Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Review

Introduction

The Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S is a professional-caliber supertelephoto lens with Nikon’s most advanced features and specifications. It is one of their flagship mirrorless lenses, meant for the most demanding wildlife and sports photography needs. This is reflected in the $14,000 price, putting it well out of reach for most photographers.

What makes the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 so expensive? Partly, it is the simple combination of focal length and maximum aperture. At 400mm and f/2.8, you can capture wildlife photos even in very dim environments, or throw the background out of focus into a smooth and creamy blur.

But the other reason for this lens’s sky-high price is that it is really two lenses for the price of one. The Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S was the first Nikon Z lens to introduce a built-in teleconverter, turning it into a 560mm f/4 at the flick of a switch. You’ll see later in this review precisely how this built-in 1.4x teleconverter performs in our lab tests, but suffice to say, you can expect great image quality when you use it.

While most photographers will not need to use such an expensive and specialized lens, the possibilities offered by glass like this are truly unmatched to those who need it. I was excited to test a copy of the lens extensively on a recent trip to South America, while Spencer tested a separate copy in a lab environment.

It is no surprise that such an expensive lens performs at the upper echelon of what is possible today. But are there any faults with it, or anything else you need to know before paying so much for it? In this hands-on review of the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, I will answer those questions and more.

Build Quality

Of course, this lens is well-built. That’s sort of expected in the price range that it falls in.

But as massive and sturdy as the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 lens appears visually, it manages to avoid excessive weight. Quite the contrary! For several generations in a row, we have seen the weight of Nikon’s super-telephoto lenses decrease. Let me demonstrate this trend with a few milestones.

In 1994, Nikon introduced the first autofocus-equipped AF-I 400mm f/2.8D ED-IF lens. Only the fittest photographers could carry this 6.6 kilo (14.5 pound) monster in the field. Shooting handheld with it? Forget it.

Twelve years later came the AF-S 400mm f/2.8G ED VR. Its weight was already a more bearable 4.62 kilos / 10.2 pounds.

Then in 2022, Nikon came out with the current version, which weighs just 2.95 kilos / 6.5 pounds! You could carry two of these lenses for less than the weight of the 1994 lens alone. What an amazing progression over time.

While it’s not quite the lightest lens in its class (the Canon EF 400mm f/2.8 is 2840 g / 6.3 pounds), it is the only one of its competitors with a built-in teleconverter. Considering that, its weight really is impressive.

To say that the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S is light as a feather, of course, would be a great exaggeration. Perhaps that description would apply more aptly to Nikon’s smaller 400mm f/4.5. Indeed, as light as the 400mm f/2.8 is compared to previous versions, it’s important to remember that it’s still a chunky lens. It is still possible to handhold, but shooting all day long handheld would be very tiring.

But what about durability? During the time that I had the opportunity to field-test the lens, it handled everything that the rainforests of South America threw its way. Rain did not cause any problems for the lens sealing whatsoever. The occasional droplet on the front of the lens was very easy to clean up thanks to the Fluorine coating. (Although by consistent use of the lens hood, drops can be avoided quite easily.)

I did find that the screw tightening the tripod collar is built a little delicately. Using too much force can damage the screw threads. The repair is easy and cheap, but it shouldn’t be something that needs mentioning at all.

Also, the plastic cap that protects the Kensington lock slot pops off far too often. If I owned this lens rather than rented it, that plastic cap would end up in the recycle bin the very first day! But these are very minor negatives, so small as to only be noticeable since the rest of the lens is shockingly well-built.

Handling

The Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S is not just well-built – it also handles like a charm. First and foremost in the lens’s handling is how well-balanced it is.

While the 2007 predecessor is noticeably front-heavy, the current model’s center of gravity is more to the rear. This greatly increases the feeling of lightness. With the Nikon Z9 attached, the center of gravity of the lens is approximately at the bend of the tripod foot.

That said, I think that Nikon should have made the tripod foot a bit longer. It may not have been necessary in terms of mounting the lens on the tripod, but it would have made the lens a little easier to carry by the foot. For whatever reason, maybe to save weight, they made the foot a bit smaller than I’m used to.

Now that I mention the tripod foot, the first thing I’d do upon buying the lens is add an Arca-Swiss compatible replacement for the tripod foot. This is the case for all Nikon lenses with a built-in tripod foot, so no surprises here. Maybe one day Nikon will move to an Arca-Swiss standard, like we have seen on lenses from Sigma, Olympus, and Tamron.

But let’s move on to the other features of the lens. There is a drop-in filter slot in the traditional place, with an upgraded ergonomic lock. I’ve never personally used filters on supertelephotos, but if you need one, this is the only way to do it – the front element is way too large to accept filters.

Let’s take a look at the controls. The first lever you’ll encounter with your right hand activates the built-in teleconverter. I’ll come back to this feature later, as this is one of the main reasons you might want to buy the lens.

On the left side, Nikon has placed the A-M (Autofocus-Manual) switch. Just below that is the autofocus range limiter.

Personally, I found myself using the autofocus range limiter quite often with this lens. When it’s engaged, the lens will avoid focusing in the range between 2.5m and 6m (8.2 to 20 feet). This can speed up the focusing performance and reduce autofocus hunting – although in practice, the lens already focuses so quickly that this switch is just a bonus.

Wondering where all the switches from the previous generation went? Won’t we miss them? I don’t think so. Adjusting vibration reduction between Normal and Sport mode is quickly accessible by pressing the i button, for example.

Moreover, Memory Recall can now be activated without any switches. That’s because a new function ring has been added for the Memory Set/Recall function! When you twist it to one side, you can set or recall a focus distance. When you release it, the ring snaps back to the middle and returns your focus distance to where it was before.

In front of the lever activating the teleconverter, there is a Memory Set button. This can be used as an alternative to the function ring to save the focus position. You can see in the photo below where it’s located:

It is quite far away though, so users with shorter fingers will need to loosen their grip on the camera. I personally prefer the new function ring instead.

Of the controls, I haven’t yet mentioned the focus and control ring. The former does exactly what you expect it to do, which is to manually focus when needed. I used the control ring for exposure corrections in the case of semi-auto mode (M + Auto ISO) or for quick adjustment of ISO value in manual mode. For these purposes, I find the control ring more ergonomic than the traditional button + dial combination. But it can be easy to hit by accident, so some photographers may want to keep it disabled.

To complete the list of controls, I’ll mention the last button, marked L-Fn. While this can be mapped for a variety of tasks, it is completely out of reach of my fingers. It’s possible that you may find a use for it. If so, let me know in the comments to this review. My wisdom is, you don’t need to assign every button to something :)

Built-in 1.4x Teleconverter

Telephoto prime lenses tend to be considered fairly niche tools. But the built-in teleconverter on the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S means that this lens acts more like a zoom than a prime. The ability to instantly switch to a 560mm f/4 lens is intoxicating.

Frankly, that’s the feature that won me over the most. With the built-in teleconverter, the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 has leapfrogged most other supertelephotos available today. Suddenly you find yourself using it in situations where you wouldn’t have had time to attach a teleconverter before. It also makes the lens more weatherproof and durable – no more need to take off the lens to attach a TC in tricky conditions.

The lens is also compatible with Nikon’s two external teleconverters, namely the TC-1.4x and TC-2.0x (see our review of the Nikon Z teleconverters here).

Either teleconverter can make sense for different reasons. The TC-1.4x turns the lens into a 560mm f/4 and 800mm f/5.6 pair. Meanwhile, the TC-2.0x turns it into an 800mm f/5.6 and 1180mm f/8 instead.

If you require that you can’t take the teleconverter off the lens, I favor the 560mm/800mm pair. But if you have time to remove the TC as needed, the TC-2.0x means that you can shoot with this lens as a 400mm f/2.8, a 560mm f/4, an 800mm f/5.6, or an 1160mm f/8! That’s quite a line of lenses, don’t you think?

Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S Specifications

• Full Name: Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S
• Mount Type: Nikon Z Mount
• Focal Length: 400mm prime (560mm with built-in 1.4x teleconverter)
• Angle of View (FX): 6°10′ (4°30′ with built-in TC)
• Maximum Aperture: f/2.8 at 400mm; f/4 at 560mm
• Minimum Aperture: f/22 at 400mm; f/32 at 560mm
• Aperture Blades: 9, rounded
• Filter Size: 46mm (drop-in filters only)
• Lens Elements at 400mm: 18 elements in 15 groups
• Lens Elements of Built-in TC: 7 elements in 4 groups
• Special Elements at 400mm: 1 ED, 1 Super ED, 2 fluorite, 1 SR element
• Special Elements of Built-in TC: 1 ED element
• ARNEO Coating: Yes
• Meso Amorphous Coating: Yes
• Nano Crystal Coating: Yes
• Fluorine Coated Front Element: Yes
• Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
• Vibration Reduction: Yes
• Internal Focusing: Yes
• Control Rings: Focus, custom control, memory recall
• Function Buttons: L-Fn1, L-Fn2 (duplicated four times), Memory Set
• Focus Motor: Silky Swift VCM
• Minimum Focus Distance: 2.5 meters (8.2 feet)
• Maximum Magnification: 0.17x (1:5.9) for bare lens, 0.23× (1:4.3) with built-in TC
• Mount Material: Metal
• Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
• Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 380 x 156 mm (15 x 6.1 inches)
• Weight: 2950 g (6.5 pounds)
• MSRP: $14,000 (check current price and availability)

Here is the construction of the lens, courtesy of Nikon:

The next page of this review covers the optical characteristics of the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, including focusing performance and sharpness tests in the lab. So, click the menu below to go to “Optical Performance”: