AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR

Anyone who tells you shooting a 400mm (or a 600mm) ´´plus extensions´´ is equal to the 800 FL ED simply doesn´t know what they´re talking about. Make no mistake, I love my 400 FL ED. When you can fill the frame, the image quality is astounding.

But if you´re shooting small birds, you simply won´t be able to fill the frame much ... or even half the frame (more often than not). Before I bought this lens, put my D500 on my 400 FL ED (600mm equivalent) ... and I still found myself cropping more often than not when shooting smaller birds. This made me realize that even the 600mm is still a compromise for birding.

So I decided to bite the bullet and save a little bit longer ... and, boy, I am glad I did. The 800mm FL ED is a work of art. It is absolutely beautiful. Optically, it is astounding. Neither the 400 (cropped, or with TC) can touch the full presentation of an uncropped 800mm image.

I have all 3 of Nikon´s finest DSLRs (D5, D850, D500) as well as the Z7. The D5 is my first choice, the D500 my second, if I need the extra reach. Even though the 1.25x TC gives me 1000mm on the D5, the f/7.1 aperture slows the AF down a lot ... often rendering AF unusable. By contrast, when I use the D500 on the 800mm, not only do I enjoy an effective 1200mm, but my AF still works perfectly ... which (if conditions are dim) I really enjoy. That said, the image quality with the TC remains staggering, and the image quality without is in a class by itself.

One interesting thing I´ve learned is none of the DSLRs can AF with the 1.4 or 2x TCS on them ... but my Z7 can. This gives me a 1600mm f/11 optic, with accurate AF, which may not be suitable for action, but it is terrific for small bird portraiture.

Yes this lens is an investment, but after you shoot it for just one day, you will wonder how you ever lived without it. You will wonder why you ever ´´cropped images so much´´ ... and deluded yourself into thinking they were as good as images taken with a bare 800mm. There is simply no comparison. Once you buy this lens for birding, you won´t use anything else. And, yes, it is also hand-holdable.

After 35 years in the photo world in one capacity or another I have worked with some really sharp glass in all formats this lens is in the top five.
Working now as a photo guide I stay on top of new products after renting this for a rainy weekend it blew me away.
Now to find a way to justify one of these.
Nice job Nikon

The Nikon 800mm Fluorite lens is terrific for bird photography. There is little difference in the image quality when used in conjunction with the dedicated teleconverter .

I was given a wonderful opportunity to add this lens to my stable of Nikon Lenses. Images are crisp clear. It pairs extremely well with the D810

It is the sharpest lens in the world, at the moment. Best to use with the Nikon D800E.

This is one great lens. I have used it with a V2, D4, D300S and D800E. The images never fail to satisfy me.