TWO-MINUTE REVIEW
In the past decade or so, long telephoto zoom lenses have become less expensive and thus more accessible. Considering how costly professional telephoto lenses can be, the 150–600mm focal length range has become something of a standard in this field, often falling within an affordable price range.
The Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR provides a similarly versatile focal range, making it ideal for wildlife and sports photography in general, and is priced affordably at $1,697, £1,799, or AU$2,003. Sure, the 180-600mm isn't precisely inexpensive, but it's significantly less expensive than professional telephoto lenses, giving Nikon Z-series camera users the extended reach they've been coveting.
This lens' arrival couldn't have arrived at a better moment for proprietors of Z-series cameras, who lacked a native Z-mount lens with this focal range. Although the Nikon FTZ and FTZ II adapters are great for using F-mount lenses with Z-series cameras, their performance is never comparable to that of a native lens, and the adapter mount adds a small amount of length to any affixed lens.
The 180-600mm is a relatively large and long lens, measuring 12.5 x 4.4 inches or 315.5 x 110 millimeters. And with the tripod mount included, the weight of the lens is 4 lb, 11.5 oz, or 2,140g, so there's definitely some bulk to it. Nevertheless, it is not the heaviest telephoto zoom on the market, and during a four-hour handheld shoot in a country park, the 180-600mm affixed to a Nikon Z 7II remained pleasant to carry.
The Nikkor's weight is a consequence of the lens's dimensions and construction in order to provide the available wide focal range. It consists of 25 elements in 17 groups, including six ED elements, one aspherical element, and a front element coated with fluorine. The maximal aperture varies between f/5.6 and f/6.3 depending on the specified focal length, resulting in a 95mm front element.
In terms of build quality, enthusiast lenses can sometimes be deficient, but that is not the case here. Internal zoom and focusing mean that the lens does not extend when zooming and the front element does not rotate when it is focused.
The zoom ring also features a brief rotation, allowing you to alter the zoom factor swiftly and comfortably without having to reposition your hand to sustain the magnification. Although the lens has dust and leak seals, Nikon does not advertise it as a weatherproof model; therefore, shooting in torrential rain, for example, could be problematic. Full weatherproofing would be the obvious option for a lens of this variety, but it's absent here.
The only controls on the lens are a manual focus/autofocus switch and an autofocus range limiter switch located at the rear of the lens. There are also four programmable L-Fn controls, which enable you to assign multiple functions to the conveniently located buttons at the front of the lens. Unfortunately, there are no vibration reduction or image stabilization controls here, so you'll have to navigate through the camera's menus to alter these parameters. A dedicated set of controls would have been very useful.
The lens is well-balanced with Z-series bodies, despite the fact that the Z 7II used for testing is physically smaller than the lens. And if you find the lens to be too burdensome for prolonged handheld use, the tripod collar and quick-release foot allow you to rapidly switch between handheld photography and using a tripod or monopod.
Moreover, the 180-600mm is compatible with the Nikon Z 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, allowing you to extend the focal range if necessary. Nonetheless, this means chest. Using the lens with an APS-C camera increases the effective focal range from 270mm to 900mm while maintaining the maximum aperture of f/5.6–6.3.
In terms of overall performance, autofocus is quick and nearly silent, latching onto static and moving subjects and seemingly effortlessly monitoring them. It's exactly what you'd expect from a lens designed to capture frequently moving and distant subjects. This speed and near-silence are a result of the rapid stepping motor, which also makes the lens useful for autofocus tracking of moving subjects in video, despite the fact that videographers typically use manual focus in the vast majority of situations.
The minimum focus distance at 180mm is 4.27 feet (1.3 meters), while at 600 mm, it nearly doubles to 7.88 feet (2.4 meters). This does allow for close-up shots of small subjects, but the reproduction ratio is far from macro.
In addition to autofocus, another highly effective feature is the 5.5-stop vibration reduction and image stabilization. During testing, I occasionally shot at 600mm with a shutter speed of less than 1/100 second, and while some of the images were blurry, the majority were flawlessly sharp. Of course, a firm hand is still required to get the most out of image stabilization, but the 180-600mm is a superb performer in this regard.
In terms of image quality, which is one of the most crucial aspects of any lens, images captured between the maximum aperture and f/11 are of high quality throughout the entire focal range. They are not as sharp as more expensive lenses, but their overall acuity exceeds expectations. In some instances, a small quantity of chromatic aberration is visible along the margins of high-contrast subjects, but this is negligible and can be effectively eradicated in Lightroom or other raw processing software. When shooting in JPEG, you can enable in-camera corrections to address this issue.
HOW I TESTED THE NIKKOR Z 180-600MM F/5.6-6.3
The Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 was evaluated over the course of multiple shootings, including a four-hour session, to ascertain how pleasant it is to use handheld for multiple hours. Photos were taken at various aperture settings and focal lengths to evaluate handling, sharpness, and distortion, while vibration reduction was put through its trials by shooting at slower shutter speeds than normal. In order to evaluate the efficacy of the autofocus, both stationary and mobile subjects were included.
The majority of photographs were taken to observe how the lens performed in various situations, while others were taken specifically to compare the outcomes. Instead of relying on statistics and lens charts, this provides the ability to test all aspects of the lens in a real-world environment that is closer to how photographers will use the lens themselves.
With nearly 30 years of photographic experience and 15 years as a photography correspondent, I have covered nearly every imaginable subject and used many of the cameras and lenses released during that time. As a practicing photographer, I am also aware of the most essential factors for photographers and strive to test cameras and lenses accordingly.