I'm waiting for mine to get here someday... it's big brother 800mm is waiting for it to join the family. I can't wait! You got Beautiful pictures! Greg
Phil, thanks for taking the time in doing this video. I replaced my D7200 years ago with the Z50, mainly because I do most of my photography while traveling (awesome light weight travel camera), family events and chasing the grandkids. As you showed the AF is really lacking when it comes to low light and action photos (grandkids running around and playing sports). I thought of buying the 180-600, but the AF on the Z50 has held me back. The battery life is awful, so I own 2 Nikon and 1 third party battery for my Z50. Like you and lots of us are waiting for Nikon to introduce a D500 or even a D7200 mirrorless replacement with IBIS, Expeed 7 processor, bigger battery, maybe 33 megapixel and 2 card slots. Unfortunately Nikon is focus on the professional market and less on the affordable mid-range (ZF retro camera is not for me) and APSC cameras.
Don’t give up on Nikon, I think they will release another DX camera for the Z series within the next year or so and I think it’s going to be what we are looking for. I think we have a better chance of a Z 70 than a Z 90 but I think either one will be worth it.
Finally someone is doing the Z50 | 180-600 review. I truly thank you for this! I will say this as I have said before. The z50 punches above its weight with image quality when quality glass is mounted on it. I shoot it with the Z24-70|2.8 S for weddings and personal photography. I like the image quality so much so that I have NOT purchased a full frame camera yet. I'm coming from the D3/D700 DSLr. I also mount my Voigtlander 40 and 58mm on it for portraits. Stunning!
I've always liked the Z50. Even with it's weird battery issues and somewhat sub par focus system, it is still capable of producing beautiful images. Thanks for watching!
Thank you! The 600 PF was not an option when I ordered mine but I think if it was, I would probably still get the zoom just for the flexibility, but I can understand the draw of the PF as well. I hope you enjoy it!
Nice shots Phil with the Z50. I know with this lens sometimes shooting in slo-mo with the Z7 I didn’t have to be at 600mm instead 400mm because of the 1.5 crop. Gets me excited to think what’ll be like on a pro like Nikon APSC when it comes… eventually! Hopefully it can compete against R7 and A6700.
Thank you, Adrian! I've been enjoying the 180-600 on full-frame for sports. I did that soccer shoot first, and later in the day that I made this video I took it out for Softball photography with the 'ol Z6. Nikon has hit a home run with this lens.
R7 so good..but wait the big m..fcker Lens...200-800...300-1000 Lens next year...😭😭😭but the camera ITS very good and so easy to use but Nikon now is the King with Lens Price...😢
Very nice Phil, I have this lens for my Nikon Z8 and it's awesome and my Z 400 f4.5 sit's in my case lol, I believe Nikon is working on a crop camera or are done with it but testing it out that's the feeling I have.
Thanks so much Phil for always sharing the best content, I would like to hear your opinion in which camera is better for bird photography, canon r7 or the Sony 6700?
You captured some great shots as always Phil! Love that first shot. That Heron shot with the fish is great! I see an R7/100-500 vs a6700/200-600 vs Z50/180-600 video coming up :-) How do you like that 180-600 so far compared to your other long lenses? Like you I am waiting for an mirrorless version of the amazing D7100/D7200 one of my favorite wildlife cameras ever. Cheers and thanks so much for the video!
Thank you! I'm starting to prefer the Nikon over the Sony if I can carry a heavy large lens but I love the 100-500 for its small size, light weight, and nearly the reach of the larger Nikon and Sony offerings.
I'm really surprised by how good the photos are coming out of the Z50. I have the FX Z7ii myself but I'm super surprised by it. What a great little bit of kit.
Great video & just what I was looking for! If only Nikon would listen & do a pro level crop frame Z camera life would be so good. I have contemplated a Z50 to use with the 180-600 in case I need more "reach" when on my spring bird tour in Panama & I think that if a new Z90? doesn't appear, I'll get a Z50 in the interim. As you mention though if it had a bigger battery and of course IBIS it would be great if it even comes out.
Thanks to you and my disappointment with Canon recently, you have me investigating Nikon first time ever lol. Looking into new gear is so frustrating. Lots of choices are never available. Famous words from Canon. On Backorder. Out of Stock lol I have been mixing and matching some new and old. I just had fun shooting football with my old ef 300mm on my R7. Too much reach at times but got the feel of what a 400 would be like. Have a nice weekend.
I promise it’s easier to get Canon gear than it is to get Nikon gear. Especially if it’s a new release. I think all of them have their strengths and weaknesses, and I am enjoying the opportunity to shoot with all three right now.
It's a great lens waiting for a great DX camera. if you have a Z50 already, that will get you by until Nikon makes something better. Or, you could use it with Z8 or Z9 but that can be kind of pricey!
@@PhilThachhi Phil, I currently have a Z50, will later on upgrade to a full frame maybe Z6ii or if the Z6iii ever comes out. I love my Z50, would have been great if it had IBIS.
I think a new crop sensor mirrorless camera will be awesome-can’t wait. I’m really enjoying the Z system. Phil my wife has some great Canon glass, but and old 7D. Would the R7 II with third generation adapter be good with that camera?
@@PhilThach yes Phil that's what I meant. The RF glass on the R7II. I know that Canon shooter's definitely recommend the third version of the adapter. Thank you-happy shooting.
A question please Phil. Do you know if the VR works when the 180-600 is on the Z50, since it is supposed to be camera controlled? Since there is no switch, I'd assume that "on" is the default.
Great to see someone else doing a review on this lens that's not using a Z8 or Z9. The only other person on RU-vid using it on something else is Adrian Alford, with his Z7.
How does this lens compare against the Sony 200-600 in terms of sharpness? I was thinking about switching over to Nikon from Sony for the z8, but I've seen in other reviews that the Sony is still a bit sharper. Whats your opinion on that? Nikon's hgher quality glass is not within my budget unfortunately.
I haven’t done any scientific pixel peeping testing of those two lenses but honestly, I feel like the Nikon may be sharper a little bit. I can understand the expensive lenses not being in your budget, the Z8 is not in my budget lol.
Thanks for the video! All reviews of this lens done with z8 or z9. Looks like you are first who reviewed the 180 600 on z50. What is af speed on this body? Have you tried the 180 600 with z6/z7 ?
I have a two videos using the 180-600 on the Z6. One is shooting college soccer and the other is songbirds. See the sports and wildlife playlists. I have also made a sandhill crane in flight video with the Z50. It comes out December 6th.
Before mirrorless we captured these shots with our DSLR, even now for difficult situations I do not use any "detect" features and fall back on the "old school" shooting.. " detect" is nice but as You know not needed.. :)
Yeah…..Nikon should really bring out a new, more capable apsc body. I also waited very long for that 180-600. But half a year ago I was done waiting and switched to Sony and the Tamron 150-500. I’m still considering switching back to Nikon if they bring out something interesting. But for now I’m pleased with the little Sony and especially the lens!
Thank you! I'm very happy to be shooting with all of the big three camera brands. It's nice to be able to discover the strengths and weaknesses of each. This new lens is certainly a strength for the Nikon system.
very strange i love my z50. the only problem is when i compare it to the Om1 but thats really unfair. the little battery lives with me a photo session for 3 hours. love its 4k videos. love its colors. love also how light it is with the 100-400 mm f5.6. but for sure a body with better AF is welcomed.
I didn't mean to bash the Z50. It's a very capable camera for the price and I too love its small size and great color rendition. I have always had trouble with the battery, not necessarily the battery life but with its tendency to be all over the place in terms of battery status displayed. It will show nearly dead one minute and 2/3 full the next. All my other camera batteries I switch when they say 1/3 strength left. If I did that with the Z50/Zfc battery, I'd be changing batteries every 20 minutes. So, the battery lasts a long time after it says it's nearly dead. I find that annoying. I'm glad I still have it and can still use it to take photos like I did in this video.
Nice eye Phil. I am still waiting for my lens, and your great sharp hand-held shots aren't helping my patience. :) The price is right, and performance makes the 600mm pf seem a bit pricey.
The answer is Pixel Density. Even the 20.9mp Z50 has slightly higher pixel density than the 45 megapixel Z8/Z9. But a 26 - 32 megapixel DX camera like I'm hoping for would have much higher pixel density. When photographing small birds, you almost always have to crop. It doesn't matter how many total pixels you have, what matters is how many pixels are actually on the bird. So higher pixel density APSC beats even high resolution full frame cameras for the type of bird photography that I usually do.
Pixel Density. The Z50 with its 20.9 MP DX sensor has a higher pixel density than even the Z8 and Z9. When photographing small birds you often have to crop. So the total amount of pixels doesn't really matter, it's the number of pixels that are actually on the bird. What I'm looking for from Nikon is a DX camera with the autofocus system from the Z8/Z9/Zf and 26-32 mp.
Thank you for your answer. Well that's the point. I still use my D850 (i Love it so much) and to upgrade to the 180-600 I need to sell it then. So maybe I should save up and get a 400mm 4.5...to add to my 200-500@@PhilThach
@@kaijan2808 I’d get the 180-600 over the 400 4.5. I’d rather photograph birds at 600mm 6.3 than 400 4.5. The 180-600 is cheap. You can get it and keep your D850 and your 200-500.
It’ll probably cost $8,000 with canons pricing! I’m considering switching to Nikon from canon for lens pricing. I just need Nikon to have a tiny bit better AF
Some very nice images with the z180_600 and Z50 . Finally got my Z180_600 just this week after a long wait . As a non S line it still produces a surprisingly good image. Good stuff Phil.
One thing thats sad about the Z50 is you can get a sony a6100 and its much better for bird photography and cheaper. I think the Z50 was meant to be a hybrid however there are better options out there with cheaper lenses.
Bonjour, Très intéressant ce 180 600. J'aimerais aussi un apsc z avec un bon autofocus et capteur empilé. J'ai acheté un z8 et en mode dx on est au niveau du z50 avec l'autofocus du z8 , je pense que vous devriez essayer . J'ai aussi un a6700 et ma femme un r7 , je préfère le z8 👍 . Merci pour toutes vos vidéos et bonne continuation. Fabien
Minha grande paixão é o surf e em segundo lugar a fotografia, suas fotos são excelentes; ainda não estou com dinheiro para comprar uma camera e me aventurar nas imagens. Caso tenha dinheiro, vou comprar uma Nikon e uma lente zoom para fazer videos e fotos de surf e passaros. Abraços e um feliz natal.
APSC in the scheme of things over the last 100 years only came out when Digital came out after Film was replaced ie D100/200 days but since the D3 came my 24 mm lens was once again a 24 etc after being an obscure 30 something lens > I flirted once with the D500 >> nice camera and would have been a dream Full Frame so it went for the D850 and now I have the FF Z7 >> For African Wild Life you dont need an APSC reach IMO. on a 180-600 .. if you do then DX gives you 900 if dialled in on the camera or my 1.4 x Z convertor gives me 840 = PLENTY .. I love the IQ too on FF
I'm pretty sure we've discussed this before. I need the extra reach of APSC for the small birds that I photograph. You may recall when I was working on 6' tall humans for soccer photography, I used a fall frame camera, my Z6, with this lens, but for small birds at over 20' distances, I prefer APSC. If you prefer full-frame in all situations, that's fine with me. Thanks for watching!
Great video and you sum up what's irritating about the Z50, but then when you look at the image quality it's excellent. As you say, us Z50 owners can only hope to get a new camera from Nikon soon, with the APSC features we need. If nothing is released this year I'm likely to switch back to Canon and try the R7.
After seeing what Phil can do with this horrible camera Why spend all the money to change manufacturers... Why not try the ZF or the Z8 for what You want,,,, Less expensive than the options :) But good luck with what ever You decide :) :) :)
Hi @@UKFR,, I have a Z6II it is great in many ways(I will continue to use it,not so bad) !! BUT if i would (which I will soon) buy another ,, it would be a ZF,Z8,orZ6III(when and if it comes)Only thing that is keeping me from a ZF is the GRIP... 6II is Great but the AF is still not the best... Best of All to You,, I have been shooting Nikon Professionally since 1969(LONG LIVE NIKON)
I've always thought of the Z50 as the Z series version of the D5000. I'd love to see a Z70 (D7000 series replacement) or, even better, a Z90 (D500 replacement). At this point, I'd be an instant buyer of either one assuming they have the Expeed7, The new autofocus system, and the ENEL-15 battery.
I sincerely hate how the z50 renders bouquet.. it just doesn't look smooth.. it looks too grainy and needs to smoothened out in post to make it at least usable..
