NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S

This 100-400 replaced a 150-600 and a 70-200. I was a little concerned about the aperture but I have used it indoors (with good light) and outdoor. It has not been a problem at all. The weight is very easy to handle and the focus is amazing. Using it with my Z 6iii. Plan to order a TC-2.0.

I was a little unsure about the aperture before buying it, but in real-world use it hasn’t been an issue for me. The sharpness is incredible, and having 100–400mm in one lens makes it so versatile. I may add the TC-1.4x later.

Great lens. Fast focus and very clear

I just acquired the lens about a week ago and immediately shot an air show. The 100-400mm range is just about ideal for people shots, planes, static displays and other subjects at that type of event. In the past, I used my 70-200mm zoom with a 2x TC, but found that focus acquisition was less than ideal. Focusing is quick and accurate with this lens, even with fast-moving aircraft flying across the frame. I was generally surprised by how useful this focal length range is and I’ll probably use this lens more than I thought. It’s in a sweet spot for many sports, events like air shows, and similar activities. It’s probably not long enough for a serious wildlife photographer, but with a TC and a willingness to live with that compromise, it wouldn’t be bad for occasionally shooting distant critters. Overall great results, sharp, fast focusing, handles well. But…that zoom ring is impossible to use with the lens hood installed backwards. It’s a minor complaint since I usually use the hood as intended, but I wonder why Nikon did that.

I bought one used on the recommendation of a semi-pro friend. Just took a trip to Staffa Island and got all the puffin photos I was hoping for with this lens and also when coupled with the 1.4TC. I'm looking forward to many years of wildlife photography with this lens! My wife has nicknamed this lens "Puffin".

I haven't really had a chance to get to know this lens beyond initial testing and a few short forays outside.I put the lens on my Z8 on a carbon fiber tripod and took photos of some objects about 250m away. It was a cool day with no perceptible breeze. The lens was sharp at all focal lengths and apertures. So far, so good.Another day, I took the gear to the beach near the Pt. Wilson Lighthouse in Port Townsend, WA. I set up my composition with the lighthouse and Mt. Baker side by side. It was a reasonably clear day with some atmospheric haze. The bigger problem was the shimmering heat coming off the sand and unknown conditions over Puget Sound. The images has that waviness typical of those conditions, but nothing suggested the lens was the problem. That's what happens at 400mm in the heat. At the longer focal lengths, environmental factors conspire to muddy the image. I'm hoping to get some good seeing so that I can really get a feel for what this lens can do. Loving it, so far. Stay tuned.

I haven't really had a chance to completely test this lens, but so far it appears to work very well. I bought it used from B&H, saving $600, and it doesn't have a scratch on it. I tested it on a target about 250 m away and it was sharp at every focal length and aperture I tried. Auto focus is fast and accurate. I can hand-hold it at 1/20 second on my Z8 and still get a perfect image.I tried shooting the Pt. Wilson Lighthouse next to Mt. Baker. The beach was warm from the sun and Puget Sound was between the mountain and me. Some atmospheric shimmer was apparent when pixel-peeping - not the lens's fault. So far, this lens is everything I hoped it would be. Waiting to get the 1.4x TC to see how that works out. Meantime, I'm hoping for some quiet atmospheric conditions so I can see what it will do over a long haul. Stay tuned.

The Nikkor 100-400 is a nice all-around lens and makes a great companion for the kit 24-120. The extra reach is handy for wildlife and somewhat distant subjects; its relatively short minimum focusing distance makes it very effective for close subjects, too. Overall, it is a very handy lens.That's the good part, now let's be frank for a moment: What in the world was Nikkor thinking placing the zoom ring on the far end and the focusing ring in close? If you have the shade in the reverse position, where it should be much of the time then you can't use the zoom ring. Worse yet, the tripod mount is excellently placed to be held yet with the focusing ring immediately above it any twitch of your fingers will spin the ring out of focus. If the rings were reversed there wouldn't be any problem. Maybe there were mechanical issues that caused them to design it this way, but it can be frustrating. Overall, this is a very good lens, and the minor annoyances are not so great that I would not recommend it.

This lens handles great on my Z8, Z5II and Z50II. I love the controls and how solid it feels, not to mention the image quality. Sometimes it’s hard to choose between this and the also excellent 28-400mm for general walking around nature photography. This lens is heavier and bigger, but faster and renders stunning images. The 28-400 is smaller and lighter (by about half) with great image quality. Both are very good for macro, with the 100-400mm actually being slightly better (0.38x versus 0.34x). I do wish this lens came with a better case (it’s just a thin cloth bag), but honestly, it has been on one of my cameras since I purchased it anyway.