First test
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S PRICE: £2995 A fraction of the price of other Z series telephotos, this lens is a tempting prospect – we put it through its paces
NIKON.CO.UK
400mm f/4.5 VR S could be the most compelling of all. Why? This is a light, sharp and versatile lens with plenty of reach, and though its street price is currently close to £3000, it’s within reach of enthusiast sports and wildlife photographers compared to the Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S or Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. That is to say, what the Z 400mm f/4.5 does, it does very well for the money.
Let’s start with utility. 400mm means plenty of reach, and being compatible with Nikon’s Z 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, there’s more if you want it. A 400mm prime has lots of uses. It’s the minimum focal length for small birds, so you might need to crop, but that’s fine if using the high-megapixel Z 7 or Z 9. For larger animals it gives bags of detail, for motorsport it covers close-ups and distant corners – and for sports like football and rugby it’ll bring you up close to players on the far touchline. In terms of optical performance, the Z 400mm f/4.5 is excellent, the quality of the glass shows through. It’s very sharp wide open and only a fraction more so in the centre than the edges. Close down to f/5.6 and results are almost indistinguishable from lenses four times the price. Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coat – used on the elements – does a great job of suppressing flare, so if you’re shooting into the light, contrast is kept high. The maximum f/4.5 aperture might sound restrictive, but at 400mm, subject separation is still superb. Other recent Nikon super- telephoto lenses have used Phase Fresnel (PF) elements to keep the size and weight down, which some photographers think produces less attractive bokeh, but there are only regular elements here, with background blur pleasingly smooth. Slower lenses also affect the shutter speed you can use to stop subject movement, but f/4.5 is only 1.3 stops slower than f/2.8, so an adjustment of, say, 800 to 2000 would compensate. That’s not a problem for modern cameras. An f/4.5 aperture also suggests slower AF since there’s less light for the sensor. Yes, this lens focuses fractionally slower than the Z 400mm f/2.8, but in isolation it still seemed very fast to me. On the Z 9 in particular, it locked on quickly and followed moving subjects with ease. It was a bit slower on the Z 7II, but that’s to be expected, and performance by no means struggled. Close focus is 2.5m, where it gives a 0.16x magnification. That I found pretty useful for nature portraits and
TESTED BY KINGSLEY SINGLETON
SPECS › Type Full-frame (Nikon FX) › Lens mount Nikon Z mount › Focal length 400mm › Aperture range F/4.5-32 › Lens construction 19 elements in 13 groups, including one ED, two super ED and one SR element › Lens coatings Nano Crystal Coat and fluorine › Angle of view 6° (full-frame, FX), 4° (APS-C, DX) › Focusing Auto, manual › Internal focusing Yes › Focus limit switch Yes, full (∞ to 2.5m) and ∞ to 6m › Minimum focus 2.5m › Maximum magnification 0.16x › Image stabilisation Yes
THERE ARE PLENTY of factors to consider when picking a telephoto lens – price, weight, focal length and maximum aperture, to name but a few. The Nikon Z series now has options that cover many bases, with more on the way – but the Z
A BIRD IN HAND 400mm is long enough for snapping small birds, and resolving power ensures plenty of clarity when cropping in closer close-ups. It’s not the purpose of this lens, but is nice to have. So, lots of ticks so far, and they’re topped off by the handling. Though it weighs just over a kilo, I used it for long periods and it didn’t feel tiring. Heavier optics are at the rear, so it’s not front-heavy and there’s a decent rubberised grip near the front element, giving a solid hold from which you can easily access four function buttons around the barrel.
› Diaphragm Nine blades, rounded › Dimensions (dxl) 104x234.5mm › Weight 1245g (1160g without tripod foot) › Contact nikon.co.uk Further back is another function button, focus limiter and focus recall button, which is useful if you want to rack forward or back to a predefined point. The only downside of handling was that the manual focus ring is too far back to use without changing grip. Otherwise, that’s another tick. PN
Verdict For wildlife, sports and action, the Z 400mm f/4.5 delivers. Some might sniff at the ‘restricted’ aperture, but the knock-on effects are immense, making the lens much more portable, easier to handle and more affordable, with only minor trade-offs in speed and depth-of-field. Most importantly, it gives brilliantly sharp results. PROS Portability, sharpness, image stabilisation, weather sealing CONS Manual focus ring slightly awkward
STREET SMART The f/4.5 maximum aperture reduces speed and depth-of-field, but allows the overall construction to be lighter and less expensive
60 Photography News | Issue 104
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