Z 28-400 on Sale

I see the Nikon Z28-400 is on sale @$1,150

That seems to be a good price?

I looking to go to Yellowstone next year.

This should be a great lens for that without breaking the bank.

I will be shooting at dusk at times too.

Any thoughts on this lens?

Used that lens a lot In Yosemite last year. Had bright sunshine most days and worked perfect. Went to Sequoia next and had to switch to the 14 to 30 for the big trees.

It’s a terrific travel lens. It’s actually usable at dusk because the VR is so good.

Nightranger said:

I see the Nikon Z28-400 is on sale @$1,150

That seems to be a good price?

I looking to go to Yellowstone next year.

This should be a great lens for that without breaking the bank.

I will be shooting at dusk at times too.

Any thoughts on this lens?

Click to expand...

I own this lens and it performs well. However it’s not a good choice for low light situations, particularly from 200mm to 400mm.

If this is my wallet, I guess I would like to see this lens under $1,000 before I would even consider buying it. Feels overpriced even at $1,150 for how slow the lens quickly gets and being a non-"S" lens. It should be a $999 MSRP lens at best. Just my two cents.

Look for a used or refurbished copy and save some money. You're paying a premium for the focal range by buying new.

I think it is a great lens. I need to finish paying for my z8 and 24120s before getting it but I am definitely getting it. Outside on a sunny day, if you can handle the heft, you can shoot everything...







28mm under an awning and you can capture the entire scene.






Can you find these two in the previous 28mm shot. Same lens at 400mm



And here is a full resolution jpeg from the same 28mm shot, can you find him in the first shot?






Look at this shot at full res... how much more detail do you want?

Can't wait to get mine. (I rented it for this outing).

Nightranger said:

I see the Nikon Z28-400 is on sale @$1,150

That seems to be a good price?

I looking to go to Yellowstone next year.

This should be a great lens for that without breaking the bank.

I will be shooting at dusk at times too.

Any thoughts on this lens?

Click to expand...

It's a great lens. I bought it when it first came out and was hard to find, paying full price. No regrets, I've used it a lot. I spend a lot of time in a place with various birds and animals around and it's been great for that. I use it on both my Zf and Zfc (when I want that extra range).

Thank you for the pictures.

They are helpful.

Looks like I'll purchase it soon.

Wow those are great pictures.

Thanks a lot for sharing

It convinced me is worth to purchase.

Nightranger said:

I see the Nikon Z28-400 is on sale @$1,150

That seems to be a good price?

Click to expand...

That is a good price for September 2025. That lens was introduced @ $1300 last year. At the lowest point in early 2025, it was $999, i.e. essentially $1000. I considered it but decided against getting one. Since then, the price has gone up twice for a total of $150.

Nightranger said:

I looking to go to Yellowstone next year.

This should be a great lens for that without breaking the bank.

I will be shooting at dusk at times too.

Any thoughts on this lens?

Click to expand...

400mm at max f8 is really slow, and that can be a problem at dusk, but it is priced accordingly. Only you can decide whether that is the right lens for you.

I agree with the comment about how slow this lens is (I do have it)... however, ISO readily compensates for this limitation in most cases- in my experience. Your mileage may vary....

Nightranger said:

I see the Nikon Z28-400 is on sale @$1,150

That seems to be a good price?

I looking to go to Yellowstone next year.

This should be a great lens for that without breaking the bank.

I will be shooting at dusk at times too.

Any thoughts on this lens?

Click to expand...

I guess if you want a lens that does it all from 28mm to 400mm and everything in bewteen, then it can be a good deal if you're OK with the price. It's honestly still too high for me to bother with one, as I think there are too many compromises here.

If you're shooting casual wildlife then it can be a good option as it would be the only lens you need.

For me personally, the f/8 aperture from 200mm onward is somewhat of a deal breaker (That and IQ seems to drop off the longer out you go, but perhaps that's normal of a travel zoom with such a long zoom range). I just feel other lenses like the 24-200 might be a bit better value at around $200 cheaper, but it doesn't go to 400mm.

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* PLEASE NOTE: I generally unsubscribe from forums/comments after a period of time has passed, so if I do not respond, that is likely the reason. *

jhunna said:

I think it is a great lens. I need to finish paying for my z8 and 24120s before getting it but I am definitely getting it. Outside on a sunny day, if you can handle the heft, you can shoot everything...


28mm under an awning and you can capture the entire scene.


Can you find these two in the previous 28mm shot. Same lens at 400mm

And here is a full resolution jpeg from the same 28mm shot, can you find him in the first shot?


Look at this shot at full res... how much more detail do you want?

Can't wait to get mine. (I rented it for this outing).

Click to expand...

Excellent - and yes I agree it is that good or better. Some fuss about being slow, but with the excellent way the DX Z models handle high iso and the excellent stabilization the stop or so you loose here is almost insignificant. Very few 400mm lenses are much faster than 5.6 and many require a stop down of at least one stop, and many start at 4.5 where the 28-400 4-8 is perfectly happy wide open, so in the end very little difference to be concerned with.

The 24-200 doesn't go to 400 and is only 2/3 of a stop faster at 200mm and same speed at widest. And does the 24-200 work best when wide open or need to be stopped down a bit. I don't have one, so don't know, but do know the. 28-400 works well wide open.

Bob A L said:

The 24-200 doesn't go to 400 and is only 2/3 of a stop faster at 200mm and same speed at widest. And does the 24-200 work best when wide open or need to be stopped down a bit. I don't have one, so don't know, but do know the. 28-400 works well wide open.

Click to expand...

True, but I believe at 200mm it's generally sharper (although not by much) across the frame. But this is the classic dilemma of more focal range or speed. At least for me at least, the 24-200 wins primarily because of the speed and I generally don't need much beyond 200mm (and if i do, if I'm on my Z8, can I just crop in in a pinch if I have to). The 28-400 also extends out quite a bit which can change the balance of things depending on which body you are one (and lens hood in some respects does make things more difficult being mostly rectangular versus circular, particularly if you try to use adapter rings and slightly larger filters (like 72mm filters), like I sometimes do.

As for the 2/3 of a stop, that might come down to needing ISO 5000 versus 3200, which depending on which camera the lens is used one, may make some people uncomfortable (although most of the FF cameras at least can handle up to ISO 6400 quite well). And at the wider FLs, yes the 28-400 may be better but it seems to even out after about 35mm and is quite similar in most situations throughout the shared zoom range.

So in one respect, you're mostly paying for the extra focal length. If you need it, then get it, but if you don't, the 24-200 might be a better option for a few reasons.

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* PLEASE NOTE: I generally unsubscribe from forums/comments after a period of time has passed, so if I do not respond, that is likely the reason. *

I've been using M43 for years and I've been very happy with F4 lenses.

So for me F8 dof is more than fine and ofc full frame can handle the bump in iso.

The range and the weight of the lens is pretty great imo.

It's only a stop slower than what people would consider good.

I don't even think it's that expensive for what it is.

I'm still deciding whether to buy it though but only because I have the 24-200 and might end up putting the money towards the heavy and only 2/3 of a stop faster 180-600.

It's 50/50 though. I can definitely see the appeal of this lens.