Nikon has released some incredible lenses for wildlife photographers and birders over the past few years, and the new 180-600mm Z f/5.6-6.3 VR looks to be a good one. other to add to the list. Just like Sony’s G Lens 200-600mm, this lens has a short zoom range and internal zoom, which are huge benefits when compared to Sigma and Tamron. This excellent video by Jan Wegener discusses lens performance and the image quality you can expect.
Jan Wegener had a chance to use Nikon 180-600mm Z f/5.6-6.3 VR . Lens for over a week with Nikon Z9 and took more than 20,000 photos.
Weighing in at 4.7 lbs or 2,140 g, this lens is quite heavy but fits comfortably in the hand and can be used in handheld mode. Weather resistance is also good, as it’s not an S-series lens. The internal zoom is a huge boon for this lens, especially when on a tripod or gimbal. This lens has a very short focal length of 180-600mm, which is very convenient to quickly find your subject.
When shooting in low light, this lens is best used with a slightly faster shutter speed, which boosts your ISO. However, in good light, you can easily use a shorter shutter speed thanks to the built-in stabilization.
When testing the lens in different lighting conditions, it performed very well and was sharp. It may not be as sharp as some S-series lenses. However, at the very reasonable price of $1,696.95, it’s incredibly sharp. Autofocus is very capable, although it can sometimes struggle in low light. It performs well in general, though. Check out the video above for more.
