Imagemaster wrote:
Compared to camera bodies, lens technology has lagged. Size, weight, and circular glass lenses have all been the norm for many years.
Perhaps flat lenses will revolutionize photography by addressing those 3 negative issues above:
That is a weird article. The effect is described as changing the speed of light to make sure all wavelengths arrive at the same time. Surely the issue is to refract all wavelengths so they arrive at the same place.
Hillrg` wrote:
. . . That is a weird article. The effect is described as changing the speed of light to make sure all wavelengths arrive at the same time. Surely the issue is to refract all wavelengths so they arrive at the same place.
Refraction and changing the speed of light are basically two ways of describing the same thing.
The speed of light through a particular medium depends on the refractive index of that medium.
And one final observation based of the patents...the 400PF would be 18cm...well the 300PF/1.4 is only 17.2cm and gives 420mm (both of those differences are likely meaningless)....I can't see any reason for Nikon to ever produce the 400/5.6PF...the AF is already excellent with my 300PF/1.4...as good as the bare lens as far as I can tell...AF would be the only thing the 400PF might improve but I just don't see it being a substantial improvement...even my 500FL isn't that much of an improvement over the 300PF/1.4TC....
I think that the near $4000 price puts the lens is a sweet spot.
If the 500mm f/5.6 is sharp wide-open, built to be weather resistant, and has the pro-AF motor I will find the money to buy it. I could imagine traveling and hiking with 4 lenses... 16-35, 70-200 f4, 300mm f/4, 500mm f5.6 w a D500 and D810 (or D850). The bag would be relatively small and light... this eliminates issues with commuter planes and float planes that have strict weight limits. Sure I give up f/2.8 isolation, but I'm willing to work the files in Photoshop to improve OOF regions if I terminate the hassle of traveling with heavy gear.
Take this for FWIW but this week I walked in to a local dealer to re-purchase a 200-500VR and he suggested waiting a month or two...word is that they are expecting the 500PF to be shipping(!) in the not too distant future with an expected Canadian retail price in the $3500(!) range. If correct, that's way less expensive than I would have anticipated. Of course if the price is that low it begs the question what premium options Nikon left out of the design.
BTW I ended up purchasing the 200-500VR anyway as it suits my needs better. Initial testing is quite good...at 500mm & close ranges I'd judge the optics are about 8/10 compared to my 600E (viewing @100%). The AF is sluggish but does perform better on my D850 vs the D810 I originally tried it with two years ago. BIF will be a challenge but I'm hopeful the 200-500 will work well from the canoe when shooting loons next week. So far so good.
Gary Irwin wrote:
Take this for FWIW but this week I walked in to a local dealer to re-purchase a 200-500VR and he suggested waiting a month or two...word is that they are expecting the 500PF to be shipping(!) in the not too distant future with an expected Canadian retail price in the $3500(!) range. If correct, that's way less expensive than I would have anticipated. Of course if the price is that low it begs the question what premium options Nikon left out of the design.
BTW I ended up purchasing the 200-500VR anyway as it suits my needs better. Initial testing is quite good...at 500mm & close ranges I'd judge the optics are about 8/10 compared to my 600E (viewing @100%). The AF is sluggish but does perform better on my D850 vs the D810 I originally tried it with two years ago. BIF will be a challenge but I'm hopeful the 200-500 will work well from the canoe when shooting loons next week. So far so good....Show more →
That price of course totally contradicts today's rumour....if today's rumour is correct the CDN price will be $5700...maybe the dealer is a little dyslexic an mixed up the position of the 5 and the 3
The 300PF is already $2,599 CDN so I don't see $3500 even being a possibility....
arbitrage wrote:
That price of course totally contradicts today's rumour....if today's rumour is correct the CDN price will be $5700...maybe the dealer is a little dyslexic an mixed up the position of the 5 and the 3
The 300PF is already $2,599 CDN so I don't see $3500 even being a possibility....
Yes, I was expecting the $3500 figure be USD, but he didn't think so. Anyway, it does sound like an announcement from Nikon is near.
Gary Irwin wrote:
Yes, I was expecting the $3500 figure be USD, but he didn't think so. Anyway, it does sound like an announcement from Nikon is near.
you need to go to your local airshow beginning of Sept
i got this email from them
"AIRSHOW LONDON today announced its "focus ASL photography" contest in addition, Nikon will be a sponsor for our Airshow London 2018 Photo Tour!! Nikon will be bringing with it access to ‘free’ cameras and lenses on loan for each day of the show to Photo Pit Pass holders
Gary Irwin wrote:
... The AF is sluggish but does perform better on my D850 vs the D810 I originally tried it with two years ago. BIF will be a challenge but I'm hopeful the 200-500 will work well from the canoe when shooting loons next week. So far so good.
Gary,
I have found that the 200-500 is the perfect kayak, canoe, zodiac lens. It is light enough to hold fixed while sitting and super flexible for the wide zoom range. The AF is robust enough for seals, otters, herons, etc... Once you've locked on, it tracks nicely w/ the newest AF system. The lens struggles with ducks when you have to pull them out of the air... if you can get them "exploding off the water," the AF will track just fine, but if you are trying to catch smaller fowl mid-flight, you are relying on chance more often than not.
BTW... even if I buy the 500mm f/5.6, I will not sell our 200-500... the lens is so flexible and, most importantly, is my wife's favorite lens.
brian_sp wrote:
you need to go to your local airshow beginning of Sept
i got this email from them
"AIRSHOW LONDON today announced its "focus ASL photography" contest in addition, Nikon will be a sponsor for our Airshow London 2018 Photo Tour!! Nikon will be bringing with it access to ‘free’ cameras and lenses on loan for each day of the show to Photo Pit Pass holders
be interesting to see what they show up with
Yes indeed...it would be fun to get my hands on the new 500PF, 500/4E, 180-400E and maybe a ML body!
OwlsEyes wrote:
Gary,
I have found that the 200-500 is the perfect kayak, canoe, zodiac lens. It is light enough to hold fixed while sitting and super flexible for the wide zoom range. The AF is robust enough for seals, otters, herons, etc... Once you've locked on, it tracks nicely w/ the newest AF system. The lens struggles with ducks when you have to pull them out of the air... if you can get them "exploding off the water," the AF will track just fine, but if you are trying to catch smaller fowl mid-flight, you are relying on chance more often than not.
BTW... even if I buy the 500mm f/5.6, I will not sell our 200-500... the lens is so flexible and, most importantly, is my wife's favorite lens. ...Show more →
Thanks Bruce! That's exactly my thinking as well -- nice to hear from someone with direct experience shooting in a similar situation. I was contemplating the 180-400E but I just can't justify its weight or price as an 'in-between" lens.
The lens is smaller than I imagined, or the shooter has huge hands!
If the 500mm PF is sharper than the 200-500VR @ f/5.6, it will be a very popular lens for those of us willing to give up a stop of light in order to save weight and money over the faster 500mm FLE.
I am looking forward to seeing the output of some raw files and the final pricing.
bruce
