Has anyone used this lens and what are your impressions…..
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Nikkor Z 28-400mm?
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mathjak107
Active member
it’s a decent good light , stationary object lens .
we use it when we can get by with it for travel . my wife and i both have one .
but when not traveling it’s never a first choice and we would never use it for birds in fl.. the f8 over 200mm is tough
we use it when we can get by with it for travel . my wife and i both have one .
but when not traveling it’s never a first choice and we would never use it for birds in fl.. the f8 over 200mm is tough
That’s pretty much what I was thinking. Thanks!
For outdoor kids sports, this lens can be useful to those wanting to limit their budget. However, as noted, the move to f/8 at 200mm rules it out for what I do. After initial interest in this lens, I have now backed off and will not be purchasing it.
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I have this lens. From 200-400 it’s f/8 so its use for wildlife photography is limited but I enjoy having it. See below.
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Mallard Drying His Wings
I mounted a 28-400 lens on my Z6III and went to a lake near my home for a brief photo shoot during the afternoon. Camera/lens combination worked well on a sunny day.
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mathjak107
Active member
we take it for travel and love not switching lenses , but we don’t shoot anything moving fast or indoors ..I have this lens. From 200-400 it’s f/8 so its use for wildlife photography is limited but I enjoy having it. See below.
Mallard Drying His Wings
I mounted a 28-400 lens on my Z6III and went to a lake near my home for a brief photo shoot during the afternoon. Camera/lens combination worked well on a sunny day.
I just saw the results from photography life for the 50-400z from Tamron and it's a nice sharpness increase over the 28-400 in the mids and corners overall. It's not as good as the 100-400 but also far less cost. It's similar to the 28-400 in price. I have a gold membership to the site so see the lens reviews a few weeks/month early before they're posted.
I have the 70-300 in z mount from Tamron and it's a great lens for the price. Good sharpness and feather light. I'm going to replace it with the 50-400 though in time. (I own the 24-200)
The 28-400 is tough to beat for an all in one.
I have the 70-300 in z mount from Tamron and it's a great lens for the price. Good sharpness and feather light. I'm going to replace it with the 50-400 though in time. (I own the 24-200)
The 28-400 is tough to beat for an all in one.
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I picked up a Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 on sale a few years back and use that on both F and Z cameras. Works for me and will remain in my kit.
mathjak107
Active member
i took only the 28-300 on our trip to cuba … if worked well ….i ended up dropping it after we got home and that was the end of it .
most places we go does not need reach so our favorite travel cameras when we fly are a pair of zf cameras since my wife shoots too and small primes
my z8 and her z6iii only get used with our 70-200 mm f2.8 and larger
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I would recommend for consideration either the 400mm f4.5 or the 100-400mm, both
Z lenses.
I would suggest a combination of the 70-120 mm f4 and either the 100-400 or 400mm f4.5. The 70-120 has gotten good reviews for image quality. The 400mm prime is a great lens, very light and compact and easy to use handheld.
I don't actually own the 24-120 or 100-400 so no direct experience. I do own the 400mm f4.5 and it is an excellent lens. Reportedly the 400 has better optical qualities than the 100-400 but the 100-400 has greater flexibility plus a really close minimum focus distance.
I personally use the 400 in conjunction with the 70-200 mm f2.8. I like the combination and the 70-200 has superb sharpness and image quality in its operating range. It also handles TC's well.
Z lenses.
I would suggest a combination of the 70-120 mm f4 and either the 100-400 or 400mm f4.5. The 70-120 has gotten good reviews for image quality. The 400mm prime is a great lens, very light and compact and easy to use handheld.
I don't actually own the 24-120 or 100-400 so no direct experience. I do own the 400mm f4.5 and it is an excellent lens. Reportedly the 400 has better optical qualities than the 100-400 but the 100-400 has greater flexibility plus a really close minimum focus distance.
I personally use the 400 in conjunction with the 70-200 mm f2.8. I like the combination and the 70-200 has superb sharpness and image quality in its operating range. It also handles TC's well.
Certainly good suggestions…..if I could take anything in-house….However, my Z 400/4.5 is too large…forget the longer glass. In this case acceptable performance wins out over best choice. For recent “non-photo” oriented vacation type trips I’ve been happy with the D850 (45mp) 28mm f/1.4D, 50mm ai-s, and the 70-300mm 4.5-5.6P. Not exactly a compact kit but serviceable for non-photo excursions. The D850, for all it’s performance value, and available lenses on-hand, is larger and heavier than the Zf w/14-30 & 24-200mm. This at 24mp which is not a big thing for my purposes. Airline “carry-ons” that get shoved under the seat in front of you are restrictive to size requirements. So, I’m leaning towards the Zf & 2 lenses (mentioned) combo for vacations.
I hear ya’ …f/8 @ 400mm is not a good idea for what I need…..I have this lens. From 200-400 it’s f/8 so its use for wildlife photography is limited but I enjoy having it. See below.
Mallard Drying His Wings
I mounted a 28-400 lens on my Z6III and went to a lake near my home for a brief photo shoot during the afternoon. Camera/lens combination worked well on a sunny day.
Your results with the mallards is excellent for sure, but it does look to be a rather large lens..and “light-needy”I have this lens. From 200-400 it’s f/8 so its use for wildlife photography is limited but I enjoy having it. See below.
Mallard Drying His Wings
I mounted a 28-400 lens on my Z6III and went to a lake near my home for a brief photo shoot during the afternoon. Camera/lens combination worked well on a sunny day.
Pretty good all-rounder for my wife on her Z50.
Costa Rica, March 2024.
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mathjak107
Active member
stationary shots are never a problem …..success rate is very low with birds in flight though. which is why we would never take our 28-400 where there is a chance of action in lower light.
we have to many better choices in our tool box
Do you have a theory of why it’s not that good for BIF? I would have thought that unless the lens focuses very slowly, poor tracking would be more likely a camera issue or faulty technique. I have not tried the lens on BIF yet myself on my Z8. I hope to do that on February when I’m down in Florida.
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mathjak107
Active member
iso gets way way high at f8 and auto focus is slow compared to the 180-600 or anyof the telephoto primes
In good light the 28-400 works fine for birds in flight. I didn’t buy the lens for that purpose but I’ve used it to do so on two occasions and was pleasantly surprised. It would never be my first choice, however.
Calson
Well-known member
The f-mount 28-300mm was a favorite lens for urban travel in Europe and in Asia. I used the 300mm focal length on buildings to capture details well above the street level. The 28-300mm was a favorite for years of pro outdoor wildlife photographers unable to afford the $74,000 Canon 50-1000mm lens and video tripod. One could also use a lighter and far less expensive tripod with the 28-300 zoom lens and DSLR camera.
The 28-400mm serves a similar purpose and is also a great video lens with its Snychro VR capabilities for even greater image stabilization. The 28-400mm with a Z camera's internal image stabilzation makes it possible to shoot videos without need for a tripod, much of the time. Much greater zoom range for videos than my 24-120mm and 100-400mm lenses. The lens also have a minimum focus distance of only 7.9 inches so it can be used by itself for closeup shots with no need for an extension tube or closeup filter.
What is also great about the 28-400mm is that compared to even the 70-200mm lens it is far less conspicuous on the street. When I used the 70-200mm in Italy and pointed the lens in someone's direction I could see them tense up and so did not take the shot.
The 28-400mm is a great travel companion lens to the 24-120mm f/4. Add in a 10mm fisheye and you have everything covered in a compact and very lightweight kit that weighs a little over 4 lbs in total and only 77mm filters are needed. I always think in terms of a kit of two or three lenses to cover my needs and the 28-400mm is a great base level lens for doing just that.
The 28-400mm serves a similar purpose and is also a great video lens with its Snychro VR capabilities for even greater image stabilization. The 28-400mm with a Z camera's internal image stabilzation makes it possible to shoot videos without need for a tripod, much of the time. Much greater zoom range for videos than my 24-120mm and 100-400mm lenses. The lens also have a minimum focus distance of only 7.9 inches so it can be used by itself for closeup shots with no need for an extension tube or closeup filter.
What is also great about the 28-400mm is that compared to even the 70-200mm lens it is far less conspicuous on the street. When I used the 70-200mm in Italy and pointed the lens in someone's direction I could see them tense up and so did not take the shot.
The 28-400mm is a great travel companion lens to the 24-120mm f/4. Add in a 10mm fisheye and you have everything covered in a compact and very lightweight kit that weighs a little over 4 lbs in total and only 77mm filters are needed. I always think in terms of a kit of two or three lenses to cover my needs and the 28-400mm is a great base level lens for doing just that.
It's good to have inconspicuous lenses traveling. This spring I visited Macchu Picchu and they would not allow "professional" looking equipment in the site. No tripods, monopods or lenses that looked big.
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions
Seriously?
…that’s pretty subjective….
Hi Koos! Thanks for taking the time to respond and post some images that you and your wife took with this lens.. (We also saw the “eyelash” viper in Costa Rica and knew to stay well clear)… sorta leaning towards this for a lightweight 2-lens travel kit…..
Yes. If they call it "professional" it requires permits and fees. So nothing large (greater than 200mm or just pro looking, pro looking bodies etc) No large camera bags either. No long setup times for photos, they have time limits on the routes, although they didn't seem super strict on enforcing them but you also now have to be accompanied by a guide.Seriously?
People jumping and taking a photo was banned for some reason too. I don't know the backstory on that one but they were serious about it.
I took the Zf and went in with a small prime on with a 6L bag that had my 14-30 and 24-200 and didn't have issues with that setup.
I think they've cracked down a lot because of the instagram types turning it into a photo shoot session and jamming up the popular viewpoints.