Nikon 180-600 Sharpness And AF Speed Tests!

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Steve

Steve

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In this video, we'll do some tests to discover how sharp the Nikon 180-600 is - pitting it against six popular contenders. We'll compare the Nikon 180-600mm against the Nikon 100-400mm, Nikon 400mm F/4.5, Nikon 800PF, Nikon 500PF, Nikon 600mm TC And Sony 200-600!

Will it impress? Will it embarrass itself on the test chart? The only way to find out is to watch the video!

In addition, we'll also compare AF speeds between those lenses and see which is the fastest, which is the slowest, and where the 180-600 fits in.

Check it out:

 
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Glad to see the video up, starting watching it now.

On your test methods slide, it says six shots for each lens, and then you picked the best shot of the four. Not a huge thing, but made me chuckle.
 
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Cameron T said:
Glad to see the video up, starting watching it now.

On your test methods slide, it says six shots for each lens, and then you picked the best shot of the four. Not a huge thing, but made me chuckle.
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Oops -that's a typo!

It was six for this series and the best of the bunch. Most of the shots were identical anyway.
 
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Like I said, not a huge issue at all, I just noticed it right off. The tests seemed pretty good, and I'm happy to see it compare well to the 100-400 and 400 4.5. It's also nice to see it not lose (much) sharpness with a 1.4x tc. Now I'm just waiting on my store to get some in, and I feel better knowing that I made a good choice to get one.
 
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So…based on these tests once my 180-600 arrives…is there much of a case to be made for keeping the 100-400 as well as the 400/4.5? I’m keeping the prime because it’s the lightest option but it seems like the 100-400 is mostly the odd man out here unless it’s size and weight make a difference for a particular days shoot and even then only if the TC isn’t going to be used. For a 2 lens walking around the bird or wildlife sanctuary…it seems like the 180-600 and either the 70-200 or 24-120 is going to be the best combo and the shorter lens choice would depend on whether wide was going to be needed today for s9me landscape as well. It’s pretty amazing that the non S longer zoom out performs the S one at the lengths most of us wildlife shooters will be at. Like you, I’ve found the AF speed to be non much of a deal with any of these lenses anyway, particularly if one engages the focus limiter switch.
 
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Thanks Steve! I was waiting for this video to decide whether I am going to add this lens to my bag! For me, you are the most trustful person in reviewing lenses because of your honest opinion. thankyou for that.
What about the bockeh! How does this lens do in real time in the field?
All my telephotos are prime and I think to add a telephoto zoom will be handy! Thank you again
 
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Great video comparative. Next week I'm taking my Z8 and z180-600 to Florida.
For my own style, I rented the z400 f4.5 using my own 2x TC and last month I rented the z100-400 and a 1.4x TC.
They're both great obviously , but it confirms my personal preference for zooms. I do animals, rarely BIF.
So I am blown away by how well the z180-600 compares to its stablemates, especially as its NOT an S lens and at the price point that makes it affordable for me.

Thanks Steve.
 
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Patrick M said:
Great video comparative. Next week I'm taking my Z8 and z180-600 to Florida.
For my own style, I rented the z400 f4.5 using my own 2x TC and last month I rented the z100-400 and a 1.4x TC.
They're both great obviously , but it confirms my personal preference for zooms. I do animals, rarely BIF.
So I am blown away by how well the z180-600 compares to its stablemates, especially as its NOT an S lens and at the price point that makes it affordable for me.

Thanks Steve.
Click to expand...
Where in FL are you coming?
 
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Steve said:
In this video, we'll do some tests to discover how sharp the Nikon 180-600 is - pitting it against six popular contenders. We'll compare the Nikon 180-600mm against the Nikon 100-400mm, Nikon 400mm F/4.5, Nikon 800PF, Nikon 500PF, Nikon 600mm TC And Sony 200-600!

Will it impress? Will it embarrass itself on the test chart? The only way to find out is to watch the video!

In addition, we'll also compare AF speeds between those lenses and see which is the fastest, which is the slowest, and where the 180-600 fits in.

Check it out:

Click to expand...
M’y silly question, but I need to ask it, are you going to keep this lens?
 
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Thank you so much for testing the lens and comparing it with the 400mm f4.5 and 100-400mm. I’m so glad I placed my order a few weeks ago. I absolutely love my 400mm f4.5 lens. It stay on the Z8. Nikon really has provided wildlife photographers a good selection of long Z lenses to choose from in the past couple of years.
 
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Great video Steve. I was not considering the 180-600mm as I already have the 500mm f5.6 pf and the 100-400mm S for my Z9. I need to rethink things and I may decide to sell the 100-400mm and get the 180-600mm. I will keep the 500mm f5.6 pf as I still have a D850 and D500 that I use.
 
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Anjin San said:
So…based on these tests once my 180-600 arrives…is there much of a case to be made for keeping the 100-400 as well as the 400/4.5? I’m keeping the prime because it’s the lightest option but it seems like the 100-400 is mostly the odd man out here unless it’s size and weight make a difference for a particular days shoot and even then only if the TC isn’t going to be used. For a 2 lens walking around the bird or wildlife sanctuary…it seems like the 180-600 and either the 70-200 or 24-120 is going to be the best combo and the shorter lens choice would depend on whether wide was going to be needed today for s9me landscape as well. It’s pretty amazing that the non S longer zoom out performs the S one at the lengths most of us wildlife shooters will be at. Like you, I’ve found the AF speed to be non much of a deal with any of these lenses anyway, particularly if one engages the focus limiter switch.
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It depends on what you need - the 100-400 is sharper than 180-600 at 200mm (and also goes down to 100mm with that same sharpness). So, if you need shorter focal lengths, it's worth having it.

I agree on keeping the 400 4.5 - I'm keeping mine. It's noticeably lighter and handy for when I want to keep the weight down when hiking.
 
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Activert said:
Thanks Steve! I was waiting for this video to decide whether I am going to add this lens to my bag! For me, you are the most trustful person in reviewing lenses because of your honest opinion. thankyou for that.
What about the bockeh! How does this lens do in real time in the field?
All my telephotos are prime and I think to add a telephoto zoom will be handy! Thank you again
Click to expand...
I haven't shot much with the lens in the field. I've only had it a few days - I was traveling and had Robert's hold it for me until I returned. So, it's mostly been just testing. I can say the bokeh seemed good when testing the prototype, but I don't have any direct comparisons yet.
 
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Patrick M said:
Great video comparative. Next week I'm taking my Z8 and z180-600 to Florida.
For my own style, I rented the z400 f4.5 using my own 2x TC and last month I rented the z100-400 and a 1.4x TC.
They're both great obviously , but it confirms my personal preference for zooms. I do animals, rarely BIF.
So I am blown away by how well the z180-600 compares to its stablemates, especially as its NOT an S lens and at the price point that makes it affordable for me.

Thanks Steve.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I was too. I had a feeling it was decent based on the prototype shots, but I was surprised at how well it compared - especially against the 400 4.5 with the 1.4 - I thought for sure the prime would edge it out.
 
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Activert said:
M’y silly question, but I need to ask it, are you going to keep this lens?
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For sure. Believe it or not, it'll probably be one of my most used lenses after the 600 TC. Since having the Sony system, I find I like parking the 600 F/4 with the zoom as needed. I'm often in situations where a zoom is essential and as good as the prime is, it's not a zoom :) I'll only be using it at the native focal lengths - I doubt I'll use any TCs with it - but there have been a ton of times where having the Sony 200-600 has saved the day and I'm sure the same will be true with this one.
 
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Thank you so much Steve, your video is very complete and informative. I am glad I decided to preorder the lens early, and hope for its arrival in the not-too-far-off future. It was also good to see how well it takes the 1.4 TC, which I may add in the future.

My big question remains how well the AF of this lens will perform on the Z6II. I am trying not to expect too much, but hope it will improve on the Tamron 100-400mm, which is slow, not always consistent, and prone to hunting. I think it will take at least a Z6III for this lens to really perform as well as it can. It was good to see though that the AF speed did not suffer much on the Z7 (in good conditions).
 
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Patrick M said:
i had the 200-500, but sold it when I went to the Z. I can’t compare directly but from memory… the 180-600 feels lighter and acquires focus faster.
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Agreed. Steve did some comparative tests on BCG a couple of years ago where he clearly showed the Nikkor 200-500mm lens to focus much slower than some other lenses. I fully expect the new 180-600mm will focus significantly faster than the 200-500mm.
 
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Steve said:
For sure. Believe it or not, it'll probably be one of my most used lenses after the 600 TC. Since having the Sony system, I find I like parking the 600 F/4 with the zoom as needed. I'm often in situations where a zoom is essential and as good as the prime is, it's not a zoom :) I'll only be using it at the native focal lengths - I doubt I'll use any TCs with it - but there have been a ton of times where having the Sony 200-600 has saved the day and I'm sure the same will be true with this one.
Click to expand...
Steve, It’s good to know that it will be the perfect companion for the 600 f/4 (or 800 f/6.3 for that matter) especially when zoom is needed and there is adequate light. Do you have a sense as to whether the AF is sufficiently fast to keep up with moving subjects? In my experience with the Sony gear, the 200-600 struggled with any body other than the a9 or a1. I am assuming that your testing occurred on a z9/z8? I’m looking forward to your reports on experiences in the field and as always, thank you for your great work!
 
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ajrmd said:
Steve, It’s good to know that it will be the perfect companion for the 600 f/4 (or 800 f/6.3 for that matter) especially when zoom is needed and there is adequate light. Do you have a sense as to whether the AF is sufficiently fast to keep up with moving subjects? In my experience with the Sony gear, the 200-600 struggled with any body other than the a9 or a1. I am assuming that your testing occurred on a z9/z8? I’m looking forward to your reports on experiences in the field and as always, thank you for your great work!
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I wouldn't be afraid to use it with most BIF scenarios, but I think it might be a challenge with smaller, close-range birds (songbird, swallows, that wort of thing). Most of the time, AF speed is a non-issue if you prefocus near the target distance and get a good lock. Where it really hurts is if you lose the lock and the lens starts to hunt.
 
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