Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens

The Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR Lens is a groundbreaking super-telephoto zoom designed for Z-series mirrorless cameras, delivering exceptional sharpness throughout its extensive zoom range. Engineered to meet the rigorous demands of sports and wildlife photographers, this lens offers a broad telephoto reach, enabling the capture of dynamic images and videos in a compact and lightweight form factor.

Optical Design

Incorporating six ED (extra-low dispersion) glass elements, this lens enhances light transmission while reducing dispersion, effectively eliminating chromatic aberrations and color fringing across the zoom range for exceptional clarity and accurate color reproduction. It features a single aspherical glass element that minimizes distortion and coma at wide apertures, contributing to a lighter, more compact design—an essential advantage for super-telephoto zoom lenses. The FLC fluorine coating repels dust, water, grease, and dirt, facilitating easy cleaning even when contaminants adhere to the lens. This durable coating also reduces reflections, supporting the capture of sharp, clear images.

Autofocus and Vibration Reduction

Equipped with an STM stepping motor, this lens delivers fast, precise, and silent autofocus with minimal wobble, ideal for both still photography and video recording. The Auto-Priority Manual (A/M) mode allows seamless switching between autofocus and manual focus during operation. Its internal focusing mechanism maintains a consistent lens size during zooming and focusing, enabling a compact design with close-focusing capabilities. The lens supports a minimum focusing distance of 1.3m and achieves up to 0.25x magnification at the 180mm zoom mark for detailed close-ups. Additionally, the built-in optical Vibration Reduction (VR) system enhances image stability by compensating for camera shake, providing stabilization equivalent to 5.5 stops faster shutter speed, which is especially useful for panning with fast-moving subjects.

Handling and Design

At its widest zoom, this lens offers an expansive field of view ideal for quickly locating subjects. A smooth 70° rotation of the zoom ring extends the focal length to 600mm, enabling tight compositions with pleasing background compression. The customizable control ring and function buttons provide convenient access to adjust exposure and other settings on the fly. Built with a durable, weather-sealed barrel and a front fluorine coating, it is designed to withstand challenging conditions. A rotating tripod collar enhances stability when mounted on a monopod or tripod. Compatible with Nikon Z-series teleconverters, this lens can reach an effective focal length of 840mm with the 1.4x teleconverter and up to 1200mm using the 2x teleconverter.