This lens is sharp enough that doing any lens comparisons may feel unnecessary – and that’s true with the bare lens at 400mm. It smokes the competition. But with teleconverters, things do change a bit. If you want maximum sharpness over 400mm, there are a few other lenses to consider as well.
Below is the performance of the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S at 400mm, 560mm, and 800mm, plus comparisons from other Nikon lenses at these focal lengths.
400mm
At 400mm, the sharpest option is indeed the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S! It’s even sharper than the previous generation 400mm f/2.8E FL VR, although both are so blisteringly sharp that it may be difficult to see any differences between them most of the time.
500-600mm
The sharpest result this time is a tie! At shared apertures, the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF, and Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 S are all similarly sharp here. Though it’s pretty incredible that the 400mm f/2.8 is managing this performance with a teleconverter.
800mm
The sharpest result this time is the Nikon 800mm f/5.6E FL VR, with the Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 PF in second place. However, the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S registers a very strong performance that is only a little bit behind the leaders. You can absolutely use this lens as an 800mm f/5.6 without any major reservations about image quality.
The next page of this review sums up everything and explains the pros and cons of the Nikon Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S. So, click the menu below to go to “Verdict”:
Table of Contents