Atlantic Puffin on Runde island in Norway. (D500/500mmPF)

NikonNature wrote:

Ricardo00 wrote:

NikonNature wrote:

edorf_71 wrote:

NikonNature wrote:

You need to get closer

But seriously, those are wonderful images. And the poses indicate he was quite comfortable. I've been eyeing that lens, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

Thanks a lot!
They were quite used to humans so they were very relaxed and just went along with their thing. You could physically reach out your hand through the fence and touch them in some instances. Don't know if that is legal but have seen pictures of it. The whole island is a nature reserve and to some degree(steep rockfaces), dangerous, if not careful and follow paths and keep behind fences.

Reg. the lens, I just sold my 200-500 and it's better in all ways except close focusing and the zoom. Really nice to use in the field.

So it is equal or better when tracking birds in flight? I've seen a few (not many) comments that said it struggled to track action. Of course, that could involve the user too.

IMO, yes the 500mm PF is better than the 200-500mm when tracking birds in flight, in part because it is lighter and in part because in focusses faster. I recently went to Alaska to see the brown bears and puffins and brought both, the 200-500mm so I could zoom out when the wildlife was too close and the 500mm PF to photograph the puffins when they were flying. And unfortunately several bald eagles had moved into the puffin rookery so the puffins would fly straight into their burrows and immediately fly straight out, so no close ups with them sitting outside their burrows.

using the 500mm PF for BIF

using the 200-500mm lens when the wildlife is too close for the prime

Great shots and Wow, grizzlies at 260mm?!

That's another reason I'm torn. I currently use the Tamron 150-600mm (1st gen), so I hate to give up 100mm on the long end, and I hate to lose the ability to zoom out.

Thanks Jeff! Yep we were quite close to the brown bears though on the crop bodies, this is really the 35mm equivalent of 400mm.  Also bears are very big, so to get them completely in the frame, need to zoom out (not like a small bird). Sometimes the bears were so close that those people with long prime lenses couldn't focus:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60519499@N00/51318062351/in/dateposted/