Hey Everyone ! I certainly hope you find this video useful ! I tried to cover all the major areas in this initial video Let me know if you have any questions 😀

This was really interesting Ricci, thanks for sharing it with us! What a stunning couple of years it's been for Nikon, absolutely knocked it right out of the park.

Hello Ricci, What a lot of work went in to this. I have a friend with the 600mm F6.3 and it is an amazing lens. I am hopping one will get into my bag in 2024. You have an amazing festive time and a big thank you for all your work in 2023 and more.

Most Nikon lenses are very sharp and rich color but I thought Nikon would make a Z 500mm f5.6 S and the price would be same as the Nikon AF-S 500mm f5.6 PF. My Z9 + FTZ II + 500mm f5.6 PF work very well for me. Thank you so much for sharing.

Just got my copy of the 180-600 and just love how snappy the focus is with the Z9. Also like that your comparison with the 600PF show that they are reasonably close in focus. Thanks for all the comparisons great information.

I got my 180-600mm this week. I'm loving it. It's really good, and I'm loving being able to get out to 600mm, and for 1/3 the price of the primes. Only things I wish nikon did was made it a 4.5-5.6 or a a 5.6 all the way through. And maybe made it a 200-600mm S line lens instead so that it matched with the 70-200mm 2.8. But it really is great.

Really good to see you back Ricci, I always appreciate your thoughts and reviews, I was hoping you'd cover the 600mm 6.3

Thank you Ricci. I have the 400 4.5 and the 1.4 tc is on it full time. This helped me make the decision to stay with what is currently attached to my Z8.

Always great to get your views on new equipment

As always very informative,accurate and useful Ricci!!

Fantastic shots with the 600mm. I was looking at the Z 180-600 vs the 600mm prime, and I went with the 180-600mm and the cost savings paid for half of my Z 800mm. Sweet.

I would love to see the comparison with another 800mm PF. Can’t believe this result is representative for the 800mm PF in general.

I have this lens now and before I used the 500 PF , which is an epic lenses It’s a brilliant upgrade and with my Z9 I just love the combination It brings a smile to my face every time I venture out with it. Cant recommend it highly enough

Great video Ricci as always 👌 I’ve got the z600pf and love it , does everything I need 🙌🙌

Really great review!! I am contemplating buying one of these and this was very helpful!! Thanks for sharing this with us! 🙂

I bought the 600 and 800 pf z mounts with intention of returning one. I kept the 600 due to size and my opinion the 600 worked well with the 1.4tc. Thanks for confirming i made the right decision 😊

Thanks Sir, I was waiting for this exact video from you. I own a 500 PF which I mostly use with my z8. I am considering my 500 PF to sell off to upgrade to this lens but my worries are is it worth specially if one is just an enthusiast from the IQ, Performance and ease of use for the 6.3 lens vs the cost of upgrade when one is little tight on budget. Had it been 5.6 it would have been a no brainer.

We have been waiting for this video for a long time and it has finally arrived and I have no doubt that it is the best and I have found someone to prove this Thank you ❤

Hmmm... The first image is a bit of click-bait! What happened to the 600 TC comparison?? Instead we get it compared to an older 600 FL? Hopefully that's coming with a follow up of 600 PF, 600 TC, 400 TC, and 800 PF 🤓 We know you tried that!

Another excellent video thanks Ricci.

Thanks so much Ricci great assessment enjoy your presentations

Still cant make up my mind

Wonderful as always sir. The 400mm f/4.5 and the 600mm PF certainly intrigue me but I've found the 180-600mm to be borderline perfect for what I need in long telephoto. I have the 800mm if I need some more reach so can't bring myself to buy either at this time. Maybe in a year or two when they are plentiful in the second hand market but just can't justify it. Nikon keeps nailing it. Hopefully we get another video soon with another fun surprise of a new lens, camera or firmware. Cheers!

This was a very useful comparison of excellent lenses. I think the choice depends on budget, what subjects one may be photographing, and which lenses you already own.

Thankyou Ricci for this comparison video of the 600mm PF with other telephoto lenses in the Nikon lineup. I really appreciate the work you have put into making this video. However, I do agree with the comment below that you skipped to show us the comparison between the 600mm F4 TC and the 600mm PF. I do hope you can show us a comparison between these two lenses in a future video. Also, As you mentioned, a detailed comparison between the 600mm PF with TC-1.4x vs 800mm PF would be interesting to see. Hope you can make a video on the same. Keep up the amazing work.!

Great review and comparison(s).

Hi Ricci, a great test in the field of large lenses. It is very amazing what the 600 mm 6.3 delivers with the Teleconverter 1.4. I find that extremely interesting. I personally prefer the 400mm 4.5 with the Tele Converter 1.4. A perfect combination for me. but your test was very, very informative. Thank you.

Thank you. Great as always. Best YT channel for Nikon users.

If going from the 500mm to 600mm is great, then imagine how great it is going to the 800mm. When you compared the 600mm to the 800mm, you mention adding the TC to the 600mm to get to 840mm, so you should mention adding the same TC to the 800mm which would give you 1,120mm! The 800mm even with the 2x TC (1,600mm) can be used handheld which is amazing. Love it. So much easier to carry than my 300/2.8. The 800mm combined with the 100-400 for me is the ideal 2 lens combination giving me 100mm-1,600mm with TCs, and they will both fit in a carry-on bag. The 100-400 is the size of a 70-200mm, but has super close focusing so it can be used for close-up and portrait work as well, and with TCs even reaches 800mm. Such a flexible range … I have not used my 70-200/2.8 since I got it.

Really helpful review. Thankyou

He’s finally back!

This Len’s is such a fab all round wildlife solution! Thanks Ricci for the review 👍

Hey Ricci, thanks for the review. Just for interest, what focal lengths don't you get on with?

I ordered the 600mm PF lens this morning. It was a hard choice between it and the 180-600mm, but the size/weight and image quality were worth the extra cost to me.

How close was the test subject in the comparison shots? Because I assume it's probably closer to the 800 PF's minimal focusing distance than to the 600 PF's minimal focusing distance. A lot of lenses lose sharpness the closer you get to minimum focus, a comparison of a subject like 10-12 Meters away, then shot from the same position would be interesting to see what images you can expect in the real world.

Brilliant, thank you!

Thanks Ricci really enjoyed the video. I am very interested in your next comparison between the 600 PF with the 1.4 tele converter comparing to the 800 PF. Was really surprised to see the results and very interested to see if they hold up, since I am currently considering the 800 PF. Thanks again for all you do for the photography community!

Great comparison! I hope this triggers a Morton Holmes video.

Thank you Ricci, this was immensely helpful. Can I ask what de-noise software you used on those high-ISO images of the small bird? They are incredible!

Great video. I’ve been fairly happy with the 600 more so than the 800. I bought these to get me along whilst I waited for the 600f4 to show up. And - I put in my ordered upon the announcement of the 600tc and it finally shows up tomorrow! So - I’ll see if I need to keep the 600 and 800 - due to their light weight - which I’ve grown addicted to. Cheers…

Nice analysis.

Thanks for a wonderful comparison, Ricci. I've got the 100-400 and the 1.4TC. I'm going to go back and see your reviews on that combo. My 1.4TC does live on the 100-400, so maybe at this time the 600 would have been better for me. No matter. I've really enjoyed shooting at 540 with the combination I have.

Great stuff, as always. I'm hoping you didn't include the 600 f/4 tc in the comparision because you still found the 6.3 pf to be the best of the bunch -- would just be my luck given my 600 tc just arrived a couple weeks ago after a 13 month wait (and I'm still in denial over the price) LOL Thanks for this great video -- have just shared it with a friend who is shopping for a long Z lens. Merry Christmas!

Thank you Ricci for the comparisons. It really helps us Nikon users decide which lens works for our needs. My early Z set-up for wildlife was the Z 70-200 mm f/2.8 S and the two TCs. With the 2.0x TC to go to 400 mm, the image quality is not as good. I then got the Z 400 mm f/4.5 VR S and used the 1.4 TC for more reach. I'm very happy with the results. If I didn't have the Z 400 mm f/4.5, I'd go with the Z 600 mm f/6.3 pf like you said. I just recently ordered the Z 100-400 mm f/4.5-6.3 to complete my landscape trinity - Z 14-24 mm f/2.8 S, 24-120 mm f/4 S, and the Z 100-400 mm f/4.5-6.3 S. For wildlife, my lenses would be the Z 400 mm f/4.5 S, and my next purchase will be the Z 800 mm f/6.3 pf. It's amazing how the Nikon Z lens portfolio progressed throughout this Z system journey. Cheers!

yes, it is useful. Thank you, keep posting!

Just got my 180-600 a week ago for my Z8 and they seem to be working together great!!! I know you can't answer this but how is the beta testing going on the Z6III? and the Z9 and Z8 new firmware ???

Great video, but where is that STUNNING hoodie from?

Very interesting Ricci. For my needs the 400mm f4.5Z is a great and large enough lens. I must say that the 400mm with a 2x converter is impressive too ! I can see the attraction and great benefit of the 600mm if my main photography is in the natural world area (then I'd look to obtain)

Hi Ricci, great comparisons, thankyou..Ive the 500pf/z8 combo with a 1.4 tele attached 90% of the time and a serious birder, which works quite well for me and i even hit DX at times with still relatively good results, but as you say, the 500 is wearing on a tad, so looking at the 600pf as a replacement with i guess the 1.4z TC as well, my question being, do you think the 600 will make a noticeable amount of difference in image quality over my current gear...Cheers from Downunder..Wayne

I was hoping that you would have done a follow-up on the Z 50 mm Maco lens on what F stops worked the best. I will be coping slides etc. and will be using this lens. Thank-you.

Where’s Morten🤔

Hey Ricci, do you have anything comprehensive like this comparing the 400 tc at 560 f4 vs the 600 f4?

Thanks for the comparisons. When you compare the new lens at f6.3 against the older lenses, why do you not use the same aperture? For instance when comparing to the old 600/f4 you compare to that lens at f4. It would be interesting to see how the results compare at f6.3.

Very useful video! I own 300 pf, 400 f4.5, and 500 pf....wanting a 400 2.8 badly..but the expense is staggering. this video has encourage me. to use 1.4 converter with my 400 4.5..but at same time encouraged me to get the 600pf...I'm 78 and weight is consideration for me in shooting sports...moving over to all Z stuff eventually ..any additional thoughts from you on the items discussed?? Dave

Great comparison..I miss the sometimes described less good stabilisation.

Nice comparison. How does the 400mm f4.5 compare with the 600mm f6.3 without any Tc ? 600mm becomes a lot of lens for Bigcats in India & Africa as a 70-200mm most often is an ideal lens.

Great review as always Ricci! Was really interested in the 600PF but I feel the price is a bit higher relative to pricing of the other lenses like 800PF/4004.5. Nikon should’ve either priced this lens a bit lower considering it’s an f6.3 lens or made this an f5.6 lens for this price.

@riccitalks I would love to see a comparison in the field when shooting birds or wildlife between the Z 400 4.5 with TC and the Z 600 pf as well as the Z 600 pf with TC and the 800 pf. It would be interesting to see feather detail you can achieve with each under less than ideal circumstances. I.e. with higher shutter speeds and higher ISO. I expect the difference would be more noticeable and it would certainly help me decide which way to go.

Hi mate. Deepak here from Australia. Just wondering if the images from 600mm PF (without tele) are sharper compared to 800mm PF. Thanks

great review ! however, I did not see that you spoke about minimum focus distance on each, there is where the 600mm Pf has issues, I think.

Great comparison and I think the 600 pf is a future goal for me. I have the 180-600 right now after using and loving the 200-500 for a few years. I think I might have a bad copy of the 180-600 as I'm really struggling to get the same sharpness as my previous 200-500. I love the 600mm reach and the ergonomics of it, but something is just off with the sharpness despite all the reviews that say it's a sharp lens. I'm not expecting prime-level sharpness, but it's not even matching the 200-500.

It's not true that stopping the aperture down on Z lenses doesn't make them sharper. They are sharp wide open. But most of the fast Z lenses have their sweet spot at f4 and f5.6. The 600 PF with the 2x teleconverter is not sharper than the 800m. To compare them you have to stop down the 800mm to f8.

What an interesting and usfull comparison between most of the Nikon super tele lenses. Job well done. Now go tell Nikon, we need more prime in the portfolio, in the short tele, wide angle and ultra wide angle segment, please.

Great comparison Ricci, very useful data too. Thanks for your hard work and uploading this.

I would caution saying the 600pf + 1.4xTC is as good or better than the 800pf alone when all that was shot were color grading cards. I own the 800pf and recently was loaned a 600pf for a few weeks and my results weren’t close. I shot BIF and wildlife portraits with the 600pf + 1.4TC and 800pf one right after the other so conditions were the same and the 800Pf was better IMO. Fine detail in feathers and around the eyes was visibly better with the 800, again IMO. Thanks for all the great unbiased content !

Thank you for this video. My primary goal is weight and wildlife. I have the 400 4.5 and the 1.4 but find myself wishing for more reach for smaller birds. I still cannot decide if I will regret selling the 400 4.5 for the 600 6.3 Help me decide Ricci?

I see what you did there with the gold ring on the... wrist! 😂

what would you take for a Columbia bird trip? like if you could take 2? z lenses? probably will be a lot off opportunity at feeders for photos there

Great review/overview! I have the 400mm F/4.5 and debated with myself for sometime over whether or not to buy the 600 pf F/6.3. I purchased it earlier this week and your review is simply reinforcement. I haven't had much (any) time with it yet. I also have the 500 mm pf F/5.6 F mount -- which I no longer use. I shoot mostly birds and am off to Ecuador for the 3rd time in March. While the 600mm F/4 with built-in TC is a great lens, its weight makes impractical for long jungle hikes -- not to mention my bank account. I shoot with the Z9 -- can't say enough about this camera. Michael

600 pf is a super lens but in my opinion 400 4.5+1.4 is also monster lens for its versatility and sharpness!!

Thank you Ricci for the video. Very informative. I just wished the 180-600 was an S lens. Not sure why it's not. Do you think it would've made a huge difference in pic quality? Thanks.

There are a couple of reviews out showing that the sweet spot of the 800 pf is slightly stopped down. The same is true with the 600 mm F/4. I personally find a bit disappointing that the only bright lenses Nikon brings to the market are 15 k and more. So in addition to the 180-600 I got a 500 F/4 from Sigma as this offers more flexibility in low light and works great with Tc's. I compared it to the 500 pf and it is much sharper also with respective Tc. So with the 2 times you are at 1000 mm f8 stop it down to f/9 it's very sharp. It is much heavier of course -but bright lenses come with a weight tag.

Wish Nikon would make the price of this lens same as that of Nikkor F-mount 500mm f5.6 pf. Thank you for sharing.

At 10:41 there seems to be only 1/2 stop difference between the 600mm PF @ f6.3 (1/20s) vs the 600mm f/4E @ f4 (1/30s). Is that a typo?

Nice!

@RicciTalks I'm planning a number of African Safaris ,Kruger, Masai Mara, and other wildlife photography trips such as photographing the Snow Leopard in northern Pakistan in the upcoming period. I have the 600mm FL, the 200-500, 300mm 2.8VR with the D4, D500 and the D850. I have the Z7ii and the Z9. I am looking for 2 Z-mount lenses for this purpose. I'm not a professional but a serious amateur hobbyist. I am thinking around the 100-400mm , 400mm 4.5, 600mm 6.3 and 180-600. Since my kids are in university now I can't go for the f2.8s and f4s for a couple of years. 180-600 I think has the same weight issues as the 200-500 so I'm open to your advice on the best options, any two lenses you recommend, thanks.

You have to wonder that with the 600PF +1.4TC being slightly sharper at 840mm vs. the 800PF if it's a matter of tolerances? As you say a fixed focal length lens has alway beaten a lower focal length lens that utilizes a TC to match the longer lenses focal length. Very interesting!!

On What distance does one take the test shot picture

still rockin the f mount sigma 150600 adapted to z , still gives me a good image :)

Ricci, Great review and comparisons. I absolutely love my 600 PF and it rarely leaves my camera. I have used it with both the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters and i'm blown away by the results. I had a chance to briefly use an 800PF and thought the results were extremely good but I would agree with your findings that the 600PF with the 1.4x is just as good if not better than the 800PF. I was considering a 800PF in the future for the extra light gathering but now I'm definitely not going too.

Those were all zoomed in to 200%, right? Considering the differences at 200% then at 100% they would be very minimal, I guess? I like the weight/size proposition of the 600mm f6.3, not that much bigger than the 100-400 and about same weight.

Tahnaks for this test. You said that the 800 PF have better image quality than the 600mm then you said that the 600 PF with tele have best image quality ?

Thanks Ricci: really informative video thanks. I have the 400 f4.5 and 800 f6.3 and love them both. However, if this lens had been available at the time I think I would just have bought it instead of the other two as I find, for what I do, the 600mm focal length is generally perfect. The size and weight will make it very versatile when one needs to be more mobile and agile on location and, as you say, will be very convenient to travel with. Disappointed that the 800 f6.3 didn't clearly differentiate from the 600 f6.3 with a 1.4 teleconverter.

I compared 600mm TC with x1.4 internal, 800mm PF and 600mm PF x 1.4. Three lens are at either 840mm or 800mm. At the maximum aperture of 5.6, 6.3 and 9, they have the same sharpness cross the frame. The difference is negligible. I specialized in bird in flight, 600PFx1.4 is perfect for small bird in good light.

Great video, Ricci. My favorite lens for wildlife in one of my local parks is my 100-400 mm lens plus my 1.4 teleconverter on my Nikon Z8. Size and weight and flexibility are perfect for my use case. But when I was using my old Nikon D610 I rented the 500 PF a few times and loved it. I won't be able to justify buying the new 600 mm lens, but I certainly will be renting it on occasion, especially next spring when the wildlife is plentiful at a local nature preserve.

As always a very good comparison. But I still do not know if should buy one. I have the 400, the 180-600 and the 800 - so I don't need it regarding the focal lenght - the only point is the weight and the quality difference between the light 500PF. But the 400 with 1.4x is so close and weight is not very different as well.

Thanks Ricci. Great review. I have, or have had, all of these lenses apart from the 600mm f4 and my experience with these mirrors your conclusions. For sharpness tests I use a graduated depth guage in the middle of a lake directly infront of a bird hide at a distance of about 50m. The 600mm PF with or without TC1.4 is truly outstanding from a sharpness point of view and does indeed give you a super sharp 840mm f9 lens with the TC. It certainly beats my copy of the 800mm PF lens when the 800mm PF lens is wide open at f6.3. If I close the 800mm PF down to f8, then the results are much closer, but then I'm losing most of the light advantage of the 800mm PF (800mm f8 versus 840mm f9). If however I use the 1.4 TC on the 800mm PF (so 1120mm f9) then that combination does not need stopping down any further than f9. It is at its maximum sharpness at f9 and provides an excellent very long super telephoto lens that I cannot match with the 600mm PF unless I use a 2x TC with the consequent big light penalty. There is a very good IQ test of the 800mm PF by Photography Life (July 16 2023) in which Imatest results of the copy used show that there is a fairly significant difference in sharpness between f6.3 and f8. The results therefore mirror my experience and may to some extent explain your test results.

Can anyone tell why the minimum focussing distance with auto capture is 20x the focal length of the lens used? With the 800mm PF that is 16m whilst the close focussing distance is 5m. I use this lens for small birds mainly and at 16m distance they are not small but tiny in the frame. I understand that there might be a bit of headroom necessary but 3,2x the minimum focus distance seems to be way to much…

Surely the 600f4E is as sharp when stopped down, no?

Excellent comparison. Still extremely happy with the 100-400mm, 800PF and TC1.4x

I wish the 70-200mm 2.8 had a lens hood like this…to me this one looks better than the one that comes on the 70-200.

I paused the video in the comparison with the 180 600. That shows the prime in its own league. Hope the focus was spot on. Interesting

Sticking with 500 pf, although 600 may be a tad bit more sharp when pixel peeping I doubt there is a noticeable difference in most photos viewed at full size. Also, in my opinion the 600 is about $1000 overpriced…..too rich for my blood…..

Nikon is the Best!

I was thinking of getting the 180-600mm and pairing it with the 800 mm pf for when needing that extra reach, but from this video it looks like the 600 mm pf with a 1.4x teleconverter might be the way to go.

the comparison with the 500pf is weird. I own the 500pf. it's an insanely sharp lens. barely any difference in sharpness between bare lens and the lens with the 1.4tc. in the test images in this video the text looks hazy on the 500pf. I never encountered such a thing. could you perform a specific test between the 500pf and the 600pf? im super interested. ive never shot text but from real world use, the 500pf is really incredibly sharp. that hazy text could be slightly out of focus image.

Right now the 400mm 4.5 is $250 off. Get that and the 1.5 teleconverter. $3500 for both vs. $4800 for the 600mm PF.

Very nice Video! Thanks alot.. a comparison with the z 100-400 and the 600 pf would so great...

Fabulous comparison Ricci. I couldn’t help but think “how would a F mount 300 2.8 on a 2x converter stack up against these modern marvels

Thank you for your video, Ricci! I tried the Nikon 180-600, but was disappointed. I had previously borrowed a Tamron Z 150-500 and thought it produced better results. I considered selling all our Nikon gear and switch to Sony. Thanks to our local camera store, the owner gave me a great deal on a Sony A7R V and a Sony 200-600 lens. I tried the Sony, but my Z9 ergonomics had spoiled me. I decided to return the Sony gear and retain my Nikon gear. Besides, it did not make sense to sell seven month old gear for $0.53 on the dollar. I had watched other You Tube people pitching the Z 400 f/4.5 with the TC 1.4. Fortunately, our local shop had sold out that combination, but they challenged me to consider the Z 600 f/6.3 PF. I was sold and now I even feel better after watching your video! I can’t wait to try the lens tomorrow.