Comments about Nikon Nikon 500mm f/4G ED AF-S Vibration Reduction (VR II) Telephoto Nikkor Lens - Black Finish - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

This is a dream lens.I should have bought this lens a long time ago. It is tack sharp, focuses incredibly fast, most shots with this lens are keepers.The fact this is heavy is offset by all the other qualities.Buy it!

Comments about Nikon Nikon 500mm f/4G ED AF-S Vibration Reduction (VR II) Telephoto Nikkor Lens - Black Finish - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

An amazing lens for wildlife photography. Fast accurate autofocus, edge to edge sharpness, and wide open high image quality. I also can hand hold this for a couple of shots. Longer if I balance the foot on my hand with an elbow on my knee. I am rather large at 5' 11" 200 lbs.

The most amazing aspect of the lens is it's high image quality wide open that allows for extreme cropping. I can see a small bird 40-50' away, capture the image on my D300, and then crop out 75-80% of the photo to get a near full frame image with high feather resolution. So the lens has effectively become a 2000 mm lens through cropping. For routine use with the D300, I use ISO 400 or ISO 500 as my base setting. Up to ISO 640 in later hours of the day.

For those considering a teleconverter, this lens will take the TC-14E II, but noise levels increase and the amount you can crop is dramatically reduced. It works best in two situations (discussion based on wide open f/5.6):

1. Making a close object closer. Not for taking far away things and making them close through cropping.

2. At lower ISOs, 200-320, noise levels are not a problem.

I have tested 500mm vs. 750 mm shots and did find the 750 mm did produce a better final image if I shot at ISO 200-320, but at ISO 4-500, the 500mm shot cropped did better.

Like many, my decision was between this lens or the 600mm f/4. I made the decision for two reasons:

1. Weight for hiking. I carry the lens over my shoulder with a lightweight tripod and ball head for miles at a time. Total setup weight of 12-13 pounds. For a 600mm add 2.7 pounds added lens weight and 1.8 pounds more for a full Wimberley mount. So another 4.5 pounds. As is I need to pad my shoulder.

2. Ease of travel packing and carrying.

For those considering lower cost alternatives such as the 300mm f/2.8 + TC-20E II, I would strongly reconsider if the 5-600mm reach is what you want. I rarely find that I can shoot above f/5.6. Often I cannot go above f/4 at ISO 500 on a D300 to get 1/100 speed. The VR with good technique (hand pressing on top of the lens) works reliably down to 1/60 on a loose ballhead in my case. You will be VERY disappointed if you try to get a 600mm f/5.6 by 300 mm + TC-20 because the internet users with this reveal the need to stop down further and the ability to crop is very limited. There is that much difference in IQ.

Comments about Nikon Nikon 500mm f/4G ED AF-S Vibration Reduction (VR II) Telephoto Nikkor Lens - Black Finish - with 5 Year U.S.A. Warranty:

I think everyone considering this lens knows that it's a stellar piece of professional grade gear. Prior to using it there were a few questions on my mind that I will answer here.

1) Is the 500/4 hand-holdable? I use long primes mainly for bird-in-flight shots, and much prefer to dispense with a monopod or tripod. The answer is "kind of." At 6'5" and 250lbs, I have been able to hand hold the lens and get great results. I pay for it in sore muscles every time, and I have friends that simply cannot pull it off. Let's just say it's troublesome.

2) How does it work w/ teleconverters? Fantastic with TC17E-II or TC14E-II. I'm not a fan of the TC20E-II, noticeable softness with that option.

3) Is it a viable option to buy the cheaper 300mm f/2.8 VR and use the TC17E-II to achieve a 510mm f/4.8? Most definitely. I use this combination with outstanding results and can't really tell any difference between the naked lens and using the 1.7x teleconverter. The 300/2.8 combo is far more hand holdable too. Of course, with the 500/4 you can really reach out and reach 850mm with the same TC.

The lens is world class, so if you can spend the money don't even hesitate. It is very large, but makes no sacrifices in quality.