I “finally” (I ordered beginning of December) got my Z 100-400mm and decided to take it for an hour in the Zoo this morning.
There is a ton of content about the lens out there, so I only want to push the ones of you that are on the edge a bit over it.
Everything I read is true. The mechanical quality is amazing, as it should be for that pricepoint. The only other tele i had for Nikon so far was the 200-500mm and there is no compare. The 100-400 feels like the 70-200, it’s the same weight, it is really nicely balanced, the focus ring is perfectly smooth and it’s just 90degrees to go from 100 to 400. Makes using this in a “zoo” very easy.
I will test this again another time with the 1.4 TC and then the 2.0TC to see how the quality is, and i hope that the 1.4 TC will be, as it is reported by others, a good setup for Birding.
The 100-400 delivers better pictures, from what i can tell, then the 70-200mm with the 2x TC. I was actually very, very happy with the output of today. I put 5 pictures (unedited, one is cropped a bit) down below, in case you want to see them.
After just those few hours, I am very happy I got the lens. It has a great balance between focal length and weight. The new 400mm 2.8 is of course a “better” lens, but also 2.5x as heavy to carry with you and… 5x? more expensive. If you are currently using the 70-200 with TCs or adapted entry level glass like the 200-500mm – this is a big step up in quality, AF speed and usability.
Zoo with the new Z 100-400mm
