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Is the Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF Manual Focus lens worth its weight to carry around?

It's really a personal choice and depending where one is based, that a lens of this calibre can outweigh the disadvantages of its weight and bulky length. First, the only versatile pack for such a lens on the global market is the sleek Kani pack. The Kani pack does accommodate an 800mm lens with a pro-body attached with ease, which I recently tested over-landing through India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The latest overland journey into a location during extreme heat with wild sand storms and vicious thunderstorms in the Thar desert region in India was an ultimate test for the lens and equipment. The average temperature over a 3 week period was 45 degrees Celsius, and hit 48 degrees during a heat wave, which felt like being roasted in an oven. The 800mm lens was so hot, I thought it was going to melt- me included. The lens does show some signs of CA fringing on wide apertures with high contrast. An odd halo in some images is present when pointing at certain angles towards sunlight. The CA and halo can be eradicated in post processing which isn't a big drama. At times I also use the Nikon 800mm f/5.6 lens on DX mode (1200mm) to capture distant subjects. It also saves wasted parts of image space that's not required. A 1.4x teleconverter in my bag is hardly used due to the powerful magnification of this lens. The only drawback with this old classic lens, is the lack of autofocus on any fast moving subjects at certain angles when focus and DOF becomes an issue to capture sharp images. Slow moving subjects, landscapes, and any stationary subject when using the 800mm manual focus lens is certainly not difficult. When having no required time limit to manually re-focus, or change settings makes this lens shine. A stable tripod is imperative to hold the 6.5kg weight (lens and body), including a robust tripod head that's easy to work with. The Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens was manufactured from 1986~2005 with 2972 units produced. It is now considered as an old horse, but this lens like many other classic manual focus lenses can accommodate an added dandelion chip if need be. The chip is designed to fit most manualI focus lenses. I would personally recommend this lens to anyone who's thinking to upgrade from a smaller prime lens. Mint condition Nikon 800mm f/5.6 lenses can still be purchased online through Japanese eBay sellers, or KEH used camera- gear in USA.  
All images on this page were taken with a Nikon 800mm ED-IF manual focus lens using D3 and D3s 12 megapixel sensor bodies.

Reaching Out - Long Shot 

The magnification of a classic manual focus Nikon 800mm f/5.6 lens still has some punch. Location and image capture below were taken on the same day at the Rohtang pass (4000 metres) at a distant pinnacle peak of the Himalaya on the Indian/Chinese (Tibetan) border (6100 metres). 

Long shot - Rohtang pass  - D3S , Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/750 sec, 200 iso 

Long Shot - 350+ metres  

 Wildlife India - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/250 sec, 400 iso

Egyptian Vultures - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/2000 sec, 2000 iso

 An Eurasian Griffon - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/1000 sec, 800 iso

Egyptian Vultures - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/2000 sec, 2000 iso

Let's Dance, Egrets - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/8, 1/3200 sec, 500 iso

Raptor Gathering - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/3200 sec, 800 iso

A Steppe eagle 2018 - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/400 sec, 500 iso

 Fox Glacier national park landscape - D3, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/2000 sec, 400 iso

Sunset on the edge of the Thar desert - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/32, 1/13th sec, 200 iso

Mid air clash of a Steppe eagle and Egyptian vulture - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/320sec, 250 iso

On location at Sitakunda ship wrecking yards - FPP (fixed pitched propeller) - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11 1/640 sec, 800 iso

A purple moorhen- D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/1600 sec, 1600 iso

Sometimes the inevitable happens at a particular location when there was no other lens but the 800mm to capture a street portrait snap. This image was taken with a classic Nikon D3 in west Bengal @ f/8. 1/1000 sec, 800 iso

A purple Heron - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/8, 1/1250 sec, 400 iso

Young Grey Herons - D3s,  Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/8, 1/320sec, 1600 iso

A Himalayan Griffon vulture - D3, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/2000 sec, iso 1100

Wildlife snap - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/32, 1/400 sec 450 iso

An Egyptian vulture  feeding on  a carcass - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/3200 sec, 3200 iso

Bangladesh ship wrecking yards, this image was captured from an approximate 600 metre distance in the early morning with minimal light at the subjects. The image was taken with a D3s body @ f/8, 1/1600 sec, 640 iso

A grey Heron in action - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/2500 sec, 800 iso

 A spotted owl within its natural habitat - D3s, 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/320 sec, 800 iso

Seal Pups - D3, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/4000 sec, 1600 iso

Sitakunda ship wrecking yards - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/800 sec, 800 iso 

Jackals in low light - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/8 1/250 sec, 2500 iso

  A saras crane in take off mode @400 metres - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/22, 1/1600 sec, 2000 iso 

A snake bird  in action with a catch - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/1600 sec, 1600 iso

Egyptian vultures, Keoladeo, India - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/16, 1/2000 sec, 1250 iso

A pond Heron - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus @ f/8,  1/1600 sec, 500 iso

A cow carcass - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/22 1/125 sec, 400 iso

 A Himalayan vulture in flight -  D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/22 1/2000 sec, 1600 iso

An Eurasian collared dove - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/22, 1/1250 sec, 1250 iso

A grey Heron  in take-off mode - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus @ f/8, 1/2500 sec, 500 iso

  Duck snap - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus len @ f/8, 1/1250 sec, 160 iso

Steppe eagles - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/8, 1/1250 sec, 800 iso

A female Jackal - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/8, 1/1600 sec, 1250 iso

Below, A spotted dove - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/5.6, 1/1600 sec, 400 iso

Below: Open bill storks - D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/1000 sec, 400 iso

FX Single frame long shot, Mount Cook NZ -  D3s, Nikon 800mm f/5.6 ED-IF manual focus lens @ f/11, 1/80 sec, 200 iso

Looking for a LensPack than can accommodate an 800mm lens with body attached?

More images on the KANI Backpack for LARGE 800 PRIMES  -  Robust  -  Comfortable -  Reliable 

Background image: On location - Himachal Pradesh