Nikon 180-600 Sharpness And AF Speed Tests!

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When Nikon is offering to early review a pre production lens, I believe the production is already in full swing.
Its not a prototype - I believe.

A prototypes can still be modified. Why would Nikon offer to early testing if it might be changed? IMHO prototypes and productions are identical in performance. The only difference is the serial numbers
 
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It is likely that these are early production models. They may not have the final firmware but probably do. They may have been hand tested and adjusted to assure highest performance. When handed out they come with an NDA limiting what the reviewer can do with the lens. Steve can elaborate on that part.
 
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JoelKlein said:
When Nikon is offering to early review a pre production lens, I believe the production is already in full swing.
Its not a prototype - I believe.

A prototypes can still be modified. Why would Nikon offer to early testing if it might be changed? IMHO prototypes and productions are identical in performance. The only difference is the serial numbers
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apakett said:
It is likely that these are early production models. They may not have the final firmware but probably do. They may have been hand tested and adjusted to assure highest performance. When handed out they come with an NDA limiting what the reviewer can do with the lens. Steve can elaborate on that part.
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You're correct - they are more preproduction than prototype when I get them. I'm not really told what the differences are, although sometimes I get the impression that some aspects aren't completely dialed in the way Nikon wants (not that I can really tell a difference between the preproduction lens and my production copy).

I also think it's possible it's basically a production lens. Nikon doesn't really tell you, but they are insistent that any images I post from the lens include a note that it's a preproduction model.
 
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This has been an excellent video Steve! In an ideal world, I would use a 100-400 in conjunction with a 400 F2.8TC (+ 1.4TC); but since the latter is out of my financial reach at the moment, I think I will make do with a 180-600. I have decided to keep my booking and I will likely pair it with a 24-120 or 70-200
 
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Ken Miracle said:
I like my 180-600 after using it birding one time but it will play second fiddle to my Z800.
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I get that Ken, I really do. I did learn one important thing this past weekend, shooting with my 500 PF, I need more practice finding the target, especially with birds in flight with a long lens. Even with both eyes open, I missed many shots while looking to get on the bird with the long lens. When I have a few more thousand hours in the field, I suspect I will do it better, but right now, I stink...
 
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Wink Jones said:
When I have a few more thousand hours in the field, I suspect I will do it better, but right now, I stink...
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I don't know how you're approaching it now but FWIW instead of looking through the lens and trying to find the target a lot of folks find tracking the target with your eyes (no lens) and then bringing the camera and lens up to your eye without breaking eye contact with the fast flying target works pretty well.
 
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DRwyoming said:
I don't know how you're approaching it now but FWIW instead of looking through the lens and trying to find the target a lot of folks find tracking the target with your eyes (no lens) and then bringing the camera and lens up to your eye without breaking eye contact with the fast flying target works pretty well.
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Which was what I was trying to do. I looked at some trees and saw I was consistently low by a few feet. That helped too. I simply need many many more hours to make it instinctual. I will be getting a couple of them tomorrow with Ken Miracle who has invited me to shoot with him and his wife. I had dinner with them and with Butlerkid and her husband who are visiting BoiseTuesday evening. There are some really fun people in this forum.
 
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Wink Jones said:
Which was what I was trying to do. I looked at some trees and saw I was consistently low by a few feet. That helped too. I simply need many many more hours to make it instinctual. I will be getting a couple of them tomorrow with Ken Miracle who has invited me to shoot with him and his wife. I had dinner with them and with Butlerkid and her husband who are visiting BoiseTuesday evening. There are some really fun people in this forum.
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Practice make us perfect
 
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Activert said:
Practice make us perfect
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Agreed! I got to practice with Ken Miracle this mormning. I am getting much better at it.

I am also great at starting a war with the Yellow Jacket Nation. I set my Z9 with the 500 PF on a log and went into the bushes to answer an urgent message from my bladder. When I returned there were a few hundred mad Yellow Jackets trying to sting my poor, innocent Z9. I used one of my walking sticks to lift the camera by its strap from the log and attempted to sneak away. The enemy combatants merely switched to the larger, softer target and I soundly lost the first battle of the War...
 
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Wink Jones said:
Agreed! I got to practice with Ken Miracle this mormning. I am getting much better at it.

I am also great at starting a war with the Yellow Jacket Nation. I set my Z9 with the 500 PF on a log and went into the bushes to answer an urgent message from my bladder. When I returned there were a few hundred mad Yellow Jackets trying to sting my poor, innocent Z9. I used one of my walking sticks to lift the camera by its strap from the log and attempted to sneak away. The enemy combatants merely switched to the larger, softer target and I soundly lost the first battle of the War...
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NZ8_6511.jpg
You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

"The ZZZZZZZZZZ9 isss szuch a szweet camera..."
 
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If your caption hadn't made me laugh out loud, I might have had nightmares seeing this creature just before bedtime.

I think Yellow Jackets must be the wienies of the bee world. Their stings were scratchy annoyances, but not really painful. The three or four on the back of my neck are all swollen and hot to the touch, but they don't hurt... The five or six on my head aren't swollen like the ones on my neck, and the one on my belly, well, I only notice it when I move and my shirt feels like I still have a stinger in it. Cowardly communists! They think puny stings like that are going to keep me away from my ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ9? Ha, I say ha!
 
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Wink Jones said:
If your caption hadn't made me laugh out loud, I might have had nightmares seeing this creature just before bedtime.

I think Yellow Jackets must be the wienies of the bee world. Their stings were scratchy annoyances, but not really painful. The three or four on the back of my neck are all swollen and hot to the touch, but they don't hurt... The five or six on my head aren't swollen like the ones on my neck, and the one on my belly, well, I only notice it when I move and my shirt feels like I still have a stinger in it. Cowardly communists! They think puny stings like that are going to keep me away from my ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ9? Ha, I say ha!
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I have to apologize at least a little because now that I clicked the notification and came back in this thread that photo is way larger than I thought it would be when I posted it. I am not quite sure why it's so big or how to control how large photos appear in a post - but it sure is a jolt to see that thing so in your face when you click on the link.
 
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Wink Jones said:
If your caption hadn't made me laugh out loud, I might have had nightmares seeing this creature just before bedtime.

I think Yellow Jackets must be the wienies of the bee world. Their stings were scratchy annoyances, but not really painful. The three or four on the back of my neck are all swollen and hot to the touch, but they don't hurt... The five or six on my head aren't swollen like the ones on my neck, and the one on my belly, well, I only notice it when I move and my shirt feels like I still have a stinger in it. Cowardly communists! They think puny stings like that are going to keep me away from my ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ9? Ha, I say ha!
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Poor you so many stings! That comes with our love to wildlife photography!
I was in Labrador for few days last august. I was photographing some ocean birds lying on my belly in the bush close to the beach. I was in that position for almost two hours. Meanwhile I felt I was annoyed by the number of flies around me. But I was very concentrate on my subjects that I did not care about the flies. When finally I got up to go, I saw my cloth were full of tiny black flies. When I got to the car, my whole body was very itchy and I started to have nausea And started to feel sick. My husband tried to find a medical center but there were not any. He had to drive around 20 miles to get to a drug store and once we arrived I lost consciensness.
The pharmasist took good care of me. I had bad reaction to the big amount of stings I got. With few medications and resting in a hotel room. I felt better the next day, I covered all my body with think cloth and I went back to the same spot and I continued my photography. When we are passionate about observing and photographing our subjects, nothing will stop us from doing it over and over again. My husband believe that I have severe addiction to wildlife photography.
 
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Activert said:
Poor you so many stings! That comes with our love to wildlife photography!
I was in Labrador for few days last august. I was photographing some ocean birds lying on my belly in the bush close to the beach. I was in that position for almost two hours. Meanwhile I felt I was annoyed by the number of flies around me. But I was very concentrate on my subjects that I did not care about the flies. When finally I got up to go, I saw my cloth were full of tiny black flies. When I got to the car, my whole body was very itchy and I started to have nausea And started to feel sick. My husband tried to find a medical center but there were not any. He had to drive around 20 miles to get to a drug store and once we arrived I lost consciensness.
The pharmasist took good care of me. I had bad reaction to the big amount of stings I got. With few medications and resting in a hotel room. I felt better the next day, I covered all my body with think cloth and I went back to the same spot and I continued my photography. When we are passionate about observing and photographing our subjects, nothing will stop us from doing it over and over again. My husband believe that I have severe addiction to wildlife photography.
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As a former Marine, I admire your tenacity. I have heard how horrible black flies are. Fortunately, I have never experienced them, but as you say, they can be part of the price we pay for the pleasure we get taking the photos we love.

My new 180-600 is on track to arrive tomorrow. I will be going back to the area where I was stung, I will make a special point of not stopping near or touching the log where the enemy combatants are bivouacked for the winter.
 
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Wink Jones said:
As a former Marine, I admire your tenacity. I have heard how horrible black flies are. Fortunately, I have never experienced them, but as you say, they can be part of the price we pay for the pleasure we get taking the photos we love.

My new 180-600 is on track to arrive tomorrow. I will be going back to the area where I was stung, I will make a special point of not stopping near or touching the log where the enemy combatants are bivouacked for the winter.
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i Hope you will enjoy your new lens and have fun photographing all what it please you!
 
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Timely review that I’ve skimmed and will try and watch beginning to end. I prefer to read when possible.

I’m thinking of picking up a lighter Z lens with some reach for casual, convenient use. I hike a lot and while I love them, the Z 600mm f/4 TC and 180-400 TC can get cumbersome and heavy, slow me down, and cause back and shoulder discomfort on longer hikes. That is fine when I am in a target rich environment but there have been hikes where I have never taken the camera out of the backpack. A smaller and lighter lens would also allow me to bring wide angle lenses without overdoing the weight I would already be carrying.

I haven’t used anything other than fixed aperture lenses for decades. I think the last one I had was a telescoping version of a 24-120 and I gladly sold it. My sports shooting days required fast glass at all angles.

I’m still not sure which lens to add; the 180-600 for flexibility or something compact and light like the Z 400 4.5. I typically want lots of reach so the 800mm is somewhat under consideration but I think I would opt for the 600 TC for those opportunities for a few saved pounds. Thanks.
 
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Midway said:
Timely review that I’ve skimmed and will try and watch beginning to end. I prefer to read when possible.

I’m thinking of picking up a lighter Z lens with some reach for casual, convenient use. I hike a lot and while I love them, the Z 600mm f/4 TC and 180-400 TC can get cumbersome and heavy, slow me down, and cause back and shoulder discomfort on longer hikes. That is fine when I am in a target rich environment but there have been hikes where I have never taken the camera out of the backpack. A smaller and lighter lens would also allow me to bring wide angle lenses without overdoing the weight I would already be carrying.

I haven’t used anything other than fixed aperture lenses for decades. I think the last one I had was a telescoping version of a 24-120 and I gladly sold it. My sports shooting days required fast glass at all angles.

I’m still not sure which lens to add; the 180-600 for flexibility or something compact and light like the Z 400 4.5. I typically want lots of reach so the 800mm is somewhat under consideration but I think I would opt for the 600 TC for those opportunities for a few saved pounds. Thanks.
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You want regret if you go for the 600 tc, it is absolutely an amazing lens if the 600 mm reach what you need
 
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Midway said:
I own the 600 TC and 180-400 TC. I'm considering something lighter for occasional use on longer hikes. Thanks.
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I am liked you. I have the 600 tc, ani wanted another lens with good reach and light for hiking. Since I am more interested in wildlife, I bought the 400 mm f4.5. I was surprised how light and sharp this lens is. I take it on all my long hike with the 70-200 mm f 2.8. And it works very well for me. I decide to get a telephoto zoom and I ordered the 180- 600 mm. But i am still favouring my two combo lens for hike. And sometimes I add to it the 24-70 f 2.8 when I know there might be possibilité for some landscape, like now with fall Color.
The best things to do is to rent some lenses. You try them in your hiking and you see which one suit you the most. The 400 mm f4.5 can be used with a tc and I heard good review about that. Myself, I don’t like to use external Tc except when I want the shot and I don’t have any chance to get it without tc.
 
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