situation you encounter. From the comments you have made about very large prints, image quality, and buying top of the line FF bodies, my best advice would be to forget obsessing about the camera bodies and get yourself a nice new or used prime lens as it seems money is not the biggest issue for you in all of this. Nothing will improve your wildlife photography more than a 300 f/2.8, 400 f/2.8, or 500-600 f/4. Every body you have mentioned will get the job done. Pick a setup, get proficient with it and go from there. Worrying and obsessing about it 'on paper' will not get you anywhere.

Pixel boy said:

Still summing up this combo but in good light it does pretty good.

Click to expand...

Yes, you have some nice shots there.

Pixel boy said:

I do struggle a bit when the light drops as the 200-500 does struggle to AF in less than bright conditions, so as the sun drops I find it hunts a little.

The thing is why spend almost £3500 and to get the best out of it you have to only use on sunny days, which in the UK is not that often!

Click to expand...

Why? Because to get much better light gathering capability at long focal lengths you will have to spend £10,000. But if you hit critical focus and have some light on the critical parts of the image, your 810 will give good quality images at ISO 6400 for screen display and up to A4 print size, maybe larger. (these with the hopeless old 800e - the 810 should do better).

Pixel boy said:

I guess in most instances the images below whilst fairly sharp are not to everyones liking because of the harsh light, and most photographers shoot at both ends of the day when the light is much better. However this will mean using either a fast lens f2.8 or increasing the ISO to say 6400, or using a tripod. But if you are shooting action the tripod wont help.

Click to expand...

That is the harsh truth of many forms of photography, but you already know that. Good light eclipses the importance of most aspects. Good light, attractive background, subject pose/behaviour, composition and aspect are what I consider the most important ingredients for wildlife photography. Get these right and nobody notices a bit of noise or that the focus is off a smidgen!

Pixel boy said:

That said I think bang for your buck the D810 & 200-500 can give excellent results, but the high res files take a lot of space up and it may be my technique but I do find it a little more challenging to nail focus and this could be because of the 36mp and also at 500mm you dont have much DOF.

Click to expand...

True. Regarding space I delete ruthlessly all but the shots I really really like.

Pixel boy said:

I have been a photographer for over 30 years and I still got hooked by the 36mp, which for landscape and studio is phenomenal, but its not the best choice for Wildlife and even less so for BIF due to the 5fps.

Click to expand...

I personally prefer extra pixels to the higher FPS. Others vice versa.

Pixel boy said:

In my case I bought it as an all round camera but as I have got more into wildlife and BIF I have started to find its weaknesses for "my needs"

Click to expand...

The D500 with be interesting.

Pixel boy said:

The 200-500 is a great lens and nothing can touch it for the money, but remember its a 5.6

Anyway a few full size images from the other day!

Interestingly the last 2 shots was taken with a much cheaper set up!

Click to expand...

Not sure that I would call a D750 a cheap camera! But I did notice that focus was off on the gannet images. The good thing about gannets is you can often get quite close to them and despite my comments above, critical focus is readily achievable on gannets in flight from the right spot. (view the 100% crop below of a gannet in flight at original size to see what I mean) .





High quantities of light may not always be available in the UK but the light has a lovely quality to it and there is abundant and interesting birdlife which is often accessible. With those resources and your very good equipment, you are sorted!

Next time I am in the UK I would like to spend a day or two at the Gigrin Red Kite centre. Have you been there?

Best regards



--
Alistair Owens

A Owens said:

Pixel boy said:

Still summing up this combo but in good light it does pretty good.

Click to expand...

Yes, you have some nice shots there.

A Owens said:

I do struggle a bit when the light drops as the 200-500 does struggle to AF in less than bright conditions, so as the sun drops I find it hunts a little.

The thing is why spend almost £3500 and to get the best out of it you have to only use on sunny days, which in the UK is not that often!

Click to expand...

Why? Because to get much better light gathering capability at long focal lengths you will have to spend £10,000. But if you hit critical focus and have some light on the critical parts of the image, your 810 will give good quality images at ISO 6400 for screen display and up to A4 print size, maybe larger. (these with the hopeless old 800e - the 810 should do better).

A Owens said:

I guess in most instances the images below whilst fairly sharp are not to everyones liking because of the harsh light, and most photographers shoot at both ends of the day when the light is much better. However this will mean using either a fast lens f2.8 or increasing the ISO to say 6400, or using a tripod. But if you are shooting action the tripod wont help.

Click to expand...

That is the harsh truth of many forms of photography, but you already know that. Good light eclipses the importance of most aspects. Good light, attractive background, subject pose/behaviour, composition and aspect are what I consider the most important ingredients for wildlife photography. Get these right and nobody notices a bit of noise or that the focus is off a smidgen!

A Owens said:

That said I think bang for your buck the D810 & 200-500 can give excellent results, but the high res files take a lot of space up and it may be my technique but I do find it a little more challenging to nail focus and this could be because of the 36mp and also at 500mm you dont have much DOF.

Click to expand...

True. Regarding space I delete ruthlessly all but the shots I really really like.

A Owens said:

I have been a photographer for over 30 years and I still got hooked by the 36mp, which for landscape and studio is phenomenal, but its not the best choice for Wildlife and even less so for BIF due to the 5fps.

Click to expand...

I personally prefer extra pixels to the higher FPS. Others vice versa.

A Owens said:

In my case I bought it as an all round camera but as I have got more into wildlife and BIF I have started to find its weaknesses for "my needs"

Click to expand...

The D500 with be interesting.

A Owens said:

The 200-500 is a great lens and nothing can touch it for the money, but remember its a 5.6

Anyway a few full size images from the other day!

Interestingly the last 2 shots was taken with a much cheaper set up!

Click to expand...

Not sure that I would call a D750 a cheap camera! But I did notice that focus was off on the gannet images. The good thing about gannets is you can often get quite close to them and despite my comments above, critical focus is readily achievable on gannets in flight from the right spot. (view the 100% crop below of a gannet in flight at original size to see what I mean) .



High quantities of light may not always be available in the UK but the light has a lovely quality to it and there is abundant and interesting birdlife which is often accessible. With those resources and your very good equipment, you are sorted!

Next time I am in the UK I would like to spend a day or two at the Gigrin Red Kite centre. Have you been there?

Best regards

--
Alistair Owens
http://www.alistairowens.net
http://www.500px.com/AlistairOwens
https://plus.google.com/+AlistairOwensgooglePlus/posts

Click to expand...

Alistair. Thanks for the advise and no I haven't been to the Gigrin centre but I have just had a look and it looks interesting but it's some 300 miles from me .

Cheers



Pixel Boy

You're just making a good case for a D5...

Good job

Pixel boy said:

but I do find it a little more challenging to nail focus and this could be because of the 36mp and also at 500mm you dont have much DOF.

Click to expand...

My first 200-500 copy was randomly misfocusing about half of the time, especially in non-sunlit conditions, and especially when VR was engaged. I sent it back as defective. My new copy is awesome, and has no such problems.

After reading many posts on many sites, I believe the 200-500 has random electrical short issues that can afflict some lenses in varying ways. The focus issue is one of them. Remember, this is one of the most computerized/electronic lenses that Nikon has released to date. And it was made in China (crap QC). And that's on top of Nikon's already-crap QC from recent years.

Yes, to me, your shots do look unsharp compared to mine -- but they look much like the shots off my first copy. Mine would sometimes backfocus as much as 6 inches!

Hope that helps.

Pixel boy said:

A Owens said:

Pixel boy said:

Still summing up this combo but in good light it does pretty good.

Click to expand...

Yes, you have some nice shots there.

Pixel boy said:

I do struggle a bit when the light drops as the 200-500 does struggle to AF in less than bright conditions, so as the sun drops I find it hunts a little.

The thing is why spend almost £3500 and to get the best out of it you have to only use on sunny days, which in the UK is not that often!

Click to expand...

Why? Because to get much better light gathering capability at long focal lengths you will have to spend £10,000. But if you hit critical focus and have some light on the critical parts of the image, your 810 will give good quality images at ISO 6400 for screen display and up to A4 print size, maybe larger. (these with the hopeless old 800e - the 810 should do better).

Pixel boy said:

I guess in most instances the images below whilst fairly sharp are not to everyones liking because of the harsh light, and most photographers shoot at both ends of the day when the light is much better. However this will mean using either a fast lens f2.8 or increasing the ISO to say 6400, or using a tripod. But if you are shooting action the tripod wont help.

Click to expand...

That is the harsh truth of many forms of photography, but you already know that. Good light eclipses the importance of most aspects. Good light, attractive background, subject pose/behaviour, composition and aspect are what I consider the most important ingredients for wildlife photography. Get these right and nobody notices a bit of noise or that the focus is off a smidgen!

Pixel boy said:

That said I think bang for your buck the D810 & 200-500 can give excellent results, but the high res files take a lot of space up and it may be my technique but I do find it a little more challenging to nail focus and this could be because of the 36mp and also at 500mm you dont have much DOF.

Click to expand...

True. Regarding space I delete ruthlessly all but the shots I really really like.

Pixel boy said:

I have been a photographer for over 30 years and I still got hooked by the 36mp, which for landscape and studio is phenomenal, but its not the best choice for Wildlife and even less so for BIF due to the 5fps.

Click to expand...

I personally prefer extra pixels to the higher FPS. Others vice versa.

Pixel boy said:

In my case I bought it as an all round camera but as I have got more into wildlife and BIF I have started to find its weaknesses for "my needs"

Click to expand...

The D500 with be interesting.

Pixel boy said:

The 200-500 is a great lens and nothing can touch it for the money, but remember its a 5.6

Anyway a few full size images from the other day!

Interestingly the last 2 shots was taken with a much cheaper set up!

Click to expand...

Not sure that I would call a D750 a cheap camera! But I did notice that focus was off on the gannet images. The good thing about gannets is you can often get quite close to them and despite my comments above, critical focus is readily achievable on gannets in flight from the right spot. (view the 100% crop below of a gannet in flight at original size to see what I mean) .



High quantities of light may not always be available in the UK but the light has a lovely quality to it and there is abundant and interesting birdlife which is often accessible. With those resources and your very good equipment, you are sorted!

Next time I am in the UK I would like to spend a day or two at the Gigrin Red Kite centre. Have you been there?

Best regards

--
Alistair Owens
http://www.alistairowens.net
http://www.500px.com/AlistairOwens
https://plus.google.com/+AlistairOwensgooglePlus/posts

Click to expand...

Alistair. Thanks for the advise and no I haven't been to the Gigrin centre but I have just had a look and it looks interesting but it's some 300 miles from me .

Cheers

Pixel Boy

Click to expand...

What are you waiting for? - its 12,000 miles for me ;-).

--
Alistair Owens

Quite sharp & good exposure. Pic 4, I would love to see the reflection of the swan included, it would be as if it is looking at itself in a mirror.

--
Veni Vidi Capi (I Came, I Saw, I Captured)
Ask not what your camera can do for you, but what you can do with your camera.

I find the 200-500mm lens unusable for the most part on my D810. I only use it now with the D750 where it will focus well even when there is not a brightly lit scene or a high contrast subject.

Not a big deal as I bought the D810 for landscape and macro and astrophotography. A good companion camera for use with telephoto lenses is the D7200, or in time the D500.

Pixel boy said:

Still summing up this combo but in good light it does pretty good.

I do struggle a bit when the light drops as the 200-500 does struggle to AF in less than bright conditions, so as the sun drops I find it hunts a little.

The thing is why spend almost £3500 and to get the best out of it you have to only use on sunny days, which in the UK is not that often!

I guess in most instances the images below whilst fairly sharp are not to everyones liking because of the harsh light, and most photographers shoot at both ends of the day when the light is much better. However this will mean using either a fast lens f2.8 or increasing the ISO to say 6400, or using a tripod. But if you are shooting action the tripod wont help.

That said I think bang for your buck the D810 & 200-500 can give excellent results, but the high res files take a lot of space up and it may be my technique but I do find it a little more challenging to nail focus and this could be because of the 36mp and also at 500mm you dont have much DOF.

I have been a photographer for over 30 years and I still got hooked by the 36mp, which for landscape and studio is phenomenal, but its not the best choice for Wildlife and even less so for BIF due to the 5fps.

In my case I bought it as an all round camera but as I have got more into wildlife and BIF I have started to find its weaknesses for "my needs"

The 200-500 is a great lens and nothing can touch it for the money, but remember its a 5.6

Anyway a few full size images from the other day!

Interestingly the last 2 shots was taken with a much cheaper set up!












This was taken from about 500 yds away and I only took it to identify the bird its now been deleted - This is where the D810 comes into its own, cropping!

Click to expand...

Nice combo you have there. Great set.