Nikon Z lens 100-400mm experience

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Kumar A

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Hi

I am considering getting a 100-400 mm lens to go with my Z9. I intend using this on safaris that I go to often in India where the Tigers/Lions etc come fairly close to the vehicles and I have often found the 600mm/400mm with TC to be too much focal length. Has anybody used this lens and what is your opinion of the lens ? Thank you.
 
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I used this lens during my three week trip to Alaska in August. It is my go to travel lens for wildlife, and you can get some landscape shots as well. I shot sunsets, whales, Kodiak bears, and birds in flight. I don't use the teleconverter, I just shoot in DX mode 19.5 mp for magnification and smaller raw files when I need the 600 mm equivalent reach. It is not as sharp as my 500 f5.6, but pretty darn close. It is good enough that I'll be leaving my 500 at home when I go to Australia/New Zealand this February.
 
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I nearly chose the Z 100-400 but have opted for the 400 f4.5S, as its ~300g lighter, edge in IQ including bokeh, and not least performance with ZTC14. But I'm still planning to add the former, ideally during a Nikon special. There's a current special on the 100-400 this month here in SAfrica, so very tempting (almost 23% less)! But I'll continue to rely on the 70-200 f2.8E with a TC14 when needed; as the 180-400 TC is my main wildlife lens in vehicles....but the 100-400 S will be quicker in action, and ideal on hikes.

Having owned the 80-400 G, its versatility is very useful indeed. In his review, Thom Hogan points out the Z-mount zoom is greatly improved in key features, including balance as well as IQ. Obviously it's the ideal zoom for landscapes, as its IQ at f5.6 is close to the 400 f2.8S TC. Also see the useful advice etc here for Macro, where it's most useful.
Here are three other threads for this lens with more reviews etc by Brad Hill and others:

Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Nikkor

Manual is here to download Good to see 2 sets of L-Fn buttons https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/583/NIKKOR_Z_100-400mm_f_45-56_VR_S.html
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Nikkor Z 100-400 vs the Z 400mm F/4.5 VR for wildlife photography

Hello. I'm thinking about buying Z lenses for a Nikon Z9 which I have on order. Does anyone have a view on the Nikkor Z 100-400 F/4.5-5.6 VR S vs the Z 400mm F/4.5 for wildlife photography? I mostly shoot handheld rather than with a tripod/monopod thank you!
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Z 100-400 or 400 4.5

Thanks for your thoughtful insights Bruce. To give my 0.02c, although much tempted I held back from the 100-400 S waiting to see how this 400 f4.5S turned out, once it'd turned up. Glad I waited, as I've ordered, and will pair it with a 70-200 f2.8E FL (also with TC14 III) and/or 24-120 f4S...
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fcotterill said:
I nearly chose the Z 100-400 but have opted for the 400 f4.5S, as its ~300g lighter, edge in IQ including bokeh, and not least performance with ZTC14. But I'm still planning to add the former, ideally during a Nikon special. There's a current special on the 100-400 this month here in SAfrica, so very tempting (almost 23% less)! But I'll continue to rely on the 70-200 f2.8E with a TC14 when needed; as the 180-400 TC is my main wildlife lens in vehicles....but the 100-400 S will be quicker in action, and ideal on hikes.

Having owned the 80-400 G, its versatility is very useful indeed. In his review, Thom Hogan points out the Z-mount zoom is greatly improved in key features, including balance as well as IQ. Obviously it's the ideal zoom for landscapes, as its IQ at f5.6 is close to the 400 f2.8S TC. Also see the useful advice etc here for Macro, where it's most useful.
Here are three other threads for this lens with more reviews etc by Brad Hill and others:

Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Nikkor

Manual is here to download Good to see 2 sets of L-Fn buttons https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/583/NIKKOR_Z_100-400mm_f_45-56_VR_S.html
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com

Nikkor Z 100-400 vs the Z 400mm F/4.5 VR for wildlife photography

Hello. I'm thinking about buying Z lenses for a Nikon Z9 which I have on order. Does anyone have a view on the Nikkor Z 100-400 F/4.5-5.6 VR S vs the Z 400mm F/4.5 for wildlife photography? I mostly shoot handheld rather than with a tripod/monopod thank you!
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com

Z 100-400 or 400 4.5

Thanks for your thoughtful insights Bruce. To give my 0.02c, although much tempted I held back from the 100-400 S waiting to see how this 400 f4.5S turned out, once it'd turned up. Glad I waited, as I've ordered, and will pair it with a 70-200 f2.8E FL (also with TC14 III) and/or 24-120 f4S...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
Click to expand...
Thank you so much
 
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After giving some thought, I have decided to get the Z 100-400mm (will be picking it up on Monday or Tuesday) and it will be coming with me to Kenya next year instead of AF-S 200-500. Besides regular wildlife in Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Ol Pejeta, I will be focusing on birds at Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Nivasha and hoping using the lens in DX mode with Z9 will give me the extra reach for birds.
 
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I have been using the 100-400mm for a couple of months on a variety of wildlife. It focuses much closer than the 80-400mm and is great when you find subjects closer than you expected. Of course you are looking for the most popular subjects: big animals and any birds so you might not need the 100-400mm.
 
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KirstyM said:
Sigh. I’d love to test out the 100-400 lens, but I’ve been on a UK waiting list for “pre-order” in the UK since early April 🙄
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That's too bad; I'm sorry. I guess it's little better in Canada. My local camera store has two right now one of which has already been promised to another photographer. Hopefully, I should be able to get the other one.
 
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I have been using this lens for a few months now and love it. I also managed to get a 800pf and use both on Z9s. I now find that this combination covers 95% of my needs, so much so that I rarely touch my 500pf, a lens I also love. (I also have a redundant 300pf but am very reluctant to sell either the 300 or 500.)
 
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dasm said:
After giving some thought, I have decided to get the Z 100-400mm (will be picking it up on Monday or Tuesday) and it will be coming with me to Kenya next year instead of AF-S 200-500. Besides regular wildlife in Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Ol Pejeta, I will be focusing on birds at Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, and Lake Nivasha and hoping using the lens in DX mode with Z9 will give me the extra reach for birds.
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You could try the teleconverters. With the 2x it’s definitely a little soft at the long end, but very usable and generally nicer than cropping.
 
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I've got 100-400mm primarely for filming and I must say it was great! Especially becasue I was able to zoom smoothly from 100mm to 400mm during the filmiing! You can see it in this video from 0:50 where I zoom from the whole "buffalo-scene" to the lion hanging on buffalo neck. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked! Normally if you zoom and film it looks jerky.
The other good point (beside the sharpness) what I realised is that you can shoot with 1/80s on 400mm and it is sharp. So, the vibration reduction of the lens is really very good!! Wenn the animal was steady I went from 1/400s to 1/80s, started with 1/400s and higher ISO for security shot and then slow down the shutter speed to reduce the ISO.
I tried it also with 1.4xTC but the combo got quite heavy.
So, I can recommend this lens. Especially taking in account that tiger is a big animal and if you can be close to it.
 
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Kumar A said:
Hi - I am considering getting a 100-400 mm lens to go with my Z9. I intend using this on safaris that I go to often in India where the Tigers/Lions etc come fairly close to the vehicles and I have often found the 600mm/400mm with TC to be too much focal length. Has anybody used this lens and what is your opinion of the lens ? Thank you.
Click to expand...
I have both the Z 70-200/2.8 and Z 100-400 and longer primes. While the 100-400 is good, the 70-200 is exceptional, just buy a ZTC14 as well. This gets you to 280mm f/4.0.
I find that using the 70-200 with the ZTC 14 provides better results than the 100-400 -- maybe I have a ZTC that works well with my 70-200 but it does and so I mount the Z70-200 + 1.4ZTC whenever I am out with longer lenses and need to be able to shoot wider/closer.
I go on game drives (or will again soon) with both the Z400/2.8TC and will take the Z600/4.0TC (when it arrives) each tele is mounted on a Z9 and the 3rd lens (the zoom) on a Z7 (this will be replaced next year). I also tend to have a 24-70 and 14-24 in my bag and that works for me for those rare occasions when subjects get very very close, but I don't want to have to remove a tele from the Z9 in the open or in a vehicle -- it is simply too dusty and these are my "working lenses".

I often shoot Falcons in training and displays/competitions and the Z70-200 + 1.4ZTC on a Z9 is my most successful pairing.
 
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I remembered I'd bookmarked this summary by Brad Hill in his "Long Lens Talk" (49:00 >)

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I’ve used the Z 100-400 with my Z9 this year on three trips: Khutzeymateen for grizzly bears; Grimsey Island (Iceland) with the Z 1.4x TC for Atlantic puffins in flight; and Seal River on Hudson Bay for polar bears and arctic foxes, with and without the Z 1.4x TC, depending on light and conditions. In each case, I also had the 500 mm PF and the F 1.4x TCIII along.

I’m sure that the Z 400 f4.5 (not to mention the Z 400 f2.8) is sharper at 400 mm and has better bokeh. The Z 400 f4.5 is also lighter and faster. But on these trips, I found the zoom flexibility to be very valuable. And I think the Z 100-400 is sharp enough to be very useful. In the Khutzeymateen, where you shoot from a zodiac, I often used 100 mm, either because we were quite close to a bear or because I wanted more of the environment in the shot. In Seal River, we had several encounters when we were out hiking where polar bears came as close as 25-30 feet from us, and again I used shorter focal lengths. At other times, the bears were farther away and I used the Z 100-400 at 400 mm (or switched to a second body with the 500 mm PF, in some cases with the 1.4x TCIII).

I also shoot a lot in the summer from my kayak on a lake in northern Minnesota. I generally shot this year with either the Z 100-400 (sometimes with the Z 1.4x TC if light was good) or the 500 mm PF (often with the 1.4x TCIII for more reach). The zoom flexibility is nice, although there are also times I prefer more reach. Looking forward to trying the 800 mm PF in my kayak next summer.

I think the Z 100-400 is better at 400 mm than using the Z 2x TC on the Z 70-200 (I used the Z 2x TC on the Z 70-200 mm last year in Katmai NP for grizzly bears before I got the Z 100-400). If you need something faster, I think the Z 70-200 is quite good with Z 1.4x TC (I think probably as good as the Z 100-400 in overlapping focal lengths) and ends up faster (f4) at 280 mm.

The Z 100-400 also has a very close minimum focus distance, making it very useful for butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, and other smaller critters.
 
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BillW said:
I’ve used the Z 100-400 with my Z9 this year on three trips: Khutzeymateen for grizzly bears; Grimsey Island (Iceland) with the Z 1.4x TC for Atlantic puffins in flight; and Seal River on Hudson Bay for polar bears and arctic foxes, with and without the Z 1.4x TC, depending on light and conditions. In each case, I also had the 500 mm PF and the F 1.4x TCIII along.

I’m sure that the Z 400 f4.5 (not to mention the Z 400 f2.8) is sharper at 400 mm and has better bokeh. The Z 400 f4.5 is also lighter and faster. But on these trips, I found the zoom flexibility to be very valuable. And I think the Z 100-400 is sharp enough to be very useful. In the Khutzeymateen, where you shoot from a zodiac, I often used 100 mm, either because we were quite close to a bear or because I wanted more of the environment in the shot. In Seal River, we had several encounters when we were out hiking where polar bears came as close as 25-30 feet from us, and again I used shorter focal lengths. At other times, the bears were farther away and I used the Z 100-400 at 400 mm (or switched to a second body with the 500 mm PF, in some cases with the 1.4x TCIII).

I also shoot a lot in the summer from my kayak on a lake in northern Minnesota. I generally shot this year with either the Z 100-400 (sometimes with the Z 1.4x TC if light was good) or the 500 mm PF (often with the 1.4x TCIII for more reach). The zoom flexibility is nice, although there are also times I prefer more reach. Looking forward to trying the 800 mm PF in my kayak next summer.

I think the Z 100-400 is better at 400 mm than using the Z 2x TC on the Z 70-200 (I used the Z 2x TC on the Z 70-200 mm last year in Katmai NP for grizzly bears before I got the Z 100-400). If you need something faster, I think the Z 70-200 is quite good with Z 1.4x TC (I think probably as good as the Z 100-400 in overlapping focal lengths) and ends up faster (f4) at 280 mm.

The Z 100-400 also has a very close minimum focus distance, making it very useful for butterflies, dragonflies, frogs, and other smaller critters.
Click to expand...

Don't forget the 100-400mm Z is made in Japan, whereas the 400mm 4.5 Z is made in China.
 
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I've just come back from a safari in South Africa and left my 100-400 plus 1.4 TC attached to my Z9 for the whole trip. Very happy with the results and at times valued the ability to take very usable shots of butterflies and insects as well. I also took a Z6ii with the 24-70 f/4 for environmental shots but didn't use it often.
 
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Let’s stay on topic with experience of the z100-400.
with this lens you can also use the two z teleconverters though they do lose a stop or two.
am using a rented z400mm f4.5 and it is superb. Light and very sharp. Even at 800mm with the 2x TC its IQ remains very good. It’s also 1/5 price of the 400 TC lens!
 
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I used the 100-400 w/ and w/o 1.4 TC plus 800 PF Africa. I'll post some pix next week. Generally very impressed by the lens / lens + TC though it is a bit slow (aperture wise) so early mornings and late afternoons were challenging, I would highly recommend it for photographers,, not pixel peekers
 
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