The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon AF-S 180-400mm F4E TC VR and the Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Nikon AF-S 180-400mm F4E TC VR is the longer of the two lenses at 363mm. The Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR with a length of 268mm is 95mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon AF-S 180-400mm F4E TC VR also has a larger diameter of 128mm compared to Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR's 108mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR weighs 2300g, 34% (1200g) lighter than the Nikon AF-S 180-400mm F4E TC VR's weight of 3500g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Nikon AF-S 180-400mm F4E TC VR and Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Focal Range
Nikon AF-S 180-400mm F4E TC VR has a focal range of 180-400mm and 2.2X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 270 - 600mm.
Nikon 200-500mm F5.6E ED VR has a focal range of 200-500mm and 2.5X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 300 - 750mm.