Need suggestion on telephoto lens - Nikon mount

[sks]

Have developed interest on occasional Bird/wild life photography. Need your valuable comments to choose a right glass.
Thanks

[Nishit Dave]

What is your budget? Which camera do you use?

[sks]

Nikon d750

[Nishit Dave]

The Nikon F mount 200-500mm is a good and affordable lens, but it's a bit heavy and does not have weather resistance. This leads to it catching fungus at times. However if you store it in a dry cabinet, you can be safe.

If you have the budget, you could look for the 500mm f/5.6 PF lens. It lacks the flexibility of a zoom, but it's compact and light.

A lot of people use third party lenses like the Sigma 150-600mm (two versions - Contemporary and Sport, the latter being heavier, costlier, and weather resistant) and Tamron 150-600mm G2 (weather resistant). However, the 200-500mm would be a better option than the Sigma Contemporary. There is also the Sigma 60-600mm, which would be good for video shooters, but perhaps an overkill for you.

[sks]

Thanks for the feedback.
Interested in Zoom lens. Have shortlisted Tamron G2  due to extra reach, economical & weather shield built, over Nikon 200-500. May I know, your whether the trade off about sharpness in justified over extra mm & economy.

Thanks

[Nishit Dave]

That's a tough one between the two lenses. I've mostly seen Nikon users choose the Nikkor, while Tamron G2 users are mostly Canon photographers. Both are equally happy. 500mm to 600mm won't make too much of a difference, especially if the lens is sharp at the long end.

However, since you use a full frame camera, your overall reach will be lesser than people who use crop sensor cameras. You should bear that in mind. On crop sensor cameras, the effective difference in focal lengths is 150mm.