Nikon Officially Announce the Z-Mount 800mm/f6.3 PF Lens

Nikon USA Product Info: NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S | Nikon

 

Nikon Japan News Info: Nikon | News | Nikon releases the NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S, a super-telephoto prime lens for the Nikon Z mount system

• 22 lens elements in 14 groups, with optical VR. There is one PF element, three ED elements, and one SR (Short-Wavelength Refractive) element, but no FL element.
  
• Lens length 15.2 inches/385 mm, diameter 5.6 inches/140 mm
  
• Weight 84.1 oz (5.25 pounds)/2385 grams
  
• Nano Crystal coating and Fluorine coating
  
• On-barrel drop in filter: 46mm. There seems to be no front filter thread.
  
• Compatible with Z-mount 1.4x and 2x teleconverters
  

US Price $6500

 

Nikon's announcement includes two images of a woman hand holding this new 800mm PF, emphasizing that this lens is very light for an 800mm super-tele and is very much hand-holdable.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by ShunCheung

I was in the ballpark with my guess of the weight (like the 200-500) but off on the price. Price really is the big surprise here - in line with simply extrapolating the prices of the 30PF and 500 PF based on focal length factors. Now I want one - and a Z9. Only $12k! Bargain!

I am impressed.

 

But, holding it for less than a minute for a promo picture (as is holding it in a store for a few minutes) is VERY different than holding it in the field for MANY minutes.

Give me an 800 mirror instead.

Give me an 800 mirror instead.

We are now in the mirrorless era. :cool:

 

A couple of videos to watch. I think this lens is very much hand holdable:

• Ricci:
  
  
• Steve Perry:
  
  

It seems Nikon can make a highly corrected PF lens for significantly less money than the equivalent conventional lens using refractive elements only.

 

I think this can change Nikon's market standing in wildlife/bird photography, although IMO the intermediate price Z camera bodies need improvements in AF. Of course one can argue that if one can afford a $6500 lens then one can probably afford the Z9 as well but there can be availability issues with both and a lot of people would consider these items outside of their budget. Certainly more expensive than (say) a D500 and 500 PF, for example.

 

I imagine after this lens, Canon may find it challenging to sell their RF 800/5.6. Although there will be those who prefer the refractive optics, the price for the Canon lens is high.

Pretty much right on price and weight...;)

 

That makes it less than 2lbs more than the 500mm PF (1.46KG) ....:eek:

 

I wonder if the 400mm PF will fill in the gap soon?

 

Park Cameras UK, briefly shows at £6299, but blinks to TBC....:D

 

I guess this will end most (all?) sales of the 800mm 5.6 FL? I mean 1/3 of a stop and so many more £££s. Nah!

Edited April 6, 2022 by mike_halliwell

I guess this will end most (all?) sales of the 800mm 5.6 FL? I mean 1/3 of a stop and so many more £££s. Nah!

 

I am not sure if there ever were that many that were sold, that kind of price class means only a small number of people are interested. As the pandemic and now war are ravaging through the world, prices in general go up and if Nikon has figured out a way to make a good 800mm more affordable and much more compact, there will be users for such a product.

 

Personally I prefer the aesthetics of the images from the refractive lenses even if some of them are definitely out of my price range. But then life is full of compromises.

Serial numbers collected so far suggest that Nikon have made nearly 3500 units of the F-mount AF-S 800 5.6 FL in the 9 yeas it has been in production. That is a lot for such a specialised optic. By comparison, the older AI-S 800 5.6 IF-ED sold a shade over 3000 units in the 20 years it was in production, between 1986 and 2005.

 

Matt Irwin's youtube clips of the 800 6.3 PF shows a serial number 20002001 and another clip shows number 20001519, so it appears Nikon have already made at least 2000 units, assuming the numbers start at 20000001.

 

The promo shots at the top were taken at the gannet colony at Muriwai near Auckland, New Zealand. That's quite a far-flung location for a lens like this, maybe a subtle demonstration of how easy it is to travel with this lens :)

Edited April 6, 2022 by roland_vink

That is a lot for such a specialised optic.

I reckon that the advent of digital cameras has made actually using an 800mm 5.6 doable regarding ISO.

 

Film only ever really made nice wildlife images up to 800 ASA. That's pushing the envelope for 1/800 shutter speed for handheld and/or 1/2000 for motion freezing without flash used wide open.

 

With some care, ISO 6400, even 12800, is just fine with modern sensors... that's 3>4 stops!

 

I'd not be surprised if the 800mm 6.3 PF sells way over 10000 over it's lifespan, especially at that price.

 

You always needed 'reach' for small, nervous wildlife and that was always either silly money or very slow aperture lenses.

Matt Irwin's youtube clips of the 800 6.3 PF shows a serial number 20002001 and another clip shows number 20001519, so it appears Nikon have already made at least 2000 units, assuming the numbers start at 20000001.

 

The promo shots at the top were taken at the gannet colony at Muriwai near Auckland, New Zealand. That's quite a far-flung location for a lens like this, maybe a subtle demonstration of how easy it is to travel with this lens :)

I didn't pay such close attention to Matt Irwin's video. A 800mm is mostly a bird, wildlife, air show and perhaps paparazzi lens. Irwin used it to photograph a model in the middle of Melbourne City is kind of unusual IMO. I also find it unusual that he got to use (at least) two samples of this lens. Maybe one malfunctioned or was damaged. :rolleyes:

 

I assume all of those promotional materials were prepared around February and March. Perhaps the warmer weather in the Southern Hemisphere is preferable. On Nikon USA's web page, they have a short video from that gannet colony near Auckland. I had heard of it before because it is one of the cruise ship stops for some circumnavigation of New Zealand.

 

 

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-lenses/nikkor-z-800mm-f%252f6.3-vr-s.html

Unlike the 300mm/f4 PF and 500mm/f5.6 PF in the F mount, this new 800mm/f6.3 PF has the PF element (green) about 1/3 the length into the lens barrel, where the diameter is considerably narrower. Hence the PF element is smaller and there must be some cost savings

 

Top image from Nikon: cross section for the 800mm/f6.3 PF

Bottom image is the F-mount 500mm/f5.6 PF.

Edited April 7, 2022 by ShunCheung

Hence the PF element is smaller and there must be some cost savings.

Indeed, there is some very clever design here limiting the element size in many of the groups.... and letting in enough light to be a f6.3.

 

Any evidence that the wider Z throat helps here? I can't see it personally.

I cannot get interested in any new Nikon Z lens as the Nikon Z9 I ordered back in October 2021 still has not been delivered or sold to me. This may not be "fair" to this new Nikon lens offering, but for me the lens is a non starter. Why should I order or buy from a company that has kept me waiting for five to six months for a camera body with no idea when I might ever get it?

I cannot get interested in any new Nikon Z lens as the Nikon Z9 I ordered back in October 2021 still has not been delivered or sold to me. This may not be "fair" to this new Nikon lens offering, but for me the lens is a non starter. Why should I order or buy from a company that has kept me waiting for five to six months for a camera body with no idea when I might ever get it?

Where did you order your Z9 from? I talked to a local store about a month ago (Mike's Camera, that one in the San Francisco area). They said that they had cleared all October pre-orders and were working on the November orders. I am sure they are much farther along by now.

 

In the US, Amazon opens their Z9 ordering once in a while. I caught that on February 22 and received it in early March. The "problem" is that Nikon is pricing the Z9 way too low and they end up with more demand than they can fulfill. If you are ordering from B&H to get Payboo benefits, expect a long wait.

 

There are some apps you can use to inform you when Amazon and BestBuy have them in stock, but you need to act quickly and will need to pay applicable sales tax.

Any evidence that the wider Z throat helps here? I can't see it personally.

 

I am not sure if it makes any difference optically, but if it does it could be reduced vignetting; still, the rear elements do not appear to be in such a position to take advantage of the new mount. However, there are some benefits: the wider mount is more robust and has less play, Z TCs take up the space right in front of the sensor, so the image quality with Z TCs is likely superior to F-mount TCs, and the mount electrical interface is faster, which helps with autofocusing.

 

Availability of a broad variety of electronics and other industrial products is adversely affected by world events and it's not only Nikon who have problems supplying products. Smaller stores in good standing with Nikon as well as NPS membership can help speed up getting the camera. I don't understand why someone needs to get the new products immediately after launch. It used to be that we saved for the products over a longer period of time and then got them. In the meanwhile, we used what we had.

Shun, I am not NPS. That is the issue. All stores I have contacted tell me that they have filled only NPS member orders. That applies to the one I ordered my Z 9 from.

I am not NPS, and most of my friends who have received their Z9 are not.

I am impressed by the price tag of $6500, and it's less expensive than the Olympus 150-400, which I am still waiting for.

Shun, I am not NPS. That is the issue. All stores I have contacted tell me that they have filled only NPS member orders. That applies to the one I ordered my Z 9 from.

Try Hunt's Photo. They usually act pretty fast. Write or call Gary Farber ( gfarber@huntsphoto.com ). He will get the ball rolling.

That applies to the one I ordered my Z 9 from.

Wasn't there an 'odd' issue with D850s being unavailable in the US for ages after release but the Rest of the World had loads?

I ordered my Z 9 thru Hunts and Gary

Joseph Smith, I assume that is a new order with Hunts. Hope that goes well. Earlier I thought the supply for the Z9 should ease by the 2nd quarter, and we are in the beginning of that period. However, the shortage seems to be more serious than I thought. I have a friend who ordered the Z9 and the 100-400 from ABT back in January: Abt: Appliances and Electronics Store | Refrigerators, Appliances, TVs

 

They are an authorized Nikon pro dealer but are less well know. The 100-400 was available after a couple of weeks, but the Z9 took about two months

 

Concerning the D850, I recall it wasn't in stock in the US until like a full year later. (Doesn't mean it would take a year to get one, but in the first year it wasn't in stock so that one had to wait a month or two for it, before it was finally on store shelfs.) That seemed to be a US-specific issue as the D850 was widely available in Europe back in 2017/2018. I suppose that was a Nikon distribution issue.

 

We'll see how bad the shortage for the 800mm/f6.3 will get. It is a more expensive, niche product so that demand won't be as high, but Nikon may also be manufacturing fewer of them.

I ordered my Z 9 thru Hunts and Gary

Good luck Joseph! I just received the coveted Olympus OM-1 from them two days ago.

but Nikon may also be manufacturing fewer of them.

But if Roland's maths is good, they've already made 2000+ units.

 

Maybe they have made a breakthrough in making PF lens elements, both in terms of cost and speed.

 

I'm guessing this was their chance at stealing/keeping customers by not having very long waiting lists this time, so no more sad messages about higher than expected demand...blah blah...;)

Back in 2018 when the 500 PF was just introduced, my Nikon rep said that it took 7 months to manufacture that PF element. I am sure it is still time consuming, but Nikon could be making more of them simultaneously. The demand for a 800 PF must be a lot smaller than a 500mm.

But if Roland's maths is good, they've already made 2000+ units.

 

That is assuming the serial numbers for this lens starts at 20000001. So far I have seen three "pre-production" lenses reviewed on youtube:

at 0:10 shows 20001526

at 0:45, SN 20001519

at 3:00 SN 20001545

 

They all fall in a narrow range of serial numbers. Maybe there is a pre-production series starting at 20001501? These lenses appear to be a finished product physically (unless the coatings have not been finalized), so they may be "pre-production" only because the firmware has not been completed.

 

The product shot shows SN 20002001 (I think I have also seen this one on youtube) so does production actually start at 20002001? The Z 58mm Noct also starts at this number based on numbers I have seen so far. I don't remember seeing any pre-production Nocts previewed on youtube. Actually, looking at the numbers I have for other Z lenses, all have start numbers above 20002001 except for:

• 24-70/4 (no 20000661 on Ken Rockwell's review on guarantee sheet)
  
• 24-120/4 (20000058 on
  )
  
• 24-70/2.8 (20000159, private buyer)
   
  
• 100-400 (20000012,
  )
  
• 16-50 (20000453, private buyer)
  
• 50-250 (20001517, private buyer)
  

Some of these may be pre-production also, especially the 100-400, so maybe most Z mount lenses actually start at 20002001?