The best part of this episode was how much I learnt along the way. More birding episodes please, get this man some budget and send him to S.America, Australia and Africa!
I had no idea how poor my knowledge of birds actually was. I am humbled yet inspired. On an unrelated note, it’s so nice to see the Z lens catalog continue to expand. Nicely done, Nikon.
Chris & Jordan have perfected their comic partnership; I just loved Jordan’s hurried running in at the top, and Chris’s in depth knowledge of ornithology was something to behold ! (Reminded me of Morcombe & Wise, an extremely popular British Tv double act, going back a few years now… ). Yet still packed with lots of useful lens info; a really great review and an excellent short film, thkz.
Best intro to date. The Nikon PF lenses was the main reason I gambled on the Z6ii versus the R6 despite knowing at the time I was buying the third best AF in a two horse race (Sony I didn't consider for stupid reasons but what is smart about spending 5-figures on a hobby?). Will be putting my deposit down this week.
Nikon has been killing it lately, being overshadowed by louder companies who throw money and trips at the reviewers. They should really start finding some better "influencers" too. Their Nikon Canada Social media is very very weak, and almost non existent . Looks amazing! I know i'll never afford it, but it looks great.
@@dominiclester3232 RF 800/f11 is a decent lens for its price. Tbh for tele new comers, RF system makes sense combined with backward compatible with EF big whites
Hello how are you,I’ve seen a few of your comments on my page, I hope you fine I sincerely want to thank you for your support to my career and I promise to keep on the good work.
Really,really enjoyed this review. I’ve got an 800mm PF on order and am expecting months before I get it but will be worth it. I needed the humor this morning and has set me up for a positive day. I am a DP fan. Keep bringing us great content and positive camera/lens info.
well, I would not crown too early. Indeed with the 400mm & build-in tele-converter only 300mm and 500mm is missing from the traditional line-up. And these length are available in F-mount in traditional luminous and in the phase Fresnel design, so weight is can be lower than the competition, methinks. Still, the competitive situation might change overnight. What I find funny, Sony tends to be always regarded to be top in their offer. However for professional tele-primes where are the luminous 200mm or 300mm offers? Adapting Minolta glass? Although, as said, it's a tricky field for fan-boy-ism. And in the normal prime range Sony's offers including 3rd parties are amazing, all these AF f 1.4 options! Particularly for people having budget limitations like myself
@@robeson1231 Looking at that impressive list - and having heard about sports- and wildlife capabilities of the Z9, you are right! And the advantage of getting sharper, faster everything - there won't be game-changers like Sony's animal eye-af at some point was. The 120-300mm f2.8 also must be a beast of a lens! As I don't have a pro budget, reading about this gear - it's dreams. I might get a used D4 or D5 with a "cheap" old f 4.0 500mm autofocus lens. Or go manual focus with an adapter for Fuji and it's virtual split image viewfinder focusing aid. Might work with an f2.8 300mm, possibly at good light with tele-converter. Might soon get an older Fuji, lens adapters are already there and I own two Summicrons from the 1970ies
Man, I love long lenses like this. Could just look at bird photos the entire video (you guys need more samples!). Also enjoyed the humour. The deer and flamingo jokes were hilarious.
I think many books about ornithology have to be rewritten by now. 🤓 I saw an ad about this lens, held by a woman with thin arms and thought this was fake. But now That I know Chris can handle this lens, the ad seems correct. 💪😁
Thank you for the pre-production review. Please define a focus speed measurement. (closest to infinity and something like n-times focal length to infinity.) And measure this value on your tests. (on two reference Cameras per brand (like Z6 and Z9)
You guys are fun. That lens looks great. It almost makes me wish I didn't start using Canon for bird photography. Nah, normal people can't get the Z9 yet and I bet that lens is on backorder for years like the 500 PF was.
I swear if Canon doesn't come out with something similar in the next year or two, I'm likely to jump ship ! I SO need 800mm, but not willing to pay $15K for something that is miserable to lug around. Anyway, I'm not a fanboy of ANY particular brand, and this is a freaking sick lens !!! I'm SO envious !
DPReview TV @ their best. Energetic meaningful content, wildlife as good as it can possibly be on a tight schedule with not the best weather, amazing humor! And it seems to be the first Independent real lens vlog review out, congrats! Best liked moments for me were how happily Jordan played the dumb lens-boy & the lesser ostrich! Coming back to the lens, considering people own enough ftz adapters by now - for the price of the old you get a Z9 on top for a superior product. At least in practical use. I am not talking about trained snipers who work out to easily carry the old lens all day and doing handheld shooting all along. For more average earning wildlife fanatics, how does the new toy work on Z5, Z50? The later pushes some limits, weight and reach-wise
I actually enjoyed this video as it was humorous and educational. I live in central east coast Florida and I've seen those pink flamingos in people's yards so you are right. You can actually get very close to them and they won't move, not camera shy. .....
Great Review and amazing Lens! Great alternative for those who use FF Z. But The more I see the long ff lenses more I value MFT alternatives. Of course the Z9 is more capable than the OM1 in many ways. But there are other aspects very favorable to MFT for many photographers, specifically those who work in regions with more natural light. The combination OM1 + 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25 is very difficult to be overcome! And it costs and weighs much less!
I would absolutely love this setup. An 800mm f6.3 full-frame lens that you can hand hold is an amazing feat. Now, affording it is an entirely separate problem.
Chris' performance in bringing the equipment to its limits is outstanding. His performance in Bird identification is lala. His techniques shooting wildlife have leeway to be improved. :-)
It was almost mind blowing seeing Flamingos turn green and bald eagles shrink because it's so cold in Canada - I loved the Pelican!!! As I was watching my latest online ornithology class (it's from the same guys who brought us "Hidden Satanic symbols in Bob Ross paintings" - don't get me started but those happy little trees and their happy little accidents... oh boy...don't ask...), I have to admit, that Chris was wrong about the deer - it is indeed a big and furry thing and the un-schooled eye can misinterpret it ... The Cold has the opposite effect on Black-Capped Chickadees: on very very rare circumstances, it makes the little bird pop into some larger furry-thingy. Experiencing this, is like spotting an Unicorn covered with deer furr 😅
This was my first episode shot on a production Z9, I want to spend more time with it before making any definitive statements. I will say that it lined up with my experience with the pre-production unit, which is to say, excellent.
Solid lens, but I would like to see a mirrorless version of the 200-500mm f/5.6. Maybe even a Nikon version of Sony's 200-600mm f/6.3. Also, that bald eagle was soooo majestic ;)
Not a Nikon shooter.. but just saying. This lens is a winner. The weight is good the price is good. F5.6 compare to F6.3 come on.. you dont loose much speed. Not even 1 stop. I can see many birder and wildlife and sports shooter cant wait to get this lens.
Now all we have to hope for is Nikon actually shipping any of these lenses to Canada (mine's on order). As a NON (and dedicatedly so) birder who photographs birds, the bird naming in this video was especially hilarious :)
I love your humor, reviews are the best. although the scene of play with 3.5 kilos gear with the words "it's so light" was difficult for me non-shooting-wildlife xD
Great job, as usual! I had the 300mm pf at one time, and only once (or twice) did I see in the image what I THOUGHT was a fresnel outline. Could have been hallucinating. Regardless, the size and weight was impressive. So... what am I missing? Why aren't all the lens guys jumping on the pf bandwagon? What's wrong with it? Halos, bokeh, fringing? Minimum focus? Not as sharp? (looked good to me, both my past 300 and this 800). So what gives?
Wonder how this lens compare with Canon RF 800 f5.6. In the price and weight department, Nikon wins. This is a great lens with great reach and great price. Come on, Canon. Your 800 F5.6 is $17,000.
Based on this trial balloon, I see a high budget movie "lens boy". Jordan main character, a shy obedient aspiring movie nnn, while carrying the lenses of the ruthless pond photographer. Insert a beautiful female lead character, to draw out the brawns and redeem the lens boy into an accomplished nnn. Who would be your director of choice?
Wow, we went from high canadian budget, right into big budget with those directors. But you wanted the best, you get the best. It means we have to change the main actor when he is transformed from a thick glassed, pale ghost into a tanned, hunk of a dolph lundgren. We round off with the hero transformed, recognizing the pond in himself and starts photographing still water surfaces, as an equal beside his old zen master. That is the twist.
I'm dying waiting for this lens. I'm glad they announced the price point when they did because I was about to purchase a 500 pf. Even being able to afford the more expensive lenses with what I'm getting for my work right now I can't justify paying $15,000 for a lens the most 6K is a chunk it's more than worth it for where I live p
Nice preview, thanks! Appreciate the jokes, too. As for the lens, as a lover of long focal lengths, it's tempting. However, I don't have a Z body, and I bet this thing will be out of stock for years. When shooting wildlife, I'll typically hike around for miles. I know this is the "small and light" version of an 800mm, but it looks like it'd still be cumbersome. I bet ya start feeling that weight after a short walk. I just don't know about this one. Maybe someday. My 500PF is an excellent wildlife lens, and with 45MPs, I can crop down to an 800mm FOV very easily, and still have a reasonably-sized image.
Just curious that if we are using the z 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 with the Z teleconverter TC-2.0x VS z 800mmm. The cost would be half, but how about the quality?
