Nikon Z 180-600mm VS Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S | In the Field Review + Willow Ptarmigan in the Snow!
LONG VIDEO - USE THE CHAPTERS TO NAVIGATE TO THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE VIDEO!
We compare the Nikon 180-600mm Z mount lens and the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lenses from Nikon on the Nikon Z9 in the field. We compare AF performance, hit rate, and color rendition. We take to task the questions of how do these 2 lenses compare in the field.
USE THE CHAPTERS TO NAVIGATE TO THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE VIDEO!
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00:00 - Intro
01:22 - 400 4.5 In the Field
08:40 - 180-600 In the Field
13:59 - Lens Comparisons
16:40 - 400 4.5 Autofocus tests
21:36 - 400 4.5 + 1.4 TC Autofocus tests
28:06 - Autofocus Results
30:00 - 400 4.5 Hit Rate
31:55 - 400 4.5 + 1.4 TC Hit Rate
37:05 - Hir Rate Results
38:08 - 400 4.5 Image Quality Review
43:13 - 180-600 Image Quality Review
46:31 - Image Quality Results
48:50 - Handling Results
50:30 - About 400mm
54:06 - Why Pick the 400 4.5?
54:56 - Which lens would I choose?
56:40 - Ptarmigan In the Field Review
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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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Scott
Thanks for sharing and taking the time to provide all this detail. I really enjoy your down-to-earth, hands-on videos.Cheers!
thanks
Excellent video Scott! I think this is the first time I have come across opinion on two lenses with such nuance and details. Thank you very much and look forward to more of your videos.
Thanks. Now if you want more fun go watch todays video 😄
Interesting take. Thank you… as I am currently debating these two
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I would never think of comparing these 2 lenses. Nice thinking. Thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for doing this comparison! I’ve noticed the drift effect on my 180-600 and wondered why I was seeing this. Great microanalysis!
Its extremely small and happens only at the start, if it does happen.
Thanks Scott for another great video. I have been shooting the 180-600 for about two months now.... November in the Bosque del Apache. I was truly impressed with the versatility that this lens offered. It filled the range between the 800PF and the 100-400 and was the go-to 80% of the time. Your videos are inspiring and always look forward to them. Great shots of the Willow Ptarmigan.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, this lens has really outperformed my expectations. Working on the 180-600 with 1.4 TC video now also
@@WILDALASKA I look forward to that!!
That was very interesting! To me, the 400/4.5 would be beyond awesome on a pro DX body. Also: beautiful shots of the ptarmigans. Gorgeous birds. I kinda envy you for the wildlife... Alaska looks so outstandingly beautiful in your videos. Thanks for putting so much work in your videos!
Thanks for watching! Alaska is an amazing place.
Just for information: I use the Z 400mm f4.5 a lot. It is mounted to a Z8 and I have no issues using it with a gimbal head.
You have to move the plate back further on the foot and move the plate very close to the body and with the TC it's rough on balance with the Z8. But yes like I said with the z6,7,8 without tc you can get balance, just not great setup.
Thanks for spending the time to do this review, I would love to see a 600/f6.3 vs 400/f4.5+1.4TC.
This video has the 400 4.5 with the 1.4 TC included. I tested with and without the TC. Check the chapters for time code for when I talk about it. The 600 will take some time to get a copy to test.
Perfect timing for me. I was trying to pick between the two for wildlife mainly with a Z9. Thank you.
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Hangisine karar verdiniz.
Thanks for this high,y informative video, it’s really appreciated! I guess re the balance issue on the 400 you can use a long arc lens plate with weight attached to the very front of the lens plate! What stunning little birds those ptarmigan are. Cheers from the UK.👍😀👏
Great point!
Thanks for the review! I have used the 400/4.5 on my z9 for about year now as my main hiking lens at a Wetland Preserve in the area! I may hike 7-10 miles and love it for that reason! When I plan to hike less and sit and wait more my 500/F4 w/TC @ 5.3 is fantastic if lighting is decent and if not I yank the TC and just know I may be doing some cropping!
Thanks for sharing. the 400 is a great lens for long hikes for sure. But those 500 f4's dreamy.
Scott, thanks for another excellent high value video with amazing images and practical information about how both lenses compare in the field! The Willow Ptarmigan are so beautiful! I fully agree with your assessment of both lenses. I own both of these lenses and have found the 400 mm f/4.5 to really excel at fast, accurate auto focus, and it is excellent for hiking. The biggest limitation I’ve experienced is that it’s not enough reach for most of the subjects that I photograph. I find the 180 to 600 mm lens to be so versatile and sharp. It’s the best value for the money for wildlife photography on the Nikon system. I wonder if some of the autofocus issues that you observed have more to do with the subject, recognition and AF algorithms in the Z9? I think there’s still room for Nikon to refine and improve Bird and Animal subject recognition and tracking.
Thanks. It seems that the 180 just autofocuses a touch better in my use putting them back to back. It's a small thing, but it happens. The times the AF just lost it happened more with the 400. In testing I would shoot for like 5 minutes with one then switch out lenses. SO conditions and subject were the same. It may be that with the prime it just wants to stick to what its doing more than the 180-600.
Your passion for photography and love of nature really shines through, which is why I find your videos so inspiring. Thanks again for sharing. (My 180-600 just arrived after an excrutiating 6-week wait.) Cheers.
Grats ob the new lens. I think you will love it.
What a beautiful bird. I love the fluffy legs and feet, just like a Snowy Owl. The eyebrow ridge makes them look so inquisitive. How on earth do they find enough food in the packed snow? I'm a Canon shooter but still enjoy your Nikon reviews. Thanks, Scott!
Thanks. They eat willow shoots (hence willow ptarmigan lol) and the area I search has tons of willows and in winter they put on new shoots. They have a great buffet in the Chugach Mts. More canon content coming very soon. 😄
I would put a dove tail plate from the camera body to the 400mm lens foot. It may require a little spacer between the lens foot and the plate. That way you can easily balance the lens on the Z-9 body. I do the same thing with a couple of my lenses. Great review. Loved seeing the histograms on the ptarmigan photos. I shoot in the desert a lot and the histograms are distinctive as well! Very nice review!
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Keep up the great work!! I’m waiting on the 180-600 shooting with a z9. Does the z9 with the 180-600 balance well on the SiriusXM ct-3204 setup I was asking you about?
very well
Thank you so much 🙏🏽
You are so welcome
I've been saving up to get a new lens for wildlife photography and I think the 180-600mm might be my next purchase. There's a lot of birds to capture but other animals often appear as well so I might as well be prepared for all situations!
It's a great lens
Great video I have the Z 600 f6.3 which is great, But @4:50 would Canon have found the eye without focusing on a nearby branch?
Possibly. Canon is a hair better at acquisition, but thise birds are the toughest to make any autofocus work in the snow.
Taking a guess here .... Autofocus is based on an underdamped feedback loop which overshoots and fluctuates about final correct value but is often faster at settling at correct value than an overdamped loop. Critically-damped system is theoretically the fastest but only exists as a mathematical model with idealized components. Real systems tend to use underdamped feedback loops when speed is a priority.
Not sure how the machine learning is set up for the models in the cameras myself.
😢 Scott those are such beautiful birds I love the red eyebrow I'm curious as you're taking photos do you ever leave any seed out for these guys .
No, we don't bait anything in Alaska. Not much need to if you know your animals up here, you can track them down.
Ptarmigan would be hard to bait in any case. They have very specific foods, notably willow
Great review, I shot the 400 f4.5 from the start and is a great lens sharp etc. I used to shoot the 300 f2.8 with TC 1.4 for many years as my main wildlife lens here in Africa great for animals too short for smaller birds. For birds I used the D500 with the 200-500 f5.6. I also shot Sony when I moved to Mirrorless as Nikon was lagging behind. I never liked the Sony system especially the 200-600 f6.3. For me the 400 f4.5 is great as s but disappointing with the TC1.4, I did not like the 180-600 due to the f6.3. I also travel extensively in Africa and size and weight of equipment is an issue. I change systems not because Nikon is not good enough, but because, the system in my country like all the FF systems are very expensive and changing from DSLR to ML is an expensive process. Technology today is so good that there are really very few bad products on the market. Must be practical, serve it's purpose and contribute to having a good time doing what we do. Both Nikon's are great lenses, Nikon has some great new Z mount lenses for nature.
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My family is headed to Alaska this year and birding and therefor Ptarmigan (Willow and Rock) are high on my list. Hopefully my efforts will be able find those hidden wonders
They are very cool.
@@WILDALASKA Where is your video to try and find them? I realize sound is going to be my main clue as I will be there in June or July.
Kinda hard to expect a camera to detect and focus on something that people can hardly see. I'll never see a Ptarmigan (I live in Hawaii), so thanks for bringing them to me.
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Love and appreciate your videos! Friendly tip: ducks have bills not beaks 🙂
Bills, beak, smackers, honk holes,.... 🤪
Going off the points you made regarding 400mm and the big boy versions... would you rather have a 400 f2.8 or a 600 f4? Thinking I would use the 400 with a 1.4 and 2x tele while the 600 I would use with a 1.4 tele if needed. I can't seem to make up my mind and there is pretty much zero chance I buy both.
Yes the 400 2.8 TC by Nikon or the canon/sony with added 1.4 is a great setup. 560 @ f4. Depends on what reach you need. Even adding a 2x TC to the 400 2.4 you are now @ 800 @ f5.6. BUT if you need more reach then the 500 or 600 f4 may be what you need. Just see what focal range you use the most now and got from there. Or what type of light. For me the 400 2,8 due to low light in Alaska a lot and I shoot bigs from time to time.
If you were starting fresh with any system with nearly no budget (but ideally under $20,000-30,000) what setup would you get and which ecosystem would you invest in? When considering bird eye-AF, lens selection, etc. It seems like Nikon is the obvious choice but Canon has some interesting options like the 200-800mm and upcoming 200-500mm f4 (TC?). The most intriguing lens for me right now of any system is the Nikon 600mm f4 TC. It just looks excellent and super versatile. The Nikon 400mm f2.8 TC does too. Can you share some thoughts on your experience with different lenses and systems? Canon RF (R5) vs Nikon Z8/Z9 and their lens lineups + upcoming lenses/bodies?
As of today and what's in production, 1-12-23, the Nikon Z9 and either the 400 f/2.8 TC or the 600 F/4 TC. Canon will be interesting this year. Little over 2 years ago it would have been a Canon choice, but today the Nikon rig is ahead. that built in TC is very handy.
@@WILDALASKA would something like an RF 200-500mm f4 TC be compelling enough to make you reconsider? That's the one potential lens that making me hesitate from jumping ship to Nikon as it sounds super versatile. And I'm curious to see how the R1 and R5II compare to Nikon's current offerings but the lenses will remain an advantage for Nikon regardless it seems.
having the built in TC's is the same changer. can9on had one but it was 200-400 with 1.4tc which was too short and to large an aperture for th4 price for me. the 200-500 without tc would @ f4 would be meh to me @@bladerealm124
If you get the Z 600 6.3 PF, it would be a nice comparison with Z 4.5 + TC1.4. 🙂
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About eye focus with a reflection.... You are speaking around 26:00 >>You need to put your aim/centerframe a little over/the other side of the reflection. The autofocus will always prioritize the nearest candidate area and not wander to the other side. That's the easiest way to stay locked on that eye. >Even for a model with a glass reflection the rule is the same. I shoot my 180-600Z with a Z30 or Zf
Ok well there is no aim/centerpoint to use as the camera is set to Auto area AF which is the entire AF points.
I haven't finished it all yet but the drifting that you've encountered with the Ducks would seem to be the camera and not the lens. Thoughts?
Lens. You can see it more or less with different lenses consistently.
Are you still happy with the Canon EF 500 F4 on the Z9? I may purchase that instead of the 400 4.5. Very helpful video!
@@KathyinVA88 I can't be happier with the 400mm f/4.5, it really snaps to focus. when looking at frame by frame, it appears slow but it's a very quick grab.
@@WILDALASKA I found a video that shows what happens as current is sent to a switch, it takes a few nanoseconds to stabilize. I tried to include the link for the video but it won't post. I'm thinking that's the focus wobble for the first couple of frames.
very happy with it. Works just like a native lens
Which one would you choose for swifts or swallows?
both would be great
Yesterday I went birding in rainy and low light environment....Z9 with 800mm pf still struggled to stick its AF point.
Low light can give fits sometimes 😕
Thank you for the information!!.
Its not a fair comparison given the amount of light enetring the camera is way more at F4.5 than F6.3 so the AF will be slow by comparison.
Aperture isn't going affect autofocus..especially at 1/3 of a stop
well when yout think that the 400mm is almost double the price....
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