Nikon Unveils Smaller and Lighter 800mm f/6.3

[Dave in Wales]

🤣😂😂🤣🤣

https://petapixel.com/2022/04/05/nikon-unveils-smaller-and-lighter-800mm-f-6-3-vr-s-z-mount-lens/

[Ian]

That lens is less bright than the Olympus 100-400, isn't a zoom, but it is more than twice as heavy and almost twice as long despite sharing the same maximum telephoto power. It also needs a hugely expensive Phase Fresnel lens element in order to keep the design as small and light as possible. And it's 5x more expensive than the 100-400.

Without any intention of mocking any rival camera manufacturer, it seems to me that Nikon, Canon and Sony have foolishly sacrificed the potential of their APS-C format cameras in favour of 'full frame'.

Olympus/OM System and Panasonic Lumix Micro Four Thirds have an open door to hordes of owners of old APS-C DSLRs who don't want bigger and more expensive full frame replacements. And that's besides the full frame owners fed up with the size and weight of their gear when seeing how much more luggable MFT is.

This is a huge opportunity for OMDS - let's hope they have the vision and capability of cashing in on this opportunity.

Ian

[Bengeo]

Isn't it the same as the same as the 100-400mm at 400mm f6.3? But then some crazy people would say the Olympus is F13 ....

[Dave in Wales]

400 @ f6.3 or f13....it does what I ask of it.
It never leaves f6.3 anyway

[Ross the fiddler]

Let's hope they do have 'the vision and capability' to take advantage of their position.

[wanderer]

In conversation a couple of days ago with Ffordes they told me the EM-1 had had the biggest pre launch orders of any camera they had ever seen. Says it all.
I've always reckoned the only advantage of such a large heavy lens is to beat the wildlife to death with it befor photographing it.

[Dave in Wales]

EM-1 or OM-1

[Mazdaman]

Pricing is interesting for the 800 £6200 plus another 350 for the TC same as buying the 150-400 better portability and flexibility from the 150-400mm yesterday I walked 8 miles around steart marshes in Somerset with the EM1X and 150-400mm something I could not have done with a full frame kit

[antpitta]

I would be interested to know how the age demographics for ILC owners have changed in recent years.

Not only do (IMHO) few "young" people buy "real" cameras anymore (though plenty seem to find £1k+ annually to get the latest new Apple camera - sorry phone!) but the majority of active buyers of new camera kit seem to be getting older. Just noting that an awful lot of us on this forum (myself included) appear to be either retired or near retirement and not only consider the portability of kit but also maybe at a stage in life where freedom from mortgages/children etc mean we may be able to splash out "one last time" on new equipment.

Given the size/weight of kit required to take on a lot of wildlife photography coupled with often needing to cover distances over rough and uneven ground it's shouldn't be surprising that M/43 can be a great option given the current level of performance. Personally having witnessed a couple of friends humping their Canon "big-whites" and heavy duty tripods around Carlton marshes the other day I can't imagine ever wanting to go back to that (even if my increasingly arthritic knees could cope!).

[blackfox]

Trouble I’m now 11+ years into retirement and have made that one last time purchase several times in that period 🤪🤪🤪 only difference is now the mrs has a camera ,eyebrows get raised when I mention something that’s a must have 🙄🙄

[blu-by-u]

Don't try it. It's not worth mrs's wrath. I am hiding my om1 order out of her prying eyes and all knowing ears. For the moment, I have disposed of the em1.3 and that om is scheduled to arrive sometime between end April or mid May.

[Ross the fiddler]

My better half keeps saying each of my purchases should be my last one, but she knows it's just not going to be the case, however, when she retires I won't be spending like I am now (which isn't that much compared to others).

[MikeOxon]

.........It also needs a hugely expensive Phase Fresnel lens element in order to keep the design as small and light as possible. ....................Ian

I disagree regarding the Phase Fresnel (PF) element being 'hugely expensive' . Nikon also make a 300mm f/f lens with a PF element - compare the specs. with the Olympus equivalent::

nikon 300mm PF f/4
£1,999
147.5 mm long
755 g weight

olympus 300mm f/4
£2,195
227 mm long
1270 g weight

Another opportunity for OMDS?

[pdk42]

I had to laugh at that article. Isn't this the most obviously photoshopped product shot you've ever seen?

[MJ224]

Not even pointing at the closer Gannett.

[ronidog]

I like the gannet sight at the end of the lens 😀 makes shooting much more accurate

[blackfox]

Looks like the bird ringers have gone to town on her upper ear .. 🤭 😂 can’t make out the numbers though 🤯🤯😱 and I find it really annoying when people go birding in bright jumpers scaring the birds away

[Ian]

I disagree regarding the Phase Fresnel (PF) element being 'hugely expensive' . Nikon also make a 300mm f/f lens with a PF element - compare the specs. with the Olympus equivalent::

nikon 300mm PF f/4
£1,999
147.5 mm long
755 g weight

olympus 300mm f/4
£2,195
227 mm long
1270 g weight

Another opportunity for OMDS?

You raise an interesting point. This Nikkor is a DSLR lens, too, although most benefits of the shorter flange/back distances of mirrorless compared to SLR are in much more compact wide angle lens designs. So it is impressively small and by all accounts is optically excellent.

The low pricing may be that Nikon hasn't fully sealed this lens - my understanding is that it only has a lens mount grommet. Again, I am only guessing, but from what I know about this lens is that it's not of 'premium model' construction compared to other Nikkors. But it does have that PF element. It also uses silent wave focusing, which I see Nikon isn't using in its mirrorless Z-mount lenses. It doesn't have the equivalent of Sync IS or focus stacking, etc.

I don't think there is an equivalent 300mm Z-mount lens yet; they are still building the range up. Of course the equivalent to the Olympus 300 is a Nikkor 600

But I take your point.

Ian

[MikeOxon]

"Of course the equivalent to the Olympus 300 is a Nikkor 600" - not if you put the Nikon 300mmPF on an Olympus body with an adapter .

[OM USer]

Your wallet will certainly be lighter.