Nikon has just introduced two new Z mount NIKKOR lenses, the high-performance super-telephoto NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens and the affordable NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom. They’re both great for a wide range of applications, including wildlife and bird photography. Which one is right for you?
NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens
Designed as a successor to the hugely popular original F-mount AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6, this newly updated version offers an even more versatile focal range, now with an internal zoom mechanism to ensure superior handling ease and stability, plus a balance that never shifts. This is bound to come in handy when you’re shooting close-ups of fast-moving subjects such as birds, planes and sports action.
But it also features a minimum focus distance of just 1.3m at the wide-angle position, making it ideal for capturing shots of close-up insects and flowers. With a short ring throw of only 70 degrees, it’s fast and easy to adjust your focal length from the longest to widest when you need to. And with Vibration Reduction (VR) image stabilization performance delivering an equivalent to a 5.5-stop increase in shutter speed, this lens also reduces unwanted blurring in dimly lit conditions and when you’re shooting handheld.
NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 Lens
This is another update to an existing NIKKOR zoom, smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and completing Nikon’s latest trio of affordable f/2.8 zoom lenses. With a reasonably fast constant maximum aperture, it performs well in low light and delivers a pleasantly smooth-looking background blur, thanks to a rounded 9-blade diaphragm.
Weighing in at just 795g, this lens is compact and lightweight enough to carry around all day. And with a minimum focus distance of 0.27m at the 70mm end, you’ll have no trouble capturing all the unexpected close-up subjects that cross your path along the way. When combined with the Z Teleconverter TC-2.0×, the reproduction ratio soars to 0.96⨯, rendering pretty close to life-size macro results.
Whether you’re shooting stills or video, the versatile focal range lends itself to everything from portraits to weddings, events and sports, even when shooting indoors in low-light conditions. With suppressed focus breathing and near-silent focusing, it’s especially great for video applications – and you can even program the customizable control ring to gradually change aperture, ISO and focus. The focus position moves in tandem with the rotation angle, and videographers can also put the MF control to good use exactly as intended.
