Death of a lens, birth of a lens…

I just finished writing about the death of one of my favorite lenses (R.I.P. 16-35).  It seemed appropriate to follow that up with one of the first photos taken by a new lens of mine: the Nikon 800mm.

To further explore wildlife photography, I wanted to get as close as good glass could take me.  I have family in Japan and had a trip planned to see my new niece so it made sense to augment that trip and capture some Japanese wildlife.  I tried out the 800mm in Hokkaido on a variety of wildlife (When Reality Bites….).  After days of tripod work I decided to see if years in the gym would pay off by handholding the 800mm mounted to a Nikon D4. I also added in the included teleconverter, which transformed the beast into a 1,000mm lens.

The combined weight totaled just over 13 pounds. The length of the body, lens, teleconverter, and hood is over 25 inches, which is longer than the span of my upper body!  Yes, it looked ridiculous – especially in the hands of a smallish person such as myself.  To my amazement, however, the resultant photo of this fox is tack sharp.  Running with the monster rig, however, proved to be exhausting work.  I will have to schedule some additional gym sessions to train with the massive setup in my arms.  That itself would make for quite the photo.

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“What Does the Fox Say” Signed Print^* on Exhibition Fiber Media
(up to two week delay possible if Susan is traveling)
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“What Does the Fox Say” Unsigned Print on Exhibition Fiber Media
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