Official Nikon 600mm TC Info + My Full First Look Review

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Steve W said:
I’ve paid less than that for cars......
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But you won't likely do these days, especially for a brand new, shiny one. Or even for a not so old shiny one; at least in these parts! Last year, I paid more for a three-year-old used car as I did the last time I bought a new one.
 
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Great review Steve. I order my Z 600 the day it was offered and, at the same time, cancelled my order for the Z 800mm. I will probably sell my 600mm f/4 after the new Z 600mm arrives. Now we can just hope for the Z 8, so I can have a second mirrorless body and get rid of the rest of my DSLR equipment. Keep up the fine work and I hope to see you in another workshop. Maybe Africa this time? RDD
 
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Here in Italy, some lenses will arrive in the middle of this month, and others are already delivered.
I just placed an order for one, and the delivery of mine is estimated in January. I hope for that.
Probably this Saturday, I will sell my 600 FL to a good friend. 😎
 
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Activert said:
I totally agree. The 400 tc and the 600 tc are the best of the best
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If the switch were not so costly, I would trade in my Sony 600GM in a heartbeat.
I think Nikon innovated in 2 essential areas with the 400 and 600TC.

The built in TC is obvious, but another brilliant move has been to design these lenses without a filter in the dropin filter holder.
I have experimented with the Sony 600GM by removing the stock neutral filter, and the increase in fine detail and contrast is very noticable, but the lens has not been designed that way, so the overall look of the images is a bit off without the glass filter in place.

Nikon was very smart to implement the dropin filter this way, it gives their 400 and 600TC a clear edge i.m.o.
 
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If this lens could mount and function on a Sony body I'd have swapped my 600GM and 400GM in a heartbeat.
There is no way to argue against the fact that Nikon is dominating the lens market for wildlife photographers.
 
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I have experimented with the Sony 600GM by removing the stock neutral filter, and the increase in fine detail and contrast is very noticable, but the lens has not been designed that way, so the overall look of the images is a bit off without the glass filter in place.
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Can you show an example of the increase in contrast and fine detail and explain what you mean by the image being a bit off?
 
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ChrisM said:
If the switch were not so costly, I would trade in my Sony 600GM in a heartbeat.
I think Nikon innovated in 2 essential areas with the 400 and 600TC.

The built in TC is obvious, but another brilliant move has been to design these lenses without a filter in the dropin filter holder.
I have experimented with the Sony 600GM by removing the stock neutral filter, and the increase in fine detail and contrast is very noticable, but the lens has not been designed that way, so the overall look of the images is a bit off without the glass filter in place.

Nikon was very smart to implement the dropin filter this way, it gives their 400 and 600TC a clear edge i.m.o.
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And they carried the no filter in the holder through on the Z800pf.
 
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Jaylabj said:
Can you show an example of the increase in resolution and fine detail and explain what you mean by the image being a bit off?
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I try not to engage in efforts to try and prove my own findings by posting images or examples.
It has simply been my finding over the years with various high end super telelenses, that the filter in the drop-in filter holder has an impact on the image rendering.
The worst offender was the gel filter in the Canon 400DOII that slightly veiled the images.
Once removed, clarity and fine detail on the 7DII improved considerably.

But this is a controversial topic so I would not even encourage people to endeavour in experimenting, because the filters are part of the design.
If you leave it out, results can vary per lens.
With the Sony 600GM, my assumption is that a careful balance between image sharpness/contrast and image smoothness/bokeh, was targeted.
If I remove the filter, the contrast goes a bit over the top and I have to dial back clarity because sharpness is too aggresive.

It does show however how much resolution and contrast the 600GM packs, and I dislike it that the filter does a job of veiling part of it.
The effect is the least in low soft light, just as was the case with the Canon 400DOII.
But as the light get's stronger, the slight haziness and softness quickly increases.
Removing the filter get's rid of most of that, providing very high clarity.

This is something you can easily try out yourself if you have the 600GM, but is rather useless, because the lens was designed this way.
The only way to get it right, is by the manufacturer to design the lens without a filter, and make it an optional addition.
Nikon was the first to see the sense in this, and I think that is a great thing.

I don't have the optical knowledge to theoretically build a case on what exactly happens in these expensive lenses in strong light (meaning anything outside of dawn and dusk) that have a flat glass filter in place, but I have grown to dislike them quite a bit over the years, especially with the arrival of higher resolution cameras that invite substantial cropping.
 
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fcotterill said:
PL has finally released their review

photographylife.com

Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S Review

This hands-on review covers everything you need to know about the Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S, including extensive field and lab tests.
photographylife.com photographylife.com
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The lens is magical. I think this is the first review I’ve seen that stressed just how good the lens is with the TC. Most of the previous reviews I’ve seen put the lens on par with or slightly behind the 800 PF. But this review puts the TC slightly ahead and it‘s 840 mm at f/5.6. Whatever the case, you certainly aren’t going to suffer a drop in quality choosing the 600 TC, TC engaged, over the 800 PF. I would also make some additional points I didn’t see, or weren’t stressed enough, in the PL review.

1) The lens is a great sports lens. The backgrounds it delivers, in addition to the sharpness and AF speed, results in fantastic people oriented action shots. It’s not just a wildlife lens.
2) The VR when paired with the Z9 is unbelievably good. It’s like having an invisible tripod, allowing sharp shots at unthinkable shutter speeds when subjects are mostly stationary. The article stresses size and weight quite a bit, but the VR negates that if you don’t have to keep the lens on the subject for multiple minutes at a time and have nothing to rest it on, like your knee. The weight and size remind me of carrying around a scoped rifle on a sling. For me, it’s not a burden at all.
3) The article stresses the $15K + price quite a bit but the lens has appeared multiple times now in Nikon’s refurbished sales for $11,159.95 USD. Sale prices for the 800 PF ($6000) and 600 PF ($4300) are nearly there anyway. Given how much everything else in the world has shot up in price so much, $11,159.95 for a like new 600 TC lens directly from Nikon is a steal!
 
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