How I wish we had such relatively light telephoto lenses when I began my career in sports photography back in 2008. Back then inbuilt teleconverters were an unheard-of concept. Nikon wasn’t the pioneer in this field, but they’ve certainly stepped up and released 3 such lenses within the last 5 years. If you’re a Nikon pro looking for extra reach for sports or wildlife photography, this lens is probably on your wishlist already. It’s pricey for sure, but on my tests with it, it’s worth every penny. The Nikon Z 600mm f4 TC VR S lens is an ace product for professionals.
The Phoblographer may receive affiliate compensation for products purchased using links in this blog post.
Table of Contents
The Big Picture
You’d be surprised how quickly you’d find something like a 400mm lens falling short, in terms of a focal length perspective, when photographing something like rugby or birding in an outdoor area. It’s precisely in such scenarios that you’ll really see the Nikon Z 600mm f4 TC lens shine. Aside from the occasional focus hunting, which I’d attribute more to my selection of the wrong AF settings than the lens itself, you’d rarely miss focus on what you’re aiming at. It has much more customizability than any F-mount lens that Nikon has ever released. Even with the easily activated 1.4x TC, the sharpness is exactly what you’d expect from this lens as a professional photographer. And when used with any of the Expeed 7 processor Nikon cameras (Z9, Z8, and the Zf), expect the AF speeds to match up to pro cameras from any brand today. This lens will surely be a staple for any working Nikon professional who often finds themselves at pro sporting events. Those rugby players running straight towards me at breakneck speeds were no match for the AF system’s speed. Even seasoned wildlife photographers will greatly appreciate the slight weight reduction from the DSLR counterpart.
It’s not a lens for everyone; that USD 15,500 price tag alone should alert you to this fact. For the professional audience it’s aimed at, it’s undoubtedly a lens worth investing in. For its fascinating focus tracking, ability to deliver sharp images and time-saving built-in teleconverter, I’m giving the Nikon Z 600mm f4 TC VR lens a full five stars. Be prepared to be the envy of everyone around you when you walk around with this lens because I definitely was at that event.
Pros
- Inbuilt 1.4x teleconverter effectively turns this lens into an 840mm f5.6 lens when activated
- Nikon has maintained the same length as the F-mount 600mm f4 despite the inclusion of the TC
- Very good sharpness at all focal distances. This is the case even when the teleconverter is engaged
- 5.0 stops of inbuilt VR; up to 5.5 stops when used with the Nikon Z9
- Handholdable for long periods of time. I shot over 3 hours of rugby handholding this lens and a Nikon Z8. I was expecting to wake up with a sore forearm the next morning, but nothing happened
- AF tracking for fast-approaching subjects is superb
- The included protective lens cap is made of what appears to be supple leather
- 840mm f5.6 is actually a lot shallower than you’d think
Cons
- Expensive. You’d better have the backing of a very supportive news editor to spring for one of these.
- I did think that I’d be able to mount the Z8 to the lens and close the supplied backpack over them both, but it wouldn’t fit. That’s a design flaw for sure, and the backpack looks like it can only take the lens. I shouldn’t have to have a separate bag for the camera if I’m only going to use one lens for a shoot.
Gear Used
I used the Nikon Z 600mm f4 TC VR S lens on a Nikon Z8, both on loan from Nikon. A few frames were shot on my Nikon Zf. Almost all bird photos seen throughout this review were taken with the aid of the Benro GH5CMNI Gimbal.
Also a quick shoutout to Opticull, the software that helped me really quickly narrow down my best images from over 1500 shots taken at the rugby tournament.
Innovations
It’s not Nikon’s first lens with an inbuilt teleconverter. The AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm f/4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens holds that distinction. This is however, their first 600mm lens with a teleconverter.
Ergonomics
This lens looks massive because it is. And when you screw on that lens hood onto the front, you become the center of attraction wherever you go with it. While I’m not surprised that, despite the internal TC, Nikon managed to keep the length of this lens the same as its F-mount version, I’m indeed very thankful for it. Also for the slight reduction in the overall weight. That’s because on the day I took this lens out for rugby, I conveniently forgot to take along my handy monopod. Soon after I left home, I realized I was staring at 4 hours of handheld photography ahead of me. To my surprise, it wasn’t all that bad, as I’ll explain later.
The tripod collar of this lens is sadly not Arca Swiss compatible. I really hope someday, this becomes a standard among all manufacturers. But it does have a padded cushion, which makes carrying this lens for more extended periods much more manageable.
There are two L-fn buttons that you can program in your camera. In addition to the standard manual focus ring and the control ring found on most S-line Z-mount lenses, this lens also has an Fn ring, which I often brushed against. However, this didn’t seem to make any changes to my settings.
A convenient memory set button allows you to set a focal distance for quick recall. And of course, the star of the show, the inbuilt teleconverter. You also have the handy focal-distance limiter switch, which helps avoid focusing on pesky attendees who sometimes dart past you.
Ease of Use
I’d still keep a monopod at hand if I was using this lens for an extended period of time. But I really have to state that it’s totally handholdable to get sharp, immaculate photos of fast and slow-moving subjects. Do not be afraid to use this lens without support should you find yourself caught in such a situation.
If you’re butter-fingered like I am and find yourself switching it on or off when you don’t want to, a lock switch prevents accidental activation. The above image comparison shows the same section of the crowd (at the opposite end of the pitch length from me) at 600mm and 840mm.
My favorite part of using this lens was how easy it was to go from 600mm to 840mm with just a flick of that lever. After you’ve done this a couple of times, it becomes easy to do it without looking at it.
The display shows a teleconverter icon when the TC is engaged, just in case you need a visual reminder. The teleconverter is such a timesaver that it saved a lot of time I’d typically spend cropping in my editing process. But the main reason it’s so beneficial is the amount of extra shots you can take with it, which you’d otherwise spend in mounting the teleconverter to the lens and camera.
Focusing
If I had used this lens with a Z6 II / Z7 II body, I’m confident that I wouldn’t have used it to its full potential. Which is why I made sure it was used with no less than a Z8 for the tests. The power of the Expeed 7 processor really helps you get the best out of the Nikon Z 600mm f4 lens. Set it to AF-Continuous, scroll to the appropriate subject detection mode, pick your focus area zone(s), and fire away. You’ll find that this combination is trained to give you the best possible results, especially in the hands of professionals. Remember to also tweak the Blocked Shot AF Response setting depending on the sport you photograph.
This lens didn’t stutter when tracking rugby players racing towards my side of the rugby pitch at any time of the day or night. Not only did it nail focus on the eyes quite easily, but it did this with repeated precision quite often. If you’re shooting a sport with multiple players on the field, don’t make the mistake of choosing the Auto-area AF mode. This’ll leave your AF points flying all over the place, and often not on the person you want it to be on. Using this lens is a breeze once you’ve picked the correct mode. You can’t notice any drop in AF speed or accuracy, even with the TC activated.
There was some focus hunting at times, especially when photographing flamingoes against a hazy sky, but nothing that had me perturbed for too long.
Image Quality
Subjects really pop out of the background, especially when you’re at 600mm. The colors are great, and the depth of field fall-off is what you’d expect from a lens of this price.
Bokeh
You’re not going to shoot fairy lights behind people using a lens of this kind, but should you do so, I think you’d be pretty happy. For the working professional, bokeh balls aren’t really something to worry about. Subject isolation is more than pleasant, especially at f4.
Color Rendition
I shot all images in the Nikon Standard Picture Profile. I couldn’t tell any color difference between what I saw on the players’ jerseys and on the LCD. Skin tones, too were entirely accurate.
Lens Character
There were no noticeable lens flaws upon close inspection. No chromatic aberration was observed and sharpness was acceptable across the frame. You might see some slight vignetting when the teleconverter is activated, but nothing that’s prominent.
Extra Image Samples
From day one, The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, lots of folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can make a decision for yourself.
Unedited
Edited
Who Should Buy the Nikon Z 600mm f4 TC VR S Lens?
If you’ve used the Nikon 500mm or 600mm F-mount lenses for your DSLRs and have switched to their mirrorless system, consider this lens a worthy replacement and more. It’s noticeably faster to focus and clearly much sharper. If you’re a professional who does a lot of sporting and wildlife photography, then you’d find this lens an excellent one to own. Of course, if you find this lens too much on the pricier side, there’s the 600mm f6.3 S-line to consider. But if you can afford this one, I highly recommend it. The AF speeds and accuracy will really surprise you, especially when coming from long years of DSLR usage.
Tech Specs
Taken from the Nikon USA lens product page
Mount Type | Nikon Z Mount |
Focal Length | 600mm without built-in teleconverter 840mm with built-in teleconverter |
Maximum Aperture | Without built-in teleconverter: f/4 With built-in teleconverter: f/5.6 |
Minimum Aperture | Without built-in teleconverter: f/32 With built-in teleconverter: f/45 |
Maximum Angle of View (DX-format) | |
Lens Elements | 26 |
Lens Groups | 30 |
Nano Crystal Coat | Yes |
ED Glass Elements | 3 |
Fluorite Elements | 2 |
SR (Short-Wavelength Refractive) Glass Elements | 2 |
Super ED Glass Elements | 1 |
Fluorine Coat | Yes |
Meso Amorphous Coat | Yes |
Autofocus | Yes |
AF Actuator | Silky Swift VCM |
Internal Focusing | Yes |
Minimum Focus Distance | 14.11 ft. ( 4.3 m) from focal plane |
Focus Limit Switch | Two positions: FULL (∞ to 4.3 m) and ∞ to 10 m |
Filter Size | 46mm |
Accepts Filter Type | Rear slip-in filter holder |
Approx. Dimensions (Diameter x Length) | 6.5 in. (165 mm) x 17.3 in. (437 mm) |
Approx. Weight | 115 oz. (3260 g) |
The lead image in this article was captured by Aminlal Basheer. Used with permission