Introduction
The Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S is knowledgeable super-telephoto zoom lens for Nikon Z-series full-frame mirrorless cameras.
It encompasses a very advanced optical construction comprised of 25 parts in 20 teams, together with 6 ED parts, 2 super-ED parts, parts with Nano Crystal and ARNEO coats, and a fluorine-coated entrance lens factor.
This lens has a 9 blade diaphragm which creates a lovely blur to the out-of-focus areas of the picture.
It is outfitted with an optical vibration discount system that provides 5.5 stops of built-in stabilisation and has a mud and drip resistant design.
An inner focusing mechanism means the lens barrel does not transfer, and it presents a powerful minimal focusing distance of 0.75 m (2.46 ft) and a most magnification ratio of 0.38x, while utilizing 77m filters.
There is a configurable ring on the lens barrel which lets you management both aperture, publicity compensation or ISO pace.
This lens can also be appropriate with the Nikon Z 1.4x and 2x extenders with no limitations on the zoom vary, providing focal ranges of 140mm – 560mm and 200mm – 800mm respectively.
The Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens is on the market now priced at £2699 / $2699 within the UK and the US, respectively. It’s designed and made in Japan.
Ease of Use
Weighing in at 1435g (3lb 2.7oz) and measuring 22.2cm (8.8in.) in size (when set to the 100mm focal size), the Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S is a big and heavy lens, comprehensible given the big focal vary of 100-400mm that is on provide.
It feels quite unbalanced when utilizing it with a small sized digital camera physique just like the Nikon Z5 physique that Nikon offered for us to check it with, as proven within the product pictures, and can be far more at house mounted on a bigger Z6 or Z7 digital camera, ideally with a battery grip fitted.
The lens extends additional by a further 5cm to succeed in a complete size of 27cm when absolutely zoomed out to 400mm.
Construct high quality is excellent for what’s in spite of everything a professional-level lens. With a largely steel development, the Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S feels very strong in your hand, and it commendably has a steel mount.
Be aware that this lens additionally has a weather-resistant design to assist defend it towards mud and moisture.
There are two switches on the left hand aspect of the Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens. The highest one is a change for selecting between auto-focusing and guide focusing.
The underside one is a spotlight vary limiter change with two settings, Full and Infinity-3m.
The built-in 5.5 stops of picture stabilisation are necessary when hand-holding such a protracted lens, and the system fortunately works very nicely, guaranteeing that you could shoot at slower shutter speeds than 1/four-hundredth and nonetheless get sharp outcomes (clearly relying in your method).
Be aware that there isn’t any exterior management on the lens for turning picture stabilisation on or off.
An OLED knowledge show reveals you three kinds of data – the chosen aperture, focusing distance and focal size. You may select which to show by urgent the button marked “disp” subsequent to the OLED show.
On the identical part of the Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens, you’ll additionally discover one of many customisable operate buttons, labeled as “L-Fn1”. In the primary digital camera menu, you may select from one in every of 21 totally different capabilities, together with AF lock, metering, topic monitoring, framing grid show and so forth.
There’s one other operate button marked L-Fn2 just a little additional down the lens barrel which will also be customised. There are an extra three unmarked buttons on the identical ring which is able to duplicate whichever setting you assign to the L-Fn2 button, guaranteeing that you could all the time entry one of many buttons irrespective of the way you’re holding the lens.
In direction of the lens mount finish of the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens, there’s the primary (and smallest) of the lens’ three rings. This lens will be customised, too. By default it’s set to regulate aperture, however it’s also possible to change it to regulate publicity compensation or ISO. Alternatively you may have it set to do nothing in any respect.
On the centre of the lens, you’ll discover the focusing ring. It has no arduous stops at both finish of the focusing ring, however you should use the show window to point out you when you will have reached infinity focusing. The ring has simply sufficient resistance to make effective changes to guide focusing, with out having an excessive amount of give.
The ultimate ring is the zoom ring. which has a brief zoom throw rotation of simply 80°. It has focal lengths marked at 100, 135, 200, 300 and 400mm, however once more it’s also possible to use the show window to maintain on eye on precisely which focal size you’re utilizing – which is nice for making fast changes.
All three of the lens rings are ridged, serving to you’re feeling them by contact when taking pictures by way of the viewfinder. Additionally they assist so as to add to the high-quality and durable really feel of the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens.
This lens has been designed to be as fast and quiet as doable when autofocusing. That makes it ideally positioned for each stills taking pictures and video.
Capturing with the lens proves it to have virtually unerringly correct and speedy autofocus within the majority of conditions, with barely any looking in any respect. It’s additionally impressively quiet, too.
An inbuilt tripod collar is included, in direction of the lens mount finish of the lens. You may place it wherever you want across the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens, permitting you to connect the digital camera to your tripod or monopod in no matter place you want it.
A detachable foot can also be included, which has two totally different tripod attachment threads (one on the entrance, one on the again). You should utilize the dots on the tripod collar to match up with the traces on the lens itself to completely align it, too.
Additionally included within the field is a big lens hood (HB-103), which inserts onto the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S’ 77mm filter thread. The hood locks into place and is reversible so you may scale back the dimensions of the lens for transporting it and storing it at a smaller measurement.
Focal Vary
The Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S’s focal vary supplies an angle of view of 24° 20′ at 100mm and 6° 10′ at 400mm.
100mm
400mm
Chromatic Aberrations
Chromatic aberrations, sometimes seen as blue or purple fringes alongside contrasty edges, weren’t particularly obvious in our check photographs, solely showing in very excessive distinction areas.
Vignetting
With the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens set to its most aperture, there may be some mild fall-off within the corners, which you will must appropriate in post-processing.
100mm
400mm
Distortion
There’s some delicate pin-cushion distortion at both finish of the focal vary in each the JPEG and Uncooked information, nevertheless it’s not too pronounced.
100mm
400mm
Macro
The Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S presents a minimal focusing distance of 0.75 m (2.46 ft) at 100mm focal size and 0.98 m (3.22 ft) at 400mm, with a most magnification of 0.38x. This lets you seize some good macro photographs when taking pictures on the 400mm focal size.
Bokeh
Bokeh is a phrase used for the out-of-focus areas of {a photograph}, and is normally described in qualitative phrases, corresponding to clean / creamy / harsh and so on.
Within the Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens, Nikon have employed an iris diaphragm with 9 rounded blades, which mixed with the quite sluggish most apertures leads to pretty good bokeh in our view.
We do realise, nevertheless, that bokeh analysis is subjective, so we have included a lot of examples under to your perusal.
Sharpness
With a purpose to present you the way sharp the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S lens is, we’re offering 100% crops on the next pages.
