Hey ! its been a While 🙂 but what a better way get back to it than with a new Lens and one of my favourites as well ! I hope you find this video useful and if you have any questions let me know !
Not saying 6.3 isn't good, but counting on IBIS and VR to shoot what are probably predominantly moving subjects doesn't make as much sense as an extra stop of light collection. Having said that, I want the 800PF with a Z9.
@@885wc yeah hear ya, actual light is better than VR light. That said I shoot lots of wildlife video at f8 base on d5 and z6ii - much slower shutter - but also VR can be used for some really creative relative motion shots. I've shot ducks and geese at 500mm and 1/100 successfully for flighty shots :) blurred wings
I had a suspicion when you were shooting with MH you had this there to test with him. Looks amazing and at that price point, wow. Thanks for this and welcome back.
Why not point out the fact that you can buy 2 honda motorbikes or even a small car ffs and still be left with change ,The Z9 and the 800mm together certainly isn't affordable
@@colintraveller that is not the point and you know it. It's that a working pro who needs an 800 can extend their arsenal by a massive margin/put that money toward other business expenses if they choose Nikon over Canon
@@PASquared Just pointing out a stone cold hard fact .. Also with the money Canon , Nikon and Sony charge you could also buy a Holiday in the Pacific Islands or African Safari funny you don't see a mass of them all going to Africa . Buy they are all happy to make video , some even become brand ambassadors because there channels are popular , but those brands don't buy them expensive Holidays to upsell there product rather ironic
Nice to see the Z400mmf2.8 lens with this z800 f6.3 in a comparison in areas say daytime and nighttime at a sports event under floodlights as an example like day to night test like Cricket, motor sports of Football or Rugby settings plus wildlife
Nikon absolutely knocking the mirrorless concept out of the park, what a lens, just hoping availability is favourable, I may have to use my Nikon NPS membership to aid acquisition 😀👏👍 Thanks for the info Ricci 👍
Dude,if your an NPS member why would you A,let us know B.even think about using your favored status,while your thinking about it you are losing your place in the queue.
I have this lens now and coupled with the Z9 its everything they say about it plus !! Was considering the z600mm tc but that lens was out of my price range at $30k NZD. The Z800 can easily be used hand held, takes great photos and can take photos of small birds relatively close up. Top marks Nikon.
Great review Ricci. After 6 months of shooting birds exclusively here are my findings with the Z9 and the latest firmware. The good; 1) Image quality is beautiful. 2) Easy to carry and swing around for tracking birds. 3) Hood is easily removable (no screws). 4) The bag is perfect. 5) VR is magic in this lens. 6) Bokeh is far better than some people claim. It is better than my trusty 500 PF (soft and smooth). Just remember that the objects from and back must have some 6 to 10 ft from your subject, it is an F 6.3. Now for the bad; 1) Slower focus than the 600 mm TC (same as 500 pf), even slower with 1.4 TC. 2) The focusing distance is annoying (5 meters). To close; With what I know now, I would definitely buy it again today. It is my preferred lens for birding by a long shot.
Thank you for the thorough review. This is the perfect lens for the kind of birding I do, and obviously it will compliment my Z9 exceptionally well. My pocketbook is still reeling from the Z9 purchase, so this lens may wind up being a Christmas present to myself since it will probably be that long before I can save up enough to buy it.
Ordered mine, I’m so excited i can finally have a 800mm. So much easier for me to keep from disturbing the wildlife and getting more natural shots. Sooooo looking forward to the arrival of this beast!
Very helpful and thanks for putting it together. Owning the 800 5.6 I was really curious to see a comparison, and I'll be making the switch over to it, should be wonderful with the Z9. Sounds like there is no loss in sharpness or focusing which is amazing.
4:08, talking about the non Arca-Swiss foot: honestly, I don’t understand, why those tele lenses have one by default. Can you recommend a 100% perfect replacement having Arca-Swiss and being rock solid and unbreakable like the original one?
will the old style tripod replacement foot for the 400 and 800 mm f mount lens fit the new 400mm f2.8 and the 800mm f6.3 z lenses?? thank you for your time
Do you think it would be reasonable or possible for Nikon to relase a firmware up date for previous Z mount S line lenses with the addition of focus set points? IE- being able to set a lens to infinity for astrophotography and be able to assign that focus point to a control button? It would be amazing if they could...
@@RicciTalks 600F4, 400PF and 200-600 will complete the tele lens line up and something no other brand can match. Absolutely Stunning and I'M totally impressed!!!
Oh well I will have more comments very shortly since I bought one already but could arrive very soon I hope! Few questions. 1 weather Sealed quality I am from Costa Rica and as you all might know it can be rainy at times! 2. Can the vibration reduction be turn off for video. Or it’s silent? Since I have not seen any real testing in the tropics of the Z9 ( just got one last week and I am testing it myself against worse case scenarios as I am watching this) wonder if the focus tracking would be a problem in heavily vine and tangled cover rainforest! I am still figuring out what is the best setting in ground dwelling birds such as Antpittas, Wrens etc! I am extremely excited to make a real review for the 800 mm and your video gave me a good starting ground! Thanks a lot and I will be sending you my experience shortly maybe it becomes handy for someone out there!
I really thought that you would have shown this lens off in the video with Morten! Given the more compact nature of this lens I am giving it some serious consideration. Great information as always Ricci. Thanks
When the first specifications were released on this lens I compared it to my 500mmPF with TC-14E III and FTZII, a combo that works surprisingly well on my Z9. I'm sure lots of viewers are using the very same combo. The specifications are similar, with the 800mmPF offering 100mm more reach and 2/3 more light. But the 500mm+TC14+FTZ is about a pound lighter, gives me the option of removing the TC and using the 500mm by itself and saves me $6,500. So...I've already ordered a 800mm and been granted NPS priority, but I'm not fully committed to purchasing the lens from the camera dealer once NPS ships it (I asked and the dealer has lots of preorders for the lens and is more than happy to sell it to someone else if I don't get it.) I'd love to see the 800mm compared to the 500mm+TC14+FTZ in terms of image quality as well as handling and balance since I would be using it handheld most of the time. Thank you!
Hi Ricci. I’ve looked at this video several times since you put it out - as well as Steve Perry’s on the same lens. As much as the new 600 6.3 is similarly attractive, I think the 800 pf will be my next long lens for my new Z8. Partly because I already have the 500mm 5.6 pf that works great on the Z8 with the “old” FTZ, making the 600 more or less redundant. Your sample images - and Steve’s - with this lens were simply outstanding. I especially liked your portrait shots of the great blue heron - grey heron to those east of the Atlantic. In any case, thanks very much for your work. I just noticed the lens is in stock at my local camera store. Cheers.
Great information, want to ask about af performance, I am using 500mm pf with D 850 and manytimes I feel , this combination autofocus is not great , does same kind of af problem you face with 800pf or it may improve with newer bodies like z 8 or 9?
i am looking for some idea of how far you can be from say a sparrow and fill the frame. i do mostly landscape so have the 70 to 200 2.8,, using z7ii and z9. was thinking of the 500 prime f mount but the 800s seems like a real deal. but never used a super telephoto lense so... trying to figure it out. thanks for any help.
I have this lens and it is unbelievable. With the 1.4 extender, it is effectively 1120 mm for a full frame sensor. This is unreal in the field for bird photography, and the image stabilization and light weight actually make it possible, with care, to hand hold this combination. By the way, it is pronounced "fray-nell", not "fres-nell", as it named after the French engineer and physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel who described the lens design.
Now that would be pretty darn good 👍 I'm a Canon guy, but I've been shooting with an APS-C body and the 800 F11, for a 1280mm equivalent. What is the aperture of the F6 3 + 1.4 TC ? Would that be an F9 ? That would be doable....
How is the balance when you go from a Z9 and then go to the Z6 II or Z7 II? Does it feel less balanced then? I am sure you get used to after some time, but just curious if you feel it is more balanced with the bigger camera body.
There’s obviously a weight difference between the bodies but because a lot of the lenses weight is so far back it’s not really that much of a balance change really
@@RicciTalks Great to hear the confirmation. I don't even have an order in for the Z9 yet, so I wouldn't have one for over a year, at least, if bought new. Will get one some day.
Very nice to see you back again. Just starting to see how much I use the 100-400 with the 1.4 TC, but if I find out here in the western U.S. that I need a longer throw, this looks to be an ideal lens at a very reasonable price point given what it is. Thank you as always.
Hi Ricci, great presentation as always! One thing though I would like to know is how the bokeh will show up in diffrent light situations. I could see at one of your elk pictures that the unsharp background wasn't nice at all because it showed up with a kind of double exposure effect so to speak. It didn't just look blury but also as if it was unsharp because of movements of the camera or something. Do you understand what I mean? I also want to know if these effects show up even more badly in back light conditions and with backgrounds with severe reflections like waves at the sea. Thank you.
Hi, thank you for the video! I'm wondering how is the field of view of 600mm f6.3+1.4 teleconverter is different with this one. I always using my 200-600,, with an extender...I'm thinking to get a Z8 and this lens...
Does the 800 PF have a front glass protector? I cannot see a thread needed for this. Is there another way to protect the front glass besides the lend hood system?
Nice presentation, Ricci. Not for my use cases, though, but interesting optical technology. A nerdy bit in addition. As I saw some dilettantes, in the interwebs elsewhere, discuss "phase Fresnel", it struck me that most people assume that this is equal to a "Fresnel" lens and it is not - that's why it's called "phase Fresnel" (PF). The original Fresnel lens replaced a huge blob of glass by a set of glass rings that optically mimic the huge blob. That was easy to make, got mounted in a metal frame and zero resolution was needed to focus light in a light house. The idea already existed before Mr. Fresnel by the way and if you understand integral/differential calculus then consider a Fresnel lens as a saw tooth pattern that mimics a huge glass element. In matte glass focusing screens, Fresnel rings got cut/polished in for example and this remained visible to the naked eye. That makes a big lens element thin and flat but does not necessarily make a lens shorter. In the case of the focusing screens the space was needed for the mirror to flip up or the pentaprism. This PF lens is physically shorter than 50% of the focal length and that means it does optical tricks. (a) Being shorter than its focal length - being longer or shorter than the focal length does not depend on Fresnel concepts. (b) It may prevent focus breathing and this means it actually is a zoomlens that shifts its apparent focal length to shorter (a wider angle of view) when we focus closer by than infinity so as to precisely compensate the focusing effect. This implies that it retains a constant aperture f/number too. (c) It probably has internal focusing, meaning that it shifts selected/designed-for-that elements in order to focus closer by, instead of having a fixed set of elements that is moved away from the sensor to focus closer by. As such a, b, c optical tricks often cause e.g. chromatic aberration and correcting such problems requires more elements - look e.g. at the 1.8S primes and 2.8S zooms - the way I understand it is that Nikon uses PF to correct that and thus prevent having to use (many) more elements to arrive at the same high optical quality. My guess is that the PF is just a gradated coating on an otherwise normal element.
Thank you so much for this video. I'm intrigued by its light weight vs carrying and using my older 600mm f/4 VR. I'm really torn between adding this lens or selling my current 600 and getting the new 600mm TC. I'd be grateful for any thoughts you have. I photograph a lot of birds, but like to take shots of larger mamals when the opportunities arise. I should add that I have the 300mm and 500mm PF lenses already as well. I shoot with the Z9, Z7II, and D500. Thank you!
great vid. being totally fed up with the weight of the F mount 300 f2.8 and 600 f4, finally bit the bullet and have a z8 arriving. then the decisions really begin. what to replace that glass with. ordered the 400 f4.5, since there is no Z 300mm, and considering this 800mm to accompany it. shoot wildlife...
Just curious that if we are using the z 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 with the Z teleconverter TC-2.0x VS z 800mmm. The cost would be half, but how about the quality?
One question is how to pack the 800 in a camera bag for air travel. I use the f-stop Ajna bag with the large component case and I can just barely fit the Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 with a Z7. I’ve ordered the Z9 (many moons ago) and the new 800. I’m worried about how to air travel so as not to check any of my expensive gear. Any thoughts on this?
I think I agree about the manual focus ring placement, many years of muscle memory are going to have me reaching past it! Thank you for providing the absolute BEST Nikon product information on the Internet! P.S. I pre-ordered mine at 3 am on April 6.
Appreciate your honesty with what you think will work well together and what possibly will not. Looking forward to one of your future videos on the 200-600 !!!!!! Hopefully!!
Thank you so much. Please can you make a video on all the different kind of lens coating Nikon use and also please can you do a video on mainly the Z line comparison between 100-400, 500PF and 800 PF. AF performance on the original Z7 .. Will I be able to use both with my Z9 and Z7?
Does the bag that comes with the 800mm PF support the lens with a Z9 attached? I currently use the CL-L2 bag that came with the 200-400mm f/4, which is of a similar design, with my Z9 and 500mm f/5.6 PF and that is a very neat package, hence the question.
😄😄😄 Thank you for sharing. The Nikon Z800mm is undeniably a beautiful lens but it's continuously out of stock. I have been waiting for it over 6 months !!!
Hi. Was that a Nikon 120-300 f2.8 you were comparing size with (among others). What do you think of that lens on Z mount like z9 as a low light companion for this 800pf for wildlife?
I believe that because of the other elements , for example the ED ones, the lens is not as light weight as it could have been, but it's pretty amazing. It's about. 90g heavier than the. 200-500mm Nikon and 30% heavier (555g) than the. 150-600 contemporary. Clearly the other lenses are zooms, shorter and equal or faster in aperture terms. The difference between 600mm and. 800mm is just 33%. And there is the price, clearly at 6500 US$ the lenses is cheap for an 800mm but the zoom lenses are far less expensive. I believe that this lens will be a revolution with the rental houses (if Nikon is able to supply the demand before the Canon R1 steals the spotlight ) it makes the Z system super attractive for wildlife.
I noticed just about the foot are 2 plates (one either side) held on with 4 small screws each. Is this for a lens carrying strap? I don't see the typical strap mounts as on the F mount glass.
Hi Ricci, thanks for the video ! I was just looking at the official Nikon description and it says that focus breathing is suppressed. Is it possible that they corrected the focus breathing that you experienced for the final production model ?
That's probably my dream lens.... And I'm a Canon user. I could honestly see myself jumping ship just to use this lens > except that Nikon doesn't make a pro level APS-C camera to put it on. Canon doesn't exactly make a pro level APS-C either... But for all of their faults, my R7's do pretty darn good. I need a crop body for the extra reach. A straight 800mm would feel WAY short to me, as I'm used to shooting at a 1280mm equivalent.
@@birdiec2769 I tried that with my R5 for a few months. It dropped my 45mp to 17. I get 32 mp with my R7, and it's always in crop mode. But really, regardless of all the MP talk, the bottom line is, I get a lot more keepers with my R7's, than I used to with my R5. Exactly why I sold my R5.
I own this lens. Love it. But I recently acquired a Hasselblad X2D, and one of my main uses of the lens is moonrise/moonset landscape photography. Now there is a slight temptation to trade it for the f mount 800 to be able to adapt it on the Hasselblad, but that all sounds like a pain in the butt. Have you compared this z to the f mount directly?
Great lens. Way out of my price range. I wonder how many months people who order this will have to wait. I'm still waiting for the Z9 I ordered on 28 October.
Hello, Thank you for this video ! It was great. I have three questions. The first and most important one ; is the lens body of the Nikon Nikkor Z 800 mm made in plastic or metal (like the Nikon Nikkor Z 400 mm f/2.8) ? The second concerns the bokeh. Is there a big difference with the Nikon Nikkor Z 400 mm f/2.8 ? And finally, the third one covers the AF. Is it as efficient as the Nikon Nikkor Z 400 mm f/2.8 ? Thank you in advance for your answer. Best regards.
Could you please tell me the model of the 3 legged foot arca swiss that you are using. I expect to have the lens for an upcoming trip and would like to be able to use my wimberley monogimbal with the lens. There does not seem to be a replacement foot for the lens yet. Thank you BJR
So, So glad you are back. Love your videos. Looks like I will be getting the TC1.4 along with this 800. I enjoy small bird photography and think the 800 will pair nicely with the Z9.
Great video and I'm interested in it too. Here in Florida I can use it but not all the time as things get pretty close to you and it would be out of frame some what. But other times it would be perfect and we have lots of light here so that shouldn't be much of an issue. Also Nikon has a new release on the horizon that might be a 61 mp but that's just rumor and speculation but would really add to the crop factor too. Enjoyed it and found it informative too. Thanks
Thank you for this fantastic video. I’ve ordered the 800pf via NPS for my Z9 and was wondering how much better the 800 will be vs my 500f4 FL ED (love it) which I’m currently using with an FTZ2 and cropping my photos. Will the 800 be better? Is the reach that much more of an advantage if I can crop my 45.7Mp Z9 shots from my 500f4? Thanks.
Ricci, I enjoyed your review. I shot with this last week in Yellowstone and didn't have fantastic results. I have rented it again for my next trip into the park in a couple of weeks before I purchase. The size and weight is amazing, do you believe Nikon gave up any qaulity to get there? Your review has convinced me to give it another serious try. Thanks
there are some nice shots in the sample photos but its very hard to assess them without knowing are they straight out of the camera or have they had any processing ? and if so what ? id love to know your opinion on whether the picture quality on a z9 is as good as d500 and d850 cameras which still seem to have a pleasing quality I'm not seeing with mirrorless cameras!
What L bracket are you using. The color leads me to believe it is a Three Legged Thing. I'd like to get an L bracket for my Z9, so any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!
Great Video, it was just the information I needed since I‘m fotographing small birds like you. So how fast is the autofocus, especially compared to the 400 2.8? I‘m still a bit torn between these two lenses but I‘m leaning more towards the 800…
I think the 400mm is slightly faster from point to point focus but I was very impressed with the 800s ability to track and keep a bird in focus I was expecting it to focus slower than it actually does
Hey !
its been a While 🙂 but what a better way get back to it than with a new Lens and one of my favourites as well !
I hope you find this video useful and if you have any questions let me know !
What a lens - I'm tempted to pick up a copy.
Handholding an 800mm lens at 1/30th of a sec! that's RIDICULOUS LoL!!!
when will the z9 next firmware will be released ?
@Photo Bunny I can’t say I have seen that happen with f mount lenses … it does happen with some memory cards tho
@@ganeshbeee Even the 1/100th photo! Very impressive. Nice work, beautiful photos & video.
I think going for f6.3 instead of f5.6 was a smart decision for keeping the weight in check considering the VR with IBIS is pretty effective.
As you go longer, the F stop gets more dramatic / bokeh-ish. I think an 8000 6.3 still probably slaps p hard
Not saying 6.3 isn't good, but counting on IBIS and VR to shoot what are probably predominantly moving subjects doesn't make as much sense as an extra stop of light collection. Having said that, I want the 800PF with a Z9.
@@885wc yeah hear ya, actual light is better than VR light. That said I shoot lots of wildlife video at f8 base on d5 and z6ii - much slower shutter - but also VR can be used for some really creative relative motion shots. I've shot ducks and geese at 500mm and 1/100 successfully for flighty shots :) blurred wings
I had a suspicion when you were shooting with MH you had this there to test with him. Looks amazing and at that price point, wow. Thanks for this and welcome back.
Welcome back! Thanks for the worthy informations, hope to see you again soon!
For $500 US more than the Canon 800 5.6, you can get the Nikon 800 6.3 and TWO Z9s. Insane
Why not point out the fact that you can buy 2 honda motorbikes or even a small car ffs and still be left with change ,The Z9 and the 800mm together certainly isn't affordable
@@colintraveller that is not the point and you know it. It's that a working pro who needs an 800 can extend their arsenal by a massive margin/put that money toward other business expenses if they choose Nikon over Canon
@@PASquared Just pointing out a stone cold hard fact .. Also with the money Canon , Nikon and Sony charge you could also buy a Holiday in the Pacific Islands or African Safari funny you don't see a mass of them all going to Africa . Buy they are all happy to make video , some even become brand ambassadors because there channels are popular , but those brands don't buy them expensive Holidays to upsell there product rather ironic
Are you going to fill the whole internet with this stupid non-sense ?
@@12345fowler You upset
This was jsut Ricci flexing how spoiled he is with all that kit. 😜
Says Seth who has a Z9 GFX and an A1 🤣
@@RicciTalks I can’t hear you over that mountain of pre released $14k a piece glass you got there. What’d you say?
Thank you Ricci for your thoughts and inputs. Always very informative and really appreciate how straight forward you are about your thoughts on it.
Nice to see the Z400mmf2.8 lens with this z800 f6.3 in a comparison in areas say daytime and nighttime at a sports event under floodlights as an example like day to night test like Cricket, motor sports of Football or Rugby settings plus wildlife
Nikon absolutely knocking the mirrorless concept out of the park, what a lens, just hoping availability is favourable, I may have to use my Nikon NPS membership to aid acquisition 😀👏👍 Thanks for the info Ricci 👍
Thanks for watching
Dude,if your an NPS member why would you
A,let us know
B.even think about using your favored status,while your thinking about it you are losing your place in the queue.
I have this lens now and coupled with the Z9 its everything they say about it plus !! Was considering the z600mm tc but that lens was out of my price range at $30k NZD. The Z800 can easily be used hand held, takes great photos and can take photos of small birds relatively close up. Top marks Nikon.
Great review Ricci. After 6 months of shooting birds exclusively here are my findings with the Z9 and the latest firmware. The good; 1) Image quality is beautiful. 2) Easy to carry and swing around for tracking birds. 3) Hood is easily removable (no screws). 4) The bag is perfect. 5) VR is magic in this lens. 6) Bokeh is far better than some people claim. It is better than my trusty 500 PF (soft and smooth). Just remember that the objects from and back must have some 6 to 10 ft from your subject, it is an F 6.3. Now for the bad; 1) Slower focus than the 600 mm TC (same as 500 pf), even slower with 1.4 TC. 2) The focusing distance is annoying (5 meters). To close; With what I know now, I would definitely buy it again today. It is my preferred lens for birding by a long shot.
you do some amazing work - the photography is fantastic.
Thank you 😊
Welcome back!
That lens looks like a dream come true! Hope I can afford it in a couple of years
Hi Ricci, many thanks for this video. This lens seems amazing for the price point.
Thank you for the thorough review. This is the perfect lens for the kind of birding I do, and obviously it will compliment my Z9 exceptionally well. My pocketbook is still reeling from the Z9 purchase, so this lens may wind up being a Christmas present to myself since it will probably be that long before I can save up enough to buy it.
Ordered mine, I’m so excited i can finally have a 800mm. So much easier for me to keep from disturbing the wildlife and getting more natural shots. Sooooo looking forward to the arrival of this beast!
Great video as usual. I would love to see comparison between z 800mm f6.3 pf and z 400mm f2.8 with 2x TC. Thank you.
Very helpful and thanks for putting it together. Owning the 800 5.6 I was really curious to see a comparison, and I'll be making the switch over to it, should be wonderful with the Z9. Sounds like there is no loss in sharpness or focusing which is amazing.
4:08, talking about the non Arca-Swiss foot: honestly, I don’t understand, why those tele lenses have one by default. Can you recommend a 100% perfect replacement having Arca-Swiss and being rock solid and unbreakable like the original one?
Ricci - welcome back! Missed you - great to see you in a new video. All the best /Chris.
Glad to see you back. I've booked for one and hope to be one of the first to get it.
will the old style tripod replacement foot for the 400 and 800 mm f mount lens fit the new 400mm f2.8 and the 800mm f6.3 z lenses?? thank you for your time
Do you think it would be reasonable or possible for Nikon to relase a firmware up date for previous Z mount S line lenses with the addition of focus set points? IE- being able to set a lens to infinity for astrophotography and be able to assign that focus point to a control button? It would be amazing if they could...
Impatiently waiting for the 600mm f4s with built in tc. 600mm is also my favorite focal length.
It would complete the line up I think
@@RicciTalks 600F4, 400PF and 200-600 will complete the tele lens line up and something no other brand can match. Absolutely Stunning and I'M totally impressed!!!
Oh well I will have more comments very shortly since I bought one already but could arrive very soon I hope! Few questions. 1 weather Sealed quality I am from Costa Rica and as you all might know it can be rainy at times! 2. Can the vibration reduction be turn off for video. Or it’s silent? Since I have not seen any real testing in the tropics of the Z9 ( just got one last week and I am testing it myself against worse case scenarios as I am watching this) wonder if the focus tracking would be a problem in heavily vine and tangled cover rainforest! I am still figuring out what is the best setting in ground dwelling birds such as Antpittas, Wrens etc! I am extremely excited to make a real review for the 800 mm and your video gave me a good starting ground! Thanks a lot and I will be sending you my experience shortly maybe it becomes handy for someone out there!
I really thought that you would have shown this lens off in the video with Morten!
Given the more compact nature of this lens I am giving it some serious consideration.
Great information as always Ricci. Thanks
Looking forward to the comparison of 400/2.8 with 2.0x TC vs 800/6.3
Hello Ricci, is this comparrison (400 2.8 + TC20 vs 800) still on your to do list? Thanks in advance !
Amazing quality.
Mine just arrived. But I'm in the UK now and can only lay my hands on it on Tuesday next week.
Beautiful images, Ricci!
Is the stock 800 foot used by other Nikon lenses? I want to have an Arca foot ready when my 800 arrives.
When the first specifications were released on this lens I compared it to my 500mmPF with TC-14E III and FTZII, a combo that works surprisingly well on my Z9. I'm sure lots of viewers are using the very same combo.
The specifications are similar, with the 800mmPF offering 100mm more reach and 2/3 more light. But the 500mm+TC14+FTZ is about a pound lighter, gives me the option of removing the TC and using the 500mm by itself and saves me $6,500. So...I've already ordered a 800mm and been granted NPS priority, but I'm not fully committed to purchasing the lens from the camera dealer once NPS ships it (I asked and the dealer has lots of preorders for the lens and is more than happy to sell it to someone else if I don't get it.)
I'd love to see the 800mm compared to the 500mm+TC14+FTZ in terms of image quality as well as handling and balance since I would be using it handheld most of the time.
Thank you!
Agree, the 500mmPF with 1.4 TC is excellent, in DX crop it works fine as well. DxO PureRAW3 recovers low light small bird photos.
Happy to see a new video from you, Ricci. You are the Nikon Guru here.
Thank you for watching them
Hi Ricci. I’ve looked at this video several times since you put it out - as well as Steve Perry’s on the same lens. As much as the new 600 6.3 is similarly attractive, I think the 800 pf will be my next long lens for my new Z8. Partly because I already have the 500mm 5.6 pf that works great on the Z8 with the “old” FTZ, making the 600 more or less redundant.
Your sample images - and Steve’s - with this lens were simply outstanding. I especially liked your portrait shots of the great blue heron - grey heron to those east of the Atlantic.
In any case, thanks very much for your work. I just noticed the lens is in stock at my local camera store. Cheers.
Hi Ricci, great lens. With PF technology is it possible to use with faster Apertures? Like 2.8 or 4
Thanks for sharing the information for this lens. Also love the video you did with Morten.
Thanks for watching
Great information, want to ask about af performance, I am using 500mm pf with D 850 and manytimes I feel , this combination autofocus is not great , does same kind of af problem you face with 800pf or it may improve with newer bodies like z 8 or 9?
i am looking for some idea of how far you can be from say a sparrow and fill the frame. i do mostly landscape so have the 70 to 200 2.8,, using z7ii and z9. was thinking of the 500 prime f mount but the 800s seems like a real deal. but never used a super telephoto lense so... trying to figure it out. thanks for any help.
Thanks for sharing, we missed your videos, been a while. Have one on pre-order as I type look forward to using it.
Just placed an order for the 800mm PF. Still waiting for my Z9 which I ordered last October.
Great review as always. Will you do a review of the 400MM f2.8 soon? That is the one I am most interested in.
I have this lens and it is unbelievable. With the 1.4 extender, it is effectively 1120 mm for a full frame sensor. This is unreal in the field for bird photography, and the image stabilization and light weight actually make it possible, with care, to hand hold this combination. By the way, it is pronounced "fray-nell", not "fres-nell", as it named after the French engineer and physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel who described the lens design.
*Fruh-nel
Now that would be pretty darn good 👍 I'm a Canon guy, but I've been shooting with an APS-C body and the 800 F11, for a 1280mm equivalent.
What is the aperture of the F6 3 + 1.4 TC ? Would that be an F9 ?
That would be doable....
How is the balance when you go from a Z9 and then go to the Z6 II or Z7 II? Does it feel less balanced then? I am sure you get used to after some time, but just curious if you feel it is more balanced with the bigger camera body.
There’s obviously a weight difference between the bodies but because a lot of the lenses weight is so far back it’s not really that much of a balance change really
@@RicciTalks Great to hear the confirmation. I don't even have an order in for the Z9 yet, so I wouldn't have one for over a year, at least, if bought new. Will get one some day.
Great to see you back :)
Very nice to see you back again. Just starting to see how much I use the 100-400 with the 1.4 TC, but if I find out here in the western U.S. that I need a longer throw, this looks to be an ideal lens at a very reasonable price point given what it is. Thank you as always.
Hi Ricci, great presentation as always! One thing though I would like to know is how the bokeh will show up in diffrent light situations. I could see at one of your elk pictures that the unsharp background wasn't nice at all because it showed up with a kind of double exposure effect so to speak. It didn't just look blury but also as if it was unsharp because of movements of the camera or something. Do you understand what I mean?
I also want to know if these effects show up even more badly in back light conditions and with backgrounds with severe reflections like waves at the sea.
Thank you.
you're the best video maker in this area, well done
Thanks a lot 😊
Thank you Ricci for your excellent review, I have preordered the 800mm and I'm second in the queue at my local camera shop, can't wait to get it!
Thank-you kind sir! love the size and weight, performance of PF glass have both the 300 and 500 - the price will be the deciding factor
Nice to see you back. Liked the video just hope I can afford one.
Interesting review. It’s not a lens I will ever need but neat to see what Nikon can do.
Does the Z9 mounted with the 800mm of fit in the bag which comes with the lens?
Hi, thank you for the video! I'm wondering how is the field of view of 600mm f6.3+1.4 teleconverter is different with this one. I always using my 200-600,, with an extender...I'm thinking to get a Z8 and this lens...
Does the 800 PF have a front glass protector?
I cannot see a thread needed for this.
Is there another way to protect the front glass besides the lend hood system?
Nice presentation, Ricci. Not for my use cases, though, but interesting optical technology. A nerdy bit in addition. As I saw some dilettantes, in the interwebs elsewhere, discuss "phase Fresnel", it struck me that most people assume that this is equal to a "Fresnel" lens and it is not - that's why it's called "phase Fresnel" (PF).
The original Fresnel lens replaced a huge blob of glass by a set of glass rings that optically mimic the huge blob. That was easy to make, got mounted in a metal frame and zero resolution was needed to focus light in a light house. The idea already existed before Mr. Fresnel by the way and if you understand integral/differential calculus then consider a Fresnel lens as a saw tooth pattern that mimics a huge glass element. In matte glass focusing screens, Fresnel rings got cut/polished in for example and this remained visible to the naked eye.
That makes a big lens element thin and flat but does not necessarily make a lens shorter. In the case of the focusing screens the space was needed for the mirror to flip up or the pentaprism.
This PF lens is physically shorter than 50% of the focal length and that means it does optical tricks. (a) Being shorter than its focal length - being longer or shorter than the focal length does not depend on Fresnel concepts. (b) It may prevent focus breathing and this means it actually is a zoomlens that shifts its apparent focal length to shorter (a wider angle of view) when we focus closer by than infinity so as to precisely compensate the focusing effect. This implies that it retains a constant aperture f/number too. (c) It probably has internal focusing, meaning that it shifts selected/designed-for-that elements in order to focus closer by, instead of having a fixed set of elements that is moved away from the sensor to focus closer by.
As such a, b, c optical tricks often cause e.g. chromatic aberration and correcting such problems requires more elements - look e.g. at the 1.8S primes and 2.8S zooms - the way I understand it is that Nikon uses PF to correct that and thus prevent having to use (many) more elements to arrive at the same high optical quality. My guess is that the PF is just a gradated coating on an otherwise normal element.
Ricci it is awesome to have you back and this was an amazing review. I am definitely sold on this lens. I can't wait for it to arrive.
Thank you so much for this video. I'm intrigued by its light weight vs carrying and using my older 600mm f/4 VR. I'm really torn between adding this lens or selling my current 600 and getting the new 600mm TC. I'd be grateful for any thoughts you have. I photograph a lot of birds, but like to take shots of larger mamals when the opportunities arise. I should add that I have the 300mm and 500mm PF lenses already as well. I shoot with the Z9, Z7II, and D500. Thank you!
This might be a dumb question but can the camera body fit into the lens bag while having the lens attached?
great vid. being totally fed up with the weight of the F mount 300 f2.8 and 600 f4, finally bit the bullet and have a z8 arriving. then the decisions really begin. what to replace that glass with. ordered the 400 f4.5, since there is no Z 300mm, and considering this 800mm to accompany it. shoot wildlife...
Just curious that if we are using the z 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 with the Z teleconverter TC-2.0x VS z 800mmm. The cost would be half, but how about the quality?
One question is how to pack the 800 in a camera bag for air travel. I use the f-stop Ajna bag with the large component case and I can just barely fit the Nikon 200-500 f/5.6 with a Z7. I’ve ordered the Z9 (many moons ago) and the new 800. I’m worried about how to air travel so as not to check any of my expensive gear. Any thoughts on this?
I think I agree about the manual focus ring placement, many years of muscle memory are going to have me reaching past it! Thank you for providing the absolute BEST Nikon product information on the Internet! P.S. I pre-ordered mine at 3 am on April 6.
First in line :)
Would you say it is better to stack the inbuilt 1.4 tc with an external 1.4 tc on the 400 2.8 or use just a 2.0tc on its on own for 800mm?
Excellent review! Have you heard if there are any other shorter PF Z lenses in the works!
Nothing but good reviews on this lens. Looking forward to getting my own copy…whenever Nikon can keep up with demand 😒 pretty frustrating.
Appreciate your honesty with what you think will work well together and what possibly will not. Looking forward to one of your future videos on the 200-600 !!!!!! Hopefully!!
One day
@@RicciTalks why have I got a feeling you already have a pre production copy!!
Thank you so much. Please can you make a video on all the different kind of lens coating Nikon use and also please can you do a video on mainly the Z line comparison between 100-400, 500PF and 800 PF. AF performance on the original Z7 .. Will I be able to use both with my Z9 and Z7?
Does the bag that comes with the 800mm PF support the lens with a Z9 attached? I currently use the CL-L2 bag that came with the 200-400mm f/4, which is of a similar design, with my Z9 and 500mm f/5.6 PF and that is a very neat package, hence the question.
😄😄😄 Thank you for sharing. The Nikon Z800mm is undeniably a beautiful lens but it's continuously out of stock. I have been waiting for it over 6 months !!!
Great to see you back here. I'm sure you had fun with Morten. Take care!
You changed the intro music up! I like this one.
What material is used for the lens barrel Metal or a hard plastic to keep the weight down?
Hi. Was that a Nikon 120-300 f2.8 you were comparing size with (among others). What do you think of that lens on Z mount like z9 as a low light companion for this 800pf for wildlife?
Hi focus motor and vr sound for on camera mic usage ?
Ricci - another great vid and I place my preorder for it at Gray's today.
I believe that because of the other elements , for example the ED ones, the lens is not as light weight as it could have been, but it's pretty amazing. It's about. 90g heavier than the. 200-500mm Nikon and 30% heavier (555g) than the. 150-600 contemporary. Clearly the other lenses are zooms, shorter and equal or faster in aperture terms. The difference between 600mm and. 800mm is just 33%. And there is the price, clearly at 6500 US$ the lenses is cheap for an 800mm but the zoom lenses are far less expensive. I believe that this lens will be a revolution with the rental houses (if Nikon is able to supply the demand before the Canon R1 steals the spotlight ) it makes the Z system super attractive for wildlife.
After a long time... Missed you Ricci ❤️🙌🏼
I noticed just about the foot are 2 plates (one either side) held on with 4 small screws each. Is this for a lens carrying strap? I don't see the typical strap mounts as on the F mount glass.
For video, are you using Wide Animal detection? thanks ...
Would love to see the 400mm + 2tc against the 800mm , in a controlled setting . Show us the comparison 1:1 😃. Great videos
Sounds like a must have lens.
Hi Ricci, thanks for the video !
I was just looking at the official Nikon description and it says that focus breathing is suppressed.
Is it possible that they corrected the focus breathing that you experienced for the final production model ?
That's probably my dream lens.... And I'm a Canon user. I could honestly see myself jumping ship just to use this lens > except that Nikon doesn't make a pro level APS-C camera to put it on. Canon doesn't exactly make a pro level APS-C either... But for all of their faults, my R7's do pretty darn good.
I need a crop body for the extra reach. A straight 800mm would feel WAY short to me, as I'm used to shooting at a 1280mm equivalent.
@@birdiec2769 I tried that with my R5 for a few months. It dropped my 45mp to 17. I get 32 mp with my R7, and it's always in crop mode.
But really, regardless of all the MP talk, the bottom line is, I get a lot more keepers with my R7's, than I used to with my R5. Exactly why I sold my R5.
I own this lens. Love it. But I recently acquired a Hasselblad X2D, and one of my main uses of the lens is moonrise/moonset landscape photography. Now there is a slight temptation to trade it for the f mount 800 to be able to adapt it on the Hasselblad, but that all sounds like a pain in the butt. Have you compared this z to the f mount directly?
Since you kindly offered...does it take normal, non-Nikon 46mm filters please? (I heard one of the others only accepted Nikon filters)
Great lens. Way out of my price range.
I wonder how many months people who order this will have to wait.
I'm still waiting for the Z9 I ordered on 28 October.
Hello,
Thank you for this video ! It was great.
I have three questions.
The first and most important one ; is the lens body of the Nikon Nikkor Z 800 mm made in plastic or metal (like the Nikon Nikkor Z 400 mm f/2.8) ?
The second concerns the bokeh. Is there a big difference with the Nikon Nikkor Z 400 mm f/2.8 ?
And finally, the third one covers the AF. Is it as efficient as the Nikon Nikkor Z 400 mm f/2.8 ?
Thank you in advance for your answer.
Best regards.
Could you please tell me the model of the 3 legged foot arca swiss that you are using.
I expect to have the lens for an upcoming trip and would like to be able to use my wimberley monogimbal with the lens.
There does not seem to be a replacement foot for the lens yet.
Thank you
BJR
So, So glad you are back. Love your videos. Looks like I will be getting the TC1.4 along with this 800. I enjoy small bird photography and think the 800 will pair nicely with the Z9.
Great video and I'm interested in it too. Here in Florida I can use it but not all the time as things get pretty close to you and it would be out of frame some what. But other times it would be perfect and we have lots of light here so that shouldn't be much of an issue. Also Nikon has a new release on the horizon that might be a 61 mp but that's just rumor and speculation but would really add to the crop factor too. Enjoyed it and found it informative too. Thanks
Thank you for this fantastic video. I’ve ordered the 800pf via NPS for my Z9 and was wondering how much better the 800 will be vs my 500f4 FL ED (love it) which I’m currently using with an FTZ2 and cropping my photos. Will the 800 be better? Is the reach that much more of an advantage if I can crop my 45.7Mp Z9 shots from my 500f4? Thanks.
Hi, how is the 800pf compared to the 400 f2.8 with 2x tele? Thanks
I keep seeing an orange L bracket on your Z9, can you share what model it is? It looks very similar to the 3 Legged Thing one I have on my Z7ii.
Ricci, I enjoyed your review. I shot with this last week in Yellowstone and didn't have fantastic results. I have rented it again for my next trip into the park in a couple of weeks before I purchase. The size and weight is amazing, do you believe Nikon gave up any qaulity to get there? Your review has convinced me to give it another serious try. Thanks
Great video. You have a a nice setup of cameras and lenses. 👍🏼👍🏼
there are some nice shots in the sample photos but its very hard to assess them without knowing are they straight out of the camera or have they had any processing ? and if so what ? id love to know your opinion on whether the picture quality on a z9 is as good as d500 and d850 cameras which still seem to have a pleasing quality I'm not seeing with mirrorless cameras!
What L bracket are you using. The color leads me to believe it is a Three Legged Thing. I'd like to get an L bracket for my Z9, so any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!
Excellent review. Thank you.
Great Video, it was just the information I needed since I‘m fotographing small birds like you. So how fast is the autofocus, especially compared to the 400 2.8? I‘m still a bit torn between these two lenses but I‘m leaning more towards the 800…
I think the 400mm is slightly faster from point to point focus but I was very impressed with the 800s ability to track and keep a bird in focus I was expecting it to focus slower than it actually does
@@RicciTalks Thank you for your answer. I preordered mine minutes ago and hopefully it arrives in early may, even though I‘m not an NPS member.