Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
p.13 #1Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Your description of its weight is excellent. That's what I needed to know. Thanks
Sep 19, 2023 at 05:36 PM
p.13 #2Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
rscheffler wrote:
Hi all, just wandered over from the Canon board through a link. This lens looks like it could be really compelling for daytime sports on a Z8. Wondering if anyone is doing so (field sports like football) and finding the AF and wide open sharpness is acceptable, particularly at the long end of the zoom range when subjects are not filling the frame? (Some lenses seem to fall apart in respect to sharpness at longer distances.) I'm currently using the Canon 200-400/4 with internal 1.4xTC often engaged to give me 560/5.6. So 600/6.3 isn't much of a 'downgrade' in respect...Show more →
armd wrote:
Not sure that I could say and I haven't heard of anyone using the 180-600 for this application. As you know, the bokeh takes a hit when shooting at f/6.3. When I used to be shooting football, one body had the 400 f/2.8 + 1.4x TC and I was always shooting at f/4 or 4.5, and typically had a 70-200 f/2.8 on the other body (or sometimes wider).
Just to illustrate how much the field has changed, I recently had the opportunity to be on the sidelines for a B10 game and the number of agency or freelance photographers has...Show more →
Thanks for the reply. I've been shooting football for about 30 years and things definitely have changed, and not just with equipment. But to keep it equipment-centric, for a couple decades the 400/2.8 was my staple lens. Way back when shooting Kodachrome 64, f/2.8 was needed even in full direct sunlight.
In 2013 I dumped the super-tele primes and transitioned to the Canon 200-400/4 with internal 1.4x TC and still use it. Last weekend I brought a Canon RF 100-500 CPS loaner lens to a game and mostly shot pre-game with it. It might be sharper than the 200-400 and looks to have somewhat higher contrast too, but yes, f/7.1 at 500mm isn't like the look of the faster super-teles. But not sure that matters so much any longer. My client is actually requesting photographers shoot at f/4-5.6 for *less* background blur, believe it or not. So it got me thinking about lenses like the Canon 100-500, this Nikon, Sony's 200-600... What I didn't like about the 100-500 was the external zoom's uneven zoom resistance through the zoom range that overall had too much resistance, even when set to the smoothest resistance setting. Anyway, for a midday game, it seemed like it would work OK, so I'd imagine this Nikon 180-600 would be similar in respect to technical considerations. But night/indoor games would be a bit more of a challenge. With the 200-400 with the 1.4x in use at f/5.6, I'm often at ISO 6400 or 8000. So to lose another 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop is somewhat undesirable.
The NFL sidelines I visit have a pretty healthy mix of brands, but it is primarily Canon and Sony with some Nikon. Many still shoot with 400/2.8s, but it's much less universal than it was even 5-6 years ago. Many more xxx-500/600 style zooms, and of those the Sony 200-600 seems most prevalent. The Canon 200-400 is fairly popular, but not as much as earlier in its release. And yes, a fair number of 100-400s, particularly with those shooting video. What I see much less of are 500mm or 600mm primes; they're almost non-existent now. Sony made pretty significant gains in this space among photographers covering NFL games with the release of the a9 in 2017 and especially with the high MP a1. Most are now shooting mirrorless but this transition for many has been only in the past year or two, including me last year. Only last year did Nikon respond to Sony's a1 with the Z9 and we're still waiting on a ~50MP stacked sensor from Canon. These high MP cameras have also changed lens considerations, due to the ability to crop deeper while retaining decent resolution, meaning longer than ~400mm isn't as necessary for these games as in the past.
Hi all, just wandered over from the Canon board through a link. This lens looks like it could be really compelling for daytime sports on a Z8. Wondering if anyone is doing so (field sports like football) and finding the AF and wide open sharpness is acceptable, particularly at the long end of the zoom range when subjects are not filling the frame? (Some lenses seem to fall apart in respect to sharpness at longer distances.) I'm currently using the Canon 200-400/4 with internal 1.4xTC often engaged to give me 560/5.6. So 600/6.3 isn't much of a 'downgrade' in respect...Show more →
armd wrote:
Not sure that I could say and I haven't heard of anyone using the 180-600 for this application. As you know, the bokeh takes a hit when shooting at f/6.3. When I used to be shooting football, one body had the 400 f/2.8 + 1.4x TC and I was always shooting at f/4 or 4.5, and typically had a 70-200 f/2.8 on the other body (or sometimes wider).
Just to illustrate how much the field has changed, I recently had the opportunity to be on the sidelines for a B10 game and the number of agency or freelance photographers has...Show more →
Thanks for the reply. I've been shooting football for about 30 years and things definitely have changed, and not just with equipment. But to keep it equipment-centric, for a couple decades the 400/2.8 was my staple lens. Way back when shooting Kodachrome 64, f/2.8 was needed even in full direct sunlight.
In 2013 I dumped the super-tele primes and transitioned to the Canon 200-400/4 with internal 1.4x TC and still use it. Last weekend I brought a Canon RF 100-500 CPS loaner lens to a game and mostly shot pre-game with it. It might be sharper than the 200-400 and looks to have somewhat higher contrast too, but yes, f/7.1 at 500mm isn't like the look of the faster super-teles. But not sure that matters so much any longer. My client is actually requesting photographers shoot at f/4-5.6 for *less* background blur, believe it or not. So it got me thinking about lenses like the Canon 100-500, this Nikon, Sony's 200-600... What I didn't like about the 100-500 was the external zoom's uneven zoom resistance through the zoom range that overall had too much resistance, even when set to the smoothest resistance setting. Anyway, for a midday game, it seemed like it would work OK, so I'd imagine this Nikon 180-600 would be similar in respect to technical considerations. But night/indoor games would be a bit more of a challenge. With the 200-400 with the 1.4x in use at f/5.6, I'm often at ISO 6400 or 8000. So to lose another 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop is somewhat undesirable. The NFL sidelines I visit have a pretty healthy mix of brands, but it is primarily Canon and Sony with some Nikon. Many still shoot with 400/2.8s, but it's much less universal than it was even 5-6 years ago. Many more xxx-500/600 style zooms, and of those the Sony 200-600 seems most prevalent. The Canon 200-400 is fairly popular, but not as much as earlier in its release. And yes, a fair number of 100-400s, particularly with those shooting video. What I see much less of are 500mm or 600mm primes; they're almost non-existent now. Sony made pretty significant gains in this space among photographers covering NFL games with the release of the a9 in 2017 and especially with the high MP a1. Most are now shooting mirrorless but this transition for many has been only in the past year or two, including me last year. Only last year did Nikon respond to Sony's a1 with the Z9 and we're still waiting on a ~50MP stacked sensor from Canon. These high MP cameras have also changed lens considerations, due to the ability to crop deeper while retaining decent resolution, meaning longer than ~400mm isn't as necessary for these games as in the past.
Sep 19, 2023 at 09:51 PM
p.13 #5Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Kasper6188 wrote:
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53204868573_0f4ce20287_o.jpg
Very cool shots. What focal length did you use for that grasshopper? I clicked on the image, but it wouldn’t take me anywhere with the info.
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53204868573_0f4ce20287_o.jpg
Very cool shots. What focal length did you use for that grasshopper? I clicked on the image, but it wouldn’t take me anywhere with the info.
Sep 22, 2023 at 07:54 AM
p.13 #6Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Archerscreek wrote:
Very cool shots. What focal length did you use for that grasshopper? I clicked on the image, but it wouldn’t take me anywhere with the info.
Thanks! The grasshopper was 350mm f9, at mfd
Kasper6188 wrote
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53204868573_0f4ce20287_o.jpgThanks! The grasshopper was 350mm f9, at mfd
Sep 22, 2023 at 08:15 AM
p.13 #7Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
I just did a new test @ 600mm f/6.3 in cloudy weather and at base ISO. It's perfectly sharp wide open, IMO. In fact, I struggle to get a sharper image at f/7.1 or f/8 than this shot, so micro-blur from vibrations or distortions in the air seems to be more important.
Click on link to see 100% crop:
https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~forums/67266930/8bcfb0c408544f49a95efa7ddcc97943
Click on link to see 100% crop:
https://3.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~forums/67266930/8bcfb0c408544f49a95efa7ddcc97943
Sep 24, 2023 at 11:13 AM
p.13 #8Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Just a chippy, 600mm 6.3, downsampled to 3840 long side
Sep 25, 2023 at 04:09 PM
p.13 #9Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Kasper6188 wrote:
Just a chippy, 600mm 6.3, downsampled to 3840 long side
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53214003618_994f4d985d_o.jpg
Perfect!
And I hope you gave him some nuts to store. It's a long winter. Isn't that what he's looking for with that stare?
Just a chippy, 600mm 6.3, downsampled to 3840 long side
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53214003618_994f4d985d_o.jpg
Perfect!
And I hope you gave him some nuts to store. It's a long winter. Isn't that what he's looking for with that stare?
Sep 25, 2023 at 05:46 PM
p.13 #10Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
I picked up my 180-600 today and late in the day I went to a local pond for a quick try out. Early days yet but colour me very impressed. Looks to be very sharp at 600 wide open, like others have been posting here. It handles very nicely and the zoom is easy, short and well weighted. AF seems fast enough but I haven't tried it out on much yet.
Some have been cropped a little and some quite a lot. The first image was cropped about 35%, the second about 15%, the third about 5% and the last about 25%.
Z8 + 180-600, 1/1250s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso500
Z8 + 180-600, 1/1250s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso400
Z8 + 180-600, 1/250s f/6.3 at 570.0mm iso2800
Z8 + 180-600, 1/800s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso250
Edited on Oct 04, 2023 at 03:57 PM · View previous versions
Some have been cropped a little and some quite a lot. The first image was cropped about 35%, the second about 15%, the third about 5% and the last about 25%.
Z8 + 180-600, 1/1250s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso500
Z8 + 180-600, 1/1250s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso400
Z8 + 180-600, 1/250s f/6.3 at 570.0mm iso2800
Z8 + 180-600, 1/800s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso250
Edited on Oct 04, 2023 at 03:57 PM · View previous versions
Sep 28, 2023 at 02:21 AM
|
p.13 #12Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
A couple from today
Z8 - 1/125s f/6.3 at 410.0mm iso2800
Z8 - 1/500s f/6.0 at 460.0mm iso2800
Edited on Oct 04, 2023 at 03:56 PM · View previous versions
Z8 - 1/125s f/6.3 at 410.0mm iso2800
Z8 - 1/500s f/6.0 at 460.0mm iso2800
Edited on Oct 04, 2023 at 03:56 PM · View previous versions
Sep 28, 2023 at 11:42 PM
p.13 #13Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Thank you for these images and your early assessment of the 180-600 Lance. 
Sep 29, 2023 at 02:45 AM
p.13 #14Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Lance B wrote:
A couple from today
Z8 - 1/125s f/6.3 at 410.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005420/auto.jpg
Z8 - 1/500s f/6.0 at 460.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005421/auto.jpg
The bokeh on the last parrot (the one will the crazy red "featherdo") is dreamy.
While I have firmly decided to pass on this lens, I look forward to seeing more of your images and your thoughts. With it covering the range of the 500PF and capacity to endure a crop at 600mm, I am wondering if the PF will see less and less use, as this will say something about the zoom's optics and AF speed.
It is the 400 f4.5 and its usefulness with the Z-converter that has caused me to pass on the 180-600. With a desire to carry the 800PF wherever I go means that I only have space to carry one physically long lens if I want to bring multiple bodies and some intermediate optics on both random and non-random shoots.
bruce
A couple from today
Z8 - 1/125s f/6.3 at 410.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005420/auto.jpg
Z8 - 1/500s f/6.0 at 460.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005421/auto.jpg
The bokeh on the last parrot (the one will the crazy red "featherdo") is dreamy.
While I have firmly decided to pass on this lens, I look forward to seeing more of your images and your thoughts. With it covering the range of the 500PF and capacity to endure a crop at 600mm, I am wondering if the PF will see less and less use, as this will say something about the zoom's optics and AF speed.
It is the 400 f4.5 and its usefulness with the Z-converter that has caused me to pass on the 180-600. With a desire to carry the 800PF wherever I go means that I only have space to carry one physically long lens if I want to bring multiple bodies and some intermediate optics on both random and non-random shoots.
bruce
Sep 29, 2023 at 05:12 AM
p.13 #15Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
OwlsEyes wrote:
Z8 - 1/125s f/6.3 at 410.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005420/auto.jpg
Z8 - 1/500s f/6.0 at 460.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005421/auto.jpgThe bokeh on the last parrot (the one will the crazy red "featherdo") is dreamy.
While I have firmly decided to pass on this lens, I look forward to seeing more of your images and your thoughts. With it covering the range of the 500PF and capacity to endure a crop at 600mm, I am wondering if the PF will see less and less use, as this will say something about the zoom's optics and AF speed.
It is the 400 f4.5 and its usefulness with the Z-converter that has caused me to pass on the 180-600. With a desire...Show more →
I fully understand. The main reason I got this lens was for a one tele photo zoom lens for travel if I am going anywhere there may be birds or wildlife. I am still deciding how it fits into my local use as when at home. It seems to be decently sharp and easy to use but at this stage I have not used it enough to qualify other attributes like bokeh and overall IQ when compared to the 100-400 and 500 pf etc.
Lance B wrote
A couple from todayZ8 - 1/125s f/6.3 at 410.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005420/auto.jpg
Z8 - 1/500s f/6.0 at 460.0mm iso2800
https://pbase.com/lance_b/image/174005421/auto.jpg
While I have firmly decided to pass on this lens, I look forward to seeing more of your images and your thoughts. With it covering the range of the 500PF and capacity to endure a crop at 600mm, I am wondering if the PF will see less and less use, as this will say something about the zoom's optics and AF speed.
It is the 400 f4.5 and its usefulness with the Z-converter that has caused me to pass on the 180-600. With a desire...Show more →
I fully understand. The main reason I got this lens was for a one tele photo zoom lens for travel if I am going anywhere there may be birds or wildlife. I am still deciding how it fits into my local use as when at home. It seems to be decently sharp and easy to use but at this stage I have not used it enough to qualify other attributes like bokeh and overall IQ when compared to the 100-400 and 500 pf etc.
Sep 29, 2023 at 05:00 PM
p.13 #16Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
Lance B you need to make a book on "Birds of Australia". You would sell a bunch, I suspect. Surely you've documented most ;-).
Sep 29, 2023 at 05:15 PM
p.13 #17Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
geekcop wrote:
Lance B you need to make a book on "Birds of Australia". You would sell a bunch, I suspect. Surely you've documented most ;-).
Thank you very much for your kind comments, Todd. Much appreciated!
Actually, I have printed a book of Australian birds a few months back. It has 100 photos all glossy 350mm x 235mm (13.75" x 9.25") and photos on the front and back cover. Here is the gallery that contains all the images in the Australian Bird Book. Click on each image and under the image also click "auto" so it sets the best size for the screen that you are viewing on:
https://pbase.com/lance_b/australian_bird_book
Lance B you need to make a book on "Birds of Australia". You would sell a bunch, I suspect. Surely you've documented most ;-).
Thank you very much for your kind comments, Todd. Much appreciated!
Actually, I have printed a book of Australian birds a few months back. It has 100 photos all glossy 350mm x 235mm (13.75" x 9.25") and photos on the front and back cover. Here is the gallery that contains all the images in the Australian Bird Book. Click on each image and under the image also click "auto" so it sets the best size for the screen that you are viewing on:
https://pbase.com/lance_b/australian_bird_book
Sep 29, 2023 at 08:38 PM
p.13 #18Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
A selection from this morning using the 180-600VR on the Z9 with firmware 4.1. Nothing too challenging here for the new firmware but it sure seemed snappier to get on that eye!
NIKON Z 9 NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens 470mm f/6.0 1/500s 400 ISO +0.7 EV
NIKON Z 9 NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens 400mm f/6.0 1/500s 720 ISO 0.0 EV
NIKON Z 9 NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens 600mm f/6.3 1/3200s 800 ISO -0.3 EV
NIKON Z 9 NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens 600mm f/6.3 1/3200s 1250 ISO 0.0 EV
Oct 05, 2023 at 12:38 PM
p.13 #19Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
A sequence of 32 photos all in focus as this Peregrine Falcon was flying past at a fair clip and then decided to land to feed it's young. I haven't processed them all, but I will get them done and post them on my photo hosting site when finished. Quite chuffed at getting this bird in such good even light and with it's meal.
Z9 + 180-600 f5.6-6.3 VR S, 1/4000s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso1400
Z9 + 180-600 f5.6-6.3 VR S, 1/4000s f/6.3 at 600.0mm iso1400
Oct 06, 2023 at 02:07 AM
p.13 #20Official Nikon Z 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 VR Image Thread
bs kite wrote:
Suggestion: Why not either hide Duncang or simply do not respond. Obviously he has no intention of saying anything plausible. He just wants to have fun derailing the thread.
I know you guys already know this. Why not just ignore him?
The "Hide Me" button has been busier over the past couple of months than at any time since joining this forum.
It's like the Trolls have been gathering like bugs to a bright light.
Suggestion: Why not either hide Duncang or simply do not respond. Obviously he has no intention of saying anything plausible. He just wants to have fun derailing the thread.
I know you guys already know this. Why not just ignore him?
The "Hide Me" button has been busier over the past couple of months than at any time since joining this forum.
It's like the Trolls have been gathering like bugs to a bright light.
Oct 06, 2023 at 12:30 PM