I think the lower cost will be the main attraction for a 600/5.6 lens. It has to be less then the $12.4k 600/4.
I think the lower cost will be the main attraction for a 600/5.6 lens. It has to be less then the $12.4k 600/4.
Maybe it will only cost $5000-7000, unless the optics are mediocre like the 200-500. However, the crappier the optics the less people will pay.
In any case, f/5.6 seriously limits use in low light and with teleconverters. Pros would prefer the f/4 and most everyone else would be fine with a 150-600/6.3 or 200-500/5.6.
Pro's, and rich amateurs can afford a $12k f/4 lens. Regular folks have the $1-2k 150-600/6.3 and 200-500/5.6 zooms. A 600/5.6 PRIME will be sharper, have faster AF, and have better build quality but will be a half step below for f/4. Center sharpness will be almost the same as the f/4 with corners being a bit off I'd guess.
Pair the lens with a D500 for extra "reach."
A nice middle ground for advanced amateurs and semi-pros. Hopefully less then $5k. I'm guessing $5500-7000.
A nice article on a Nikon glass factory.
Stereodude
Not really a
Regular folk don't buy $1-2k lenses either. Regular folk use their camera phones. Even most of the "regular folk" who buy a DSLR don't buy any other lenses beyond the kit lens(es) that comes with it.
ddrueding
Fixture
The 100-400 II is as rich as I'm willing to get. And even that I am not taking on international flights.
Usually I take two of those internationally. Once I took only one 100-400 II, but also a 200-400/4 and 500/4.
Stereodude
Not really a
Send it to me and I'll properly discard it for you.
From Nikon Rumors, "Nikon officially announced the development of the previously rumored AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens."
Smart announcing the 500mm before a 600mm f/5.6 PF/DO lens. They can price the 500mm rather decently, then price gouge the 600mm f/5.6 a year later. Although the 500mm will be a full-frame (FX) lens it will be targeted to the crop (DX) D500 crowd while the pricey 600mm will be marketed to the full-frame folks.
Canon updated the 70-200/2.8 IS as well. But it appears all the 2.8 lens got was a new paint job. At least the price didn't get crazy high like the Nikkor 70-200/2.8E.
Smart announcing the 500mm before a 600mm f/5.6 PF/DO lens. They can price the 500mm rather decently, then price gouge the 600mm f/5.6 a year later. Although the 500mm will be a full-frame (FX) lens it will be targeted to the crop (DX) D500 crowd while the pricey 600mm will be marketed to the full-frame folks.
Canon updated the 70-200/2.8 IS as well. But it appears all the 2.8 lens got was a new paint job. At least the price didn't get crazy high like the Nikkor 70-200/2.8E.
The Canon 600/4 DO has been rumored and in development forever. Obviously an f/5.6 should be cheaper to build. Technologically a 500/5.6 should be easier than a 600/5.6, but it would be more economical to produce both together using similar designs and some shared components. A 600/5.6 would be far more useful since there is already the 200-500/5.6.
The Canon 600/4 DO will be a 10-12k lens I'm sure. Way out of the price league of a f/5.6. Re-thinking my post, I agree a 600/5.6 PF would be a lot better received than the 500/5.6 PF. And going by the comments on the Nikon Rumors site this seems to be the case. The demand for the 500 may be so light because people have the 200-500 already Nikon my decide to delay the 600. If the 500/5.6 PF isn't stellar IQ wise or crazy expensive $4000+ it will be a marketing DOA.
Interesting to see what Nikon's marketing will be for: 400, 500 and 600mm f/5.6 PF lenses.
Stereodude
Not really a
I spent some time this weekend with a Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro + Canon 70-200mm F2.8 IS USM II on my shoulder this past weekend. It was a tad heavy and uncomfortable. The image quality at 1080p was quite impressive.
New SD card spec in the works.
Quote from a PetaPixel article, "The new Ultra Capacity (UC) designation will mean capacities of up to 128 terabytes and the “Express” designation will mean transfer speeds of up to 985 megabytes per second." More info.
Quote from a PetaPixel article, "The new Ultra Capacity (UC) designation will mean capacities of up to 128 terabytes and the “Express” designation will mean transfer speeds of up to 985 megabytes per second." More info.
Well I can dump my Nikon gear and switch over to Sony now. I'm kidding Lunar.
Sony unveils their new 400mm f/2.8.
Sony unveils their new 400mm f/2.8.
Stereodude
Not really a
Do you have $12k I can "borrow"?
That is not an unusual price for such a lens. Newer lenses tend to have higher IQ and cost more, partly because the production volumes are low.
The rumored price of the new Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF (DO) lens is $4300. With that price the lens better have stellar IQ all the way to the corner of the frame.
The lens will be about 24cm in length which is approximately 15cm shorter than the current 500mm f/4E lens.
The lens will be about 24cm in length which is approximately 15cm shorter than the current 500mm f/4E lens.
The price looks good for IQ. I'm not sure if that lens will be useful enough. The problem with f/5.6 is that IQ and/or AF may be an issue with a 1.4x. I'm not seeing anything about the weight and it does have a lot of elements.
I'd rather have a better quality 200-500/5.6 or a 500/4 PF. I'm wondering if there is just not enough weight to be saved by making shorter big teles with DO/PF groups now that carbon fiber, magnesium, and other lightweight materials are used for construction.
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
This is indeed a lot of money for a fairly small lens. You would expect it to be physically much smaller than a 500/4. After all, the f/4 lens needs to collect twice as much light so (to a first approximation) the f/5.6 should be half the size. Nikon can be pretty damn silly when it comes to pricing; they go way over the top sometimes. Then, just when you have written them off as hopelessly expensive, they release something priced very reasonably indeed. (I'm thinking of their 200-500/5.6 zoom here.) How do they figure these things?
80-400: very dear for what it is.
200-500: remarkably reasonable
500/5.6: extremely expensive
500/4: too expensive, though not completely outrageous
If there is a pattern there, I'm not seeing it.
If they are going to price the 500/5.6 that way, who do they expect to buy it? Sure, it will undoubtedly outperform the 600ish f/6.3 zooms from Sigma and Tamron, and doubtless their own 200-500/5.6. But how many people are going to stump up the substantial extra cash for a Nikon 80-400? Not many. And well over double for the 500/5.6? Practically no-one, you'd imagine. At that sort of price, why wouldn't a buyer look at a far more flexible and not all that much dearer 300/2.8? Slap a 1.4 or 1.7 converter on that and you'd be well in front of the 600mm zooms for quality and effective reach (albeit for a lot more money), still have a faster lens, and be pretty close to the 500/5.6 - which I am assuming will have downright superb optics because anything less and it wouldn't have any reason to exist.
Nikon aren't stupid. Just weird.
Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
People say I love my 100-400 II.
That is untrue.
I just say that I love it to get it into bed with me.
That is untrue.
I just say that I love it to get it into bed with me.
Hopefully the rumored price for the Nikkor 500/5.6 PF is just that; a rumor. Realistically the mid $3k mark should be the final price. Say... $3496. Then the 600/5.6 can be $4396. Again the IQ has to be there for those prices. Better than the 200-500/5.6 level but a bit behind the 500/4 & 600/4 super-primes.
I'm not seeing much hope for that lens by October. I might consider it again for January 2020, but that is a ways off.
Pics of the 500/5.6 PF at the Nikon World Cup party. It looks tiny for a 500mm lens. I really hope the price is under the $4k mark, instead of the rumored $4300 price.
It looks small enough that there should be an f/4 or a 600.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens.
Pre-orders are up. $3600. Looks like my guess was off by $100.
Pre-orders are up. $3600. Looks like my guess was off by $100.
Canon 300/2.8 and 500/4 to receive an update middle of 2019. Probably the same types of updates as the new versions of the 400/2.8 and 600/4 lenses. No word on 200/2 or 800/5.6 updates. Perhaps just before Tokyo 2020.
Canon displayed a mock-up/prototype 600/4 DO a few years ago. I wonder what happened. I think Canon is missing the boat, as far as sales go; for the, "I want a big telephoto lens but will NEVER, EVER, NOT in 2352416137 years be able to afford a $9K+ lens" semi-pro/well-off-amateur folks.
The Nikkor 500/5.6 PF looks pretty good both in IQ and size/weight. Two 500mm Nikkor lenses available now that aren't "Super Telephoto" in cost. 200-500/5.6 @ $1400 and 500/5.6PF @ $3600. Over 400mm in the Canon world is $9k for the 500/4. Probably sharper and obviously a stop faster, but still $9k. I think there is room in the Canon lineup between the 100-400/4.5-5.6 and the 500/4 lenses.
ddrueding
Fixture
I always thought the 100-400 was the big lens for people who had limited funds (that's why I bought it). Any of the big fast primes are for corps or crazies.
I still have the original 500/4 IS lens, but will rent a 500/4 IS II when needed. I have to make some decisions about June soon enough and don't expect a 500/4 III by then.
The problem with the 600/4 III is that it is still quite long and I'd need different bags. I can fit a 500/4 in a 22L GG bag, but a bag that fits a 600/4 will be noticeably larger on the international flights.
The problem with the 600/4 III is that it is still quite long and I'd need different bags. I can fit a 500/4 in a 22L GG bag, but a bag that fits a 600/4 will be noticeably larger on the international flights.
I would be very interested in a 600/5.6 PF Nikkor.
Probably, maybe in 2019. $4500-4700. 35-40% of the 600/4E cost. Everybody who is/was planning on buying a 600/4 probably has already bought the big boy. 600mm is a threshold people want to obtain but will never spend $12,300. I think people are holding off buying the 500/5.6 PF in the hopes of the 600/5.6 PF becoming available semi-soon.
What will happen first; 600/4 DO or 600/5.6 PF?
I suspect neither will be available by June 1, 2019.