My Wildlife Photo Gear 

One question every would-be wildlife photographer faces is what gear do I need and what gear can I afford. When I got serious about wildlife photography, I purchased a Nikon D4 and later a Nikon 600mm f/4 lens. I loved this combination and it served me well for many years.  But as I got older, I began using the 600mm less and less. It's 11 plus pounds plus the weight of the D4 and a tripod just became too much to carry and lift. Reluctantly, I sold the D4 and the 600mm and switched to the D500 and the 500mm f/5.6 PF and never looked back. Well, only occasionally.

For tech specs on the D500, go here: D500 Specs

And for the Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF, go here: 500mm PF specs

This combination is much lighter, much cheaper and I can and do handhold it. The f/5.6 f/stop was of some concern initially. But with the high ISO capability of current cameras and the denoise software currently available, this has become less of a concern over time. The lens is tack sharp and autofocus generally works well, but this combination of camera and lens does struggle at times in low light, low contrast situations. These situations have been the bugaboo of auto focus for many years. Each generation of camera and lens has gotten better, but none are perfect. One trick I use in these situations is to pre-focus on another object of greater contrast at the same distance. It doesn't solve all problems, but it definitely helps and becomes almost automatic with practice.

If you want to check out this combination for yourself, click on the links below. Some are affiliate links which means I get a small commission if you buy something, but you do not pay any extra. Also below are some links to independent reviews of the D500 and the 500mm PF.

Reviews:

D500 Review

Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF Review

Affiliate Links:

Nikon D500 (Amazon)

Nikon D500 (Nikon)

Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF Lens (Amazon)

Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF Lens (Nikon)

Hope this has been helpful. Leave me a comment to let me know!

Kirby