Nikon Z 200-600 lens, WHEN?

mhedges

I think the next announcement is much more likely to be the Z6III. There's still really no credible rumors that a Z8 is in work.

Hopefully the 200-600 will come soon also. It's been on the roadmap a lot time.

photobunny

MrFotoFool said:

Still waiting...
Canon has had a 100-500 for a while, Sony their 200-600 (which I use), where is Nikon? Now that Z9 is finally in stock and can be bought without a waiting list, will they announce the mythical Z8? If so will they announce a 200-600 to go with it? Sony will be announcing an A7rV on October 26; will a Nikon Z8 and 200-600 announcement follow to keep Sony from taking all the headlines?

The Nikon equivalent of the RF 100-500 is the Z 100-400. The Sony 200-600 is not on the same level as those lenses and you can already buy the Nikon 200-500 while you wait on the Z version. If you want the Z 100-400 to match the focal length of the Canon RF 100-500 all you need do is put the 1.4x TC on it and you get a little longer 560mm f/8.0 vs the 500 f/7.1.

MrFotoFool

Apparently it will be announced tonight: https://nikonrumors.com/2023/06/20/nikon-rumored-to-announce-two-new-lenses-tonight.aspx/

photobunny

Looks like a fantastic lens for when you don't want to risk your big lens or need something versatile.

mhedges

Yep looks very nice. Cheaper than I expected, also.

MrFotoFool

The Sony 200-600 (which I own) was clearly the one to match and it looks like Nikon has done that. They are almost exactly the same size and weight, have the same aperture, have a similar short throw for the zoom ring, are both internal zoom. They have a similar focal range, though Nikon made theirs a bit more versatile by going 20mm more on the wide end. The Sony is amazingly sharp and it will be interesting to see some real world comparisons to see if the Nikon matches it.

photobunny

MrFotoFool said:

The Sony 200-600 (which I own) was clearly the one to match and it looks like Nikon has done that. They are almost exactly the same size and weight, have the same aperture, have a similar short throw for the zoom ring, are both internal zoom. They have a similar focal range, though Nikon made theirs a bit more versatile by going 20mm more on the wide end. The Sony is amazingly sharp and it will be interesting to see some real world comparisons to see if the Nikon matches it.

It will be interesting to see if it is 600mm at the long end, the Sony on close subjects is more like a 300mm. Though I wouldn't say Sony are the ones to beat. Sony are irrelevant. Nikon once again has a lens that Canon don't seem to be interested in developing. We should always look to beat the market leader, not the number 2 or number 3 that's a rounding error that's still lumped in 'Others' on Canon's competitor chart.

Pistnbroke

Perhaps I am a bit thick but rockwell has the photos of the 180-600 and a review and price ...he says order for august delivery ...WTF

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/z/180-600mm.htm

mhedges

Pistnbroke said:

Perhaps I am a bit thick but rockwell has the photos of the 180-600 and a review and price ...he says order for august delivery ...WTF

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/z/180-600mm.htm

It's a spec sheet / press release image review; he doesn't actually have the lens in hand. He does that a lot.

donaldejose

Right, when looking at a KR "review" look for photos he took with the lens. If the "review" does not yet have photos then it is a "preliminary review placeholder" he creates copying photos and specks from Nikon website.

photobunny

The sample images KR includes in his 'reviews' are all rather suspiciously similar.

Pistnbroke

I see I am as stupid as rockwell but not as rich ....

MrFotoFool

photobunny said:

...Though I wouldn't say Sony are the ones to beat. Sony are irrelevant. Nikon once again has a lens that Canon don't seem to be interested in developing. We should always look to beat the market leader, not the number 2 or number 3...

As you say, Nikon has a lens that Canon does not. However, Sony does, and you think they are irrelevant? Look at a predominantly Nikon user site like Backcountry Gallery and you will see there are a lot of Nikon users like myself who got the Sony 200-600 because no one else had anything of the same quality and price. I don't love my Sony body so I have a Z8 on order, but I may still stick with my Sony 200-600 now that I have it. If the Sony body had better ergonomics, I would have dumped Nikon altogether and switched to Sony (whose lens lineup I love).

I don't know anythng about Nikon's marketing strategies or internal discussions, but I would be willing to bet they are just as concerned with "number 2 or number 3" Sony as they are with number one Canon.

photobunny

MrFotoFool said:

I don't know anythng about Nikon's marketing strategies or internal discussions, but I would be willing to bet they are just as concerned with "number 2 or number 3" Sony as they are with number one Canon.

That doesn't sound like the mindset of a Japanese company. They'll continue to be solely concerned with their hundred-year-old rival than one of the others that constantly has investors trying to shut down its camera division. As it stands Canon and Nikon are continuing to put out new products as if Sony never existed. The 180-600 is an evolution of the 200-500.

Antidotally I have yet to see a Sony camera in the wild. I had to really go out of my way to find an A1 and A9II to compare with the R5, R3, and Z9. The lenses were even harder to come across, especially the 600 f/4.0 as the rental shops just don't bother stocking them, but they do have multiple copies of the Canon and Nikon equivalents, you just have to book ahead as they are always in high demand.

mhedges

I have seen some Sony's in the wild but not many. At the railroad photo shoots I go to from time to time Canon and Nikon are clearly the majority, and Z cameras are very well represented.

I probably see almost as many Fuji's as Sonys. Saw a GFX a couple weeks ago; pretty neat body.

bcmmike

We did a group guided bird walk a few weeks back. Sony and Canon well represented, but only 3 Nikons. For what I see around here, that seemed to be the norm.

trolley

I handled one briefly last weekend at a birding show. It seemed to lock on OK on a Z9, and it's nice & light. But it wasn't a scientific test

Pistnbroke

30th August 23 if you read your blog .