Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF

[BillN_33]

Hi - is anyone using this for "Birds" and similar - especially with the older Nikon TC's - the x 1.4 and x 1.7?

or does it need the latest Nikon TC's to work effectively?

is so what do you think?

 

[AdamSi]

Love mine Bill, so much so when I sold my first one I missed it and recently picked up another. The portability is amazing for a 500mm prime. I have only used it occasionally with the 1.4x MK III so not sure about older ones sorry.

 

[toohuge]

I can’t comment on the iq. However, as that lens has an electronic diaphragm, I believe you’ll need the latest versions to work properly.
Here’s a link of nikon teleconverter compatibility:

Error | Nikon USA

Shop the latest mirrorless & DSLR cameras and NIKKOR lenses from the official Nikon eCommerce site. Explore our innovations and photo equipment!

cdn-5.nikon-cdn.com

 

[BillN_33]

Thanks guys, and thanks for the link - I'm waiting for Panamoz to get them into stock, I believe that they are in short supply generally

I'll give my "Mk ll" TC's a go and see if they are any good

 

[wee jake]

I’ve been trying to get one since June got the mk 111 tc on order from Amazon £423 still out of stock

 

[Peter123]

I bought the 1.4 mk3 when it first came out.
I used it with my 300PF and latterly my 500PF.
Every time I used it I was never happy - noticeably less sharp.
I've seen images all over the net with these combos and they are excellent.
At one stage I sent it back to Nikon to see if it was faulty and it came back as "in spec".
So last year I gave up and sold it.
With the pandemic and other things I've done very little long lens photography recently, but I'm not missing it.

 

[chambeshi]

I have used and sold on TC14 II, after I read a couple of recommendations the current model ie TC14 III is designed for the E Nikkors. Nikon released it with the 400 f2.8E FL...
Anyway, somewhat on the 'Concorde Principle' I bought a new vIII after investing heavily in E telephotos in 2018. My experience is vIII works very well with the 300 PF ie 420 f5.6 and 500 PF ie 700 f8. Also 70-200 f2.8E FL and 400 f2.8E. So well I added a backup TC14 III that became available Used. (I will organize some example images.)

It is critical to AF tune each combo on your DSLR(s). I have used the above combos on D500, D780, and Z7, and currently D5 with D850. Obviously AF takes a hit on the 500 PF at f8 on a DSLR. This article is a usful overview, and the PL reviews of telephoto usually include tests and examples with relevant teleconverters

How to Use a Teleconverter to Get Closer to Your Subjects

Wondering about what a teleconverter is and how you can use it? In this article, we go through everything you need to know about using teleconverters.

photographylife.com

 

[BillN_33]

I have used and sold on TC14 II, after I read a couple of recommendations the current model ie TC14 III is designed for the E Nikkors. Nikon released it with the 400 f2.8E FL...
Anyway, somewhat on the 'Concorde Principle' I bought a new vIII after investing heavily in E telephotos in 2018. My experience is vIII works very well with the 300 PF ie 420 f5.6 and 500 PF ie 700 f8. Also 70-200 f2.8E FL and 400 f2.8E. So well I added a backup TC14 III that became available Used. (I will organize some example images.)

It is critical to AF tune each combo on your DSLR(s). I have used the above combos on D500, D780, and Z7, and currently D5 with D850. Obviously AF takes a hit on the 500 PF at f8 on a DSLR. This article is a usful overview, and the PL reviews of telephoto usually include tests and examples with relevant teleconverters

How to Use a Teleconverter to Get Closer to Your Subjects

Wondering about what a teleconverter is and how you can use it? In this article, we go through everything you need to know about using teleconverters.

photographylife.com

so is it correct to say that with the PF lenses ideally you need the "Mark lll" TC's"

and the with the AFS "D" & "G" stuff prior to the PF lenses ideally you need the "Mk ll" TC's

I have the Mk ll x 1.4 and 1.7 and Mk lll x 2, and have been "blindly" using these with the 300PF, (and with my 600 f4 and 300 f2.8VR)

(just looking at the compatibility table - it can be confusing?)

 

[Kaolin]

I have used 1.4 Mk II and III successfully with the 300 PF and have noticed very little difference. Have only used a MkIII with my 500 PF. There is some loss of sharpness as always with a 1.4 Mk III on the 500 PF (similar to that using a MkII on a 500 F4), but sometimes it is worth the compromise. I have also used a 1.7 MkII on the 300 PF and in good light it works well. I have given up with the 2.0 TC, the hit to resolution is just too high, might work better on some of the F2.8 primes, but is too much of a compromise on F4/5.6 lens.

 

[Frankie_flea]

Its a long and boring story, which i'm not going to repeat here, but in my opinion if you're using Nikon PF lenses, throw away your converters. They work much better without.

 

[holty]

I bought the 1.4 mk3 when it first came out.
I used it with my 300PF and latterly my 500PF.
Every time I used it I was never happy - noticeably less sharp.
I've seen images all over the net with these combos and they are excellent.
At one stage I sent it back to Nikon to see if it was faulty and it came back as "in spec".
So last year I gave up and sold it.
With the pandemic and other things I've done very little long lens photography recently, but I'm not missing it.

whack the lens onto a d500 then you have the extra reach with no drop in quality
or put it on an d850 and put into dx mode and it does the same

 

[AdamSi]

I use mine on D500 for moving subjects and Z7 II for statics both of which yield great results, only used the TC when cropping on Z7 really isn’t an option which is rare with such high MP count

 

[mex]

I've used mine with a x1.4 III on a D500 with mixed results, I now use it occasionally on my Z6 again with mixed results, you will need decent light to get the most from the lens/tc combo.

 

[Peter123]

whack the lens onto a d500 then you have the extra reach with no drop in quality
or put it on an d850 and put into dx mode and it does the same

I use it on the D500.
Using the lens bare and cropping gave me better results than using the tc.
AF fine tuned on both counts.

As I said, it may be just me, seeing excellent examples with the tc all over the net.