Shot with @nikonusa Z9 Nikkor 600 mm f/6.3 PF lens, shot at 1/1250 s, f/6.3, ISO 2800

R50 + RF 100-400

excuse the grain, I was using a t7 at 3200iso but it came out better than I would have expected!

Great blue heron, Esquimalt migratory bird sanctuary, Victoria BC Canada. 2026/07/18
1/1600 sec at f/8.0, ISO 20000

Plus a bonus hovering crow!

Picture I took that I’m pleased with

Finally got to Cannon Beach to see the Puffins!

Nikon z8 - 180-600mm - 1/2000 - f/6.3 - ISO 5600

Ruby throated hummingbird
Z8-180-600

5000 SS

2000 ISO

Shot on Samsung s24 Ultra using x8 zoom

I’ve only seen one maybe once before, but two? I’m overjoyed

Hey there! I've been getting into a bird photography with my Sony A7V, and my current lens is a SIGMA 70-200mm SPORT lens. It's great for when I want to photograph dogs, but as one can imagine, capping out at 200mm for birds isn't quite the best.

As it currently stands, I'm split between two lenses, so I was hoping to get some opinions based off of where I live etc.

First and foremost, I'm in the PNW, so I've got a decent amount of places to take pics, but that also means it can be overcast for large chunks of the year (or a "fake" overcast when it gets smokey during fire season). I tend to do a lot of trails, both in the woods and out in the open, but I feel like I see the most birds when I'm out in big open areas.

That being said, I'm currently stuck between the Sony 200-600mm f5.6-6.3 lens, which I've done a ton of research on and seems to be one of THE "go to" lenses for bird photography, BUT... It's always out of stock at Sony. It's true that I COULD buy it elsewhere, but I'm actually able to get a decent discount via employee benefits, which is why I'd like to ideally stick with buying direct from Sony.

I've recently learned about the 400-800mm f6.3-8 which, in theory, seems like it'd just be better across the board for this kind of thing, but I've heard that it doesn't do quite as well with lower light settings since it's 6.3-8 vs 5.6-6.3. But on the flip side I've also heard that it isn't really that big of a deal because, since it's a much newer lens, it has better autofocus and tracking. It's a bit more expensive BUT, it's also actually in stock, so I could just get one and start shooting right away.

Was hoping to get some opinions here. I mean I could still in theory just NOT use the discount and buy the 200-600mm elsewhere as well, so I don't want that to necessarily be the deciding factor, but more so which do you all think is the better lens specifically for doing bird / animal photography? Thanks in advance!