Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF lens

Following months of waiting, BPOTY director Paul Sterry eventually got his hands on Nikon’s new 500mm f/5.6E PF lens. After extensive testing and a recent trip to The Gambia in 40 degree heat, Paul shares his thoughts.

BPOTY director Paul Sterry. Photo ©Rob Read

I have a love-hate relationship with Nikon. I started using their equipment more than 45 years ago, at a time when they didn’t have any real rivals, and for better and for worse, I have stuck with them over the years. Partly because I have invested too much money and have acquired too many lenses and bodies to change; and like many photographers I am reactionary. However, I am not sure Nikon really deserves my loyalty. 

Of course the main reason for sticking with Nikon is that many of their lenses and cameras produce excellent results. This ‘positives’ outweigh the gripes, for example their antiquated DSLR lens-to-camera mount system, seemingly designed to be damaged in the hands of someone like me trying to change lenses on a boat in a heaving sea, or dripping with sweat in a rainforest. And Nikon has produced its fair share of under-whelming lenses too. Then there’s the customer service. I can’t speak for other countries but my experience of Nikon UK does not inspire me. As an example, a few years ago I swallowed hard and bought a brand new 600mm f/4 lens. To my dismay the lens was clearly front-focussing by several millimetres the result being that what the camera’s autofocus thought was in focus was not what actually focussed on the sensor. Defensive denial might be one way of summarising Nikon’s attitude and I recall they took a lot of convincing that there was indeed a problem; and they offered no explanation as to why a lens that costs the same as a small car should come with a fault that in essence rendered it unusable. 

Anyway, like a troubled marriage I continue to persevere with Nikon in the certain knowledge that the future holds both highs and lows. The wonderful files that come out of the D810 are enough to keep me positive most of the time and I have made another revelatory purchase. I am passionate about photographing birds in flight, and until recently relied on my heavyweight 300mm f/2.8. However, I now find it too impossibly heavy to hold for any length of time, especially when trying to track flying birds. So, despite the sceptic in me being doubtful about the autofocus speed (essential with bird flight shots) I invested in a Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF. A featherweight by comparison with the 300mm I have used it in combination with the D850 and its boosted battery power option. And I am really impressed by the lens’ quality, ability to autofocus and above all its weight. If you can afford the combination of lens and camera I would thoroughly recommend it if bird flight photography is your passion. 

But this review comes with a health warning. Like a few other products I could name in the Nikon fleet, the lens has a design flaw. In most instances these flaws are usually minor – little more than an irritation. But in the case of the 500mm f/5.6E PF it is one that could have catastrophic consequences. The lens comes with a rotating collar and foot for tripod mounting. All well and good except that at the base of foot you will find Nikon’s very own self-destruct (sorry, locking/release) button. Depressed intentionally, the lens can be removed from the foot. Pressed accidentally, as happened to me, and the lens (and attached camera) fall to the ground. I checked carefully and no matter how tight the associated locking nut I could still depress the button. So if you buy the lens my advice is to remove the tripod foot at the first opportunity and throw it away – otherwise sooner or later you will come to regret it.

Paul Sterry November 2019.

Bruce’s Green Pigeon taken with the new Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF lens during a trip to The Gambia last month. ©Paul Sterry

Collared Pratincole taken with the new Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF lens during a trip to The Gambia last month. ©Paul Sterry