The 600mm f/4 extended review
I mounted a 600mm f/4 on my Jeep. Why? Cause I could.
ENHANCED.
No, it isn’t practical or even drivable. But it sure looks cool. And we live for that shit, don’t we?
So that’s a short review of my 600mm f/4 VR nano crystal for Nikon. Used almost only on a Nikon Df or D800E.
Lion in South Africa. Nikon Df + 600mm at f/4 and ISO 100
Proboscis monkey on Borneo island, Malaysia.
The almighty 600mm f/4. Every photographer dreams of owning one. Truth is, you probably don’t want one even if you are a hard core wildlife photographer. I’d look on the side of the 500mm f/5.6 Nikon or the 300mm f/2.8 VRI (version 1 is as good as version 2) with a 2.0TCIII.
The 600mm f/4 is too heavy: one loose way too much on flexibility. I went on a safari in South Africa, on Borneo in Malaysia, to the tip of Argentina to check out some King Penguin and right back home in the Yukon Territory for Grizzlies. This lens is a birder’s dream: but for me, at 26, I move too much. That 300mm f/2.8 was used 99% of the time. More flexible. Also, with the right body, a 300mm f/2.8 with a 1.4 tc version III will give you a field of view of 560mm with a bokeh of f/5.6. Want longer? Throw a 2x TCIII on it and you get a 900mm f/4 on a D500 or D7500. Better yet, those two bodies have a 1.3x in camera crop that allows you to take stunning 12 mp shots at 1200mm equivalent. At the end of the day, how much ZOOM does one need?
Now. There is a reason why people get a 600mm f/4. It looks cool. It takes awesome shots. The autofocus is quick, almost as quick as the 300mm f/2.8 AF-S VR1
Drinking a beer and shooting ducks in the Yukon Territory.
Stuff I carry in the Jeep hahaha.
The epic duo
Everything a man need in South America.
My little sister enjoying the view from the 600mm f/4
How sharp! Taken with a Nikon Df.
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Elephant in a game reserve in South Africa.
Somewhere in Brazil
The 600mm f/4 + 2.0 TCE III
That’s the 300mm f/2.8 beast next to the real beast.
The 600mm trunk case.
An orangutan on Borneo.
The 600mm f/4 VR is a great lens, but I preferred the 300mm f/2.8 VR1 much more. The 300mm f2.8 with a 2.0x converter was almost as quick to focus as the 600mm, but I got so much more shot out of it because I…guess what…CARRIED IT.
That’s right. The 600mm f/4 takes ALL the motivation in the world to carry. I went in the jungle on borneo island with it: I almost had a nervous breakdown from carrying it. So heavy and in +40 with 100% humidity weather, one can go crazy. Specially when you still have a laptop to carry and 3 DSLRs and a bunch of clothing and gear. It’s really, really nerve wracking. God, just thinking about it makes exhausted hahaha.
Those were my two cents on the 600mm f/4 VR. Another random voice on the internet.
Feel free to comment if you have any questions!
Cheers,
JP