Nikon 600PF First Look Field Review!

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arbitrage said:
Yet Nikon writes Phase Fresnel in very prominent yellow font on the 600 and 800PF lenses?? Weird marketing decisions...leave it out of the name but blast us with gaudy label on the actual lens??
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I don't mind a few less letters in the lens alphabet soup name but yeah, seems odd to plaster it in bright letters on the lens.
 
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Mudweasel said:
Just had notification that I should receive mine next week (in the UK).

I've thought long and hard about this lens, as I already have the 400/4.5 and the 800PF - and have been more than happy with the results from the 400/4.5 with the 1.4x TC.

My reasoning (ok, clutching at straws to validate the purchase) is that the 600PF 'should' be a touch sharper and quicker than the 400/4.5 + TC (although hard to imagine that this would be a massive difference in the real world)... but I'll have a decent 600mm (that if you'd asked me what my dream Z lens announcement would be a year or two ago, this would have been it, albeit I'd have preferred it at f5.6) and I'll have a faster 400mm to use in lower light.

Tbh, the 800PF hasn't seen much use since I got it (when it first came out)... I don't photograph an awful lot of birds, so my usage for that hasn't been as high as I thought it would be... and that's the one that might be at risk. Ok, who am I kidding, I'm bound to keep all of them!
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Wow, and those of us in the US who are not NPS are still waiting for the 180-600. My 800 PF is in constant use, though I do see some utility for the 600 especially for hiking and back country mammals.
 
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Wes Peterson said:
It looks as though lens element and coating tech has been removed from the naming scheme for the Z line-up. Things were getting a bit "wordy" and the name of the
"NIKKOR 120-300 f2.8E FL ED SR VR" is a perfect example.
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LOL, yeah, for awhile there it really was getting out of hand!
 
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Geoff_G said:
I'm not NPS but really hoping there are enough to send one to me......credit Steve for making this one of my most anticipated lenses. :)
I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas.
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It's funny - I think I'm looking forward to getting my 600PF more than I did with any recent Z lens - including my 600 TC. Don't' get me wrong's eh 600TC is my workhorse and sees 80% + of my shooting, but the 600PF is just fin to shoot. It's a little like if you own a semi truck and a sports car - the truck is for work and you need it, but man, it's fun to slip behind the wheel of the other sometimes!
 
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Steve said:
It's funny - I think I'm looking forward to getting my 600PF more than I did with any recent Z lens - including my 600 TC. Don't' get me wrong's eh 600TC is my workhorse and sees 80% + of my shooting, but the 600PF is just fin to shoot. It's a little like if you own a semi truck and a sports car - the truck is for work and you need it, but man, it's fun to slip behind the wheel of the other sometimes!
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(y) Good analogy. Yes, I expect the 600PF to be a fun lens to use...good to hear you do too! :)
And I think Nikon should credit you with some sales....your video is responsible for this lens being in short supply I think...!!
 
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Mudweasel said:
Just had notification that I should receive mine next week (in the UK).

I've thought long and hard about this lens, as I already have the 400/4.5 and the 800PF - and have been more than happy with the results from the 400/4.5 with the 1.4x TC.

My reasoning (ok, clutching at straws to validate the purchase) is that the 600PF 'should' be a touch sharper and quicker than the 400/4.5 + TC (although hard to imagine that this would be a massive difference in the real world)... but I'll have a decent 600mm (that if you'd asked me what my dream Z lens announcement would be a year or two ago, this would have been it, albeit I'd have preferred it at f5.6) and I'll have a faster 400mm to use in lower light.

Tbh, the 800PF hasn't seen much use since I got it (when it first came out)... I don't photograph an awful lot of birds, so my usage for that hasn't been as high as I thought it would be... and that's the one that might be at risk. Ok, who am I kidding, I'm bound to keep all of them!
Click to expand...
I can't wait to get mine ... it'll be my first Telephoto Prime... the next will be the z400 f/4.5. With this announcement, I canceled the z180-600mm and while it's an amazing deal, since then I've caught a few comments about the issues at different focal ranges. Don't know if it's true but it's been said its sharpness is around 500mm. In any case, I want to believe it's not going to be sharper than the z600pf will be edge-to-edge (pixel peeping). We already know it doesn't have the same functionality, weight, and dimensions. But the z180-600 has become available at Best Buy in the Phoenix location.
 
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Talking to my camera store, they say I'm near the top of a short list for this lens, but seeing as I'm not NPS, my chances probably aren't good. Man, I hope next week sees a tracking number in my inbox 🙏 Also have a 180-600 arriving Monday, and my lug-repaired Z8 returning from Nikon on Tuesday, so it's going to be a busy week!

The 180-600 will be most versatile, the 800PF perfect reach, but both are heavy. The 600PF could end up being the most used of the bunch.
 
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AZMyke said:
I can't wait to get mine ... it'll be my first Telephoto Prime... the next will be the z400 f/4.5. With this announcement, I canceled the z180-600mm and while it's an amazing deal, since then I've caught a few comments about the issues at different focal ranges. Don't know if it's true but it's been said its sharpness is around 500mm. In any case, I want to believe it's not going to be sharper than the z600pf will be edge-to-edge (pixel peeping). We already know it doesn't have the same functionality, weight, and dimensions. But the z180-600 has become available at Best Buy in the Phoenix location.
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I've had no issues at 600, even with a tc (so 840mm) wide open.

I think some is copy variation, and some (in the general public) is not shooting as well as others do.
 
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Steve said:
The 800PF isn't called the 800PF either :)

PF is just a type of lens element, like SWR or ED. "PF" is more of a colloquial way to describe it.
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You are correct.
The 500pf is called:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

On the Z lenses they’re not naming it PF. Instead it’s written on the lens in big Phase Fresnel

Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S
Nikon NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S
 
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JoelKlein said:
You are correct.
The 500pf is called:
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR

On the Z lenses they’re not naming it PF. Instead it’s written on the lens in big Phase Fresnel

Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S
Nikon NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S
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Yep, but everyone calls those lenses the 600PF and 800PF.... :)
Seems easier...:)
 
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JoelKlein said:
Seems to me Nikon feels PF is something inferior.
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I doubt that.

The latest F mount 600mm f/4 was called: Nikon 600mm f/4E FL ED VR and when the Z mount version came out they called it: 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens

IOW, they removed all the markings related to the special ED and FL glass types and coatings used in the lens and simplified the naming to the big features

Similarly they went from:

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens​


to:

Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S Lens​


Again dropping the specific glass types (a Phase Fresnel element and ED glass)

Nikon has done this in the past as well. Their first AF lenses that communicated distance info back to the camera body were all called D lenses. After a while every lens they made did that and the D designation dropped off the product naming though every lens they now sell is by the original definition a D lens but they no longer carry the D in the product naming. (contrary to widespread internet talk, D lenses don't mean screw drive AF as some of their D lenses like the 600mm AF-S and AF-I D lenses had AF motors in the lenses but were still D lenses that communicated distance info back to the camera).

So no I don't see anything to suggest Nikon is trying to hide the use of PF lens elements especially since they print Phase Fresnel Lens in bold yellow lettering right on the lens:
Screen Shot 2023-10-20 at 4.31.21 PM.png
 
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fcotterill said:
Another report of a bird photographer's First impressions with the 600 PF and comparison against the 180-600

photographylife.com

Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S Review

An in-depth review of the Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S, a lightweight super-telephoto prime lens aimed at sports and wildlife photographers.
photographylife.com photographylife.com
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As a brief aside, one surprising thing to me from that is the claim, made by the author in the comments, that the FTZ adapter makes focusing less accurate. I've never seen anyone say thus before. What do people think about that?
 
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SCoombs said:
As a brief aside, one surprising thing to me from that is the claim, made by the author in the comments, that the FTZ adapter makes focusing less accurate. I've never seen anyone say thus before. What do people think about that?
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I somehow think less accurate is not correct. And I've not seen that with my gear.
But I could see it causing uneven sharpness if the two mounting surfaces are not exactly parallel.
 
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I cannot comment on the authors comments on the 180-600 but I think he was accurate with everything he said about the 600PF. It's pretty much a winner all the way around (except for possibly MFD).
 
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Sorta surprised by which lens he picked in the end to own. It’ll be interesting to see which lens people go with once the 600PF honeymoon hoopla dies down and things get back to normal. I know that at the moment I intend on keeping both lenses, but let’s see how those intentions hold up.

With just how well the 186 performs, I can easily see it being the lens I use most often, with a smattering of 800PF thrown in. Will the 600PF get enough use to justify its place in my bag? Guess we’ll find out!
 
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I have never found the FTZ to interfere with AF. It's a major leverage to clinch focus on notoriously fickle fast f-Nikkors
Not least, this is comparing the 58 f1.4G wide open or at f1.8 on a Z9 and Z7 compared to D850

SCoombs said:
As a brief aside, one surprising thing to me from that is the claim, made by the author in the comments, that the FTZ adapter makes focusing less accurate. I've never seen anyone say thus before. What do people think about that?
Click to expand...

Geoff_G said:
I somehow think less accurate is not correct. And I've not seen that with my gear.
But I could see it causing uneven sharpness if the two mounting surfaces are not exactly parallel.
Click to expand...
 
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