Nikon's Best Value Z Lens - 180-600mm Reviewed (VS 100-400mm)

Absolutely Stunning Value!

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[johnnyViDeO]

Thanks, Matt. Yes, I would like to see a long zoom shootout among the Tamron, Sigma, and Z 180-600mm.

[bobbullethalf]

Finally, some sports and action shots with the Nikon Z 180-600. You always see pictures of birds and animals with this lens but not action shots, thanks for that.

[davewalker]

Picked mine up on Thurs and just been out with it for the first time. It is a beauty, feels very S-Line to me. It’s not light but it feels great in the hand and I find it very easy to shoot handheld. Very warm today and hazy in the UK for my use case (long distance landscapes). Only had to glance at a couple of files in ACR but they look good. Balances well on Z6 but I will in the main use it with the bigger Z8 which I hope to finally!!!! Receive in the next week or so. Good review Matt

[kimharrison]

Thanks Matt. I'm just about to go and pick up my 180-600. I really enjoy watching your videos, not only for the excellent content, but as a reminder of the time I lived in Hong Kong in the early 80's. It was where I bought my first Canon FTb SLR and I've been a photographer ever since! Thanks again for this, and all your reviews! Kim, from Perth, WA.

[sipuebla]

Which one has the better image the 180mm-600mm or the 100mm-400mm with the 1.4 teleconverter? Which one acquires the quickest focus 180mm-600mm or the 100mm-400mm with the 1.4 teleconverter?

[FlyinRyanProductions]

Got mine two days ago and it’s defiantly well worth it. My 200-500 will be getting sold on Tuesday.

[simonbooker]

Great video - thanks as always Matt. Just got mine and its fabulous, but for me teh really stand out feature is 600mm handheld video. Dont know what tweaking Nikon have done - buut its like having a gyro in the lens ; so stable it really is a huge difference.😯

[R.Hogarth]

When the Z8 was released, that was enough to convince me to switch (back) to Nikon from Sony (A7Riii). I have the 24-120mm lens and am looking for a long lens. I am also in the very early stages of planning a trip to see and photograph a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I have never regretted getting a good lens, but I have been struggling with whether to get the 100-400 because of it being smaller, lighter & an S Line lens, or whether to go for the extra reach of the 180-600. Here in Canada, there is $1350 difference between the two lenses so I could ALMOST get BOTH a 180-600 and a 14-30 f/4 for the same price as the 100-400 S.

As things stand, I am leaning toward the 180-600mm and this review seems to tell me that I shouldn't think its optics are lacking in any significant way.

[cynvs]

I bought a Z8 the day this lens was announced.
The Z8 arrived 13 days later, and since then I've been sitting here with a Nikon Z8 but no lens to shoot with. I really hope it'll arrive soon, I'm losing my mind. 😂

[Barleyman-SD]

I ordered mine a few minutes after the announcement, but NPS in line ahead of me. I am looking forward to a longer focal length. This looks like a great lens for what I need. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this...

[igmanza]

Had a chuckle at the dude in the ghillie suit 🤣🤣🤣

[boostedmaniac]

Preordered mine a while back. Been anxiously awaiting it as I’ve been shooting my adapted 200-500.

[IamNoOne-]

4:08 We can see that, this lens wasn't meant to be used with 2x teleconverter, the result looks as foggy as the air in China.

[stevelink]

Great comparison between these 2 awesome lenses, Matt! I have the 180-600 on preorder for about 9 weeks, but have yet to receive it. Anyway, I realize that you shoot mostly handheld, but as a tripod landcape photographer interested in obtaining the best image quality and detail possible, I never understood why Nikon can't simply make the tripod collar foot Arca-Swiss compatible! I have a super-sharp Irix 150 f/2.8 Macro lens (Nikon F mount with FTZ II Adapter) that cost a third the price of the 180-600, and it comes equipped with a nice Arca-Swiss compatible tripod collar! So, I had to get a Wimberley P-30 Arca-Swiss tripod plate for the 180-600. Please explain Nikon's reasoning behind their decision. Thanks!

[balintk.]

I loved the dude in full camouflage in the middle of a city park :DDDD
True dedication :D

[tomgodzik]

The Nikon 180-600mm works great for what I need it for. ❤❤❤ I have a Nikon 50-250mm to cover the closer shots. ❤❤❤ Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. ❤❤❤

[carlmcneill]

I ordered the 180-600 the morning it was announced (mine hasn't shipped yet). I haven't seen any videos comparing it to Tamron or Sigma's 150-600. I've seen it compared to the Sony 200-600 and Canon's 100-500. I think it's going to be better than the Tamron and Sigma lenses.

[shadow]

The Kingfisher was probably not properly in focus and also some of the football shots were definitely not taken within the required shutter speeds maing them look slightly blurred.

[johnpeterka]

Thanks for your video, Matt!

I have had my new Nikkor Z 180-600 for five days, but only got to use it for two because the birds left our yard or it got too dark. Then, I spent the better part of those two days in chat rooms or on the phone with Nikon and Adobe.

Nikon advised that I try a "power cycle". When that did not work, they recommended that I clean the contacts. Now, they want files that will take them at least two days to review. In the meantime, I want to return the lens if it is a dud (although I am willing to admit it could be user error).

I shot with our Z7ii and Z9, Manual and Shutter priority, on a tripod for each camera, using my MC30 with the Z9, and I double / triple checked my camera settings, but the results remained poor.
The Histogram looks good as does the image at time of shot, but the curves slider must be moved a good distance from the left to the right in NX Studio.

Today, I took light meter readings of where the birds would land on the feeder. I switched the WB to Kevin 5620, set the shutter to 640, set the F-stop to 6.3 at 600mm, and ISO to 100. I removed the lens hood and purposely underexposed my shots by -1 EV. I still am not satisfied with the grain and desaturated colors. Dating back to 1975, I do not recall ever having an experience like this with my cameras and lenses. I borrowed a Tamron Z 150-500 from our local camera store before I purchased the 100-600. The Tamron worked immediately, without a "power cycle" or cleaning contacts.

Do you have any recommendations? Is there a setting, perhaps, in the Z9 that I forgot to set?

Thank you.

John

[m.maclean]

I bought the 180-600 but upgraded to the 100-400mm S lens. It is sharper, smaller, and lighter ... and with TCs easily covers from 100mm-800mm. It also gives the ability for super close focus, and it is the size of a 70-200mm. Having the 100mm wide end is a great improvement without sacrificing on the long end. The 180-600 is a great lens though.