Reading mode: Light Dark

Nikon 200-500 & D810

Go to last post
R

RemoteFix

Well-known member
Messages
172
Reaction score
42
Location
CA
Hey guys,

I just received few days ago my 200-500 lens. Just had one opportunity to take it out to the park and found this beaver. I was little scared from all the bad reviews regarding this lens on this site and I have to say my keepers ratio was about 50% if not lower of sharp images. Stationary subject always sharp but most of the beavers were blurry at the 500 FL. I believe it was my technique.

All shots are hand held . I never shot this FL before - learning curve. I had about 2h chance to test it out.

What would be the rule of thump for 500FL shutter speed hand held for birds and slow moving subjects like beavers and birds on the tree? Shutter Speed 2x the FL ? + VR on ?



ISO 2000 370mm F5.6 1250 Sec
ISO 2000 370mm F5.6 1250 Sec



ISO 800 500mm F.56 1250 Sec
ISO 800 500mm F.56 1250 Sec



ISO 640 500 mm F5.6 1000 Sec
ISO 640 500 mm F5.6 1000 Sec



ISO 400 500mm F5.6 500 sec
ISO 400 500mm F5.6 500 sec



ISO 500 310mm F5.6 250 Sec
ISO 500 310mm F5.6 250 Sec





Here are some of my best shots
 
The shutter speed rule of thumb applies only when the camera and subject are static. And it assumes a hand held camera. When the camera and/or the subject is moving, up your shutter speed from there until you get the results you want.

I've rented this lens for use on my D810 and was very pleased. I think I seen many more positive comments on this lens than negative. It's not going to be quite as good as a $6000 or $10,000 prime, though.

--
Regards,
Ken
FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, ATP ASMEL
Mizzou PJ '66
 
Last edited:
What focus mode were you using? I know on my D500 I have to be careful where I used group focus because it picks the closest point in the focus rectangle. With any animal on the water this tends to focus on water or objects floating in the water in front of the subject.

The fix is to program a button to switch to single point focus for those situations.
 
Hi Ken,

Thanks for the info. As I mentioned before I never worked with long FL before so its new to me. Static subject at 500mm would be 1\1000 second and dynamic subjects would be 1000 and up based on rule of thumb?

I did see some images from other users with the same setup having sharp pictures at 500mm 1\250 sec of bird in the tree but I can't replicate that so most likely tripod or monopod was used.

Cheers
 
Hi Greg,

I used AF-C 9 point af mode and it was fairly accurate regarding focus and DOF. The pictures that were unusable were all very soft and out of focus everywhere. That's why I suspect it was shutter speed more than focus issue.

I experienced same issue with AF-C Group mode when photographing subject in the water.

I will try the single point as you suggested to see any improvement. I'm little confused with shutter speeds using long focal length lens as I can clearly see some pictures handheld from other users being sharp at 1/300 sec and slower but with me I found that 500\s is not even close enough when taking shot at 500mm.
 
RemoteFix said:
Hi Ken,

Thanks for the info. As I mentioned before I never worked with long FL before so its new to me. Static subject at 500mm would be 1\1000 second and dynamic subjects would be 1000 and up based on rule of thumb?

I did see some images from other users with the same setup having sharp pictures at 500mm 1\250 sec of bird in the tree but I can't replicate that so most likely tripod or monopod was used.

Cheers
Click to expand...
Well, it depends on how steady you can hold the camera and lens. A lot of situations call for 1/2000th or higher. My guiding principle is when I am forced to choose between ISO and shutter speed, I will go for the higher ISO. Noise is much easier to deal with than unwanted camera motion.

I have the most success shooting birds with a gimble head for motion. You can lock it down for something that's relatively stationary.
 
Hi,

I have use this lens with a D7200. This is What I've learned so far with moving subject.

At least 1/1000 even at ISO 1000 (your camera will behave different but be careful if you are cropping as it will magnify noise and lens weakness. .

If sharpness is a must keep in between f/7.1 and f/8 @500mm

With that speed use VR on Sport mode or don't use VR.. Normal Mode will blur your picture at 1/1000.. take it or leave it...

AF.. I use Back button focus AF-C 9 group with good results



1d476c7ce47144798424fc3faba344a7.jpg
 
RemoteFix said:
I did see some images from other users with the same setup having sharp pictures at 500mm 1\250 sec of bird in the tree but I can't replicate that so most likely tripod or monopod was used.
Click to expand...
I've got good images both handheld and on tripod at 1/250th - as long as the subject is static (and not too much wind ruffling feathers). VR is so good on mine that I don't see much difference in results between tripod and handheld at reasonable shutter speeds. Keeper rate is very high on this lens in terms of good sharpness. Most problems I've seen were focus misses.

Usually though, I'm trying for 1/500th handheld (VR on) for static subjects, and up around 1/2000 for flying birds.
 
I really want to shoot hand held as I usually walk with my family and 3 year old and pictures are just bonus but not the main focus unfortunately haha.

I will try to up the shutter speeds and see where I get. Static subjects are fantastic so far and sharp as razor. Love the bokeh as well. Moving subjects are little challenge so thats where I have to do more testing.

M
 
bolador said:
Hi,

I have use this lens with a D7200. This is What I've learned so far with moving subject.

At least 1/1000 even at ISO 1000 (your camera will behave different but be careful if you are cropping as it will magnify noise and lens weakness. .

If sharpness is a must keep in between f/7.1 and f/8 @500mm

With that speed use VR on Sport mode or don't use VR.. Normal Mode will blur your picture at 1/1000.. take it or leave it...

AF.. I use Back button focus AF-C 9 group with good results
Click to expand...
I didn't know about the the normal VR blurring pics when using high shutter speeds. I thought Sport VR was used for fast and unexpected moving subjects.

I will test out the Sport mode on VR to see any improvement. Thanks for the info.

Do you find sharpness not acceptable at 500mm F5.6 or DOP too shallow ?

Thanks
 
If you don't have a good idea what shutter speeds are needed, then do some testing.

Whether or not you want to go out and shoot just for testing, or incorporate testing in your next normal shooting situation is up to you. It would be very easy for most people to go out to a busy street and shoot moving cars if nothing else. A sporting event would be good, or dogs at a park running around.

Try VR in both modes as well as off.

I've got some handheld test shots starting on page 13 here: http://www.cjcphoto.net/lenstests/200-500/index13.html

My handheld test shots started at 1/500th and went down to 1/50th. Most of them were decently sharp, even the 1/50th one. The 1/60th was soft, as were the 1/200th and 1/125th shots. I think I used Normal mode.
 
CA might be a small amount of the problem (I saw some). If shooting raw and converting using ACR, be sure that the Lens Calibration box is checked and proper lens is displayed. This automatically corrects any CA problems. Then be sure to use USM on the converted tiff. Try .7 pixels at 150% and zero for starters. This alone will make a big difference.

Otherwise your images look pretty sharp for the most part. A tripod will almost always give sharper results with longer lenses - such as the 200-500 at 500mm.

Many serious birders and wildlife shooters will use a Gimbel mount on a tripod. Even professional sports shooters will use a monopod - especially using a 500. Getting razor sharp images hand holding a 500mm is tough, even with VR. It takes practice, practice, and more practice. You have an excellent start.

Combining family walks, kids, and serious photography is almost impossible. :) And remember, a Nikon D810 file at 100% will easily print 16" x 24" at 240 resolution (Epson). That is huge and few people will print that large AND stick their nose in the print! :) With resampling I have printed 50" prints that looked tack sharp. You have an excellent lens.

--
Steve Bingham
www.dustylens.com
www.ghost-town-photography.com
Latest postings are always at the bottom of each page.
 
Last edited:
With a stationary subject I've had sharp handheld results as slow as 1/30 second at 500mm. The VR on this lens is very good. With a monopod I've made it down to 1/15 second. Here is one at 1/30 zoomed to 380mm:



ef21c0ad3e6d425395ac626fbad5fad3.jpg



--
Steve
 
Steve Bingham said:
CA might be a small amount of the problem (I saw some). If shooting raw and converting using ACR, be sure that the Lens Calibration box is checked and proper lens is displayed. This automatically corrects any CA problems. Then be sure to use USM on the converted tiff. Try .7 pixels at 150% and zero for starters. This alone will make a big difference.

Otherwise your images look pretty sharp for the most part. A tripod will almost always give sharper results with longer lenses - such as the 200-500 at 500mm.

Many serious birders and wildlife shooters will use a Gimbel mount on a tripod. Even professional sports shooters will use a monopod - especially using a 500. Getting razor sharp images hand holding a 500mm is tough, even with VR. It takes practice, practice, and more practice. You have an excellent start.

Combining family walks, kids, and serious photography is almost impossible. :) And remember, a Nikon D810 file at 100% will easily print 16" x 24" at 240 resolution (Epson). That is huge and few people will print that large AND stick their nose in the print! :) With resampling I have printed 50" prints that looked tack sharp. You have an excellent lens.
Click to expand...
 
VR should be switched off with shutter speeds of 1/500s or faster. With a lens like the 200-500mm at 500mm the image magnification increases the visible movement of the lens and also of the subject. Even with a 50mm focal length I need 1/80s or faster to avoid subject motion blurring even with subjects that are not actively moving about.

As I suspect with others who started out with DSLR cameras that were limited to ISO 640 for quality pictures, I do not make use of higher ISO settings as much as I should and so my apertures are wider and my shutter speeds often slower than is optimum. The more you test the ISO extremes of your camera the more comfortable you will be in the field in pushing it to its limit.
 
The outstanding VR effectiveness of the 200-500 is well documented. Use of normal OR sport VR at higher shutter speeds for the benefit of viewfinder stabilization IS recommented as well. But of course good technique is the basis for success in all types of photography. This article by a highly regarded photographer supports these statements.

Loading…

billferrisphoto.com
 
be careful with beavers, some have been reported to attack people who approached them with a big bite on the leg, one was a photographer (or a selfier?)

enjoy your combo :)
 
RemoteFix said:
bolador said:
Hi,

I have use this lens with a D7200. This is What I've learned so far with moving subject.

At least 1/1000 even at ISO 1000 (your camera will behave different but be careful if you are cropping as it will magnify noise and lens weakness. .

If sharpness is a must keep in between f/7.1 and f/8 @500mm

With that speed use VR on Sport mode or don't use VR.. Normal Mode will blur your picture at 1/1000.. take it or leave it...

AF.. I use Back button focus AF-C 9 group with good results
Click to expand...
I didn't know about the the normal VR blurring pics when using high shutter speeds. I thought Sport VR was used for fast and unexpected moving subjects.

I will test out the Sport mode on VR to see any improvement. Thanks for the info.

Do you find sharpness not acceptable at 500mm F5.6 or DOP too shallow ?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Hi. VR in normal Mode won't do it well when panning or at higuer speeds. I've found out the hard way.. :(

Sharpness at F5. 6 is good.. really good at center but at 7.1 is a bit better and easier with moving subjects or in between braces etc.. I have no complain about sharpness at all. some times @500 with messy background AF is difficult but I don't think I can blame the lens.. I am really happy with it
 
calson said:
As I suspect with others who started out with DSLR cameras that were limited to ISO 640 for quality pictures, I do not make use of higher ISO settings as much as I should and so my apertures are wider and my shutter speeds often slower than is optimum. The more you test the ISO extremes of your camera the more comfortable you will be in the field in pushing it to its limit.
Click to expand...
 
Mach Schnell said:
With a stationary subject I've had sharp handheld results as slow as 1/30 second at 500mm. The VR on this lens is very good. With a monopod I've made it down to 1/15 second. Here is one at 1/30 zoomed to 380mm:

ef21c0ad3e6d425395ac626fbad5fad3.jpg

--
Steve
http://www.pbase.com/fotofanatik/image/73553598.jpg
Click to expand...
Thank you Steve for the awesome picture. 1/30 handheld is amazing. This just shows how much I have to step up my shooting discipline.



Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top