I'm looking to invest in a high-quality telephoto lens for my Nikon Z6 camera, primarily for wildlife and bird photography. I've been considering the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S and the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S, but I'm open to other suggestions as well.
Jumping in because I've been through the ringer with this. Honestly, I've been pretty disappointed with how expensive the native Z wildlife glass is getting compared to the old F-mount glory days. I tried some of the newer zooms and they just didnt feel as pro as I expected for the price tag. The balance on a Z6 can be really weird too... kinda makes your wrist ache after an hour in the field because the body is so light compared to the glass. I ended up sticking with my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR used with a Nikon FTZ II Mount Adapter and honestly? It still outperforms several native options for portability and sharpness in my experience. Its a bit of a bummer that we still have to rely on adapted glass to get that perfect balance of weight and reach without spending 14k, but it is what it is. If you're coming from a DSLR, dont sell your F-mount primes yet. Quick tip: keep your shutter speed at least 1/2000 for birds in flight, even if the ISO looks scary. Modern noise reduction software makes grain a non-issue compared to motion blur. Also, keep that FTZ adapter permanently on the lens so you dont fumble with it while a bird is actually in front of you.
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The new released NIKKOR Z 180-600mm lens is a great wildlife lens.
Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S and Nikon Z Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S are great compact wildlife lens for Z-mount.
Wish Sigma will release some telephoto lenses for Z-mount.