First note that this is not complete as I will be writing more later. Handheld at 500mm f/5.6 Manual settings 1/400th a second. ISO 1250 . Goose was in the shade and moving at a distance. FULL SIZE IMAGE
The Nikkor 200-500 VR F5.56 is a very welcome lens to us who shoot outside and need a longer lens. The equipment I used and the weight specs are listed below.
Camera Bodies Tripod Gimbal Battery Pack Nikon Batteries
Nikon D700, D300 Manfrotto Opteka GH1Pro Nikon MB-10 EN-EL3e (2)
The D700 with the battery pack, 2 batteries, and with the lens come in about 8.5 lbs. or between 3500 to 4000 g. It is not a light set-up. I would suggest a tripod/monopod for shooting more than a few minutes. Remember to have a tripod that can handle the weight. I usually tell people to get a tripod capable of handling twice the weight of your equipment.
The field test:
I decided to take the lens for its first outing on a day with fast moving clouds giving moving cloud shade and sun. I also chose a lake surrounded by trees. It was very windy with high gusts. There were some intermittent short periods with a light breeze.
To say I was amazed would be an understatement. The shots posted in this article will list the settings and if a tripod was used or not.
The main subjects in these shots are a couple of Chinese Geese. They are descendants of the wild swan goose. The images here are all shot from across the lake. They moved back and forth on the far shore so exact distances are very hard to state.
