I have been using my 100-400mm lens since almost a year. I have used the 70-200mm f4 and the 200-500mm f 5.6 in the past with the D850. But since I’ve switched to the Nikon Z8, I have been using the 100-400mm lens instead. I have been really impressesed with the image quality of this lens and the versatility of the long focal length. I normally bring along all my Z-lenses, as they are a lot lighter and compact, compared to my older 4-lense setup.
I took the whole set to the Azores, and I did not regret it.
The lens is super sharp, and with the lens and body stabilization, the f 4.5/5.6 is not an issue whatsoever. I can shoot handheld even at 400mm, with a shutter speed of 1/200s in calm conditions. The biggest challenge was on a small boat, trying to photograph some whales. On the boat I’ve used a shutter speed of about 1/1000 or even faster, the main issue was the overcast day, therefore the ISO went up quite a bit.
This week, we got the new firmware 2.0 for the Z8. What an improvement on the bird-AI tracker. I used it at the “Obersee” in Arosa, focusing on some ducks. First it tracked the bodies, then the head and finally the eyes. While the duck was turning, the tracker stayed focused!
Here are some good examples of the performance of the 100-400mm lense
