Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S & TC-1.4x vs. 500mm f/5.6E PF VR & 400mm f/2.8G VR | Goodbye F-mount?

Can the new Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S replace my current wildlife lenses? It works amazingly well on my Nikon Z9, even with teleconverters, so it might be the end of f-mount for me after 18 years! Join me for some side-by-side tests of image quality, vibration reduction and autofocus speed... oh, and get a coffee, this is a long one ☕

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Use these ‘chapter’ links to move to video sections and tests you’d most like to see:

00:00 Introduction
01:51 Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S First Impressions
04:57 Why did I buy this lens?
05:37 My current kit: Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF VR
07:09 My current kit: Supertelephotos for low light
07:56 My current kit: Nikon 400mm f/2.8G VR
12:02 Why I am Interested in this Lens
13:35 Autofocus Tests
14:48 Autofocus Speed
16:05 Autofocus Subject Detection
17:52 Image Quality and Pixel Peeping
18:37 Test1 - Moving the camera for the same FoV
20:36 Test2 - Scaling for the same FoV
25:38 Test3 - Comparing uploaded images online
29:27 Vibration Reduction Test
32:33 My Thoughts and Conclusions
32:43 Do I keep the 400mm f/2.8G VR?
33:20 400mm f/4.5 VR S vs. 500mm f/5.6E PF VR...
36:40 My Ideal Wildlife Lens (and gold rings)
39:17 The end of f-mount for me?
40:23 Discalimer
42:10 Sample images and video

My current wildlife lenses are the spectacular but somewhat slow Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF VR, and the blazing fast but eye-wateringly heavy Nikon 400mm f/2.8G VR, and I use these on my Nikon Z9 (Z7 until recently) with an FTZ adapter. When Nikon announced the new Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lens, I realised that it sat quite ninecly in between the current lenses, and I started to wonder whether it could replace both, marking an end of f-mount lenses for me after 18 years. I got hold of one and set about testing it with my kit to see just how good it was...

DISCLAIMER: As with any of my gear reivews, results are likely to vary a little between different copies of the same camera bodies and lenses, so remember your mileage may vary. Some of the tests relied on photography technique, and yours is probably better than mine. Also, some things like the quality of autofocus tracking, or what is an acceptably sharp image, will be highly subjective. I have simply tried to present and interpret the results of my tests as best I can.

Check out Ragnis's channel here:    / ragnisp%c3%a4rnmets  

This one is for the grear enthusiasts! It's a long video with a lot of talking, but I promise there will be more wildlife photography adventures on the channel soon!


Equipment used or discussed in this video (full list available here: http://www.tapiopix.com/Equipment.html)

Nikon Z9 FX Mirrorless Camera: http://tinyurl.com/7zmm3C

Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S Lens: http://tinyurl.com/mwes7jeb

Nikon Z Teleconverter 1.4x: http://tinyurl.com/cp4fh9wd

Nikon Z Teleconverter 2.0x: http://tinyurl.com/2wf83dd5

Nikon FTZ II Adapter: https://www.nikon.co.uk

Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Lens: https://www.nikon.co.uk

Nikon AF-S 400mm f/2.8G VR Lens: https://www.nikon.co.uk

Nikon Teleconverter TC20e III: https://www.nikon.co.uk

Nikon Teleconverter TC14e III: https://www.nikon.co.uk

Nikon Z6 FX Mirrorless Camera: http://tinyurl.com/4t495d33
Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S Lens: http://tinyurl.com/yckzsr4v
Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S Lens: http://tinyurl.com/5y5ynb48
Gitzo GT3543LS Systematic Carbon Tripod: http://tinyurl.com/25zewb9t
Really Right Stuff BH-55 Head: https://reallyrightstuff.com/
Gitzo GHFG1 Fluid Gimbal Head: https://www.gitzo.com/
Gitzo Systematic Series 3 75mm Half Bowl: https://www.gitzo.com/
Manfrotto 75mm Half Ball (Short Handle): https://www.gitzo.com/
Lume Cube Panel Go LED Light: http://tinyurl.com/98ru7zs2
Røde Videomic Pro Mic: http://tinyurl.com/fbe46xv8
Røde Lavalier GO Mic: http://tinyurl.com/yc3ay63y

I have decided to stop participating in the Amazon Affiliate scheme, so none of the links here provide me with any kind of payback. Instead, if you find the information useful, or you just want to support the channel, please consider buying me a coffee at the following link: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tapiopix


You can find more of my photographs on my website at www.tapiopix.com and on Instagram   / tapiopix  


Music: "New Land" by Ian Post; "Into the Forest" by Jacob Ahlbom. Music from https://www.artlist.io & https://www.epidemicsound.com

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