Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S Review

Nikon determined to do one thing slightly totally different when launching its vibrant super-telephoto 400mm for mirrorless — a built-in teleconverter. Whereas teleconverters might be added to any suitable lenses, the method of taking it on and off is time-consuming. With the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S, photographers can swap from 400mm to 560mm in milliseconds, with out dismounting the lens to take away the teleconverter. That’s an necessary distinction for a lens designed for quick topics like wildlife and sports activities, when eradicating the teleconverter might imply the second is gone.

With and with out the teleconverter, the Nikon Z 400mm TC lives as much as the excessive requirements of the S line. In fact, as a $14k lens, it ought to completely ship excellent picture high quality. Whereas the picture high quality is superb, the main focus could be higher described pretty much as good quite than nice. And like several 400mm f2.8, it’s a heavy lens to heft for lengthy stretches.

The Huge Image

The Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S is each a 400mm f2.8 and a 560mm f4 in a single lens. That versatility will serve wildlife and sports activities photographers effectively, permitting fast swaps between focal lengths with out unscrewing a teleconverter. And whereas the aperture drops to f4 utilizing the teleconverter, it’s nonetheless higher than the lowered aperture sometimes related to most super-telephoto zooms. Photographers who’ve the $14k to drop on this lens might be rewarded with a rugged lens that snaps sharp, colourful pictures of extra distant topics.

Is it the very best 400mm that I’ve ever dealt with? No, Canon’s RF 400mm f2.8 delivered a bit higher autofocus hit charge however with out the flexibility of a built-in teleconverter. Sony’s 400mm f2.8 G Grasp can be excellent and extra inexpensive. Nonetheless, it lacks the built-in teleconverter. Outdoors of the good-but-not-great autofocus, the one different issues to complain about is the lens’ huge weight and worth, each of that are fairly typical for the class.

I’m giving the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S 4 out of 5 stars. Need one? They’re round $14,000.

Execs

Versatile 400mm and 560mm in a single

Capability to modify from 1x to 1.4x in seconds, not like including a teleconverter to a conventional lens

Sturdy and effectively constructed

Loads of controls

Drop in filter slot for 42mm filters

Nice sharpness at each 400mm and 560mm

Life like colours

Capability to create some good delicate lens flare

Cons

Heavy

Expensive

Focus is sweet, however the hit charge wasn’t as nice as another 400mms that I’ve examined

Gear Used

I used the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S with the Nikon Z9. Each the lens and physique have been a short-term rental offered by LensRentals.

Improvements

Nikon is doing one thing slightly totally different right here — there’s a teleconverter constructed into this lens. Whereas not completely exceptional, that inbuilt teleconverter makes this lens each a 400mm f2.8 and a 560mm f4 in a single. That’s particularly useful as a result of including zoom to this lens would make it close to not possible to hold round. The teleconverter is an efficient compromise.

Ergonomics 

Like different wide-aperture tremendous telephotos, the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S is a behemoth. I might virtually put on the lens hood as a high hat. The lens weighs 6.5 kilos and sits fifteen inches lengthy. That’s a hefty lens to hold round. With this lens, I might use a monopod on the sidelines for sports activities pictures. It’s troublesome to hike with this lens, however doable if you happen to additionally spend money on a very good strap. Whereas the lens is a big, it’s anticipated for the class. Each Canon and Sony’s 400mm f2.8 mirrorless lenses, which don’t have built-in teleconverters, weigh 6.4 kilos.

Naturally, with such a big lens, there’s loads of actual property for controls. Closest to the mount, there’s a drop-in slot for filters, which is how a lens with a entrance the dimensions of a dinner plate can settle for 42mm filters.

Close to the digicam’s grip aspect sits the teleconverter management — it’s a big swap. There’s a locking mechanism, however the swap appears fairly arduous to by accident bump, and there may be an audible sound when it switches backwards and forwards between 1x and 1.4x. There’s a reminiscence set button close to the TC swap. On the alternative aspect of the lens sits the AF-MF focus swap, a spotlight limiter, and a customized Fn button.

Persevering with farther from the mount, the lens widens a bit. The lens collar sits right here. This homes two slots for including a strap for higher distributing the load whereas carrying the lens. A knob permits the collar to regulate from horizontal to vertical pictures. The subsequent controls are the rings — the main focus ring, a customizable ring (I wish to set it to aperture), and a 3rd ring to return to the main focus place saved utilizing the reminiscence set button. There are additionally 4 Fn buttons in the direction of the entrance of the lens — all of them do the identical factor; there are simply 4 so they’re all the time inside straightforward attain. The lens widens out even farther from right here to accommodate a good-sized hood.

Construct High quality

The Nikon 400mm f2.8 TC seems like a tank. It has a really sturdy really feel to it, partially due to the load and partly due to the sturdier weather-sealed plastics used within the exterior building. The skies didn’t ship any rain throughout my testing interval with this lens, however I gave it a very good dousing with a cup of water, and it was unscathed. I additionally didn’t detect sensor mud or particles through the course of my evaluation.

Focusing

I took this lens out birding, and it did a fairly good job of maintaining with topics transferring aspect to aspect or away from the digicam lens. It did often drop a couple of frames, but it surely was capable of choose up on some birds in flight. It had a tough time maintaining with birds flying in the direction of me. With the quickest flyers, like Tree Swallows, it did drop the main focus a lot of the time.

Teleconverters are infamous for affecting autofocus efficiency, so I examined each the 1x and 1.4x modes on the identical topic, my canine operating in the direction of the digicam. At 400mm, round 90 p.c have been nonetheless targeted on some a part of the canine’s face. Flipping the teleconverter on, the lens nonetheless captured loads of usable pictures, however the hit charge dropped to round 70 p.c. This improved solely barely by turning the publicity preview off.

Like all tremendous telephoto, the main focus limiter swap goes to assist. I discovered the camera-lens combo had a tough time choosing birds out of branches in shadow with out utilizing the main focus limiter swap or rapidly specializing in the trunk of the tree after which transferring over in the direction of the fowl on the department.

Total, nevertheless, the 400mm TC did slightly higher than I anticipated, as dimension and a slim depth of area make it harder for vibrant telephoto lenses to keep up focus. I do really feel, nevertheless, that it is a lens that’s finest paired with the Z9, as that physique is healthier geared up to deal with the challenges of focusing a vibrant telephoto. That mentioned, after I examined the Canon RF 400mm f2.8 on the R3, I had greater than 95 p.c of the pictures in focus. A big a part of that might be the physique, as I believe the R3’s animal eye AF tended to appropriately and rapidly discover the fowl extra usually than the Z9.

Ease of Use

Lenses of this caliber and worth level aren’t the only to make use of, however that’s largely due to the sheer dimension. It’s a heavy lens, so mountain climbing with the lens goes to be tougher than a smaller lens.

Outdoors of the load, nevertheless, there’s slightly studying curve. For those who’ve used a few of Nikon’s different telephotos with reminiscence set buttons, you’ll be capable to adapt to this lens pretty rapidly. In any other case, you’ll need to familiarize your self with the additional controls that aren’t discovered on Nikon’s shorter lenses.

The built-in teleconverter provides a whole lot of versatility to this lens. Sure, you possibly can purchase a separate teleconverter and add it to any suitable lens. However the concern with that’s which you could’t flip the teleconverter on and off like on the 400mm TC. You’d must unmount the lens, unmount the teleconverter, then put the lens again on with out it. With the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC, you simply flip a swap and might trip between 400mm and 560mm in milliseconds.  It’s not fairly as versatile as a zoom as a result of you may’t shoot any of the focal lengths in between 400 and 560, however most will really feel the brilliant f2.8 (and f4 at 560mm) is value it.

The opposite factor that helps make this behemoth simpler to deal with is picture stabilization, which is rated for five.5 stops. The lens is heavy sufficient that shake would possibly come into play sooner than regular. However I didn’t have any points with digicam shake whereas making an attempt out the lens. I used to be nonetheless capable of get a pointy shot at 1/50 at 400mm, bracing my elbows. Whereas I in all probability couldn’t do this after two hours of holding this lens up, digicam shake will seldom be a problem as this lens is designed extra for the sports activities and wildlife that require quicker shutter speeds.

Picture High quality

At 400mm and 560mm, the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S creates some stunning background suppression. Pictures are sharp sufficient to see the feel on fowl feathers and animal fur. There’s even some flare but chromatic aberration is difficult to search out. To place it in just some phrases: this lens simply lives as much as the Nikon S collection requirements.

Bokeh

Brilliant tremendous telephoto lenses are bokeh masters — and the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC isn’t any exception. The lengthy focal size compresses the background sufficient to typically render the background right into a strong shade. Prepare this lens on a better fowl, and it stands out on a clear blurred background.

Factors of sunshine are rendered into bokeh balls with delicate, clear edges. The bokeh is rounded on the heart and barely cat-eye in the direction of the sting. Whereas at 560mm, this lens turns into an f4, the compression makes up for the narrower aperture. The bokeh balls aren’t any much less obvious at 560mm, they only look bigger because of the compression of the longer focal size.

Colour Rendition

I culled much more JPEGs from this 400mm than I did RAW — which is often my first indication that colours straight from the digicam are fairly good. Colours coming from this lens felt true to life — a barely hotter white steadiness, and I might have actually liked the colours. The pictures I needed to edit have been underexposed, which in a short time diminishes shade on JPEGs.

Lens Character

I examined this lens throughout a time when wildfires created air high quality warnings — these hazy situations almost definitely affected the flare that the lens created. Nonetheless, I actually liked the look when directing this lens on the solar. I might get delicate blooms of sunshine — which once more might be partially from atmospheric haze — and a few occasional massive ghosting spots. This does, naturally, scale back the {photograph}’s distinction, so use the lens’ big included hood if you happen to’re not a fan.

Sharpness

I couldn’t discover something missing when viewing the pictures at one hundred pc. The lens is sharp sufficient to see the element in feathers and fur. Utilizing the built-in teleconverter didn’t appear to noticeably degrade the sharpness — and actually, a majority of my fowl pictures right here have been taken utilizing that 1.4x swap.

Additional Picture Samples

From day one, The Phoblographer has been enormous on transparency with our viewers. Nothing from this evaluation is sponsored. Additional, numerous of us will submit opinions and present numerous modifying within the pictures. The issue then turns into that anybody and everybody can do the identical factor. They’re not displaying what the lens can do. So we now have a bit in our Additional Picture Samples space to point out edited and unedited pictures. From this, you can also make a choice for your self.

Unedited

Edited

Who Ought to Purchase It? 

Few photographers can fork over the $14 for this lens — although renting one for memorable shoots is certainly extra doable. Photographers that do make the funding might be rewarded with a flexible lens that doesn’t sacrifice picture high quality the way in which that some zooms do. The lens is able to snapping some sharp particulars and nice shade. Plus, it gained’t be ruined if it begins sprinkling or the wind blows in some mud. It’s a superb selection for wildlife and sports activities photographers already utilizing cameras just like the Nikon Z9.

Photographers who’re out there for each a digicam physique and tremendous telephoto, nevertheless, can also need to contemplate the Canon R3 and the RF 400mm f2.8. It lacks the flexibility of the built-in teleconverter, but it surely additionally has a stellar autofocus hit charge.

I’m giving the Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC VR S 4 out of 5 stars. Need one? They’re round $14,000.

Tech Specs

LensRentals lists the next specs for the Nikon 400mm f2.8 TC VR S:

Angle of View: 6° 10’ to 4° 30’

Aperture Blades: 9, Rounded

Autofocus: Autofocus

Model: Nikon

Compatibility: Full Body

Filter Measurement: 46.0mm

Filter Kind: Drop-in

Fluorite Parts: 2

Focal Size: 400.0-400.0

Teams/Parts : 9/25

Hood Included: Sure

Picture Stabilization: Sure

Merchandise Kind: Lens

Lens Kind: Supertelephoto

Max Aperture: 2.8

Most Magnification: 0.23x

Mfr. Mannequin Quantity: 20111

Minimal Aperture: 22.0

Minimal Focusing Distance: 8.2feet

Mount: Nikon Z

Bodily: Dimensions (ø x L): 6.1 × 15″Weight: 6.5 lbs.

Brief-Wavelength Refractive Parts: 1

Tremendous Additional-Low Dispersion Parts: 1

Tripod Collar: Mounted and Rotating

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