Nikon NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S

Amazing lens with amazing picture quality... and the price sure reflects that.Not sure what I can add here that hasn't been said a million times already on video reviews.Was able to take pictures of the annular and total solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 respectively. See attached pictures.Image stabilization actually works fantastically well; have only used this hand held, with no issues. Even when taking pictures of the moon. Have to use higher ISO levels on low light conditions though.Pros:* Amazing image stabilization* Amazing picture quality* Not super heavyCons:* Not very light either* at f/6.3, you'll be hard pressed to be able to take pictures at the reciprocal rule and ISO64; even under direct sun light, let alone at very high shutter speeds like 1/1000 s.* Not precisely cheap, even though it's cheaper than its F mount counterpart

I'm an avid bird photographer and a long time Nikon DSLR shooter. I bought a Z9 and a FTZ II adapter in November 2023. I had been shooting with the 500mm f/5.6 PF lens, usually in DX mode, and was quite pleased with the results. After reading various reviews, I decided to get the Z 800mm.What a game changer! This lens is the real deal. It's crisp, responsive and the reach is amazing (even more so in DX mode). It has two L-Fn programmable buttons that are very useful.Note that the Z9 - 800mm combination is a little on the heavy side, so a monopod or a tripod for extended outings is a good idea. For shorter outings, it works perfectly well with a shoulder sling.

If you photograph birds in flight buy this lens.

Overall, it is one of the best telephoto lenses on the market for picture clarity that I have used (older Sony and Canon). Autofocus (on my Z8) works flawlessly. Focus is fast. Tracking on the 16X magnification works well. You can tell a significant amount of effort was put into the lens design. I would have preferred a faster F Stop for background Bokeh, but the low price and Z-Platform integration is too compelling. The picture appears sharper than the Nikkor 400mm 2.8 + 2X Teleconverter (and is lighter as well); although the light gathering of the 800 is poorer as well as the Bokeh, so choose wisely. Am I pleased with the purchase? Yes – absolutely. That said, there are 2 niggling issues that really bug me. #1 – The Lens foot is NOT Arca-Swiss compatible and must be replaced. #2 – The expensive objective lens does NOT come with a hard lens cap. Nikon provides a squishy sort of Lens Sock for your primary glass. So, expect to shell out a few hundred more – which seems ridiculous for a lens of this caliber. I purchased my Lens cap from Zemlin Photo.

Great lens

This is a great lens but I wouldn't buy it from Adorama. I wouldn't buy ANYTHING from Adorama..