Nikon Z100 - 400 4.5 to 5.6 Low Light Capabilities

[AtTheLake]

I will be traveling to Tanzania in January. My question is around low light conditions and the Z100 to 400 4.5 - 5.6. As of now I will be bring my Z9 and D850. I do not have any Z lens. I will bring with me Nikon 24 - 70 2.8, Nikon 70 - 200 2.8 and Sigma 60 - 600 4.5 to 6.3. I will also bring a Nikon 1.4 and 1.7 TC for the 70 - 200. What has been the effectiveness of the Z 100 - 400, in low light conditions or am I better off to stay with the 70 -200 2.8 for low light conditions? Thanks in advance

 

[DRwyoming]

I will be traveling to Tanzania in January. My question is around low light conditions and the Z100 to 400 4.5 - 5.6. As of now I will be bring my Z9 and D850. I do not have any Z lens. I will bring with me Nikon 24 - 70 2.8, Nikon 70 - 200 2.8 and Sigma 60 - 600 4.5 to 6.3. I will also bring a Nikon 1.4 and 1.7 TC for the 70 - 200. What has been the effectiveness of the Z 100 - 400, in low light conditions or am I better off to stay with the 70 -200 2.8 for low light conditions? Thanks in advance

From light gathering and subject isolation standpoints the 100-400mm f/4.5 to f/5.6 is a wash with a 70-200mm f/2.8 with a 2x TC at the 400mm end of things. So from a pure low light perspective there's not a lot to be gained there at the long end and really a 100mm f/4.5 lens is quite slow compared to a 70-200mm f/2.8. There may be other reasons including potential IQ advantages of the native 100-400mm lens compared to relying on a 2x TC but at 400mm they both end up being 400mm f/5.6 lenses.

If you expect to shoot at 400mm quite a bit I'd take a good look at the 400mm f/4.5 that buys you 2/3 a stop of light gathering and subject isolation and in a very compact package. Of course a 300mm PF or 500mm PF might also be very useful in roughly that range of focal lengths but it all comes down to what focal lengths you'll expect to use a lot and of course whether you already own one or more of those lenses.

 

[agrumpyoldsod]

The challenge in Tanzania is that a lot of action happens at distance - and this is precisely when you need big glass and lots of aperture.

How well does your Sigma work on the Z9 and D850 -- I was not aware of the 60-600 -- but DP review seem to like it. AND if it works well then definitely take it. This lens has a huge advantage of your not needing to change lenses in the field -- BEWARE of DUST in Tanzania. Take a blower and wet sensor cleaning kit -- just in case.

I am aware of the older 150-600 SPORT [Sports 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM] -- which is an f-mount lens and has been a great "budget" option (well compared to a 600/4.0) -- your Z9 should work well with the SPORTs version AND so will the D850.

200mm is not enough reach for action, but is a great choice for those closer shots of big mammals and landscapes. You can add a TC14iii on it and it can be great. The TC20iii and TC17ii were far more hit and mis in my experience.

Now the Z 100-400 is another level in terms of the performance of the lens on the Z9 -- obviously you cannot use this lens on the D850. It works well with the Z TC14 - but again the Z TC20 while fine has a 2-stop hit making this an f/8 at 800mm. My only reservation with the 100-400 is it is a wee bit softer at 400mm than I would wish - but is great at 100-300. Lots of tests and reviews - but not by DxO Mark yet.

 

[BillW]

….

Now the Z 100-400 is another level in terms of the performance of the lens on the Z9 -- obviously you cannot use this lens on the D850. It works well with the Z TC14 - but again the Z TC20 while fine has a 2-stop hit making this an f/8 at 800mm. My only reservation with the 100-400 is it is a wee bit softer at 400mm than I would wish - but is great at 100-300. Lots of tests and reviews - but not by DxO Mark yet.

I think the Z 100-400 is 560 mm and f8 at the long end with the Z 1.4x TC. With the Z 2x TC, it is 800 mm and f11 at the long end. I find the Z 100-400 to be quite useable and useful with the Z 1.4x TC. Somewhat less so with the Z 2x TC.