Nikkor 500mm f/4 P IF-ED

(UPDATE (13/03/2010): I have finally rebuilt my lens. Read about it here)

The MF 500mm f/4P lens is an old lens. It was first released in March 1988, a little after the legendary Nikon F4 SLR. Today this lens (if a good second-hand copy can be found) is the most affordable quality birding lens available to the Nikon shooter. On the plus side, its optical performance has been enhanced thanks to the introduction of software like Capture NX and cameras like the D3 and D300 that do corrections for Chromatic aberrations and Vignetting. It may not offer autofocus, but
this light weight 3kg super-telephoto is a great alternative to the 5kg+ 400mm and 600mm monsters.

A long tele lens such as the 500mm which on a DX camera is closer to 700mm can really put the background out of focus. This was shot using a Nikon D200 at 200 ISO and a MF 500mm f/4P lens. Exposure was f/4 @ 1/250sec.

Build

This is a marvellous manual focus P series lens that has a chip onboard together with electrical contacts so it can work with matrix metering found on all modern camera bodies (this way all metering modes are useable). It’s quite light, portable and mobile considering its focal length and speed. Thanks to those qualities it’s the most manoeuvrable of all the long telephoto lenses from Nikon if you don’t consider the shorter 400mm f/3.5 or the slower 600mm f/5.6 lenses, plus those two last examples don’t offer a P chip. 

The MF 500mm f/4P lens has a length of only 39cm without measuring the massive carbon-fibred strengthened HK-17 lens hood which is another 17cm. Its optical construction consists of 8 elements in six groups, three of which are ED glass elements with the front ED element protected by a factory fitted dust-proof UV filter which measures 122mm. Although I have used this lens a lot without the hood I highly recommend that it is used, especially in strong lighting conditions or shooting against the light. The 360° tripod collar works smoothly without any wobbles and doesn’t show any signs of trouble as the one on my Tokina AF 300mm f/2.8 lens. Whether out of a car window, lying on the ground or mounted on a manfrotto 393 head the lens is a pleasure to use and handle.

Optical performance

The optical performance is outstanding. The amount of detail this lens can deliver to the film / sensor plain is so great that you can hook up any tele-converter you wish and the results will still be rich with detail even wide open.

On its own this lens is extremely sharp from wide open with good contrast. Contrast benefits from closing down a bit but the overall performance is so good wide open that there is no need to.

I have used two copies of this lens, one in the late nineties while shooting soccer for an agency and the one I currently own which I use for wildlife. Both were impressive on film and the one I currently own is excellent on digital if you can live with the small amount of blue/purple fringing which seems to be more evident on the D2x and D200 cameras. The D3 and D300 cameras combined with Capture NX help to eliminate most of the fringing and vignetting which adds to this lens already great performance. 

The lens offers an aperture range from f/4.0 to f/22. Amazingly I have utilized the f/22 aperture with good results when utilizing a teleconverter and an extension ring for maximum magnification and DOF. Of course contrast drops as does sharpness at f/22 but its still an outstanding performance even though I recommend avoiding anything over f13 unless the subject warrants such DOF.

Nikon D300, MF 500mm f/4P plus TC14E II. Exposure was f/8 @ 1/1000sec at ISO 400. Below is a 100% screengrab. Please keep in mind that this is not a static and high contrast target but a live animal. Also, the focus plane is in front of the eye instead of on it - just goes to show how critical focus can be!

Tele-converters

You can hook up any of the following Nikon tele-converters: the TC-14B, TC-14C and TC-301 or the newer TC-14E, TC-17E and TC-20E (as long as they are properly modified as seen here. With any of the above, the results will be sharp and rich with detail. I have used stacked tele-converters on the MF 500mm f/4P lens with some success (as seen below) but it doesn’t quite match the modern optics from canon. With a 1.4x converter the lens becomes a fast 700mm f/5.6 lens and with a 2.0x converter it becomes a quality 1000mm f/8 monster. Personally i avoid 2x converters and prefer to use the lens with a modified TC-14E for most of my shooting.

This was shot using two different 1.4x teleconverters stacked and the results are pretty good, though I wouldn't use this combo too often. Nikon D300, MF 500mm f/4p, plus Nikon TC14E II (modified) and a Kenko TC1.4x. Exposure was f/16 @ 1/400 with an ISO set to 800. Below is a 100% screengrab. Please keep in mind that this is not a static and high contrast target but a live animal.

Focusing

A lot of photographers don’t put in the effort needed to learn to use a manual focus lens simply because they have the money to acquire a modern AF optic. So if like me you are on a tight budget, you will need to compromise a lot. The MF 500mm f/4P lens has the capability of delivering amazing results even for action though you will work harder and your keepers will be less. You will need to first gain enough experience using the lens in different situations and then a lot of luck, but in the end, you will get results without having the bank knocking at your door.

Of course a photographer shooting anything over 400mm needs to be experienced in handling a long lens and his technique needs to be excellent otherwise his results will be disappointing. Quite often sloppy photographers report their disappointment with certain long lenses because they are soft or couldn’t provide them with sharp results on a constant basis. These type of photographers need to learn how best to use o long tele lens and remember that this is a tool and not a magic wand! 

Another common mistake is that users buy a long lens and expect to shoot from farther away. No matter how long the lens, you still need to get as close as possible to your subject. The further away the subject, the harder it’s going to be to focus. With digital photography you can take a series of shots in a quick burst while you fine-tune the focusing but this adds more time to the selection process. There will be times when you will miss some great moments but such is life and I’m sure the same can happen if you had AF, maybe not as often. However, with AF, you have to master all of the AF settings, something a lot of people are still struggling with. And even with AF, sometimes you will need to shift back to MF for those critical focusing moments since it’s quicker to do that than to change the AF point. 

Manual focusing on a D70 or D200 of course is more difficult since the small viewfinder doesn’t help much. Manual focusing requires a large bright viewfinder like those found on the D2x and D3 cameras and if you really want the best then a special manual focusing screen (eg: Katz Eye) will help as well.

Shot wide open with teleconverter. Nikon D300, MF 500mm f/4P with TC14E II. Exposure was 1/250sec @ f/5.6 and sensitivity set at 400 ISO. Below is a 100% screengrab. Please keep in mind that this is not a static and high contrast target but a live animal. Also this was shot in shade with no noise reduction applied.

Going on an African safari?

To those reading this review and considering this lens for such an occasion, I would suggest you avoid this lens. The much smaller AF 80-400mm VR lens is a better choice for a lot of reasons. It’s smaller so travelling is easier and hassle-free, it’s lighter so it’s hand-holdable and offers AF even though it’s on the slow side. Plus the fact that most of your shooting will be done from a moving vehicle means that the VR option wins hands down. The MF 500mm f/4P is a great lens and unless you will be going there on your own, then consider something with VR and that’s lighter, since group safari trips wont allow you the freedom to use proper long lens techniques.

Drawbacks

The lens is not perfect so it does have some minor negative points. The first on the list is the blue or purple fringing that can be seen at high contrast transitions. The amount and colour depend a lot on scene, camera and conversion software and at times it can be strong. Next is the vignetting that can be noticeable on the DX format, if you go looking for it. On a full frame camera you will notice it in the extreme corners. Closing down does help eliminate the fall off, but I personally would never close down for that reason alone. Third on the list of negative points is the minimum focusing distance which is close to 6m. This is not so good for wildlife photographers. Thankfully this distance can be altered if needed by using a PK series extension ring that will allow for closer focusing (higher magnification) but disables focusing at infinity which in most cases is not a concern. I use the PK-12 ring to help bring down the minimum focusing distance to about 4.6m or the PK-13 to about 4m. Another drawback for some is the uncommon size of the drop-in filters which has an attachment of 39mm, but this disadvantage has slowly disappeared since the introduction of digital.

Investment

With 1800€ you can pick up a good unit on e-bay. But you need to know that spares are not available so you need to make sure you find a lens that is in good working order. You can’t even get parts for AF-I lenses since they are now getting quite old as well. So a manual focus lens in good working order sounds like good value since it should last forever and outlast an expensive AF version that has more moving and fragile parts that can die or wear out.

Last words

While I can't say I wouldn’t appreciate AF, I find that manually focusing these lenses is not all that difficult. A lot of non-pro wildlife photographers shooting with Nikon cameras usually progress through different lenses at a fast rate until they end up with a MF 500mm f/4P lens. Then they usually keep this lens for quite a few years until their eyesight starts failing them at which point they need to invest in a AF version whether they like it or not. So I guess I will be in need of 8.000€ in a couple of years as I’m not getting any younger. An autofocus lens will ensure more keepers as will VR technology, but 8.000€ is a lot of money!

And don’t forget, to master your long lens technique!

IN SUMMARY

Chromatic aberrations

Suffers from some blue/purple fringing at times. The D300 and D3 combined with Capture NX help to remove most traces automatically but not all.

Vignetting

On the DX format cameras there is no noticeable light fall off to worry about although it’s present wide open.

Distortion

None to worry about.

Sharpness

Outstanding at all apertures, especially at f/4. And remains just as sharp even when combined with a 1.4x converter. I close down only when I need more DOF or when I use a larger converter than my standard TC14E or stacked converters.

NOTES

A beautiful lens from the past that still has so much to offer.