Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Review

Our Recommendation

The Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR is a unique lens. It’s hard to compare it to anything else – this is Nikon’s first 28-400mm lens, and no other full-frame zoom before it has had such a huge range.

For that very reason, my expectations going into this test were rather low. I expected that the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR would be one of the weakest Nikon Z lenses optically. And don’t get me wrong – that was true. Almost all other Nikon Z lenses are sharper than this one. But the whole story was actually more positive than negative. Here’s how I’d sum up the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Surprisingly good build quality with tight tolerances, despite the telescoping barrel
• Relatively small and light (at least given how many focal lengths it reaches)
• Addictive zoom range
• Fast focusing and great close-focus capability
• Minimal flare and ghosting
• Great distortion and vignetting characteristics except at 28mm
• Sharper than expected at the wide end of the zoom range
• Usably sharp at every focal length

Cons:

• Very dim maximum aperture, already dropping to f/8 by 200mm
• Few handling-related features or controls
• Distortion and vignetting are high at 28mm
• Chromatic aberration is on the high side
• Sharpness is iffy at the longer focal lengths

No superzoom is ever going to approach perfection, but I was surprised at how well the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR held up across its zoom range. It’s only a little worse optically than the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3, yet covers a much longer range of focal lengths. It has less distortion, vignetting, and flare than expected. Even the focusing speed is pretty impressive.

In short, the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR is usable at every focal length. That’s a meaningful achievement for such an extreme zoom. Even at its worst (around 200mm), you’re still getting roughly “f/16-level sharpness” across the frame. While that’s hardly record-breaking, it’s sharp enough for desktop-sized prints, and every other focal length is only an improvement from there.

Take a look at the following image, captured at 400mm, plus a 100% crop. Though not at the same level as Nikon’s sharpest lenses, you can’t tell me that this is lousy performance.

So the question remains, who is this lens for? Personally, I see it as a suitable choice wherever you don’t want to carry multiple lenses and need to cover a wide range of different subjects – landscapes, street, wildlife, and so on. Most of all, it’s going to be a classic choice for travel photography.

Although there are some image quality compromises, arguably the main drawback is the narrow maximum aperture of f/8 at the longer focal lengths. If you’re comfortable with that, the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR makes for an ideal “desert island lens.” I don’t think you’ll find a better superzoom today.

Pricing and Availability

I hope that you found this review of the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR to be helpful for making your decision! If you’re planning to purchase this lens, you can support our lens testing efforts by buying it through our affiliate links below. The lens costs $1300, and at the time of publication, it is not always in stock.

• Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR B&H
• Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Adorama
• Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR at Amazon
• Used/international on eBay

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Our star rating is below, followed by user comments on the next page. Let me know if you have any questions about this lens!

The next page of this review has some more sample photos from the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR, followed by reader comments on the final page. Use the Table of Contents below the star rating to jump to the section you want.