[navin_bhp]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

1. Birders need max possible reach.
4. AF points are spread out far more on an APS-C camera than in a FF

Wonderful pics Nilanjan especially the 7th pic.

I feel more than reach good knowledge about the bird's environment and being at the right time and place can get you more closer to the birds then a longer lens. I've owned a 500 f4 for a long time and always long for the 800.. About your point about AF points I realized the D500 has a wider focus are than the D800's had but Its got nothing to do with the size of the sensor. A 5d3 and 7d2 have the same focus area despite having FF and crop sensors.

Originally Posted by M35

Just picked up one 85mm f/1.4 [Rokinon] prime. If you have the skill to nail the focus at f1.4, the images are simply dreamy with beautiful colours and bokeh. Got this mainly for those moments with my little baby girl, but quite fun on other purposes as well.
Attachment 1566434
I have a Nikon D810 which is second to none for Landscapes and Portraits, provided you have decent glasses to go with it. No slouch for the BIF as well !
Attachment 1566435

Nice pic of the eagle M35. How do you manage with the focus on the Rokinon? Does Nikon have focus peaking or something similar to assist?

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by navin_bhp

I feel more than reach good knowledge about the bird's environment and being at the right time and place can get you more closer to the birds then a longer lens. I've owned a 500 f4 for a long time and always long for the 800.. About your point about AF points I realized the D500 has a wider focus are than the D800's had but Its got nothing to do with the size of the sensor.

The right tool for the job, depends on subject and place. E.g. it is difficult to hike with the 800mm f/5.6 + a gimbal setup

Re AF coverage area: I was talking about relative coverage, not absolute coverage area. The AF points in a smaller sensor body will cover a lot more of the frame.

See this for a comparison between 7D Mk2 and 5D Mk3

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/C...omparison.aspx

[navin_bhp]

Originally Posted by nilanjanray

The right tool for the job, depends on subject and place. E.g. it is difficult to hike with the 800mm f/5.6 + a gimbal setup

Re AF coverage area: I was talking about relative coverage, not absolute coverage area. The AF points in a smaller sensor body will cover a lot more of the frame.

See this for a comparison between 7D Mk2 and 5D Mk3

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/C...omparison.aspx

I agree that the relative coverage is more but only if the same AF system is used. But I was talking about the difference I noticed when I tried the D800 was how all the focus points was concentrated towards the center. When I look through the view finder and track a bird in open sky the camera would not focus if the bird is in the corner of the frame. I found it surprisingly odd and wished they were spread out wider.



Sometimes to get the shot you need there is no alternative than carrying the weight

This shot was on a 400 2.8 wide open. You can imagine the weight lifting I went through

[condor]

Continuing a little more about my friend's hunt:

He has been smitten by the specs of the Sony A99 ii - the new FF, 40MP monster. I did a comparison of this with the D500. While technically the A99 ii is well ahead on some parameters like being a FF, and double the MP, the hybrid AF system, the In-body Image Stabilization etc, I personally feel that paying more than twice for Sony setup over the Nikon was not really worth it. ( Esp since the price tag is in the lakhs and not thousands )

I also did a comparison of the D500 with Nikon FF's, and also the Canon 7D-ii. the 80D and also the 5D M4. The D500 specs are still much better.

The reason for bringing in the Nikon FF's was to check if we can do:
Nikon FF body + Nikkor 200-500 F5.6 + 1.4 TC. This combination, on paper, would give the advantages of the FF, the reach of the 200-500 PLUS. The 1.4TC would in theory, make for the 1.5x magnification factor of a DX / APS-C ( )

[M35]

Originally Posted by navin_bhp

Nice pic of the eagle M35. How do you manage with the focus on the Rokinon? Does Nikon have focus peaking or something similar to assist?

For stationary subjects, it's a breeze. It is chipped and the AF confirmation is quite accurate, can fine tune that as well if needed. That f/1.4 is magical if you nail the focus.

Originally Posted by condor

Nikon FF body + Nikkor 200-500 F5.6 + 1.4 TC. This combination, on paper, would give the advantages of the FF, the reach of the 200-500 PLUS. The 1.4TC would in theory, make for the 1.5x magnification factor of a DX / APS-C ( )

Now you have a sluggish 200-500 f/8 lens. Not that you can't use it, very much useable in very good light. Get the Siggy 'S' instead.
PS: I had bought a 1.4 III with my 200-500 and do have a handful of nice images taken with the combo. The 200-500 is very sharp at F5.6 and there the bokeh and color rendition is superior in the segment.

[navin_bhp]

I was interested on the A99 II because it has the same sensor as the A7RII and the resolution is amazing. If the A99II can provide a better battery life than it should be a winner. Wish Sony had a better lens line up though.

Was looking at some of my old wildlife photos and realized that above all specs being at the right time/place got me the best images. This one was shot with an old 1d mark iin and 400 f4 do lens. One if the best hand holdable wildlife kit I ever had.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by navin_bhp

. Wish Sony had a better lens line up though.

.

A mount has a very big lens selection available. Limited selection problem is there for e mount

[a4anurag]

Guys, planning to get a DSLR within a week and have decided on Nikon D5200.

Was browsing the e-commerce portals for the best deal but while browsing this thread, saw a post by a member saying Nikon doesn't Authorize such products purchased from e-commerce portals.

To reconfirm if the post was correct, I sent them an email:

Dear Mr. Shenoy,

Thank you very much for writing to us.

We don't sell product online, so none of the e-commerce site are authorised by Nikon India and we don't recommend you to buy from them.

We recommend you to buy Nikon products from our authorized dealers only. You may find the nearest Nikon authorized dealer.

Thanks & Regards,
NIND SUPPORT

Has anyone bought DSLR online and successfully registered the camera and lens.

[bullock-Car]

I bought Nikon 3300 from Flipkart and registered.u can buy online. Consider 5300 for wifi and flipscreen

[navin_bhp]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

A mount has a very big lens selection available. Limited selection problem is there for e mount

Your right. Thanks for correcting.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Guys, planning to get a DSLR within a week and have decided on Nikon D5200.

Was browsing the e-commerce portals for the best deal but while browsing this thread, saw a post by a member saying Nikon doesn't Authorize such products purchased from e-commerce portals.

To reconfirm if the post was correct, I sent them an email:



Has anyone bought DSLR online and successfully registered the camera and lens.

D5200 is quite old technology, think of D5300 or D5500 instead. If you really do not need the flip screen and WiFi, why not start with D3300. The image quality is same so is the burst rate and Video. The price is now extremely lucrative.

http://www.amazon.in/Nikon-D3300-Dig...00+dslr+camera

Regarding Authorised Dealers, none of the e-commerce sites sell directly. The camera equipment is sourced through authorised dealers and the invoice is from them. You buy from Amazon and then register with Nikon. If Nikon site accepts it, fine, else just return to Amazon.

I bough my D3300 with kit lens and later 35mm F1.8DX. All items are registered with Nikon India with no problems. In my case the invoice was from an authorised dealer in Varanasi!

[condor]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Guys, planning to get a DSLR within a week and have decided on Nikon D5200.

As Aroy has mentioned, get either the 5500 or 5300. I would suggest the D5500 unless you want the GPS

Note: am using D5200

[nilanjanray]

Originally Posted by condor

Continuing a little more about my friend's hunt:

He has been smitten by the specs of the Sony A99 ii - the new FF, 40MP monster. I did a comparison of this with the D500. While technically the A99 ii is well ahead on some parameters like being a FF, and double the MP, the hybrid AF system, the In-body Image Stabilization etc, I personally feel that paying more than twice for Sony setup over the Nikon was not really worth it. ( Esp since the price tag is in the lakhs and not thousands )

I also did a comparison of the D500 with Nikon FF's, and also the Canon 7D-ii. the 80D and also the 5D M4. The D500 specs are still much better.

The reason for bringing in the Nikon FF's was to check if we can do:
Nikon FF body + Nikkor 200-500 F5.6 + 1.4 TC. This combination, on paper, would give the advantages of the FF, the reach of the 200-500 PLUS. The 1.4TC would in theory, make for the 1.5x magnification factor of a DX / APS-C ( )

A TC with a slow lens is not a good idea. Too many compromises for reach.

Re Sony A99 ii: I don't know much about it, but read this: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4056850

I doubt the AF can match the latest from Nikon and Canon. For wildlife. But I could be wrong, maybe A99ii could be a game changer. Anyway, field performance matters more than mere specs.

[condor]

Is anyone using the Nikkor 60mm 2.8 G ED ?

The lens looks good for both portraits and macro's.

Question is again back to the D500. I am suggesting the following set up for my friend:

Body: D500

Lens line-up:
1) AF-S Nikkor 200-500 f5.6 E ED VR for Birding.
2) AF-S Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8 for portrait and macro
3) Nikon 18-140 f3.5-5.6 G VR for general purpose

The one drawback I see in this is that the 60mm lens does not have VR :(


Alternately,
1) Nikon 85mm f3.5 G VR for macro + portrait

2) 50mm f1.8g + Nikon 105mm Macro VR ( 2 lens)
would need to have a 50mm


Alternate #2:
The Macro + portrait kit:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pro...-lens-kit.html

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by condor

3) Nikon 18-140 f3.5-5.6 G VR for general purpose

Have you thought about Nikon 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6? I can vouch for it's sharpness and color though it's heavy. I find it to be best for general purpose. I sold mine when I moved to FF.