Questions for Owners of Z 400 f2.8 TC

[flashpixx]

Ordered this len from Nikon Aus and should arrive today.
Also ordered a lenscoat and arca swiss foot.
Zemlin cap is a consideration.

• For casual use of a gimbal would an arca swiss plate suffice to retain the oem foot and handle?
• any observations, tips, thoughts on using/owning the lens?

Lens will replace the AFS 400 f2.8 E FL + FTZII +/- TC1.4III

Many thanks

 

[robert_in_ca]

Ordered this len from Nikon Aus and should arrive today.
Also ordered a lenscoat and arca swiss foot.
Zemlin cap is a consideration.

• For casual use of a gimbal would an arca swiss plate suffice to retain the oem foot and handle?
• any observations, tips, thoughts on using/owning the lens?

Lens will replace the AFS 400 f2.8 E FL + FTZII +/- TC1.4III

Many thanks

Trust me when I say this... having owned the 400TC for over 2 years don't just get the Zemlin cap, but also get one of Karl's shorter hood's as well. They blow away the OEM hood and saves a lot of space in your bag to boot. I use a Wimberley foot as I found it to be more efficient then adding an arca swiss plate. Congrats on getting that amazing lens.

 

[flashpixx]

Trust me when I say this... having owned the 400TC for over 2 years don't just get the Zemlin cap, but also get one of Karl's shorter hood's as well. They blow away the OEM hood and saves a lot of space in your bag to boot. I use a Wimberley foot as I found it to be more efficient then adding an arca swiss plate. Congrats on getting that amazing lens.

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I have the Wimberley foot coming
Can you please expand on how the shorter hood 'blows away the OEM hood'?
I have the Zemlin hood and cap on the F 400 E FL. I really only got that hood as the OEM hood gets marked just looking at it!!

 

[nmerc_photos]

Arca swiss plates work, but I much prefer actual weimberley (or other manufacturers) aftermarket feet. just seems to have less opportunities for failure.
I like the short hoods as Robert mentions. the OEM hoods are expensive to replace (like $1K I think?) and the length is unnecessary. The 400TC with the 2.83" hood makes it look and feel almost as small as a zoom lens. it makes it look much less obvious that it's a $15K lens or whatever.

Z9 + 400TC on the left, some older body with a 150-600 or 200-500 zoom or something

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[Nasos Kosmas]

On the right must be a Sigma or Tamron 150-600..

 

[nmerc_photos]

On the right must be a Sigma or Tamron 150-600..

admittedly, it could be... I am not familiar with DSLR options.

 

[flashpixx]

Arca swiss plates work, but I much prefer actual weimberley (or other manufacturers) aftermarket feet. just seems to have less opportunities for failure.
I like the short hoods as Robert mentions. the OEM hoods are expensive to replace (like $1K I think?) and the length is unnecessary. The 400TC with the 2.83" hood makes it look and feel almost as small as a zoom lens. it makes it look much less obvious that it's a $15K lens or whatever.

Z9 + 400TC on the left, some older body with a 150-600 or 200-500 zoom or something

Thank you for taking the time to reply
Yeah those hoods are expensive!
personally I dont mind the size of the hood, it's never really bothered me or found it cumbersome, YMMV of course
I've used a lenscoat and the hood cover from the hydophobia on the F 400 f2.8 E FL permanently in place to manage damage, will do the same with the Z400
Thanks also for the tip on the Wimberley foot.

 

[robert_in_ca]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I have the Wimberley foot coming
Can you please expand on how the shorter hood 'blows away the OEM hood'?
I have the Zemlin hood and cap on the F 400 E FL. I really only got that hood as the OEM hood gets marked just looking at it!!

You're welcome. Honestly I just find Zemlin products to be really robust. Also with the hood I use [I had the 115mm (4.53in) version that replaces the Nikon HK-42 hood which is 150mm (5.91") long] the girth is a lot less than the OEM hood. Because of this along with the pinch cap, the height is barely past the rim of the lens which saves a little on the length and certainly on the girth. This ultimately leads to why I could fit the 400TC into bags that wouldn't be possible when using the provided Nikon hood and cover. For example, I could carry my 400TC (no body attached) in my Gura Gear 22L which I wouldn't be able to do with the Nikon hood and cover.

 

[flashpixx]

Lens has arrived.
First pic, a Silvereye in the front garden with the Z9.

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[CoyoteCreationsNW]

Sounds like you have the foot ordered. I used a plate until my replacement came. No problem just a little more bulk and weight. I strongly recommend the Zemlin lens cap. You are familiar with large heavy telephotos so just remember to be careful of overstressing the camera lens plate. The lens is sharp enough that I carry a TC instead of a second 800 mm prime. IQ is still pretty good. Play with the position of the function buttons and rings. I ended up disabling some because I moved them too often without meaning to. The Think Tank Hydrophobia raincoat is good protection in poor conditions.

 

[bsinc1962]

The replacement foot is a good addition. I have the Really Right Stuff version.

Also grabbed the Zemlin lens cap and 3.5 long Zemlin hood.
I like the Zemlin hood not only for the shorter length but because I'm not a fan of the screw type fastener on the Nikon hood.

I also went the Lifeguard skin route as opposed to a lenswrap.

 

[Bru]

I’ve had my Z400 2.8 TC for about two years. I use a Kirk foot and a Black Rapid strap as I almost always shoot it handheld. I also have a Zemlin hood and lens cap.

 

[flashpixx]

Thanks everyone for your replies.
Initial reaction when using the lens for the first time was how light it was. I would never contemplate hand holding the 400 E FL + FTZ, just too heavy.
I'm told the 400 TC is sharper than the 400 E FL in real world use, my inital reaction is yes it is, a few sports shoots will confirm.
Looking forward to using this beauty

 

[Travisinthe307]

Congratulations Gordon,

What a fantastic lens. When I purchased one I bought the Kirk replacement foot, RolanPro lens cover and Zemlin Hood and cap so I could keep the OEM hood in new shape. I bought the hood that matched the original size and my RolanPro cover works great with it. One thing about the RolanPro is the cover for the internal TC is not as form fitting as the rest so I left that off for easy use. You can certainly use a Arca plate as long as you're using 2 screws to mount it. Have a great time with that beast.

 

[Lance B]

Congrats, Gordon! I'm sure you will love it!

I was tossing up between the 400 f2.8 TC and the 600 f4 TC and I decided on the latter as I shoot birds and mostly small birds so being able to shoot 600 and 840 was a benefit over the 400 f2.8. Sold off a heap of gear including the 400 f2.8E FL VR and the 800 pf and a few others in order to be able to afford it. I just can't justify $25,000 cold without letting other gear go.

 

[flashpixx]

Congratulations Gordon,

What a fantastic lens. When I purchased one I bought the Kirk replacement foot, RolanPro lens cover and Zemlin Hood and cap so I could keep the OEM hood in new shape. I bought the hood that matched the original size and my RolanPro cover works great with it. One thing about the RolanPro is the cover for the internal TC is not as form fitting as the rest so I left that off for easy use. You can certainly use a Arca plate as long as you're using 2 screws to mount it. Have a great time with that beast.

Thanks Travis. I dont think the Lenscoat cover works well with the TC bump and switch so from what I've seen owners leave that part of the Lenscoat off the lens also.

 

[flashpixx]

Congrats, Gordon! I'm sure you will love it!

I was tossing up between the 400 f2.8 TC and the 600 f4 TC and I decided on the latter as I shoot birds and mostly small birds so being able to shoot 600 and 840 was a benefit over the 400 f2.8. Sold off a heap of gear including the 400 f2.8E FL VR and the 800 pf and a few others in order to be able to afford it. I just can't justify $25,000 cold without letting other gear go.

Thank Lance.
I was very lucky finding an ex demo from Nikon so saved myself $6k on a new one. It's like new to look at
I've been wanting to sell the 400 FL for a while but couldnt bring mysellf to take the $hit. Will have to just take it and move on I guess.

 

[Lance B]

Thank Lance.
I was very lucky finding an ex demo from Nikon so saved myself $6k on a new one. It's like new to look at
I've been wanting to sell the 400 FL for a while but couldnt bring mysellf to take the $hit. Will have to just take it and move on I guess.

Wow, $6k is a big saving! Well done. Look forward to your photos!

 

[Johan Schmidt]

Congrats Gordon - looking forward to seeing your images. BTW we're all very jealous!

 

[Anjin San]

For casual use of a gimbal would an arca swiss plate suffice to retain the oem foot and handle?

With the bucks that lens costs…I would not quibble over the price of a replacement foot with built in Arca…that makes no more sense to me than buying a Z9 and cheating out on cards or 3rd party batteries.

I have replacement feet on all my lenses except the 180-600 because that’s a hiking lens for me when single body/lens is the goal. I did put an Arca foot with QD on it since it isn’t out of the question I might have a monopod along with it, but it’s mostly a hand hold lens for me.

 

[Johan Schmidt]

With the bucks that lens costs…I would not quibble over the price of a replacement foot with built in Arca…that makes no more sense to me than buying a Z9 and cheating out on cards or 3rd party batteries.

I have replacement feet on all my lenses except the 180-600 because that’s a hiking lens for me when single body/lens is the goal. I did put an Arca foot with QD on it since it isn’t out of the question I might have a monopod along with it, but it’s mostly a hand hold lens for me.

I agree - do it correctly once and forget about it. I added the Wimberly replacement foot on my 400 years ago and it's been great, although on the 70-200 2.8 I added an arca swiss plate - not sure if there wasn't a replacement foot for it.

 

[Anjin San]

I agree - do it correctly once and forget about it. I added the Wimberly replacement foot on my 400 years ago and it's been great, although on the 70-200 2.8 I added an arca swiss plate - not sure if there wasn't a replacement foot for it.

Yep…with the exception of the Amazon cheapie on the 180-600 mine have Hejnar replacements…cheaper than Kirk or the high priced alternatives and plenty good enough.

 

[wotan1]

Be aware that there is an issue with the lens feet for certain Z lenses, specifically the lighter ones, I think for the 70-200, 400mm f4.5 and 600mm pf. I may have the exact lenses involved wrong but they are the feet that slide in from the side and have a screw knob and quick release button. This is compared to others that actually bolt directly into the lens.

It is possible to inadvertently release the foot. I had one of those come loose unexpectedly causing my 400mm to fall to the ground. The whole foot separated from the lens. Fortunately for me this happened over soft grass and I had no damage. At the time I was using a Kirk foot but REally Right Stuff makes something with a similar design. I had this. happen to me only once (which was quite enough for me to get the message).

Both Hejnar and Kimberly feet direct bolt into the lens and they are not vulnerable to this issue. You can avoid the issue by carefully making sure the knob is fully tightened and by keeping your finger away from the quick release button. It was my conclusion thet I had no need for the quick release button function and I would rather have a lens foot that securelly bolts to the lens. I switched my lenses with this feature to the Hejnar feet which actuallyw ere lless espensive. I have not had that problem again but I also now always use a tether whenever I carry a lens/camera by a QD or similar strap.