Spring is finally here but it is coming slowly and so are the birds. As a result, I recently made the choice to upgrade my Nikon 500mm f/4 P manual focus lens to the slightly newer Nikon 500mm f/4 D with the silent wave autofocus. While I certainly have gotten some great shots with the manual focus lens, the shots that I missed – due to missed focus or not being able to track movement – certainly outnumber the shots that I get by a good margin. So far, it has made a huge difference in my hit/miss ratio for sharp shots, though that’s no surprise. I have also recently upgraded my teleconverter to support the new autofocus, though it seems to be giving me less than stellar results in the few instances that I’ve used it so far. I want to do some more testing, see if it’s an autofocus adjustment that I need to make in camera or if it’s an optics problem. Finally, I got a new lenscoat for this lens in Realtree Max4 and it certainly make it look snazzy.
I’m looking forward to getting more time in the field with this new setup, specifically with the TC so I know if I need to return it or not. As things are starting to green up here, the insects will become more numerous, hopefully bringing in more of the warblers so more shot opportunities to come!