The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S and the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S is the longer of the two lenses at 385mm. The Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S with a length of 235mm, is 150mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S also has a larger diameter of 140mm compared to the Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S's 104mm diameter.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S and Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S weighs 1245g, which means it is 1140g (47%) lighter than the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S which has a weight of 2385g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Prime Lenses in Nikon Z Mount for size comparison purposes.
Super Telephoto Lenses in Nikon Z Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S has a filter size of 95mm whereas the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S has a 46mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 95mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S:
And these are the 46mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S:
Lens Mounts
Both the Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S and the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S has the same Nikon Z lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon Z lenses are Nikon Zf, Nikon Z8 and Nikon Z30.
Focal Range
Nikon 400mm F4.5 VR S is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 400mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
600mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon Z 800mm F6.3 VR S is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 800mm.