Nikon 800mm f6.3S PF lens unboxing and first photos.

Two years ago a friend of mine bought a AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR ($12,299.95). Last year he realized he only used it once or twice and offered to sell it to me for $7,500. I was very tempted, but the 600mm weighs nearly 8.5 pounds. I thanked him, but declined his offer.

A few months later Nikon announced the 800MM f6.3S with 300mm more reach than the 500mm f5.6PF and only 1/3-stop less light than the 500mm. Plus weighing in at just a bit over 5 pounds, I knew I wanted to get one.

I hope my first impressions of and first photos with the Nikon 800mm f6.3S PF will be helpful to anyone considering this lens.

I have been asked to compare the performance of the 800mm PF to the 500mm PF+TC1.4. I'll do some side by side testing, but it may be a week or two before I can put together a video. I will say this, the 500mm/TC1.4 combo works way better than I would have imagined on the Z9. As I expected, the 800mm does have more clarity and detail than the 500mm plus teleconverter. Wether it's worth $6,500 for 2/3-stop more light, 100mm more reach and additional clarity that the casual viewer probably won't notice is a personal choice. I am very happy with my purchase and look forward to enjoying this lens for many years.