Question For Nikon Shooters and/or Experts

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Butlerkid said:
I encourage you to review Brad Hill's review of lenses. He lives in British Columbia and near the Khutzeymateen. He is a wildlife photographer specializing in bears. He tests the lenses extensively in the field before publishing his findings. I am going with him to the Khutzeymateen this June. He strongly recommended I replace my 500 PF with the 400 f4.5 and bring my 100-400. I will be shooting a Z9 and Z8. I am leaving my 600mm TC at home.......since ALL our shooting will be hand held from a Zodiac.
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You’ll have a great time. I did Brad’s Khutzeymateen trip last year. It’s a beautiful place and Jen and Chris from Oceanlight do a nice job.

I used the Z 100-400 mm on my Z9 for almost all of my shots. I had a Z7II along and used the Z 24-120 on it a few times. Also had a 500 mm PF plus 1.4x TCIII along that I put on the Z7II in case we saw distant wolves, but did not use it. I had the Z 1.4x TC along but did not put it on the Z 100-400, as I used 100 mm more than I had expected. There was only one time when I wished I had had more focal length on my camera — a pair of sparring young males that were further off. But even there, with the Z 100-400 at 400 mm and cropping, I got good shots.

Longer focal length might be nice at times. Michelle Valberg also does Khutzeymateen trips with Oceanlight. She posted some shots from a recent trip there on Instagram taken with her Z 800 mm PF.
 
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johnehrenfeldphotography@gmail said:
I am going to Lake Clark in Alaska and dealing with equipment travel limitations weight limits on small planes as well as my desire to get the best, sharpest photos of bears possible.

I am a dedicated prime lens photographer whose go-to equipment is a Z9 and 800mm PF and previously a 600mm f4. Like many, I don't think zoom lenses are as sharp. especially at the long end.

My specific question is this, "what is your opinion of the 'NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S '. I am considering buying it.

Thanks very much, I appreciate any feedback
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I've been to Lake Clark a couple of times and as @frdjohns the 800mm won't get much use. Then again you will want something longer than 400. And as a prime shooter myself I hate to say it but you'll want a zoom. Ideally one body on a long prime/tripod and a second body on a strap with a zoom lens. Typically the guides will set you up on an animal and you'll stay put while it moves around you feeding on grass, clams, etc. The animal may walk up within 10-15 yards or it may be 75-100 yards away. That's where the zoom lens helps. Personally I don't care for bear images with wider focal lengths so when the animals get close I tend to go back to the long lens and shoot portraits.

I don't own the 100-400 but by all accounts it's better than any of the previous f-mount zoom lenses barring maybe the 180-400 or 120-300. Another option you may want to consider is renting a 180-400 TC. That is really an ideal lens for that location.
 
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After borrrowing one from NPS for my trip to Florida in April, I am definitely considering purchasing the Z100-400. Although I took my 500 PF and the borrowed 100-400 , I used the zoom 90% of the time there. For many situations like nesting herons where I was 3 ft. away, the 500 would not only close enough, it would've been too much glass. And like others have said, friends have told me it's "macro" abilities.
 
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BillW said:
I have the Z 100-400 and like it a lot on my Z9. Expect to like it on my new Z8 too, but have not tried it yet.

I went to Katmai NP to photograph brown bears during a sockeye run in July/August 2021. At that point, I did not have my Z 100-400, so I used a Z 70-200 with either the Z 1.4x TC or Z 2X TC on a Z7II and a 500 mm PF on either the Z7II or a D850. I thought the Z 70-200 with Z TCs was good and the zoom flexibility was often very useful.

I got the Z 100-400 in December and have used it on a number of photo trips, including two trips focused on bears — the Khutzeymateen (grizzly bears, May 2022) and Hudson Bay (polar bears, November 2022). I think it is a very good lens if you need zoom flexibility or if you need a close minimum focus distance. In both the Khutzeymateen and Hudson Bay, we were often close to bears and there were also times when photographing the bear with its environment was nice. So I appreciated the short end of the zoom. And there were times when I wanted 400 mm or longer (especially in Hudson Bay).

I think the Z 100-400 is better than the Z 70-200 with TCs. It’s also better than either of the versions of the F 80-400 that I had in the past.

If you know you will not need the shorter focal lengths, the the Z telephoto primes are certainly better optically. I also have the Z 400 mm f4.5 and the Z 800 mm PF.

I also think the Z 100-400 works quite well with the Z 1.4x TC, getting you to 560 mm f8 at the long end. If you can live with f8. I also often have two bodies set up with me. At this point, that is often the Z 100-400 on one body and a longer lens, say the 500 mm PF or 800 mm PF, on another body.

One other point, I find that with bears, depending on circumstances, you may want to stop down some to get more of the bear in focus. For example, avoiding sharp eyes with blurry nose and ears.
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Be careful of the sharp teeth and claws too!🤣 I was at Lake Clark years ago and my 300 f2.8 was good, along with my 70-200 on a D800. Too short for birds, though.
This time around, I would take my 500 pf and 24-70 Z mounted on my Z9.
 
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