Long glass has always been part of my kit from day one. In 1992 I acquired my first 600f4 AI to gain autofocus operation; later that same year I upgraded to 800f5.6 AFS from 600f4 AFS in 2013. Each update in long glass brought noticeable upgrades in MFD, sharpness and operation with each upgrade; In May this year NPS sent me their Z600f4 TC test camera, and thanks to them and Bedfords I now have it in my kit for some time and would like to share what I’ve discovered thus far shooting with it so far!
Assuming you can learn something by shooting with any lens is true! I was recently conversing with Mike (my go-to guy for all things Nikkor). Our conversation centered around the new Z135f1.8 lens which led Mike to ask me about acquiring it; after I explained my gear allowance had already been spent on buying the Z600f4 TC instead, Mike gave an interesting quote: “ahh the Z600f4 TC! it’s something special!” “Something special” in our eyes meant something extraordinary; something I learned first about shooting with that lens: its abilities to capture light refraction compared with its counterparts.
As mentioned in my first post about my lens, its weight of four pounds less and ability to focus five feet closer make the 800f5.6 AFS an incredible advantage for me. As for capturing images of Golden Eagles that come to The Ranch for food, my Z600f4 TC allows me to simply grab it and go out shooting handheld in order to try and capture shots of them. The closer MFD allows me to achieve the image size I’m after while shooting in urban locations – something which was impossible before when I had to resort to backup and limit my shooting opportunities. My main takeaway comes from its integrated 1.4x teleconverter (TC). Engaging it requires simply flicking a level with your right index finger – I have taken thousands of images this way! And on several occasions when photographing animals right in front of me, adding an external teleconverter would have moved them off further. Though I usually stick with shooting with external Z1.4x and Z2x lenses attached to a Z600f4 TC, I often switch between using an external lens combination (I see no image quality loss this way) and my Z 9 for shooting (balance is ideal) making the operation smooth and aiding in creating sharp images while making subject acquisition easy in viewfinder.
Have I created images using the Z600f4 TC that couldn’t have been created with gear already in my locker? This is an excellent question and very relevant! Our basic photographic formula calls for us to earn $5 for every $1 spent on gear; going by that standard, sales from images taken using it and images I wouldn’t have otherwise created with other lenses has already made the Z600f4 TC an indispensable part of my kit after six months use – I would even go so far as saying that it stands as one of the sharpest lenses I’ve had the privilege of shooting; truly remarkable!
