Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 vs Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Apart from the difference in maximum aperture (which is 2/3 stop at 400mm), how does the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 measure up to the Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 at 400mm?
It’s a clear victory for the 400mm f/4.5 prime, especially in the shared aperture range from f/5.6 through f/11. (At f/16, the two lenses are very similar, which is not surprising.)
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 vs Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3
Let’s compare the 400mm f/4.5 to Nikon’s best value supertelephoto at the moment, the $1700 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3. While I’m definitely expecting the 400mm prime lens to be sharper, how much better is it?
This is not a horrible performance for the cheaper 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 by any means. However, it’s clear that at a given aperture, the 400mm f/4.5 is by far the sharper lens.
Let’s see if this changes when we compare the Z 400mm f/4.5 with the 1.4x teleconverter against the bare Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 at 600mm:
It’s crazy to me how similar the performances are here! At every aperture value and portion of the frame, the two lenses are on a very similar level. The slight advantage goes to the 400mm f/4.5 + 1.4x TC combination if you care about the corners at narrow aperture values, but otherwise, the lenses could be twins.
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 vs Nikon Z 70-200mm f/2.8 + 2x TC
Now we’re going to look at a really unfair comparison, which is to pit a prime lens against the combination of a zoom and a teleconverter! But a lot of Nikon Z photographers already have the 70-200mm f/2.8, which is one of the sharpest zooms on the market today, and they may want to see what they’re giving up with the 2x TC.
As expected, the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S is clearly the sharper lens in this comparison.
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 vs Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3
Now we have a more interesting comparison on our hands. Both of these lenses occupy a similar spot in Nikon’s lineup, being lightweight telephoto primes. The Z 600mm f/6.3 is a more expensive lens ($4800 versus $3250), and it struck me as an extremely sharp lens in my Z 600mm f/6.3 review. Which one comes out ahead side-by-side?
We’ll start by looking at the bare lenses. Of course, the focal length and maximum aperture values are different, but it’s an interesting comparison anyway:
It’s a very close comparison! When shooting at f/5.6 and f/6.3 respectively, there is less than a 5% difference in central sharpness between the two lenses, which is completely negligible. The midframes and corners are a hair better on the 600mm f/6.3, so if your subject is off-center, you may notice a small advantage to the 600mm f/6.3.
However, because of the different focal lengths, any differences above are a bit of an illusion. Any time that you can walk closer to your subject and use a 400mm lens, the 400mm f/4.5 has the sharpness advantage: You’re not shooting through as much atmosphere, and it’s capable of using a wider maximum aperture (thereby allowing you to focus more easily and lower your ISO).
That’s why this next comparison is what I was more interested in: when you can’t get closer and you need to shoot with either lens from a distance:
This time, it’s clear that the Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 is sharper than the combination of the 400mm f/4.5 + 1.4x TC. The 400mm f/4.5 lens is still completely usable with this teleconverter, but frequent 560mm+ photographers should get the 600mm f/6.3 instead.
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 vs Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6 PF
If you’ve read the rest of our reviews, you’ll know that Nikon’s AF-S 500mm f/5.6 PF is an excellent telephoto lens that is every bit as sharp as the Z 600mm f/6.3. Many Nikon Z photographers will continue to happily use their 500mm f/5.6 adapted to the Z system. So, the comparison below is probably not a big surprise, because it essentially matches the one we just did:
Once again, the two lenses are very similar in central sharpness, within the margin of error at every aperture. The midframes go back and forth between these two lenses depending on the aperture, while the corners are a bit sharper on the 500mm f/5.6 PF at f/5.6 and tied at the remaining apertures.
In practice, the two bare lenses are on the same level overall, unless your wildlife subject is in the extreme corner and you are shooting at f/5.6. And what if you’re using a teleconverter to extend the 400mm a bit more?
As expected, an ultra-sharp prime like the 500mm f/5.6 will beat any lens paired with a teleconverter.
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 vs Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3
Lastly, let’s compare the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 against the high-end Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3. Of course, we’ll be adding the 2x teleconverter to the 400mm f/4.5 so that the two lenses reach the same focal length. Which one is sharper? It’s no contest at all:
While I would be willing to use the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 with the 2x teleconverter in a pinch, you’ll get significantly better results by using a native 800mm lens like the Nikon Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S. When we published our review of the 800mm f/6.3, some photographers were disappointed that its sharpness did not quite reach the heights of the king, the F-mount 800mm f/5.6E FL. However, the Z 800mm f/6.3 is still a very sharp lens and perhaps the sharpest native way to reach 800mm+ on the Z system. (The other possibility would be to use the 600mm f/4 with its built-in 1.4x teleconverter.)
Summary
The Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 performs about as expected in terms of sharpness. It’s clearly on a higher level than any Nikon Z zooms at this focal length, while being on about the same level as the Nikon Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S and the Nikon AF-S 500mm f/5.6 PF – if anything, just a hair less sharp than those two, but likely not by enough to be perceptible out of a lab environment.
However, if you want to add a teleconverter to the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 (even the 1.4x TC, which pairs with it pretty well) it’s probably better to shoot with a longer lens in the first place. Especially if the alternative is a prime. This is something we see all the time at Photography Life. Using a teleconverter beats cropping, but it rarely beats using a longer, native lens.
The next page of this review sums up everything and explains the pros and cons of the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S. So, click the menu below to go to “Verdict”:
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