Nikon's 600 f/4G ED VR. Upside : Super sharp IQ. Downside : super heavy.

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Aksel lives in a cave
Aksel lives in a cave New Member • Posts: 9
Nikon's 600 f/4G ED VR. Upside : Super sharp IQ. Downside : super heavy.
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With everyone heading over to Nikon's Z mirrorless mount you might have noticed just lately, it's possible to pick up a few bargains on F mount glass. I pounced on a 600mm f/4G just the other day. It's in 'excellent' condition. I never imagined I'd ever own one to be truthful. First impressions ? It does exactly what every professional reviewer (including Ken) of this remarkable lens says it should. It's insanely sharp & produces amazing images effortlessly. It isolates your subject in a wafer-thin depth of field & converts everything else in the background into well-rendered bokeh. Ok, ok. I'll admit it. This lens does magically transform the most mediocre snapper into a half-way competent photographer. So what are this len's downsides ? Well. There arn't too many. Just one or two 'minor grizzles'. The main one being I really wouldn't want to carry this thing too far from a vehicle. Second being, you're gonna need a serious tripod with a Wimberley gimbal head. It's a 'must have' to use this lens. Hand-holding is out of the question. What did I pay for it ? I was lucky. I picked up a used copy from MPB for 'only' £2,700. Yeah. I took a gamble. They said that it had 'minor fungus' (!). Yeah, this would be enough to frighten off most people. But I figured even if I had to pay another grand to have the glass cleaned, it would remain a steal. So I ordered it. I anticipated, either sending it back if it was beyond repair - or sending it off to Fixation for disassembly & clean. But when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. I carefully examined it & found the glass on all elements was squeaky clean & clear. Genuine. Nope, no bs. There was no sign of infestation by fungus-spinning spiders anywhere. It actually made me wonder if they'd sent us the wrong lens. Whatever. It's one of the few times I've taken a chance on something & not lived to regret it. Considering the latest FL iteration is £13,500 brand new, this 600/4G lens was always going to represent good value. Sure, the new FL version is a lot lighter. They say it's sharper IQ-wize too. But somehow, I doubt it. I can't see the FL being too much different from it's predecessor. Manufacturers always like to hype their new models to gain sales figures. To my eyes, the IQ of the 600/4 'G' lens remains unsurpassed. Best of all, I haven't spent the price of a new small car on acquiring one. As Ken says 'You're always gonna be buying an exceptional piece of glass when you invest in any of Nikon's superteles.' Ratings ? The 600/4G gets five stars from me for image quality. 5/5 value for money. But only 2/5 for weight & transportability. This will be the major downside. But I'll live with it. It's gonna be a serious handicap to hump this weight of glass about in the field. Happy snapping fellas.

 Aksel lives in a cave's gear list:Aksel lives in a cave's gear list
Nikon D810 Nikon D750 Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35mm F4G ED VR Nikon AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8G ED +10 more
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 600mm f/4G ED VR
Telephoto prime lens • Nikon F (FX) • 20054
Announced: Aug 23, 2007
Aksel lives in a cave's score
5.0
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4.8
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