An interesting (weird) conundrum

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Hi all, I am in a very strange situation and would like other peoples opinions. I will give you a rundown on my cameras and lenses first.
Nikon D500, Nikon D7100, Nikon 300mm f2.8 vr2, Sigma 150-600mm Sport, Nikon 105mm macro, Nikon 70-300mm vr2, Nikon 12-24mm, Nikon 18-200mm vr.
Ok now that's out the way ... here is my conundrum. I do a lot of animal photography (well try at least), and do most of it at long range and sometimes with teleconverters. Now, I have been given a choice of receiving either a Nikon 600mm f4 (yes the monster), or a Nikon D850+grip .. it's not a value comparison by any means .. it's a "WHAT I WILL GET OUT OF IT" value .. does that make sense ?? I would LOVE the 600mm .. but the D850 seems to be a hell of a camera ... but I have heard of issues with compatibility with the Sigma 150-600mm ... thoughts anybody ?
 
The 600mm F4 is a serious weight - do you mainly shoot from static hides or walk around alot?

Do you find yourself lacking reach at times? The 600F4 with 1.4TC will give you the best reach / aperture.

I used a high megapixel camera for wildlife (D810) for a few years but found it easier to get sharp images with the D500 (both on a 500 F4)
 
I do a lot of static photography .. but I also hike along the cliffs with a backpack (that is actually for a 600mm), and use the Sigma 150-600 sport and take my macro lenses as well for the wildflower. so the weight really isn't an issue for me. I suppose my real question should be ... will i see a quality improvement by getting a Nikon 600mm or by getting a Nikon D850 (please put personal ability aside for the moment). I know the 600mm is way more value than the D850+grip .. but I question whether the improvement in photo quality will be better .. the issues with the Sigma 150-600 and the D850 concern me as well as I would need that to work for any long range work. .. I do have both the 1.4 and 2.0x teleconverters for the nikon 300mm f2.8 .. so I can get 600mm on the 300mm lens ..
 
oh I have to add that I have the Sigma 1.4 tele as well for the 150-600 sport and it works a treat in Summer but in anything less than good light it's not the best .. so the f4 may be the answer ??
 
The Sigma will not work on the D850 unless you update it using the dock or send it into Sigma UK for a flash update, but when its done it will be fantastic on an 850
 
so at this stage I am swaying towards getting the D850 and use with the lenses i have got already ...
 
so at this stage I am swaying towards getting the D850 and use with the lenses i have got already ...

I'd feel a little nervous laying out a lot of money for a new camera body given we're going to be seeing a lot of new cameras from Nikon and Canon soon.

In fairness that doesn't make the D850 any less of a camera.
 
I want to leave the £$ value out of the equation as i don't want to use that as an influence (otherwise it would be a no-brainer) .. at this stage i need to know what is going to benefit me more .. with the glass i have will I be able to shoot at the quality of the 600mm f4 or will I be able to get the same quality with the D850 and the sigma 150-600 sport/Nikon 300mm f 2.8
 
Hi all, I am in a very strange situation and would like other peoples opinions. I will give you a rundown on my cameras and lenses first.
Nikon D500, Nikon D7100, Nikon 300mm f2.8 vr2, Sigma 150-600mm Sport, Nikon 105mm macro, Nikon 70-300mm vr2, Nikon 12-24mm, Nikon 18-200mm vr.
Ok now that's out the way ... here is my conundrum. I do a lot of animal photography (well try at least), and do most of it at long range and sometimes with teleconverters. Now, I have been given a choice of receiving either a Nikon 600mm f4 (yes the monster), or a Nikon D850+grip .. it's not a value comparison by any means .. it's a "WHAT I WILL GET OUT OF IT" value .. does that make sense ?? I would LOVE the 600mm .. but the D850 seems to be a hell of a camera ... but I have heard of issues with compatibility with the Sigma 150-600mm ... thoughts anybody ?
I have the D850 and have had ‘issues’ with all the f6.3 lenses I’ve tried, but then I had the same issues with the D500, as has everyone else I’ve talked to with the D500 and f6.3 lenses. However, I’ve not spoken to anyone who uses the Sigma Sport (only sigma c) with either the D500 or D850 so maybe this is the only one that works fully with these cameras?

When I say the other lenses have ‘issues’ I’m sure that neither the cameras or lenses are faulty, but at the longer focal lengths you do only get a reduced number of AF points that work, whereas with previous Nikons (such as D7200 and D750) all AF points work all the time. If you only stick to the central cluster it will never be an issue.

As for which you should get I would go for the 600mm lens,..... if you’re prepared to carry it. I have the D850 and it’s fantastic, but assuming you’re never filling the frame and have to use the D850 in DX mode then I don’t think you’ll really get any better IQ than the D500, and you won’t have 10fps. Therefore I believe you’ll see a much bigger improvement in your images with the 600mm.
 
i would only use the D850 in fx mode with the 105mm, 300mm and the 150-600mm .. I would use the battery grip on the D850 to get up to 9fps so that's not a problem. I use the Sigma 150-600 sport on the D500 that i have and find it fantastic until the light starts to drop off .. hence my interest in the 600mm f4. But then the D850 has better low light ability (from what i have read), so where does that leave me ?? Get a D850 with the glass I have .. or stay with the D500 and get the 600mm f4 prime ???
 
i would only use the D850 in fx mode with the 105mm, 300mm and the 150-600mm .. I would use the battery grip on the D850 to get up to 9fps so that's not a problem. I use the Sigma 150-600 sport on the D500 that i have and find it fantastic until the light starts to drop off .. hence my interest in the 600mm f4. But then the D850 has better low light ability (from what i have read), so where does that leave me ?? Get a D850 with the glass I have .. or stay with the D500 and get the 600mm f4 prime ???
I owned the D500 previously and tbh there’s not ‘that much’ difference in noise from memory. I had the D750 prior to the D850 and that was better in the noise department. Of course, if you shoot at 45.7mp and then downsample to the D500/D750 resolution the D850 files look better, but still not quite as good as the D750. However, get the 600mm f4 and you’ve got a 1.3stop light advantage (2stops if you’re used to stopping the sigma down to f8 to get the better IQ), and the D850 certainly isn’t 1.3stops better than the D500 imo. Add in the better rendering and I still think the 600mm with D500 will give noticably better images than the 150-600mm with D850. Obviously if you’re going to be doing more of a variety of shooting then the D850 might be a more flexible option.

Adding the grip and battery does add a surprising amount of weight to the camera (that battery is huge) but obviously nothing compared to the weight of the 600mm ;)
 
I've had the D500 and now have the D850, both are great cameras but for me the D500 is the AF king.
To some extent the D850 is two cameras in one, FX & DX, which was the attraction for me but the D850 in DX crop mode isn't the AF king that the D500 is.
If weight and budget were not a consideration I would go for the 600 f4 to use with the D500.
Additionally, in time the D850 will go the way of all its predecessors in terms of value, whereas the lens will continue to hold up pretty well.
 
try the nikon 200-500 f5.6 a stop quicker than your sigma attached to the d500 its the mutts nuts iq is brilliant
plus you know it will work on future nikon bodys
only had my d850 a month but wow what a camera fx and dx all in one
 
try the nikon 200-500 f5.6 a stop quicker than your sigma attached to the d500 its the mutts nuts iq is brilliant
plus you know it will work on future nikon bodys
only had my d850 a month but wow what a camera fx and dx all in one
The Nikon is only 1/3 stop faster (f5.6 vs f6.3) at the loss of 100mm. Plus the Sigma Sport is easily the best optically and in terms of build out of all the super zooms. The Nikon is more on par to the Sigma Contemporary (y)
 
im sure someone told me the sigma is the old latin word for s***e ;);)
its no use having a lens thats optically better if you cannot lock on focus :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
But doesn't the Sigma dock allow for the D850 .. I mean I have read a few posts where they say they are having trouble with the two ... but in each post there are suggestions to get the dock or send the lens back for Sigma to do it for them. I have to say that mine with the D500 has never had an issue (once calibrated) and at 600mm it's great .. even with the 1.4 tele .. BUT .. it needs reasonable light .. the Nikon 600mm f4 is like comparing a Ferrari to a ford focus .. and it's a little unfair .. I don't really want to get into which lens is better though .. it's more about what I can achieve with either having the Nikon 600mm f4 OR the Nikon D850 .. baring in mind the equipment I already have.
With the D850 (in fx mode) the 105mm will work as will the 600mm 2.8 vrii .. the Sigma will work with updating .. don't know about the 70-300 vrii ?? so that said .. will the D850 give better photos with these lenses compared to the D500?
If I got a 600mm f4 to use with a D500, will those same photos (all things equal), be better than the D850/Sigma 150-600mm sport?
I don't know if I'm explaining myself very well :-(
 
I’d go with the lens.

It will outlast the body. I’ve had my Canon 500 f4 since 2009. Since then I’m on my 3rd Camera body but still the same lens.

I know you’re keeping the value out of it but it’s easier financially to upgrade a body down the road than it is a lens. I know I couldn’t afford to upgrade the 500 f4 now with the prices going through the roof.
 
But doesn't the Sigma dock allow for the D850 .. I mean I have read a few posts where they say they are having trouble with the two ... but in each post there are suggestions to get the dock or send the lens back for Sigma to do it for them. I have to say that mine with the D500 has never had an issue (once calibrated) and at 600mm it's great .. even with the 1.4 tele .. BUT .. it needs reasonable light .. the Nikon 600mm f4 is like comparing a Ferrari to a ford focus .. and it's a little unfair .. I don't really want to get into which lens is better though .. it's more about what I can achieve with either having the Nikon 600mm f4 OR the Nikon D850 .. baring in mind the equipment I already have.
With the D850 (in fx mode) the 105mm will work as will the 600mm 2.8 vrii .. the Sigma will work with updating .. don't know about the 70-300 vrii ?? so that said .. will the D850 give better photos with these lenses compared to the D500?
If I got a 600mm f4 to use with a D500, will those same photos (all things equal), be better than the D850/Sigma 150-600mm sport?
I don't know if I'm explaining myself very well :-(
I don’t know about the dock, never had one. It would be interesting to know, plus would be surprising as I’ve been back and forth with Sigma UK and they’ve not once suggested the dock or sending into them for upgrade.
 
The Sigma 150-600 Sport needs an update (apparently) to work properly with the D850. To do this you either need to update via the dock (which I have anyway) OR send you lens in to Sigma UK and they will do it for you. I have spoken to Sigma UK and they were great when i was fine tuning my lens and they would have updated for my but I was on a time schedule and needed it done sooner rather than later. hence me buying the dock and doing it myself. I don't know who you spoke with at Sigma UK but I've never been suggested anything else but updating myself (via the dock) or sending it to them .. it's never been an issue .. they have always been superb
 
And I would also like to add that to fine tune the lens made an absolute difference in quality shots ... should it have been this way from factory ??? but the ability to adjust your lens other than the fine tune is a good point (I think) .. should be more of it ..
 
The Sigma 150-600 Sport needs an update (apparently) to work properly with the D850. To do this you either need to update via the dock (which I have anyway) OR send you lens in to Sigma UK and they will do it for you. I have spoken to Sigma UK and they were great when i was fine tuning my lens and they would have updated for my but I was on a time schedule and needed it done sooner rather than later. hence me buying the dock and doing it myself. I don't know who you spoke with at Sigma UK but I've never been suggested anything else but updating myself (via the dock) or sending it to them .. it's never been an issue .. they have always been superb
Interesting, so at 600mm on the D850 and D500 not only can you select the corner AF points but they will focus too and not just hunt? Is this true of the contemporary too, everyone I’ve spoken to says it doesn’t but I’m not sure if they had the dock?
 
Cannot comment on the Contemporary but only what I have read about people with issues with the D850/Sigma 150-600mm sport combination. I don't consider it a problem after what I have read. It's just a matter of updating/fine tuning the lens as it was designed to do .. As for the Sigma 150-600mm Sport/D500 combination I can assure you that the dock allows many more features other than just fine tuning af .. you can also adjust af speed in relation to accuracy which I found great for bif ..
 
look it up .. much more info than I can give :)
Thanks, I'm aware of the fine tune and AF customisation etc, just not the ability to update it so that the corner AF points will actually acquire focus at 600mm (y) If I could confirm that this can be done for the contemporary I'd swap my Tamron 150-600mm for the Sigma 150-600mm C :)
 
I have the 600 f4 and the D850. I use both together quite often. Very different animals. If it were me in your situation i would get the 600 lens. Remember it needs good tecnique and a good tripod and head combo. Im enjoying the D850 but dont see much more detail than my D4S can give me. You need the best of glass to make full use of the D850 sensor but still good with half decent glass as well. The 600 and 1.4 tc is superb with very very little loss of quality but any tecnique issues will show up big time.
 
Should also add that the Nikon 200-500 really sings on the D850 but never bothered trying a 1.4tc on it yet so can't comment on that. I can crop pretty big on the D850 so see no need to put it into DX mode...If your happy to accept the extra weight and have the tripod/head to take it then get either a 500f4 or 600f4 remembering the D500 crop mode as well.
 
Should also add that the Nikon 200-500 really sings on the D850 but never bothered trying a 1.4tc on it yet so can't comment on that. I can crop pretty big on the D850 so see no need to put it into DX mode...If your happy to accept the extra weight and have the tripod/head to take it then get either a 500f4 or 600f4 remembering the D500 crop mode as well.

:plus1:
the 200-500 f5.6 one of nikons best for the money everyone should have one
 
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