Nikon Z 180 600mm Lens Review

[@antonoat]

I have to agree Bob, if Nikon had charged $200 more for a decent tripod collar that was also Arca compatible I think Nikon users would be even more happy! Great review, thanks.

[@FrancescoBorsotti]

Thank you for the video. I ordered the 180-600, and I was a bit scare about having it hanging attached to my Z8. It is the first review where I can see that I can use my Peak Design strap directly attached to the lens! Very clever move from Nikon

[@RobertKingofMaine]

Excellent insights and delivery. thank you.

[@Koolbob2]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@TerryKontopoulos]

Rarely I will agree 100% with a KZbinr in reviewing a gear, but this time I am (for the goods AND the bad)... I just tested the lens first time today with BIF and I'm absolutely happy that I bought it! Thank you!

[@Koolbob2]

You are obviously a man of high intelligence with impeccable taste. 😉 Thanks for watching, I hope you make lots of great photos with your new lens!

[@Europa1010]

Excellent review of Nikon z 180-600 lens. I notice that the strap lugs are part of the collar and if the collar is removed, the strap lugs are not available anymore. On the other hand removing the collar makes the lens lighter, which is attractive for handheld shooters. Was wondering if there is a possible way to attach a lens strap when the collar is removed. Any thoughts for a viable solution will be very helpful. Thanks.

[@Koolbob2]

A friend runs along the sidelines of collegiate football games with his 400mm f2.8 AIS lens slung over his shoulder on a monopod. One game the lens fell off the tripod, the lens foot was still attached to the monopod, but the four holes at the base of the lens collar where the foot was held in place by four 8mm screws were stripped out. He wanted the lens repaired fast and cheap so I bought a Time-Sert kit, drilled out the stripped holes and inserted the thread-repair collars and installed four new stainless-steel screws with thread locking compound. It's been three seasons and the lens is still good as new. I've been thinking about cutting the foot off of the 180-600mm lens collar, drilling and tapping four holes into the collar and mounting a longer, aftermarket Swiss-acra style foot to my 180-600mm lens. If you could get your hands on a replacement 180-600mm lens collar you could cut off the foot and use it when you want to carry the lens with a strap, but not have the foot in the way.

[@Europa1010]

@@Koolbob2It appears that OpTechUSA loop lens straps can be a possible solution!

[@Mr09260]

Great Video I live in S Africa and waiting on my reserved lens to arrive to go with the Z 70-200 S lens for African Wild Life on my Z7

[@Koolbob2]

I think you will love the 180-600mm!

[@brianluck5974]

I would love to know how you got hands on that lens . I placed my order in June , and been told it still could be a couple of months before I see it . Please enjoy your new lens , pictures were amazing .

[@Koolbob2]

I placed a pre-order with Nikon as soon as the pre-order link went active and I requested NPS priority delivery. I was lucky to receive mine among the first wave of lenses shipped. I think the lens will be a game changer, with optical and vr performance never seen before in this focal length/price point. Thanks for the kind words on the photos!

[@oo0RECON0oo]

I’m happy the tripod mount comes off, I don’t want it on there hand held. Remember how good VR is

[@Koolbob2]

I shot the bird photos on a gimbal since I can't hold the lens up to my eye for an hour and moving when you are that close to the birds scares them off before I can get off a shot. Everything else was handheld. I expect to shoot hand held half of the time and I still would have preferred a permanent color with a removable foot.

[@patrickmolloy6994]

I too, had the 200-500 ... if you loosen the screw to rotate it, there's a white alignment dot to watch out for...aligning the dots lets the collar come off! Actually happened to me. Hence I so dislike the 180-600 collar and I'm ahead of you in the line for a new one LOL

[@Koolbob2]

LOL! Lets see who can get a replacement lens collar/foot first!

[@MrModerate_kane]

Wont there be an after market colar for it? sure there will be..

[@Koolbob2]

I certainly hope there will be an aftermarket collar, the lens is too good to have such a disappointing collar/foot.

[@Hrishi1970]

Thank you for this amazing review❤

[@Koolbob2]

Thank you!

[@zacharygoode8341]

Great review! I'm wondering if you noticed a difference in sharpness from 6.3 to 7.1 or 8?

[@Koolbob2]

GREAT QUESTION!!! I've had a chance to look at the photos after posting the review and the lens is very sharp at 600mm focused at any distance. I shot some photos of a lizard at the minimum focus distance at 600mm at f6.3, f8, f11, f16 and f22. Going from f6.3 to f8 & f11 definitely increases the DOF, however diffraction seems to kick in around f16 and although you gain DOF, the overall pop and sharpness of the images drops off. In my experience the lens does best between f6.3 and f11.

[@zacharygoode8341]

Thanks for the response!

[@stevetqp9152]

@@Koolbob2 Good to know! (I usually shoot at around f/11 for the increased DOF, so nice to know that diffraction doesn't show up until later than f/13). Thank you!

[@stripes_in_raw]

Hi, Can you do a sharpness comparison & bokeh comparison of the 400mm f4.5 & 180-600mm f5.6-6.3 both wide open and then both at f6.3 ? Thank You 🙏🏽

[@Koolbob2]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I've got a good bit of freelance work coming up but I'll see what I can do on the comparison.

[@stevetqp9152]

Thank you for this excellent review/intro to this awesome new Nikkor zoom! I too, cannot understand why Nikon continues to make a NON-Arca-Swiss compatible lens foot for their telephoto lenses, when IMHO, 99% of serious photographers use Arca-Swiss compatible gear! That said, I have this lens on preorder, and purchased a Wimberley Arca-Swiss compatible P-30 tripod foot for it. It measures about ! 1/2" x 4 3/8", which "may" solve that discomfort in hand-holding that you mentioned with the included tripod collar/foot. Can't wait to get this lens, and BTW, your images are fantastic!

[@Koolbob2]

Thank you, so glad to hear you found the review helpful! I attached a Benro 4" Arca Swiss plate to the 180-600 and it is just long enough to balance the lens in my gimbal. the plate does make holding the lens more comfortable, especially if you are comfortable removing the pair of safety stop screws from the bottom of the plate.

[@sergiollag1]

i have the 200-500 and the image quality and sharpness is superb. i would have love to see a sharpness comparison between the 2 lenses. im kinda skeptical that the 180-600 is gonna have better image quality. also, another thing that is throwing me off is that it is f6.3 so u loose a 1/3 of light stop.

[@Koolbob2]

Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I've had the 200-500mm for years and I've shot some images with it that looked really nice, after editing the raw files. At least with my copy of the 200-500, they unedited images have always been kinda meh. I'm blown away with how much detail I can see on the unedited jpg files on the 180-600mm and I'm really looking forward to editing the raw files. As for the 1/3-stop light loss I don't see it as an issue, especially since you get 20% more magnification which translates into less cropping in post. I do hope to do some side-by-side shooting with the 200-500/180-600 as soon as I have the chance.

[@raymondpan2613]

BS. Z is ALWAYS better than F.

[@Koolbob2]

@@raymondpan2613 You're not wrong! I debated if it was worth upgrading my 24-70 and 70-200mm f2.8 ASF lenses and once I did I could never go back to the old AFS glass. Even though Nikon goofed up by swapping the zoom & focus rings on the 70-200mm Z lens. 🙄

[@dplawrance]

Very nice! I hope you also compare it to your 400mm lens +/- TC. I've had my 200-500 for years and it continues to be my main lens, my good friend. As nice as the 180-600 seems, to have something even lighter, sharper, faster, is so tempting.

[@Koolbob2]

Sorry I don't own a TC so I can't do a comparison of the 180-600 to the 400+TC. IMHO the 200-500mm is very good for the money (I bought mine from Nikon refurbished for $850). The 180-600 is a joy to use compared to the 200-500 and it's even better optically. I'd like to shoot some side-by-side comparisons between the two lenses, but I'm sure KZbin will be full of comparisons before I can get around to it.

[@napoleon474]

Thank you for this comparison. The one issue I was hoping you would address is whether the IBIS in the Z 8 is greyed out using the 180-600 as is the case using the 200-500? In video mode IBIS is also greyed with the the 200-500. Also, my 200-500 seems to struggle focusing with the Z8 when I try to shoot surfers who are aprox. 200 or 300 yards out. Do you think the 180-600 will perform better in low contrast situations if so why? Any tips on how to get my nikon 200-500 to focus better? So far the hit rate with this lens is very low. Thanks!

[@Koolbob2]

Until the Z system came along no Nikon camera bodies had any vibration reduction built in, all the vibration reduction hardware was built into the lens (like the 200-500mm). With the Z system cameras and lenses the VR can be built into the lens the body or both depending on what combination you are shooting with. When you mount most F-mount lenses on a Z body the camera's VR system is inactive or partially active. With the 180-600 on a Z8 body both lens and body VR are fully utilized achieving maximum VR reduction. The 200-500mm represents an amazing value, but it's a lens designed for the amateur photographer. the 180-600mm is not a professional "S" lens, but the build quality is significant improvement over the 200-500. I paid ~$1,700 for my 180-600 and sold my 200-500 locally for $750 cash. Upgrading to the 180-600 for about $1,000 was money well spent.

[@jfphotography69]

On my Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 I attached the strap to the lens foot. Why would you attach the strap to the camera with such a heavy lens. I initially ordered the Z 180-600mm, but canceled it, waiting for initial reviews "by regular people", and how the lens holds up, and if there are any initial manufacturing control issues, which happens with first runs of a lense like this. I am in no rush, the Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 has been doing it's job "on my D500, which I no longer own, the D850 which I still own and use and the Z9, which is my first mirrorless camera" for many years now with no issues. And I never forget the Z2 adapter, it's always attached to either my Nikon 200-500mm f5.6 or Sigma 500mm f4 sports.

[@Koolbob2]

As I mentioned in the video, Nikon should have included strap mounts on the 200-500mm. Expecting the average 200-500mm buyer to anticipate the stress an 81oz lens puts on a lens mound and cobble some sort of strap attachment sucks. A friend is fortunate enough to have a pair of bald eagles that nest on her family property and she has shot some great photos of them with her D500 and 200-500mm, but I've had the 200-500 for years, but I never enjoyed shooting with it so mine just collected dust in the closet. To me the 180-600mm is a joy to use.

[@jfphotography69]

@@Koolbob2 Glad you like it, I am sure it's a nice telephoto lens, happy shooting.

[@Mr09260]

What Lens Case/Bag can you recommend to transport the 180-600 in >> You had another Video recommending the 500 PF lens case for I cant remember (180-600 or 400 f4.5

[@Koolbob2]

For now I'm using the Nikon CL-L3 Lens Case that comes with the 800mm f6.3 lens. It holds the 180-600 with the lens hood reversed and a Z8 with MB-N12 battery pack (or Z9) with room to spare. I wouldn't recommend buying the Nikon CL-L3 Lens Case though because it's way overpriced for what you get. I have heard that www.amazon.com/JJC-200-600mm-Telephoto-SEL200600G-Teleconverter/dp/B0948CZTS7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=L1LT0GL1FS5A&keywords=JJC%2BExtra%2BLarge%2BThick%2BCamera%2BLens%2BPouch%2BCase%2Bfor%2BNikon%2B180-600mm&qid=1694957358&sprefix=jjc%2Bextra%2Blarge%2Bthick%2Bcamera%2Blens%2Bpouch%2Bcase%2Bfor%2Bnikon%2B180-600mm%2Caps%2C145&sr=8-1&th=1 is nice for the 180-600mm lens without a camera body attached.

[@Mr09260]

@@Koolbob2 Think Tank V150 3.0 >> Nice Snug Fit

[@dw.imaging]

I’ve had the lens for 2 days. I’m pleased with it. However, I’m very disappointed with my Nikon Z7…. It’s AF is as good as day 1… but since the z6ii/z7ii/z8, etc… the AF pales in speed. Here I am with thinking I bought a camera that would receive game changing firmware updates over the next 5 years and I have to say the firmware updates I gave gotten to the z7 in the past 3 years were disappointing in the change log.

[@Koolbob2]

I've been a Nikon shooter since '78 and along the way I've shot with many other cameras (Bronica, Hasselblad, 5x7, Widelux, etc.) I bought the first Nikon DSLR D1 in 1999 and I've owned every 'pro' Nikon DSLR since. In 2015 I bought my first mirrorless camera, a Fuji X-T1 and a few lenses. The AF system in the Fuji was painfully slow, but I could see the mirrorless format had vast potential. Over the years I bought more and more Fuji gear. When the Nikon Z6 was announced in 2018 I sold all my Fuji gear and pre-ordered a Z6 with the 24-70 kit lens. The Z6 was so much better than the Fuji, Unlike some other camera manufacturers, Nikon's first full-frame mirrorless camera was a hit. I later added a Z7 and then a Z7II. Nikon has provided several firmware updates for the Z6/Z7 along the way, but there's only so much you can do with firmware. I traded in my Z7 & Z7II to help finance the Z9. If you want the latest technology and capabilities you are going to have to buy the latest cameras. I used to buy a new SLR camera every 6 or 8 years, but now I'm replacing my digital cameras every few years. Whatever money you save on film and chemicals, you now need to set aside to update your camera.

[@dw.imaging]

@@Koolbob2 Appreciate you taking time to reply. I enjoyed the perspective, especially the "Whatever money you save on film and chemicals, you now need to set aside to update your camera." That really put it in to perspective that I need to get on board with setting money back and planning the generational retirement of my gear strategically. I too have been shooting Nikon for a few years... not nearly as long as you. Only since about 2006. Always buying used models to save money, that were a few years behind. I am at the point now where I have learned so much in the hobby that I have very high expectations and I think you made me realize that in order to be satisfied with my higher skillset, I am not going to be satisfied with under performing gear. I do want to add that I found my Z7's firmware out of date by 2 versions. It was sitting at 3.4. V3.5 issued some fixes and enhanced the Auto Focus and gave ability to use the L-fn lens buttons. Version 3.6 doesn't do much for me... But I now have it on 3.6 and the AF is about 50% better. It's blazing fast at 180-250/300mm or so... but any focal length after 300-600 is still very slow. The tracking is also slightly better. Thanks again,

[@Koolbob2]

@@dw.imaging Years ago I'd say that a 'pro' with a D3100 and kit lens could outshoot a soccer mom with a D4 and 300mm f2.8 at a kids soccer game. I think that's still true in many situations, but Nikon's Z8/Z9 are really next level and unlock AF capabilities and frame rates that make capturing fast moving subjects almost easy. It's a bit cliche, but it seems all photographers start photographing birds when they reach a certain age. It's definitely true for me and I've been shooting bird photos for a couple of years, the catch is that I'm lazy and impatient. Last week I drove to a nearby lake boat launch area where the water is very low and there are many cypress trees in the water near the launch and I shot photos from my truck for a couple of hours. I've never seen a kingfisher before in my life, they are about the size of a crow and fly extremely fast and erratically. Despite my inexperience I came back with a dozen decent photos of one diving, flying with a fish, landing on a cypress knee killing the fish, flipping it around and swallowing it head first. The entire sequence took place in maybe 15-seconds and over an area the size of a house. Everything was shot with the 800mm and cropped quite a bit. If I had used a Z6/Z7/Z7II I can tell you I might have gotten one shot of the kingfisher on the cypress knee, maybe. I used to buy a lot of used F-mount cameras and lenses used and refurbished. Used and refurbished Z-mount gear is a bit harder to find, but I just snagged a refurbished Z 1.4 converter from Nikon yesterday. Occasionally they have a refurbished Z9 for about $4,500 and I expect refurbished Z8 cameras to start showing up occasionally. robertscamera.com is my favorite place to get new gear. usedphotopro.com is where I buy, sell and trade in used gear. www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-store/refurbished-cameras.page is Nikons official place for refurbished gear and sometimes you can get refurbished gear from B&H.

[@stevetqp9152]

Hello sir. I too, started in the Z System with the Z7, the NIkkor Z 24-70 f/4 S, and the NIkkor Z 50 f/1.8 S. I've since traded the 24-70 f/4 (a nice, sharp performer) for a Z8 with the Nikkor Z 24-120 f/4 S (an even better performer), and haven't looked back. The Z8 is an order of magnitude better in most every way than the Z7 (except price;-).

[@lifeinarucksack7060]

I have seen a lot of review videos about 180-600, checked sample images as well and after checking all of them I am not sure whether it is capable of producing sharper image than the previous F mount 200-500. I feel like this new lens is producing soft images with less details and sharpness is not that great as compared to the old 200-500 though it’s completely my own opinion but one thing that I think we need to keep in mind before buying this lens is Nikon is not manufacturing this new lens. Tamron is the manufacturer and Nikon is only selling it in the market so I am having doubt about the quality

[@Koolbob2]

I think the 200-500mm was/is a great lens if you shoot f-mount. But since I sold all my f-mount gear and I've always disliked the 'viagra' zoom on the 200-500mm so the 180-600mm is a huge upgrade for me. I'm not interested in shooting test charts and pixel peeking, my limited 'real world' use has convinced me that the 180-600mm is at least as good as the 200-500mm and a lot more enjoyable to use.

[@stevetqp9152]

Greetings! Can you provide the source of the statement "Tamron is the manufacturer..."? If true, I just don't understand the reasoning behind it, because if I'm not mistaken, Nikon is one of only a handful of manufacturers who actually make their own glass (and indeed, even the crucibles that the glass is melted/fabricated) in are made by Nikon, so they have 100% Quality control from design to assembly. One reason why I prefer to always buy OEM rather than 3rd party optics. Of course, please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks!

[@Koolbob2]

@@stevetqp9152 I have read that the new, more affordable 28-70mm and 70-180mm zoom Z-mount lenses are designed and/or built by Tamron and sold under the Nikon name. However, I have not seen anything to indicate the 180-600mm is designed or manifactured by Tamron, so I believe @lifeinarucksack7060 may be mistaken.

[@stevetqp9152]

@@Koolbob2 OK, that does sound more reasonable that Tamron may be involved in more "budget" or consumer-focused lenses, though I still prefer going OEM on lenses as a rule. Thanks for the clarification.

[@tectoramia-sz1lu]

Audio is too quiet

[@Koolbob2]

Sorry about that, chalk it up to a bad microphone and sore throat.

[@tectoramia-sz1lu]

@@Koolbob2 It's not a great problem... Now I have the 180-600, my 200-500 is back in it's box and put in the loft with all of my other F mount lenses. My other Z mount lenses are the 24-120 and the 70-200