I just wanted to share it.

Using my Nikon D5300 + 200-500mm Nikkor f/5.6 has been a good experience in general. It has been about 6 months now. Before that it was D5300 + 70-300 mm AF-P f/4.5-6.3.

I am constantly checking Nikon cameras (D500, Z50 II, Z5II, Z6III) and even considered Sony cameras (a6700) thinking I may get rid of Nikon kit and get a sony 200-600 mm lens.

I feel like I am in some kind of trap of feeling to upgrade and can't judge if I really should upgrade.

Has anyone been through this feeling and can help me figure out if its a trap and how to get out of it?

Hi all, I’m new to the sub. Can’t believe I didn’t find it sooner!

I get a couple of minutes each morning to grab some shots of birds at my local reservoir, sometimes get something interesting in the garden, and sometimes get to go out for a longer session.

My favourite birds are red kites, magpies, and rainbow lorikeets.

I shoot with an old Sony A77 and a 400mm telephoto lens.

By way of introduction, here’s some of my recent favourite shots.

Birds shown:
Mute swan
Mute swan
Mallard (female)
Mallard (male)
Grey heron
Grey heron
Greylag goose
Canada goose
Eurasian magpie
Carrion crow
Great spotted woodpecker
Eurasian jay

Om-1 + 150-600mm f/6.3

Shot with @nikonusa Z9 Nikkor 600 mm f/6.3 PF lens, shot at 1/800 s, f/6.3, ISO 360, EV +1.00

Finally got some decent photos of one! Really happy about these

1. Swamp Hen
2. New Holland Honeyeater
3. Welcome Swallows
4. Little Corella
5. White faced Heron
6. Rainbow Bee-eater
7. Rainbow Lorikeet
8. Laughing Kookaburra

9. Eastern Whipbird

10. Channel billed Cuckoo and Magpie

Let me know which was your favourite!

#15 isn’t just a tree, dead center a creeper hides in plain sight.

Lâm Đồng, Việt Nam, 2026

A magical day on Skomer

I’m having a bit of gear dilemma and would love some perspective or reality checks from fellow birders, especially if you shoot on a Sony A1 (or A9 / A7R series).

Right now, my go-to setup for bird photography is the Sony A1 paired with the Sony FE 300mm f/2.8 GM and the 2x teleconverter. That gives me an effective 600mm f/5.6. Honestly, it has been working great for me, the image quality is fantastic, and I’ve been really blown away by how well the 300 GM handles a 2x extender compared to older glass. I do a lot of hiking/walking so the weight difference could be the deciding factor. Also, I noticed that I rarely use it without converter.

Here’s where my dilemma begins:

I bought the 300 GM second-hand just last summer. It was practically brand new, barely touched, and it's only a year old. I genuinely love using it, which makes me feel a bit conflicted (and honestly a little guilty) to even consider changing anything.

...And then Sony goes and announces the new FE 600mm f/6.3 GM OSS.

Now I can't stop thinking about whether it would make more sense to sell the 300 GM and move to the dedicated 600mm prime strictly for bird photography:

The new 600mm being under 1 kg (~995g) sounds like a dream for long handheld walks in the field. Plus, being a dedicated prime, I imagine the native micro-contrast and initial autofocus bite might be that tiny bit snappier for fast BIF than running any lens through a 2x TC.

Selling a mint-condition 300mm f/2.8 that I love feels tough. With the 300 + 2x, I still get f/5.6 (1/3 stop more light) and the 2 meter minimum focus distance, which is killer for small songbirds and close encounters. The new 600 sits at 2.5m and drops to f/6.3.

There are hardly any direct side-by-side reviews or YouTube videos comparing these two yet, so I feel like I'm trying to guess the real-world difference in feather detail.

1. Has anyone here had a chance to get their hands on the new 600mm f/6.3 GM yet? How does the raw feather detail compare to top-shelf glass with a 2x TC?
2. Am I overthinking this, or is anyone else sitting on the fence about making this exact jump?

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

TL;DR: Currently shooting birds on a Sony A1 with the 300mm f/2.8 GM + 2x TC (600mm f/5.6). Love the setup, bought the lens nearly mint just last summer. But the sub-1kg weight (~995g) and native prime bite of the new 600mm f/6.3 GM are tempting me to sell the 300 GM. Is losing f/5.6, the close 2.0m MFD, and 300mm versatility worth the massive weight drop and native AF? Anyone else in the same boat?

AI was used to format this text and check for spelling errors.

October 14, 2026

Lake Isaac, Middleburg Heights, Ohio