Handling

I feel that the Nikon 500mm F4 is a well-balanced lens. Although it doesn’t have the reach of a 600mm, it is easy to handle because of its small size and light weight (about 3.45kg). My current setup for forest tracking trips consists of a Flash Bracket, Jobu Jr II Gimbal, Nikon D300 and a Feisol CT-3342, weighing about 6kg in total.

However, when shooting from a car, it is quite difficult to handle if the lens hood is mounted. The lens hood is quite long compared to the lens body. I usually don’t attach the hood when shooting in the car.

Auto Focus

AF is fast and responsive in acquiring focus especially with the new D300 with battery grip. With the 1.4x teleconverter, response is a little slow but barely noticeable.

Taken with Nikon D200, 500mm F4 and 1.4x TC

Image quality

Image quality is contrasty and sharp with this lens. With a nikon 1.4x TC there isn’t any noticeable softness.
Taken with Nikon D200, 500mm F4 and 1.4x TC

My Backpack

The Nikon 500mm f4 is a relatively small lens which i can keep in a small backpack together with a Nikon D300 with battery grip, a pair of binoculars, a flash and a flash bracket.

Conclusion

1. Light-weight

2. Ease of handling

3. Fast AF

4. Contrasty and sharp image quality