Better than the Z 70-200mm f/2.8? NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 Review 

I love my 70-200 z . And I use the .z 180-600 in England the light is never really great for fhe z180-600 . Other wise the180-600 z is a good choice for some. The 70- 200z is great work horse. I think we should mention recording with those lenses . Photography is part of an older model film is the more modern version a bit like black and white gives way to colour.

Well done my friend. I found this to be a great video on this lens and I appreciate your delivery. Hope you have a great week

Great video! I just purchased this lens and its fantastic! Before switching to a mirrorless system, I had the Nikon 70-200 2.8G VRII...superb lens however it so big and heavy that I hardly used it. This 70-180 2.8 ticks all the boxes for me!

Thanks , That was amazing , the photos pop-up like 3D . And the color is smooth and natural at the same time

I am thinking to buy that lens for a wedding photography and it loos like it is good enough to give it a try! Thank you for the video it really helps!

Thanks for making this video, great feed back on this lens!

I think the 70-180 is a really great option but having the Z 70-200/2.8 I wouldn't swap for it. For one the VR in it is truly amazing for stills and especially video, it's been a critical part and has enabled a lot of shots with slow shutter. Nikon has some magic stuff going on with Z VR lenses and you can even see it on non IBIS DX bodies. Secondly the 70-200 takes both TC's a lot better. I had rented and bought the 1.4x before, was curious about the 2x compared to my F Tamron 100-400. The Tamron 100-400 may just very slightly eek out in center sharpness, but across the whole frame it's the Z70-200/2.8 w/ the 2X TC that's superior (even on a DX body) so now that's my go to until I get a 180-600. Then it's the ruggedness and Internal zoom. Having used the Z 70-200/2.8 for a couple of years now I've come to realize what a true piece of beauty this lens really is. It's the way it renders a full frame image, the smoothness of it across the whole frame, how smooth the transitions are, it's just beautiful. It has that "pro" look and feel to it, even with the 2x on it (by comparison the Tamron 100-400 renders a bit uglier, especially in the OoF areas). Key points in the Z70-200 are if you want to use TC's (they both work great), VR, internal zoom, and ruggedness. The VR is a big deal once you understand how well it works, especially for video. The Tamron 100-400's VR doesn't even compare and is mostly unusable for video (works best in Mode 2 though). Yes I've been comparing a Native F mount 100-400 to the Z70-200/2.8 w/ 2.0X TC lol. But yeah I would love to have the 70-180 in the line up in addition as a small lightweight option for the street. I think it's a great lens!

Great review. I also use the Z8 in combination with the 400/4.5 with the 1.4 TC. I came to the same conclusion and I just want to add the compatibility with Nikon's Z-system TC's. If you take this lens with you together with the 2.0x TC, you also have a 360mm f/5.6 tele in you bag. And that, together with the great macro-capabilities of this lens, makes it a great and lightweight travel companion.

Thanks for outlining your experience with the 70-180 F2.8. I am very tempted to add it for exactly the same reasons you describe. I use a Z9 and Z6ii. I have the 24-70 which came with my Z6ii. I am looking for a lens for part of a travel kit. The main lens for wildlife I use now is the 180-600. That is a great lightweight wildlife zoom especially compared to my F-mount wildlife lens. I need to keep weight down. I sold my F mount G series 70-200 F2.8. I had stopped using it really. It is heavy for the focal range. This rebadged 70-180 F2.8 looks like it outperforms that lens in every way. I like the Z mount zooms for their flexibility. The only F mount lens I still own is a 500 F4 which works very well with the Z9 and takes a TC very nicely. It is however not as easy to travel with as the 180-600. I do like to take a monopod with me as I got used to using one with the 500 F mount. I do have the 85 F1.8 S as a studio portrait lens. However for travel and for most on location shooting the flexibility of a zoom lens is better to use for spontaneous action.

Thanks for the review/overview All good points. Very helpful.

So I am in your position. I am a nature wildlife photographer. I have the Z8, Z6 and 24-120 f/4, 400 f/4.5, 70-180 f/2.8 and also 100-400. I want to get ride of one of the 400s, and just thinking if doing the way you would fit me. I like the lenses being lightweight and having a few lenses.

Great value for the money. I hope you have your pennies saved up for the 800PF! Can't wait to see more content.

Thanks,

I've subscribed! Thanks for this review, it's got me thinking!

For wildlife photography, I like using in one hand the z 70-180 + Z tc14 and the Z 400 f/4,5 in the other hand. Also I can switch the lenses and have a z70-180 and a 560 f/6,3 ; best combo/weight ;-)

Nice video.. I am looking into this Nikon lens.. the 70-180 for my ZF.. however I already have a a few lenses that cover this range. The old f-mount 70-200 F4, the 24-200 Z and my fav old sigma 150 f2.8 macro That is actually the lens(functionality) I want to "upgrade" . The reviews of the Tamron 70-180 G2 is great. Tamron just released the 28-75 G2 for the Nikon Z so its likely ( hopeful ) that it will release the Tamron 70-180 G2 with VC for the NikonZ mount too.. The other Lens in the running is the Tamron 35-150 Z mount. Its practically the same size as my old Sigma 150. sigh .. I have too many lenses .. ;-)

great vid! ... lemme ask -would would you get if you couldnt get the 70-180mm and you at least need like 135mm (120mm might be fine)??? preferably 2.8 or less

Awesome setup, looking at something very similar myself. What do you think about the B&W rendering and weather sealing for this lens? Love the specs on paper (1/2 macro) but returned its sibling the 28-75 after a few days because the B&W images looked a bit flat and I wouldn’t trust it outdoors in anything more than a light summer breeze…

I'm considering the Z 70-180 to use with a teleconverter occasionally on my Z50. How would this work. I have the Tamron 100-400 f lens to use with the FTZ, but I'm starting to find it heavy for carrying around

Congratulations to your sister on her thesis defense !

For your use, how about Tamron 35-150mm F/2-2.8 Di III VXD? Oh, wow no knowledge of pro- coverage use. I have older F mount version and back when it cost so much less than this new 'improved' one for Z./ I can afford to add the 70-180. Just got Z 28-75 f/2.8 which is not compact but still pairs well with Zf.

great video, I was waiting for why it was better than ? lol

The SmallRig L bracket for the Z8 is dirt cheap. Why not just get that instead of trying to deal with collars on a lens that isn't built for it?

If I will get Sony Xperia 1 VI to be always with me for its 16mm, 24mm, 48mm, and 2X macro plus it's 85-170mm uses, should I get 70-180mm with 2X tele converter or 28-400mm for the Zf as the only lens on it for a long time for abstract kind of photography, not a bokeh guy but one project might need or benefit from having it, can the 28-400mm have some blur background with a full person subject in the frame because if it able to then it might be more useful with that range, I might get a manual lens for fun and bokeh in the future like Voigtländer 40f1.2/50f1/65f2mm and also a 14-30mm f4 for everyday closer stuffs

What Canon gear are you selling?