Sharpness Comparisons
There are a number of noteworthy telephoto alternatives to the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8, and I wanted to see which ones are the strongest. Below, I’ve compared this lens against the following:
- Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S
- Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S
- Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR
- Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3
If there are other lenses that you wanted to compare head-to-head against the 70-180mm f/2.8, check out our lens reviews page. All of our modern lens reviews have fully comparable test charts.
70mm
We’ll start by comparing four lenses at the 70mm focal length:
All four lenses are pretty sharp here, but the standout is the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, which is simply exceptional from corner to corner. The next sharpest lens is definitely the 70-180mm f/2.8, while the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 and Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 are roughly tied for third.
100mm/105mm
Next up is the 100mm range:
The Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S is again in first place around the 100mm mark, while the second sharpest of the bunch is the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S. Meanwhile, the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 is in third place with a solid performance that matches the 100-400mm in corner sharpness (at a given aperture) while being a bit worse in the center. The Nikon Z 24-200mm and Tamron 70-300mm again bring up the rear, with the Tamron’s corner performance being especially weak.
180mm/200mm
At the 180mm and 200mm range, we’re now at the longest native focal length of three of these lenses: the 70-180mm f/2.8, the 70-200mm f/2.8, and the 24-200mm f/4-6.3.
This time, the lenses are more similar in performance, although the order is very similar. The sharpest is still the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S, while the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S is still in second place on balance. However, the corner sharpness on the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 is actually a tad better, so it might take second place if you value corner sharpness over central sharpness. The only difference in the ranking here is that the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 has surpassed the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR at 200mm, which is the weakest focal length of the 24-200mm superzoom.
250mm/280mm
Now we’re into teleconverter territory, at least for the 70-180mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8. Here’s how both lenses compare against one another when the 1.4x teleconverter is used in combination with the lens’s longest focal length:
The sharper lens here is definitely the 70-200mm f/2.8, although both lenses are meaningfully weaker once the TC is attached. I still would be willing to use either lens at this point, even wide open at f/4 – but the resulting images may need a bit more sharpening in post, especially with the 70-180mm f/2.8.
300mm/360mm/400mm
The longest focal length that the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 can reach is 360mm with the 2x teleconverter. How does this measure up to the other lenses in the 300-400mm range? (Note that the Nikon Z 100-400mm is shown at both 300mm and 400mm below).
Finally, in the 300-400mm range, the sharpest lens is definitely the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S. It’s sharper at 300mm but still stronger at 400mm than anything else here. In second place is the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3, whose native 300mm focal length manages to beat both of Nikon’s f/2.8 zooms paired with the 2x TC. Meanwhile, the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S + 2x TC takes a clear third place, and the Nikon Z 70-180mm + 2x TC brings up the rear.
As I said on the previous page of this review, the 70-180mm f/2.8 is not unusable with the 2x teleconverter, but if you need to reach 300mm or beyond, there are better ways to do it.
Sharpness Conclusion
Overall, the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 puts up a convincing performance against its rivals in sharpness. It loses to the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8, which is no surprise, but I was impressed to see it nip at the heels of the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6. It’s a clear step up from the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 and the Tamron 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3 in sharpness, too.
This is better performance than I had anticipated, especially since the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 has no serious weak points in sharpness throughout the zoom range. The only negative is that it doesn’t handle the teleconverters very well, especially compared to the Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8.
The next page of this review sums up everything and explains the pros and cons of the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8. So, click the menu below to go to “Verdict”:
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