Nikon has announced a pair of Nikkor lenses that stretches out focal length while being lightweight and easier to carry while shooting handheld.
The Nikkor 70-180mm F/2.8 and the Nikkor 180-600mm F/5.5-6.3 VR also offer up to adding up to 5.5 stops of image stabilization in the process. Let’s take a look.
Image Credit – Nikon USA
NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8
With a constant F/2.8 aperture, the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 promises great low-light performance with what Nikon calls an “enticing” looking bokeh.
The 70-180mm lens has 19 elements organized in 14 groups, including five extra-low dispersion elements, one super extra-low dispersion element, and three aspherical lens elements which help suppress chromatic aberration and flaring.
Image Credit – Nikon USA
The lens is optimized for video and suppresses focus breathing while using a super quiet autofocus stepping motor for nearly silent focusing.
The design also has a separate, customizable control ring that can be programmed to adjust either aperture, ISO, or focus in more gradual steps.
The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 10.63 inches (.27m) at 70mm and 33.46 inches (.85m) at 180mm.
The maximum focal length can also be extended by using either the Z TC 1.4x Teleconverter to a maximum of 252mm or the Z TC-2.0x Teleconverter to 360mm.
This will also add a maximum reproduction ratio of.96x which Nikon says creates a near life-size reproduction.
Image Credit – Nikon USA
Image Credit – Nikon USA
Image Credit – Nikon USA
The overall construction of the NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 is 40 percent smaller than the Nikkor Z 70-200mm F/2.8, as it weighs in at 1.75 pounds (795g).
This makes the lens easy to carry and use all day.
Image Credit – Nikon USA
NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
Designed for sports and nature photographers to be lightweight and easy to carry all day, the NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR covers an extremely broad focal range that is 120mm wider than the previous NIKKOR Z 200-500mm f/5.6 lens.
The lens can also stretch out that focal length to 280-900mm when FX crop is engaged.
Image Credit – Nikon USA
The lens is constructed with 25 lens elements organized into 17 groups, including six extra low-dispersion glass elements that compensate for chromatic aberration.
The lens also has nine aperture blades which Nikon says creates a round, natural bokeh that can draw the viewer’s attention toward the subject.
With a minimum focus distance of 4.3 ft (1.3m) at 180mm and 7.9 ft (2.4m) at 600mm, the lens can also be used for creating close-up macro shots of flowers, bugs, and other small flora and fauna.
The lens also uses fast-focusing stepping motors that are very quiet for capturing animals in the wild or for shooting video.
The internal zoom mechanism has a short ring throw of only 70 degrees, moving from the widest to the longest focal length.
Image Credit – Nikon USA
Image Credit – Nikon USA
Image Credit – Nikon USA
The NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR has a weight of 4.3 pounds (1955g) making it light enough to use hand-held but also comes with a tripod ring to mount to a monopod when necessary.
There are also customizable function buttons at the front end of the lens barrel for one-button adjustment when shooting.
The lens can also be made clickless for ultra-quiet video recording and suppression of focus breathing.
Pricing and Availability
The NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 lens will be available in mid-July 2023 for a suggested retail price of $1249.95.
Meanwhile, the NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens will be available in August 2023 for a suggested retail price of$1699.95.
Nikon also states that both lenses represent a compelling option for both photographers and videographers looking to upgrade to fast and affordable zooms that can round out their collection of Nikkor Z-mounted optics. And with the price, they’d be right about that.
[source: Nikon]
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