Nikon Z9 with z 400mm f4.5 s | Wildlife and Birds
2024 ж. 1 Мам.
28 386 Рет қаралды
In this video I test the Nikon Z 400mm f4.5 s on Safari in the Kruger Park.
See also my video on the z 400mm f2.8 TC lens on the Z9 link below
• Nikon Z 400mm f2.8 TC ...
Introduction 0:00
Part 1 Videos 1:22
Part 2 Stills 6:22
Conclusion 16:45
I bought this lens too and absolutely no regrets. In fact I’ve only used my 600mm f4 e lens twice since receiving it two months ago. The clarity and quietness of the lens are exceptional. Walking around is so much easier and the much lighter lens is way easier to get on target. Keeping the 1.4 and sometimes the 2x tc’s in my pocket come in handy when I need some reach. Coupled with the z9 it’s really a workhorse. Like you, I’m waiting to check out the 200-600. Hopefully it will be out soon. Look forward to watching more of your videos.
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I will be taking the 400 on another trip at the end of March and will also have the ‘old’ f mount 400 2.8 with me (aka The Beast). I hope to get some comparisons between the two. I will also be taking video with the 24-120 which I am really impressed with. Thanks again. Cheers, Andrew
I went the 70-200, 400/4.5, and 800PF, route. I tried the 180-600, I thought it was a great versatile lens but with the 1.4X tele it was slightly redundant. I ended up selling for the 800. Maybe I will purchase the 180-600 again but for now I'll wait for the Z50ii to show up and decide.
Hi Ben, sounds like you are a birder :) great combination. Thank you for viewing and commenting.
Amazing and wonderful Video. Thanks for sharing so beautiful footages.. Big Like
Thank you for taking the time to view and comment. Much appreciated!
Great video and very nice footages with still images. I do own this lens and I consider it one of the very nice Z mount lenses. Subscribed and liked, and looking forward to new episodes. Cheers from Oman.
Thank you very much for taking the time to view and comment. Much appreciated!
Hey Andrew, this was a great video, quite through and stitched well with your adventures. It was lovely travelling with you in Madikwe, looking forward to seeing a video from there too in the near future. Keep it coming! loved your images Your friend from the Himalayas -Vazzu
Great to meet you also Vazzu! My new video is up.
Thank you!
Thank YOU sir. Many thanks for taking the time to view and comment.
I have to say when I tried the 400 f/4.5 in the store, it was completely amazed at how light the lens is. It's probably lighter than my 24-70 2.8 or the same weight, which is amazing. I mean I was thinking "That's it?" Although I can't bring myself to buy a long prime lens though (except maybe a 300mm) but beyond that I keep having this feeling that they are too limiting especailly if you're photographing a variety of subjects (birds, and other animals that might be closer to you). I guess one way around this is to have two bodies (one outfitted with a 70-200 or something similar, and a 400 or 500mm prime).
100% correct. You have just touched on the real dilemma wildlife photographers face with the way the Z lenses are being rolled out. Particularly birders. Can anyone afford the 600mm f4 with TC built in? There is a real case for a 600mm 5.6 in my humble opinion. As to your second point- a second body is a necessity rather than a luxury in Africa. Will it be the Z8? Not if the rumored pricing is correct….. I talk about lens combinations in my next video that is coming out in a couple of weeks. Thanks for taking the time to view and comment! Much appreciated. Regards Andrew
For me, the question is whether the 4.5/400mm is worth it if you already have the very good 100-400mm Z zoom which is a bit slower. A Z 200-600mm is indeed also planned for 2002.
Excellent point. Thanks for viewing and commenting.
I love the elephant shots!!!!
They are indeed beautiful creatures! Thank you for taking the time to view and comment. Regards Andrew
A great video with some lovely footage and wonderful stills. I am, like you, a Z9 user but I went for the Z 100-400 rather than the 400 prime. If I could afford and justify it I would have both, but reality kicks in. No question, the prime offers a slightly better bokeh when wide open, but I prefer the flexibility the 100-400 offers. I am in the UK but in September/October my wife and I visited South Africa for the first time (we are now in our 70s). We were constrained by weight limits, especially for an internal flight so I limited myself to taking just two lenses. I chose the Z 24-70 f 2.8 for general use especially as the 2.8 allowed for low light without the need of a tripod (couldn't take one on the flights!) and the 100-400 for use especially when we were in the Kruger. I took mainly stills and some video with the Nikon but used either a GoPro or my iPhone for general landscape video. We really enjoyed our visit (I have put several videos here on KZhead) and are looking forward to visiting the Ockavango later this year when I will almost certainly take the same set up as we will be even mor3 limited on the weight of luggage we are allowed to bring!! Thanks again for your video.
Hi Brian. Thank you so much for taking the time to view and comment. The 100-400 is very sharp so not really much of a compromise! You will love the Okavango. Enjoy your trip!
The biggest NIkon lens mistake last year was this one being yet another 3rd 400mm lens, but not 500 (whatever aperture) having in mind that there is none 500mm in the lineup and so many people are using 500mmPF .Can't understand the logic of 3 400mm lenses in a row but only Nikon knows, haha.
The 70-200 S plus convertors even Better choice than the 100-400
@@dicekolev5360 400 F4.5 plus 1.4 Convertor = 560 what are you moaning about ??
@@Mr09260 I'm not moaning, lol, nobody will use TCs if we had the option not to.
I will be in Africa this Fall and currently have a Z9, a 70-200 F2.8, and a 1.4TC. I am considering the 400 f4.5 but am looking for a suggestion regarding the 24-70 f/2.8 versus the 24-120 f/4. Will be at Rwanda Gorilla Treking, Ngorongoro Crater, Masai Mara, and Thornybush. Are either of the 24 mm lenses good for landscapes (at Ngorongoro) or night/star photography?
What a trip! I am jealous. Price/weight ratio is key on a trip like yours. I would take a z 20mm 1.8 and the 24-120 f4 - combined cost less than the 24-70 and both lenses are amazing (I own them both) and the additional weight is only 300g. You will be glad of the f2.8 aperture of the 70-200 in Rwanda as the light is often terrible. 70-200 with the TC will be fine for Thornybush also but you will miss not having a long lens in Kenya and Tanzania. Not much to be done about that. My combo for this trip would be the 20mm 1.8, the 24-120 f4 and the 100-400 and of course a 1.4x TC. I love the 70-200 and (as you already own one) I would add the other two as suggested. Hope this helps!
I live here in Africa and have shot wildlife for the past 15 yrs using all kinds of Cameras and lenses. Having done Kenya and Tanzania and well as Uganda with a great deal of travelling, I will keep it simple. Looking at my LrC catalogue on lenses used and specifically the 5 star rated images, there are 3 lenses I will take and currently take on all trips. 24-70, 70-200 and 400 f4.5. For many years my main lens was the 300 f2.8 VR with the TC 1.4 (420 f4) and sometimes with TC 2.0. For me it is about lens reliability and unfortunately my 80-400 that I loved is full of dust due to external zoom. And Africa has dust, big time. I am not so excited about the 200-600, Sony has a great lens, but it is also on the long side and IQ can be so-so. You still have to use a 70-200 at the short end as well. For me, I love the 400 mm prime range, IQ is fantastic on the primes. Have fun and do not worry to much about equipment. Keep changing lenses to a minimum. So, suggest 2 bodies. I have cut down my equipment to Z6ii with 24-200 and Z9 with 400 f4.5 and a 16-30f4.
@@jakesdewet3567 May be that I should do with my upcoming Alaska trip. Z7 original with 24-200 and Z8 with 400 F4.5. I am not sure about 16-30 f4. Got a zfc/z50/z30 and might be just have 2 kits lens plus 24-200 with kfc. z8 with 400 F4.5.
Good , practical video. I do agree with you that the 400 f4.5 is best native. I think the ideal would be Z70-200S on one body and the 400 F4.5 on another, specially for Botswana. I do have good success with the 400 F4.5 + 2XTC if the subject can fill the frame. All the best with your channel.
Thank you for the encouraging words! I am taking the 70-200 on a trip at the end of March and will have use of both the 1.4x and 2x converters to try out on it. I will be posting a video early April on that so please look out for that one. Thanks again for taking the time to view and comment.
weight is my concern. Got 80-400 and 200-500 for a trip to Alaska and wonder whether just bring the 80-400 and give up on the 200-500 as too heavy for my age now. And then th4 400 + 1.4 seems to be quite light ... now do not know what to go.
It depends on how much walking you expect to do - and it is difficult walking conditions. I would go with one of the Z 400 lenses. Either the 100-400 or the 400 f4.5. Have a great trip!
hi thx for the video but I think the 180-600 is a better option than the 100-400 with a 1.4 tc as the tc just makes the image to soft especially if you want to sell your images you don't want to take a cracking shot and then have a soft image and for that I'm not even sure if the 180-600 will be gapped enough then. For amateur shooters both lenses are I'd say are ok but I'm sure the pro's will stick to the 600 f4 and like you said yes who can afford the new 600 f4 with the build in tc but the old 600 f4 are now quite affordable and just as good image quality but not a quit as the new lens unfortunately. Doug
Thanks Douglas. I have yet to get my hands on the 180-600. Unfortunately the pricing structure of the ‘pro’ lenses is forcing compromises.PS the 500mm PF is pin sharp and remains an ‘affordable’ option. See my video with the fish eagle sequence.
I've just bought the same lens. Was thinking whether to buy the 400mm prime or the 100-400mm zoom but when I tried both there really was no contest. I also bought the 85mm f/1.2 which is awesome. I'm thinking of going to either Botswana or Tanzania on safari first week of November. Any thoughts on whether that timing is good?
The challenge you will have with either country is that November is the rainy season - usually - who knows these days? That period is usually cheaper as the rain means they close off some of the secondary roads and off roading is banned. Again - depends on the amount of rainfall. Which might be minimal or might be a flood! If I had to pick between the two I would choose Botswana every time. It is a magical and beautiful place. Just my own opinion. My next video will highlight the 100-400. probably to be published mid-May. Thank you for viewing and commenting.
@@ACWildPhotos Really appreciate the guidance
@@indrajitadvani3742 to be more accurate - it should be drier in Tanzania in November than in Botswana.
@@ACWildPhotos Appreciate
Thanks for putting this video together. A great and honest walk-through review. I'm a bit curious to know if you'd felt the 200-500mm lens could have done equally well if not better? We know that the light is the best friend of any lens but if you're using teleconverters and stopping down anyway, except for the weight being lighter on the 400mm lens, one could be better off using a zoom with a standard aperture which also provides a bit of flexibility in my view. I'm in two minds now whether to upgrade my D850 to a Z body (especially when Z8 is just out) or to upgrade my 200-500mm lens to a 500pf lens or maybe even a 200-600 lens when it's out.
The Z8 looks like a good option. I changed to mirrorless in November last year when all of my gear was stolen in Namibia - including the 500 PF - which I LOVE! I hear the 200-500 is a great lens but, like you, I want to see what the aperture is on the 200 - 600 mm. Thank you for taking the time to view and comment! My video on the 100-400mm will be posted today or tomorrow so please watch that one also. Regards Andrew
What do you think now, now that the 180-600 is out? Would you choose that over this 400, if you were starting from scratch?
I will need to test it first and hope to get my hands on one soon!
Really enjoyed your video, have you tried cropping in without the TC to the same reach, you may be surprised it may equal the image quality.
yup. Particularly on high resolution cameras like the z8 and z9. TC's have their place but almost always impact IQ. Thank you very much for taking the time to contribute. Much appreciated!
@@ACWildPhotos I love the idea of a 400 4.5 then using the 2x tc when needed. But I feel the quality will drop too much
@russandloz yes, I bought a second hand 2xTC and have since resold it.
@@ACWildPhotos right. Was it noticeably poor?
Yes. You can probably live with it on a f2.8 lens - maybe. Other KZheadrs seem to have a different opinion but many of them are dependent on Nikon for gear. :) @@russandloz
Hi MR This Camera shoots birds in flight .is the focus fast?i use Nikon D5 now.with 500mm f5.6.
Yes the autofocus is much improved now. The Z9 with the 500 mm PF is a great combination. Take a look at this sequence with the Z9 500mm 5.6 combo. kzhead.info/sun/aLuRnt6Dapahen0/bejne.html Thanks for viewing and commenting.
Noisy and high ISO images are now a thing of the past. You don't need to worry about it any more. Use Light Room Classic Denoise button in the develop section to remove the noise from your images and free yourself from this photographic restriction. Once you have tried this you will never not use it again. P.S You need to Camo the car LoL
Thanks for viewing and commenting! PS maybe I will camouflage the vehicle 😀 I prefer DxO pureRAW 3 for noise reduction.
When you are trying the 200-600, be careful with it as it probably will have an external zoom mechanism, i.e. tubes telescoping out of the lens. From my experience with African road and environmental conditions, such lenses will fail after 2-3 years due to the sand ingested into the space between the telescoping tubes, where the sand will grind down the roller bearings until you will notice asymmetric blur due to the lens being "converted" into a "tilt" lens.
Thanks for taking the time to view and to comment. I will certainly be careful. Regards
Let’s face it - this lens is sub-par and not prograde. Most of the honest reviews putting it to serious wildlife work finds it wanting. It’s fine for amateur work - it’s intended market. Great video and valued content.
Thank you for taking the time to view and comment. I agree with you to an extent. It is a bit overpriced for what you get in my opinion.
This is the first comment I have heard of this nature. In my opinion this lens has its place in a professionals arsenal if you shoot a variety of subjects. It is incredibly light and sharp and whilst the 400 F2.8 will perform better in many situations because of the built in TC it will exhaust the photographer in other situations. I am looking forward to taking this lens on my overseas trips where it will be much lighter than the 300F2.8 I current take along and which I often use with a TC1.4. In the past I sometimes took the 300F4 PF les along and it saved me weight. Quite comfortable to take this lens along with a 70-200MM F2.8Z lens. The weight savings will create place for another shorter specialist lens.