ALMOST TOO HEAVY TO PACK!!!

Not so sure about all caps but that's why I switch to 500mm pf then an even smaller 300mm pf +1.4x Tele combo.

It's my lightweight, hand-holdable alternative to my Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6! :-D :-D ;-)

Yes a good lenses. I always hand hold it whenever I'm doing sports.

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

If you think the 200-500 is a beast, you should try the 500mm f/4, 600mm f/4, or 800mm f/5.6. I use a Peak Design Slide strap to carry my D500 & 200-500 combo through the forest and over rugged terrain every week. A quality gimbal head tripod is very useful for wildlife in low light but I shoot strictly handheld for birds in-flight.

Picturemerolling said:

IT IS EXTREMELY HEAVY.

Click to expand...

Nope.

Picturemerolling said:

IT IS PRETTY MUCH USELESS WITHOUT A WELL BUILT TRIPOD OR MONOPOD.

Click to expand...

Nope.

I am not a body-building 'juice monkey', but have no trouble with either an 80-400mm (slightly less heavy than the 200-500mm) or a 200-500mm (having rented one several times) on all-day outdoors events. Get a decent camera strap - like a Magpul MS4 connected to an RRS QD foot - and things will be fine.

If you want 'extremely' heavy, try hand-holding a 200-400mm f/4, it's about 50% heavier and longer, leveraging the weight forward. It can be done, but a monopod is better for conserving energy. Or an 800mm f/5.6 at double the weight of the 200-500mm.

Well. I'm almost 66 and have a poorly back. When out and about the only other thing I carry is a spare battery and a big plastic bag in case it rains.

I double strap to spread the burden. I have a wide crumpler strap attached to the camera over the left shoulder and an Amazon cheap special attached to the lens collar over the right shoulder. I am a man and never worn a bra but I think it must be something like that.

I do love the lens. It flatters my photography and the VR works the best of all my lenses.

dog house riley said:

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

Click to expand...

With the money saved on the 200-500 vs 500 PF, you can easily fund a membership at your local gym to pump yourself up to carry the lens!

rumple said:

Picturemerolling said:

IT IS EXTREMELY HEAVY.

Click to expand...

Nope.

rumple said:

IT IS PRETTY MUCH USELESS WITHOUT A WELL BUILT TRIPOD OR MONOPOD.

Click to expand...

Nope.

I am not a body-building 'juice monkey', but have no trouble with either an 80-400mm (slightly less heavy than the 200-500mm) or a 200-500mm (having rented one several times) on all-day outdoors events. Get a decent camera strap - like a Magpul MS4 connected to an RRS QD foot - and things will be fine.

If you want 'extremely' heavy, try hand-holding a 200-400mm f/4, it's about 50% heavier and longer, leveraging the weight forward. It can be done, but a monopod is better for conserving energy. Or an 800mm f/5.6 at double the weight of the 200-500mm.

Click to expand...

Yep that 200-400 is a heavy one. I remember borrowing one in Tokyo from the Nikon showroom and doing a couple handheld shots outside.

Craftsman70 said:

dog house riley said:

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

Click to expand...

With the money saved on the 200-500 vs 500 PF, you can easily fund a membership at your local gym to pump yourself up to carry the lens!

Click to expand...

Although gym membership does not sound bad for general health reasons, is it really realistic to pump your muscle just to carry a lens when you're 76?

I just got one used and last Sunday I took it for a test drive. It's surely heavy, but a tripod is not mandatory for me to use it. This picture of this Great Egret was the first one I took with the 200-500mm with my D5600, it's handheld. The exposure is a bit off, because the bird was stationary in the shade and suddenly decided to fly into the sunlight over the lake.



View attachment 3f54dca53fa34fa49e6ec84b17242903.jpg

Henderson92 said:

Craftsman70 said:

dog house riley said:

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

Click to expand...

With the money saved on the 200-500 vs 500 PF, you can easily fund a membership at your local gym to pump yourself up to carry the lens!

Click to expand...

Although gym membership does not sound bad for general health reasons, is it really realistic to pump your muscle just to carry a lens when you're 76?

Click to expand...

Actually, it does.

According to most research out there, muscle (or rather the loss of muscle) is the biggest concern for anyone past the age of 50. And most people need a specific reason to pump iron rather than just general health. So, why not pump iron to carry a lens?

Craftsman70 said:

Henderson92 said:

Craftsman70 said:

dog house riley said:

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

Click to expand...

With the money saved on the 200-500 vs 500 PF, you can easily fund a membership at your local gym to pump yourself up to carry the lens!

Click to expand...

Although gym membership does not sound bad for general health reasons, is it really realistic to pump your muscle just to carry a lens when you're 76?

Click to expand...

Actually, it does.

According to most research out there, muscle (or rather the loss of muscle) is the biggest concern for anyone past the age of 50. And most people need a specific reason to pump iron rather than just general health. So, why not pump iron to carry a lens?

Click to expand...

Henderson92 said:

Craftsman70 said:

dog house riley said:

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

Click to expand...

With the money saved on the 200-500 vs 500 PF, you can easily fund a membership at your local gym to pump yourself up to carry the lens!

Click to expand...

Although gym membership does not sound bad for general health reasons, is it really realistic to pump your muscle just to carry a lens when you're 76?

Click to expand...

I'm 77 and run every day and use a 6.8 lb. Nikon 500mm f4.0 e lens on or off a tripod, not a problem. If I am hiking into somewhere I use a backpack made for hauling the lens attached to my camera. In the past I had a Nikon 600mm f4.0 d lens that weighted over 12 lbs., but of course over time that got too heavy.

Larry

Craftsman70 said:

dog house riley said:

Man I agree! I just recieved my new 200 500 last Friday, I'm 76, and have a much less upper body strength. I took it to local zoo to get the feel of it. i used my Bogen monopod. Well Its fine, but! I had some trouble, so I had to increase shutter speed to compensate.

I like the lens but there is no way I can hand hold this lens. I'll get usage from shooting wildlife from the window of my car, no hiking more than a couple hundred yards.

500 PF, I'd like just too rich for my pocket book [retired, fixed income] good luck younger users. Would I do it again? I don't know, i didn't want to pass the price, so I don't know, I do know I won't be using it a lot, just certain times with wild life.

"dog house riley"

Click to expand...

With the money saved on the 200-500 vs 500 PF, you can easily fund a membership at your local gym to pump yourself up to carry the lens!

Click to expand...

Oh, its so easy to just its easy. Typical of todays socitity, always mouth in motion but brain is in neutral.

First I can't walk very far and no damn gym will help! i have a nerve disorder in my lower spine in my pelvis, the nerves in my spine are getting weak, and my Dr. said at my age,the operation to try to repair is very extensive ,several hours, and my B M index is too high,[I'm overweight] and age he said i might not even get off table.

Also I'm left handed, and been diagnosed with a benighn tremor, [my hand shakes} so I have problems in health. So like i said no damn gym will help! i do what I can do, oh, yes I had a Nikon 400 3.5 several years ago, I liked it but I could not get the full use of it. I couldn't carry for more than a hundred yards.

I know people mean well, but like I said most people have "mouth in motion before brain is in gear"

I'll use the 200 to 500 mostly shooting from the car window, to carry i have the Think Tank airport advantage rolling bag, I can pull it down the drive way, place in back of my car drive to a shooting location, and try to enjoy my self.

I've given up on how people think, so damn self centered, can't begin people might not be as good as themselves, in health.

The 500 PF sounds great, but I can't afford one.

"dog house riley"

I'm in the same doghouse with Mr. Riley - idiopathic neuropathy and 35 years of arthritis have left me grateful to the inventors of artificial joints (2 so far). I can walk, but poorly. Upper body strength is adequate, so carrying my D610 with a 300 f4D with or without a TC mounted on a monopod works for me - it goes over my left shoulder when I'm walking. The rest of my gear in the field (2nd body, 80-400, battery, cards, etc) are in my backpack, and my cane is in my right hand. The weight of my gear isn't my limitation, it's the distance I can walk. However, buying heavier gear holds no magic for me - I'm good with what I have. But i give it as much as I can, an amount of effort that has declined steadily for the past 20 years. That's life. I could complain about what I can't do anymore, or I can go do what I still can. I'll be out shooting as often as it can.

I have had my 200-500 about 6 weeks now, I use it on a d7200, at first the weight was a little supprising as I had come from the miniscule 300pf with 1.4 x tc, but after a while I find its actually a more steady platform as the weight seems to cut out some of the shake I was seeing with my lighter gear due to the mass.

Yes I ahve not taken it out of the house on any walks yet as I dont have it on a sling or neck strap - just a palm strap, but I find using it in the back garden either standing or sitting down its fine to use, and the Sport mode vr seems more consistant than on the 300PF.

It depends on you...I don't think I have used it on a pod for years. It's my primary kayaking lens.

Picturemerolling said:

I HOPE YOU ARE IN GOOD SHAPE IF YOU PLAN ON PACKING THIS MONSTER DAILY. IT TAKES GREAT PHOTOS BUT IT IS EXTREMELY HEAVY. IT IS PRETTY MUCH USELESS WITHOUT A WELL BUILT TRIPOD OR MONOPOD.

Click to expand...

I have had mine for a couple of years. After the first time I used it - I bought a bigger backpack to carry it around, which has now become my D850's home (usually without the 200-500).

I only put the 200-500 in the pack when I know I'm going to need it - wildlife, racing cars (sometimes), air displays (sometimes). No question of carrying it around in case I need it. It's a burden - but sometimes it's the only solution.

BTW I'm 70 years old. I never use this lens with a tripod or a monopod because most of the time my subjects are moving too fast.