Mammals Don't Chew On Me - Sony A9 III + 200-600mm + 1.4x Extender

[sswildlife]

Don't Chew On Me - Endangered San Joaquin Kit Fox kits enjoying a romp outside their den. This is one of my favorite California species, it's always a treat to observe them. They are a highly sensitive species facing various threats including but not limited to mange, habitat loss/fragmentation, and predation by Coyotes, Golden Eagles, etc.

This image was taken at a very long focal length to avoid disturbance to the den. Special thanks to a police officer for kindly sharing this den location with me out of the blue while I was hiking, I would not have found it otherwise.

I was flirting with the idea of picking up a 400-800, but my 200-600 is a very sharp copy and performs well with the 1.4x extender, so I decided against it and instead plan to save that money and wait for a wider aperture wildlife zoom. What are your thoughts on the 400-800mm zoom vs 200-600mm + 1.4x?

Species: San Joaquin Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis)Location: California, USA
Equipment: Sony A9 III + FE 200-600mm + 1.4x Extender, On Tripod
Settings: 1/1600s, ISO: 1250, f/9 @840mm

• ILCE-9M3
• FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS + 1.4X Teleconverter
• 840.0 mm
• ƒ/9
• 1/1600 sec
• ISO 1250

 

[Unframed Dave]

My thoughts on the 400 800 are here.

Thoughts on the 400-800 f8

I purchased this lens a few months back after being gifted some money by my old Dad. It was a customer return from WEX with a 10% discount on the unboxed price. At this price, it was a bit of no brainer and if I didn't do something with the money, I'd only waste it on more velour leisure suits...

www.alphashooters.com

I've since listened to Kev's lens and it isn't silent.

Mine will go up for sale as soon as I can remember where I put the original and ridiculous lens foot!

 

[sswildlife]

My thoughts on the 400 800 are here.

Thoughts on the 400-800 f8

I purchased this lens a few months back after being gifted some money by my old Dad. It was a customer return from WEX with a 10% discount on the unboxed price. At this price, it was a bit of no brainer and if I didn't do something with the money, I'd only waste it on more velour leisure suits...

www.alphashooters.com

I've since listened to Kev's lens and it isn't silent.

Mine will go up for sale as soon as I can remember where I put the original and ridiculous lens foot!

Thanks for sharing Dave! I will not be purchasing this lens. I imagine since you have the 600 f/4 and 200-600 there's not much use case for it on your end either, but great image quality on those shots you shared anyhow.

Best,
Shrav