Nikon 800mm f6.3S PF lens unboxing and first photos.
Two years ago a friend of mine bought a AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR ($12,299.95). Last year he realized he only used it once or twice and offered to sell it to me for $7,500. I was very tempted, but the 600mm weighs nearly 8.5 pounds. I thanked him, but declined his offer.
A few months later Nikon announced the 800MM f6.3S with 300mm more reach than the 500mm f5.6PF and only 1/3-stop less light than the 500mm. Plus weighing in at just a bit over 5 pounds, I knew I wanted to get one.
I hope my first impressions of and first photos with the Nikon 800mm f6.3S PF will be helpful to anyone considering this lens.
I have been asked to compare the performance of the 800mm PF to the 500mm PF+TC1.4. I'll do some side by side testing, but it may be a week or two before I can put together a video. I will say this, the 500mm/TC1.4 combo works way better than I would have imagined on the Z9. As I expected, the 800mm does have more clarity and detail than the 500mm plus teleconverter. Wether it's worth $6,500 for 2/3-stop more light, 100mm more reach and additional clarity that the casual viewer probably won't notice is a personal choice. I am very happy with my purchase and look forward to enjoying this lens for many years.
Congrats, I too pre-ordered really early and have NPS priority - very difficult to be patient waiting for mine to arrive!
Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. I hope your lens shows up soon! Please feel free to drop in after you have had a chance to use it and let us know what you think.
Thanks for the current update as I am hoping to get mine any day now and seeing you just got one yesterday THURSDAY , hopefully there were some more shipped to here in the USA.. I am in NW Ohio and chomping at the bit to get it and the 400Z....Really nice and you look quite pleased as you should be..
Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment! The serial number on mine is in the low 3,000s and I imagine Nikon will fulfill all NPS orders for the 800mm in the next few months. Given that the 800mm is such a niche product, I would imagine there is much less demand for the 800mm from non NPS shooters compared to demand for the Z9. Please circle back and let me know when you get your lens and what you think of it!
@@Koolbob2 I had no problem getting a Z9 and the only two lenses I am going to mount on it are the 400 and 800 Z so I will have to wait to land one or both of them soon. I also have the 400,500,600 and 800 FLED's and you can see them on my channel here... Where are you at..? I am in NW Ohio close to Toledo.....
@@Bulbmogul Wow, that's quite a collection of lenses! I hope your 400 & 800 Z lenses come in soon! I'm in North Mississippi. Headed to your channel to check out your videos.....
Great pictures and thanks for the video. Would a Z8 attached to the 800 lens fit in the lens case? Would be nice if that combo fits in the provided lens case.
I'm currently using the case to store my Z8/MB-n12 with 180-600mm attached with the lens hood deployed. I can't get to my 800mm at the moment, but I think the 800mm lens and camera will fit in the case if you reverse the hood on the 800mm.
Thank you for this video. It seems it is difficult to separate the subject from the background at F6.3, right?
The maximum aperture of the lens is one of several factors that affect depth of field (DOF), so yes f6.3 may produce more DOF than is desired. That's the tradeoff for having such a light, affordable lens. Other things that affect the DOF are the camera to subject distance (focusing closer produces less DOF) and distance between the subject and the background (more separation between the subject and background helps make the background less sharp). Lastly, software can be used to blur the background.
Light as $$$$$
It is necessary to use a CPL filter for this kind of super telephoto lens. I would like to hear your experience and suggestions about using filters at super telephoto.
I always buy identical brand and model of CPL filters for all of my 'normal' lenses (14-30mm 24-70mm, 70-200mm) so every lens has it's own CPL so I don't have to move one filter back and forth between lenses. Every CPL has a little bit of color shift to it so I like to get identical filters to keep consistent color which saves time in editing. I don't think I've ever used a CPL on anything longer than 200mm. Way back when I shot film I did buy a very subtle warming filter for the drop-in slot on my 300mm f2.8, but that's the only filter I've ever used in a drop-in slot. I recently bought a solar filter for my 800mm for April's solar eclipse, but that one slips over the front of the lens.
Hello, congratulations, I'm sure that this goal will give you a lot of joy. Since you have the 500 pf too, would it be possible for you to do a comparison of both telephoto lenses? 800pf vs 500pf+1.4tc taking the same photo of a detailed image to see the differences. It's something I've been looking for and I think it hasn't been done yet. Thank you for this video and greetings from Spain. Excuse my English, but I'm using google translate.
Great idea! I'll get right on that!
@@Koolbob2 Thank you very much! Looking forward to seeing what the result will be. All the best.
@@miguelp726 It will be a few weeks before I can test properly and put together a video, but I've updated the video description with some initial thoughts on the two.
@@Koolbob2 Okay, no problem, I understand you need time to do it. I think that as you say in the text that you have incorporated into the video, the 800 pf will win over the 500 pf, but I wonder by how much. Thanks again and greetings.
@@miguelp726 who really cares who wins by how much or is that same lame excuse for something.. The fat is this fellow owns this bad boy 800PF and you dont like me but i will buy one instantly when i can find one and will not care what it does against the 500PF.. Nikon should have charged 10,000.00 USD for this lends and would have sold just as many..
Hello, on the video 4:14mn, what is the fonction/used of the piece you put back in the boxe ?
If you look on the floor to the left you will see a white foam donut that supports the narrow end of the lens in shipping. The black U-shaped block that I tossed into the case attached inside the case with velcro to support the lens in the same way. Being covered in black felt, it looks nicer than the foam and it can remain in the case when removing the lens unlike the white shipping donut.
Got mine today … the no lens cap freaked me out …. WISH IT HAD ONE !!!!!!!!
Glad to hear you got yours, apparently Nikon is having difficulty meeting demand and has put new orders on pause. I don't care for the lens cover either, it's completely useless if you cover the lens hood in camouflage. I just ordered a 3D printed lens cap that is supposed to fit the 800mm. I'll post a review as soon as it comes in.
Where did you buy from if you don’t mind.waiting for mine,hope you enjoy
Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. Robert's Distributors robertscamera.com is my go-to for new camera gear. Used Photo Pro, the used division of Robert's Camera is where I get my used gear usedphotopro.com.
@@Koolbob2 thank you so much.I traded my 800 5.6 with the promise of being first in line when the new lense is received,need I say that was not the case as I still wait.(not with Roberts but a competitor) It will be worth it as you have shown,enjoy your lense it is a true beast. Regards.
@@daviddowling9830 I honestly don't think Nikon was prepared for the popularity of this lens and I am confident they are manufacturing them as fast as they can. I have been an NPS member since '84 and as soon as I got off the phone and placed my order with Robert's I submitted a Priority Request with NPS. I hope you receive your lens soon, I'm confident you will love it. Please feel free to let us know when you get it and what you think of it.