Nikon Z 180-600 - How does it perform with the Z 1.4 Teleconverter in the Field? Bird Photography !
So does the Nikon Z 1.4x Teleconverter with the NikonsFocy Z 180-600 lens produce quality images? That's what this video aims to answer. We also look at Auto Focus performance and hit rate.
USE THE CHAPTERS TO NAVIGATE TO THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE VIDEO!
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00:00 - Intro
01:33 - In The Field
07:56 - About using Teleconverters
09:40 - AF tests - Ducks
14:59 - AF tests - Ducks Results
15:36 - AF tests - Crows in Seward
16:32 - AF Tests - Spruce Grouse
21:07 - AF Conclusions
22:13 - Hit rate - Ducks
24:07 - Hit Rate - Crows in Seward
24:47 - Hit rate - Spruce Grouse
26:08 - Hit rate Conclusions
26:31 - Image Quality - Ducks
28:01 - Image Quality - Crows
28:56 - Image Quality - Spruce Grouse
32:22 - Image Quality Conclusions
34:20 - The Verdict?
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WHO I AM.
My name is Scott West and I am a nature and wildlife photographer located in Alaska. I am very lucky to live in a place surrounded by amazing landscapes and even more amazing wildlife.
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Best Wishes
Scott
Everyone better be appreciating all the hard work you put in to get these videos out. Thanks!!
I appreciate that! Im going to be very tired by the end of December. Been trying for 2 videos a week for Nov and Dec, and now a new lens this week hopefully ( the CanonRF 200-800) SO, several videos with that guy also. Thanks for the support and watching.
Glad to see you enjoying the Nikon gear, you seem to have grown rather fond of it 😊
Z9 is a great camera. Nikon, Canon, and Sony make great cameras, just have to learn how to use them, with their shortcomings and things they excel at.
Thank you, Scott. I shared with my friend who is a Nikon shooter.
Thanks
Morning. you've been doing some great work lately. It's amazing the choices we have now in Nikon Z. I simply love the system, and really enjoy the light weight setups after lugging 600F4's around for decades. Good job!
Thanks
I own both teleconverters and waiting for the chance to get my hands on this marvelous lens. Cheers!
Its pretty good combo
Thanks for a really good video. I bought the 1.4 and the 2.0 Z teleconverter for a couple of months ago but haven't tested them yet. I have been waiting for the 180-600 zoom lens that I have ordered. Now a big package is waiting for me when I come home from my work at sea next tuesday. So it is a kind of Christmas gift to myself. And after looking at your video I'm sure I will be very pleased with this combo. Again many thanks!
Thanks and grass on the new lens. I think you will love it.
Scott, thank you for another superb video that addresses a relevant and practical question for wildlife photographers! What you recorded and reported mirrors the experiences I’ve had with my 180-600 with 1.4 X tele converter on the Z9. I have been very impressed with the sharpness, auto focus speed and tracking, and image quality of the Nikon Z lenses with 1.4 X tele converter in both the FX and DX resolutions. For me, the image quality and performance are extremely similar to my Canon EF 600 mm f/4 L III with the 1.4 X teleconverter on the R5 body. I have also observed that the Z9 AF system tends to back focus before acquiring the bird. If I use 3-D tracking in those circumstances to find the focal plane of the bird, the Z9 quickly finds the bird and the eye! So for those circumstances, I programmed one of the back buttons to engage 3-D tracking. Otherwise, I found that when using Bird subject recognition, I can use the whole sensor Auto AF setting reliably. On the other hand, when I’m using Animal subject recognition for deer or elk, I find that the hit rate is lower if I use the whole sensor Auto AF than when I use the custom wide area setting. Thanks for creating such engaging, practical, and informative videos!
Very good info. What I have noticed if my focal plane is closer to me, then I see that pulse behind the bird and then back. If im past the bird with the focal plane, I rarely see that pulse.
Great comprehensive review Scott. I'm sold and subbed!! Keep up the good work 👊
Thanks for the sub!
Thanks for another great photography video and on this lens + TC combination in particular.
Glad you enjoyed it
Excellent video. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for watching.
@@WILDALASKA ❤
Really excellent video, thank you for sharing this with us, very happy to have found your channel here, Ive subscribed, cheers from the UK.
thx
Great content. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the information!!
👍
I have this combination too and I’ve also been really happy with it.
Very cool
great commentary down to earth!!!
thx
Thanks for a great video.
thx for watching
Excellent work!! Excellent.
Glad you liked it!
Great in depth video. I was planning on trying a 1.4 and possibly 2.0 teleconverter once I got my 180-600mm lens. Very informative. Glad I order this 180-600mm lens.
Glad it was helpful!
I’m buying this combo having been considering it for some time and now having seen your real life shots I’m convinced. Thanks !
Hope you enjoy it!
Another great video Scott ... thank you. You are certainly putting in a concentrated effort in building your KZhead chanel and I applaud your efforts and thank you for your content and delivery ... as well as your frankness. Your assessment for corner sharpness in wildlife photography is spot on. I have never understood all the fuss about how sharp a lens is in the corners and then in the same brief a reviewer speaks of the need for fast lenses to produce better quality of softness in the bokeh???? It's either one or the other. I guess landscape photographers would like sharpness all around the frame whereas in wildlife the need for corner sharpness in negligable ... IMHO. I first bought the 1.4x TC when I felt the 100-400mm S series lens was a little short for many of the locations I was shooting. It was that or go back to using my D500 + 200-500mm, which effectively gave me 750mm at the longest. Many times whilst using the 100-400mm I would put the Z9 into DX mode but the loss of file size made cropping less desirable, so I preferred to stick with FX. I was blown away with the quality of images obtained with the 1.4xTC. I have also bought the 180-600mm lens and have occassionally put the 1.4x TC on it with very pleasing results. I have found my own assessment in line with your experience. Whilst watching your video I was wondering how would the 180-600mm + 1.4xTC behave in pre-capture??? I'm not using pre-capture too often, mainly because the image is reduced to jpeg, but now that there is talk that a future firmware update for the Z9 will allow pre-capture to shoot raw images, I can see I will use it more often ... particular to capture birds leaving a perch, etc. Once again, thank you for your efforts Scott ... from my end, they are much appreciated.
Thanks for the kind words. I think the pre-capture would be just as good with the TC as without. Bye experience with the auto and pre caprture have been good on the z9.
Great video and lens/teleconverter review! Reenforces all the reasons I have the Z 1.4 teleconverter and am on the waitlist for the Z 180-600 and the 600 f6.3 PF. Nikon has done such a good job with quality in the Z family. I shoot the Z9 and the Z6II. Love them both!!! You rock!
Thanks. Good luck on getting the lens in soon.
I was waiting on this TC review since your review of the 180-600 before I spent the $550. Just happened to find a refurbished one on Nikon USA Friday for $393. Thanks for confirming the results I was hoping for. Looking forward to using it this week on some eagles. Your videos are entertaining, keep up the good work.
Glad I could help
Wow Scott I truly appreciate this review. Nikon needs these positive but fair reviews. The z9 and other Nikon Cameras continue to improve through firmware upgrades. Viva La Nikon! 😊
Thanks for watching!
Yea for me also! Good review ...
Thanks for watching!
I had never thought about tc’s the way that you explained. I always went for moe reach…….wrong, as explained by you. The usefullness is to make the subjst bigger in the frame. Yhanks for opening my eyes!
Glad it was helpful!
Hey Scott... That was sure another great video. I sure enjoy the depth of your reviews and the time you spend examining the results. I too was surprised at the performance of the 1.4 on this lens. I generally shy away from TCs, but not with the combo. I think you have proven that $550 you are about to spend will be rewarding....it has been for me. Thanks!!
Thanks
Love your videos, I have one question, is that the new Solar powered Z9? I heard they were working on one but didn't think it was out yet, LOL🤣 Great work again!!!
Oh the battery out in the intro? lol I have an inverter in he truck and the battery was on the charger as I was driving out that morning 😜 I almost walked out into the field with it still in the truck. Luckily I checked my exposure at the truck and noticed the no battery :P
Great. Thanks
👍
Thanks for a fantastic, real life scenario test and results. I'm just putting together my last set of camera gear, mirrorless, for landscape and wildlife, I'm old now been shooting Nikon for over 50 years, don't have the budget for 10 grand lenses either, so these real life tests are immensely helpful. I think this lens combo will do me fine, probably need to choose backgrounds carefully etc..
👍
Great helpful video...had this lens set up for a week....thanks to typical British weather only been able to get out once...forgot lens caps so didn't take tc off so I could compare....don't have to now😊
👍 ☔️
Am a lifelong Canon shooter, but I am getting tempted by the Z8 and 180-600 combo. Knowing that throwing on the teleconverter is feasible really makes me thinking about switching. Thanks for all these detailed videos!
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My copy of the Nikon Z 180-600 arrived a few days ago and I am just blown away by the images that it produces. I honestly would have paid $700 more for this lens but tell Nikon.
I hear ya. Great lens. hoping the new Canon 200-800 stacks up to it.
Thanks!
THANK YOU !!
What a beautiful bird there , She definitely is doing a lot better since the last time you showed her , now that I am as a Canon user we just need a good lens like the 180 to 600 of course in the Canon mount .
Yes, thanks
Thanx for a pragmatic review, just managed to get hold of the 180-600 lens (VERY long waiting here in Denmark) and was curious of the 1.4 combo. Might have to get hold of it as the weight of this lens makes it so much easier for me when hiking.
works great
@@WILDALASKA you tried it with 2x converter?
A good review of exactly what I was looking for. Best bit is about don't expect much over 75 yards because no lens can overcome the atmosphere. A good thought to bear in mind.
👍
Scott, thanks again you truly have shown me the details I required to ascertain whether I want this lens or another. You said the images were straight out of camera / can you let me know what custom settings for sharpness/ contrast or profile you used - kind regards Nick
I shoot RAW so no profiles. Everything else is base settings and per the setup on the channel for the z9. kzhead.info/sun/lM2Od5h5m6Oid5E/bejne.html
I'm quite happy with the 1.4x on the 180-600. I honestly don't see any AF speed or acquisition issues with it. I shoot enough photos that I don't care about hit rate. My hit rate is hammered more by motion than focus. For IQ if I don't have to crop too much, resizing up in post vs. the TC is almost identical. But if I need more pixels, the TC makes the right choice as many of my subjects are small to begin with. A little post sharpening with Toapz Labs fixes up any IQ issues. The 2X on the other hand is a little too far.
That's my experience also with this lens on the Z8/Z9.
Huge effort and well done. Thanks for pulling it all together. How do you think it compares to Canon's 1.4x TC with the RF 100-500? Have TCs come of age?
Thanks. Haven't tested the RF 100-500 with the TC. I have owned that lens twice and sold it twice. I think the TC's themselves haven't changed, it's just that the mirrorless cameras and new lenses have changed as far as how the motors, and focusing algorithms work.
@@WILDALASKA That's a nice thought. DSLR autofocus used to fail beyond F8, which is no longer the case with modern mirrorless cameras. And low light performance is much less of an issue with current sensors and de-noising software. Moreover, image quality will depend on the resolution of the sensor and the optical quality of your lens and TC, where progress has also been steady. With the move to videography, shutter speeds of 1/50-1/60s are also more common, making smaller apertures less detrimental. Huge paradigm shifts in just a few years.
Nice Video...Greetings from Germany. Daniel
Thank you very much!
Greetings from the Czech Republic, Europe. Perfect test, thank You!!! Excellent Lens Coverage; where did you buy it?
Greetings and thanks for watching. I buy everything from my local camera shop here in Anchorage. Stewarts Photo. But in the description of the videos, I have affiliate links that have the gear I'm using or reviewing.
Many thanks, I read it, but Lens Coverage are not there, I think, only Lenscoat Raincoat...
"Don't shoot at stupid ranges" is going to be my new mantra
Must avoid the stupids 😂
Now that NIkon has the Z8 FW 2.0, I just ordered the 180-600mm. From there, maybe the 1.4 teleconverter. Thanks for the videos.
thanks
Scott great video I have the same setup. Great combo but 6400 F9 wouldn’t have been possible with noise just a couple of years ago now with programs like DXO it sure is.
Very true. Low shutter speeds and high ISO are on the table now 😄 Great time to be a photographer.
I am surprised of the quality, it looks really nice, also looks to be little to no chromatic aberration, thanks for the vid
Yes there was almost no degradation of image quality. I think the biggest thing with TC's is remembering to keep the subject within acceptable distances to not introduce environmental distortions
@@WILDALASKA yea it is a good point, still a hang up for me when doing shore birds and ducks, have to make sure I go out before sun can cause mirage.
@@joeyassyrian look for those rainy or cloudy days. you get even light and no shadows like in this video. We get a LOT of those days here in AK lol
Question. Would you ever put the Z9 in crop mode instead of using a teleconverter with that lens? I hate fumbling with those out in the field. What's your thoughts?
No. If I need crop I'll do it in post. The purpose pf the TC for me is to get more pixels on the subject with the same size mp (full frame)
@@WILDALASKA Gotcha. Thanks.
Great video. I couldn't see how you knew exactly when you hit the shutter button. Can you explain plain that please.
Thanks for watching. As soon as I see the focal plane change. So when the bird starts to go from completely blurred out to starting to move in focus as the af-on button engages the AF and the lens motors. As im shooting the video in 24 fps. I know that every frame is 1/24th of a second and I can see how much time it taxes to acquire lock.
Scott did you mention handheld?
All my testing and use with the TC was handheld.
I use my Z 180-600mm on my Z9 along with a Z 1.4x converter. Unfortunately in the bad light the UK gets in the winter, I find myself having to use high ISO’s to get a decently quick shutter speed. The Z9 is a very noisy camera above 1600 ISO, so I use the new Denoise feature in Adobe Lightroom, which, although it takes an age to process a single image, is my route to a decent finished image image.
Oh I use my z9 at 10k ISO and a LOT of the time im at 3200 -4000 ISO here n Alaska. We are cloudy and rainy/snowy 80% of the time. Just pre-process in DXO proraw and you will be good.
I am in the same position i.e. place, camera and lens. I find denoise very good but so slow with my intel NUC so I have just ordered an external graphics setup. I had not tried DXO proraw but I will.
Apple M1,M2, and M3 process each photo in like 7 seconds@@PeterDolphin472
Don’t tease me. I upgraded my NUC to version 13 and found it made no difference. You need graphics with machine learning capabilities which I will soon have.
@@WILDALASKA I concur. I own the very first MacBook Air with M1 and it takes a couple of seconds to process an image in Topaz Sharpen or Denoise. I am actually not planning to upgrade ma laptop anytime soon, M1 is absolutely enough for photo editing. Great review. Can't wait to get my 180-600 and TC 1.4x!
Great video Scott. Many thanks, !! you've just cost me £575.00. Ted. Nottingham England.
LOL I know, me too
Great review! You are killing my bank account…and maybe my marriage!!!
LOL. thanks for watching
Are you using back button auto focus ?
Always. Here's my setup video on how I use the camera. kzhead.info/sun/lM2Od5h5m6Oid5E/bejne.html
Would have like to seen it compared to just cropping......
less pixels on subject. that's the point of a TC not for more reach
@@WILDALASKA If the pixels are blurry I dont get the point.