Nikon 600PF First Look Field Review!

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Mr. Meows said:
4800 Dollars for 6.3 aperture?
Not that much faster than my 500mm PF and sharpness about the same.
Thanks Nikon but i will keep my 500mm PF.


F6.3 isn't much different to F5.6.
F7.1 isn't much different than 6.3.
If you're already at F7.1, F8 isn't a big deal.
Before you know it you're at F11 wondering if you've accidentally mounted a Canon lens.
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Maximum F/stops are always about size, weight, and price. If you want faster, it's there but you pay more for it and have larger, heavier gear in return.

If this had been an F/7.1 lens, I would have been much harder on it and at F/8 it would have been a joke. Everyone has their cutoff. F/6.3 has really become de facto F/stop any 600mm for any affordable / compact piece of gear, so I don't think the slop is quite a slippery as your example would suggest :) Only Canon has really strayed beyond it.
 
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NorthernFocus said:
Nice job again @Steve . Only question that remains after watching is: Why does it rain every time you do one of the early reviews?

I love this graphic at the end of the video. It took them a while but Nikon has definitely knocked it out of the park with the long glass.

On edit: 800PF + 600PF + 400 4.5 = $14,550. 600TC alone = $15,500. Where should I spend the other $950?

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LOL, no clue. Although, the one time it didn't rain (600TC) we were in brutal light the entire time and it was awful. I'll take the rain! :)
 
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Activert said:
Thanks Steve for your amazing work, I am glad that you are one of the few people tant test the lens. That means Nikon know that you are honest, photographers trust you and they rely on your review to make a decision to add a lens to their dear.
I am very happy with my 600 tc, and even it is little heavy, I take it everywhere when I know I will be shooting birds. The 600 Pf looks like more like a companion lens, you take it everywhere. Maybe in the future, if I feel there is a need for it In my hiking.
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Thanks. For me, there are times / places where I like a smaller lens. One place I like to use lenses like this are in beach areas where the birds are really habituated. In the morning I'm happy with the 600TC, but in the evening when there are lots of people - many of them in bikinis - you get some... uncomfortable... looks. A smaller lens draws less attention :)

I also love hiking when looking for wildlife, so this lens fits that bill far better than the 600TC and tripod. Not that I won't still take that combo at times - it's nice to have options :)
 
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Anjin San said:
Where were you for this shoot down here in FL? A lot of the sample shots look like they are at Black Point…but given your short time frame you probably didn’t waste too much of it driving around and some of them like the boardwalk ones were unfamiliar to me.
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Som at black point, most at Orlando Wetlands
 
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Steve said:
Thanks. For me, there are times / places where I like a smaller lens. One place I like to use lenses like this are in beach areas where the birds are really habituated. In the morning I'm happy with the 600TC, but in the evening when there are lots of people - many of them in bikinis - you get some... uncomfortable... looks. A smaller lens draws less attention :)

I also love hiking when looking for wildlife, so this lens fits that bill far better than the 600TC and tripod. Not that I won't still take that combo at times - it's nice to have options :)
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I agree with what you said and I did not think about it in this way. You are complet right. I am now struggling between this lens and the 180-600mm. I only want to choose one between both. And I know both are different. Time will decide. Maybe I will get both.
 
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It looks like a fun lens to carry around and shoot with.

And as far as F mount values going down, the 500 PF can already be readily bought for around $1700 USD. $1740 for like new copies at MPB and $1650 for excellent copies. How much lower can those go? I’m seriously considering that alternative, dang.
 
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Thank you for the preview, Steve.

I like to shoot lightweight but prefer the flexibility of a zoom in most cases. If Nikon had made it f5.6, it would have differentiated it more. Also hard to justify the price difference when compared to a 600mm f6.3 zoom lens. If cost wasn’t a consideration, I think the 600mm PF would be an excellent choice for my partner because she doesn’t like to carry any lens heavier than 1.5Kg.
 
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Thanks for the review, Steve. Nikon has another winner here after a paucity of affordable long lens options. I have been shooting the Tamron 150-600 for numerous years and now have the Nikon 180-600 (YEA!!). For most of my shooting I am at the 600 mm end, and I still end up cropping a lot. My one safari, 600 mm was barely getting the compositions I liked and cropped more than I wanted. While the 180--600 may not pixel peep as well as the 600 PF, it is the lens in hand and I like having the zoom capability. So I think I will be saving up and working on the wife to get the 800 mm. What I would've liked to get from Nikon is a S level zoom.
 
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Steve said:
Based on using the 400 4.5 with a TC and my limited with with the 600PF, the 600PF is the sharper choice - just not sure by how much.
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One would certainly hope so as otherwise there is no point to this 600PF lens. It has got to have either better AF or better IQ than the 400/4.5 with 1.4TC (ideally both) as otherwise the 400/4.5 would be the better buy as it at least gives you some lower light shooting flexibility when you step back to 400mm.
 
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Thanks Steve for another great review. I have the 600mm f4 TC but there are times when It is just too large and heavy a lens for me to carry around. This new 600 f6.3 is so small and light that it will make a great lens for bird photography and especially bird in flight photography when I want to be able to hand hold or hike distances. I couldn't resist, so I placed an order this morning.
 
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If one wants to feel better about the price, just remember that only a few years ago the only way to get a similar lens was a Canon 400DII/1.4TC for 560/5.6....Canon sold that for $6900 USD. Of course Nikon has set a new standard by releasing the 400 f/4.5 (just 1/3 stop slower than that 400DOII) for only $3000. But lots of people were buying that 400DOII back in the days despite the hefty price.

Based on lens pricing back in DSLR days, I think the 600PF is a decent price. Based on Nikon Z lens pricing the past few years (and even the 500PF price) I think it is higher priced than expected. Still if it fits your needs it is a decent lens to pick up. Nikon is starting to make it difficult to pick the ideal kit with too many good lens options....not a bad problem to have.
 
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Ivan Rothman said:
Thanks Steve for another great review. I have the 600mm f4 TC but there are times when It is just too large and heavy a lens for me to carry around. This new 600 f6.3 is so small and light that it will make a great lens for bird photography and especially bird in flight photography when I want to be able to hand hold or hike distances. I couldn't resist, so I placed an order this morning.
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Same, I am having a little bit of buyers remorse but still feel I made the right choice. I should have waited a day and at least read the reviews and specifications before ordering the 400 f/4.5 yesterday. It is scheduled to be delivered today. I hike a lot and the 600 TC is not a light or small lens. I didn't want to duplicate focal range and felt I could get close to the new 600 by adding a TC 1.4 while still having the f4.5 option for darker hikes under tree canopies. While not as many looks as I would get with a 600 TC, I'm sure I'll still get plenty of comments and questions while hiking with the 400 f4.5 but at least not as many people thinking I could be a creepy bikini stalker like @Steve
 
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It is really nice to have a source of unbiased information on new products. I really appreciate your videos, Steve.
It is great as well to see opinions of forum members and their arguments concerning the stuff. Appreciated as well.

As I am using mostly 500mm, 600mm and atmosphere permitting 800mm, and as I am not a member of billionaire family, my optimization would go in the direction of :
  • sell Z 100-400 as it is too short
  • keep Sigma Sport 500 F4 F mount for low light scenarios and smooth background
  • buy Z 600 PF for extra focal length and features
  • keep Z 800 PF for astronomy and excellent weather
That will amount to approx 4000 Euro/5000 $ in expenses here in CZ. (2/3 of new Z 600 PF price)
What are your thoughts on keeping F mount Sigma and selling Z zoom.
I am posting this as I have not seen so far any posts on remedies for the F 6.3 problem. If you find it a diversion from the main topic, just ignore me :).
 
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Steve said:
Technically, the 500PF is a lighter - it's the 500PF + FTZ combo that puts it over the top. I used that example for weight in the video since you can't shoot a 500PF it.
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yah, watching your video (and some of your previous videos) points out how good of a lens the 500 pf is, esp. in the context of when it was released.
 
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