• Categories
• Tips & Inspiration
• Reviews
• News
• Events
• Features
• Buying Guides
• Competitions

Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens Review

With such an accessible price, expansive zoom range and comprehensive list of features our Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens review explores whether this could be the perfect telephoto zoom lens for beginner and enthusiast wildlife photographers.

The review provides full specifications, real-world sample photos and additional insights to help you determine if the Nikon 180-600mm Z is the ideal lens for your particular needs. As one of a comprehensive range of telephoto lenses for Nikon Z cameras, and despite being the most budget-friendly option in our Guide To Nikon Z Super Telephoto Lenses, it boasts an array of features for capturing wildlife, birds, aircraft photography and similar genres.

Discover everything you need to know about the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR in this hands-on review, which aims to answer all of the questions you may have about this highly appealing Nikon mirrorless lens.

Sample @600mm. Camera settings: 1/1000 sec. f/6.3. ISO 4000

How much is the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR?

The Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR price is £1,799.00, which is more affordable than any Nikon lens with a similar telephoto range. For comparison, we shot for the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens review, which costs £1,299.00, while the Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S prime costs £3,190.00.

The Nikon Z 180-600mm sits squarely in the middle of these options, despite offering the longest zoom range by far.

Sample Bluetit @600mm. Camera settings: 1/2000 sec. f/6.3. ISO 6400

Sample images

Nick Dautlich was fortunate to photograph with the Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens over the course of two weeks while working on the Nikon Z8 review. This provided ample opportunity to test the lens features for bird photography and nature in particular, while capturing numerous sample images.

Sample Robin puff @600mm. Camera settings: 1/2000 sec. f/6.7. ISO 3600

Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR key features

The Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens stands out as the most affordable super telephoto Nikon zoom lens, yet still features a bright enough aperture and vibration reduction (VR) to ensure it is a versatile and accessible option for everyday telephoto photography.

Its key features include:

• Full-frame (FX) design which also works on crop format (DX) bodies
• Compact and moderately lightweight at 2140g including tripod collar ring
• Internal focusing and internal zoom, maintain weight distribution
• Built-in optical Vibration Reduction (VR) for 5.5-stops advantage
• Autofocus system with a high-speed Stepping Motor (STM)
• Compatible with Nikon Z 1.4x teleconverter and Z 2.0x Teleconverter
• 0.25x maximum reproduction ratio
• 9-bladed rounded diaphragm
• Lens construction includes 6 ED elements, and 1 aspherical element
• 95mm front filter thread
• Fluorine-coated front lens element
• Weather sealed design

Sample Bluetit wing @520mm. Camera settings: 1/2000 sec. f/6.3. ISO 2000

What is the Nikon Z 180-600mm for?

With a handhold-able design and super telephoto zoom range, which can be extended via a teleconverter, this Nikon zoom lens is an excellent choice for distant subjects. Its relatively bright aperture with a 9-bladed design enables it to render lovely bokeh, excellent subject separation and very sharp results.

Some of the subjects covered by this zoom range include:

• Wildlife and bird photography
• Sports photography
• Aviation
• Moon photography

If you primarily photograph wildlife or birds, you can still take landscape shots with this lens when the chance arises. Typically for landscape photography I would opt for a lighter, more portable lens like the Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 S, however, the Z 180-600mm is eminently capable of compressing details for field work.

Sample Robin spring greens @600mm. Camera settings: 1/1000 sec. f/6.7. ISO 20,000

Build quality and handling

This is an excellent zoom for outdoor use, boasting a weather sealed design, which measures just 110 x 315.5mm. It is built with a robust and well balanced barrel that maintains its length thanks to an internal zoom mechanism. All of the controls, including the manual focus ring, are easily accessible.

The lens is very manageable to handhold, allowing for quick compositional changes, panning and sudden movements as subjects demand. These types of movements are easier while handholding, rather than when using a monopod or gimbal head, which can be cumbersome or restrictive in certain situations.

The zoom ring has a very short throw to get from near to far and there’s a 6m focus limiter switch if your subject remains consistently further afield. This contributes to the snappy feel of the Nikon 180 600mm lens, which achieves fast focus on the whole, especially when combined with the powerful AF features found in the Nikon Z8 camera, which was used throughout the review.

The minimum focus distance varies between 1.3m (wide) to 2.4m (tele) with a high reproduction to achieve impressively large subjects in the frame, Although I wouldn’t call this a tele-macro lens per say, it does offer the versatility to capture beautiful shots with large details.

Sample Bluetit @530mm. Camera settings: 1/2000 sec. f/6.3. ISO 4000

How good is the Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 lens focus?

At 600mm the Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is a little slower than at shorter focal lengths, however the STM offers an all round fast and quiet AF experience. It had no problems capturing sharp results with excellent tracking of small woodland birds, even when obscured by branches or leaves.

When autofocus (AF) has difficulty locking onto a subject, you can manually adjust focus using the conveniently placed manual focus ring to get it roughly right, then lightly press the shutter to reactivate AF. This manual focus override is a fantastic feature that can help overcome obstacles and achieve precise focus on subjects that are positioned awkwardly in the frame.

Sample bokeh!

Is the Nikon Z 70-180mm f/2.8 Lens image quality good?

Firstly let’s mention bokeh as this contributes to image quality significantly with telephoto lenses. At 300mm the lens transitions to f/6, while at 500mm it moves to f/6.3, and you can achieve beautifully rounded bokeh throughout the range, with lovely transitions between in and out of focus areas.

Sharpness across the entire frame and zoom range is also extremely good, with brilliant details noticeable in the sample images captured for the review. There are further samples in the Z8 camera review, which has 100% crops and different images to judge the quality of this lens, but suffice to say that it performs incredibly well for the subjects it’s intended for.

The optical formula Nikon utilises includes 25 elements in 17 groups, with 6 ED elements, 1 aspherical element, and a fluorine-coated front lens element to reduce smears and dirt. This is effective and the lens handles difficult lighting without rendering aberrations, and I noticed virtually no colour fringing, even when shooting high contrast or backlit subjects.

Sample Blackbird @360mm. Camera settings: 1/2000 sec. f/6.0. ISO 4500

Best Accessories

Thanks to a 95mm filter thread you can add camera lens filters such as a UV filter to compensate against haze, which is often apparent at longer focal lengths. This will also protect the front element against accidental knocks or scratches, which can happen when navigating through undergrowth.

Other appropriate filter options include a circular polariser, which can help to increase saturation and contrast, especially in certain lighting conditions or when shooting in wet locations.

In order to maintain image quality you can clean the fluorine coated front element with a lens blower and micro fibre cleaning cloths. The Nikon 180 600mm lens can also be stored and transported in a longer camera bag such as the Vanguard Alta Sky 66 backpack or Lowepro Lens Trekker 600 AW III, with acres to spare for an additional lens too.

Sample Landscape @180mm. Camera settings: 1/2000 sec. f/5.6. ISO 450

Conclusion

Nikon has distinguished this super telephoto zoom lens from pricier models without sacrificing essential features like optical VR, barrel controls and optics that deliver extremely sharp results. Not only are these included, but the Z 180-600mm lens achieves beautiful bokeh with smooth falloff and high-speed AF when paired with a suitable Z camera body.

When considering its portability and teleconverter compatibility it’s no wonder that this is proving to be such a popular telephoto zoom for enthusiasts who capture birds, wildlife and other distant subjects. It's a very reasonably priced option when taking into account its ability to deliver at long focal lengths of up to 600mm.

Reserve your Nikon Z 180-600mm F/5.6-6.3 VR Lens today and see how it can help to transform your long lens photography. We also have a comprehensive range of other Nikon Z mount lenses to explore, together with used Nikon lenses complete with a 6-month warranty.

Share this post:

By Nick Dautlich on 29/04/2024