Sigma and Tamron had affordably priced long telephoto zooms out for years before Nikon did, first for DSLR mounts like Nikon F and later in mirrorless versions, and both now offer long telephoto zooms in Z mount as well. Nikon’s own arrived in August 2023 at a launch price of $1,699.95: the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR.
It’s a big lens: around 1,955g on its own, or 2,140g with the supplied tripod foot fitted. The zoom is internal, though, so the barrel doesn’t get any longer as you go from 180mm to 600mm, and the balance stays put on a tripod or gimbal.
Zoomed out, it’s 180mm, which is still comfortably in telephoto range. But zoomed in, it goes to 600mm, which is serious telephoto territory. And that’s on a full-frame sensor camera. You can also use it on a Nikon Z DX camera with an APS-C sensor, in which case you can get half as much reach again (i.e., equivalent perspective to what a 270-900mm would look like on a full-frame camera).
The numbers are all very well, but what does that mean visually? Will it be a good fit for the kinds of shooting you have in mind?
Add a Teleconverter?
If you want to get even more reach, one option is to add a teleconverter. In my review of the Nikon Z TC-1.4x Teleconverter, I’ve included some examples with this specific lens.
Both Nikon Z teleconverters work with this lens. The TC-1.4x takes the long end to 840mm with a maximum aperture of f/9, and the TC-2.0x takes it to 1200mm at f/13. You give up light either way, so how usable that is depends a lot on how bright the conditions are.
Real-world zoom range examples
Here are some preliminary real-world examples; I’ll add some more as the opportunity arises.
These were all shot on a Nikon Z8 full-frame camera. I haven’t applied any cropping to these.
