My relationship with DSLRs started years ago with a Nikon D80. In the last 10 years, I had the opportunity to use most gears in line with wildlife photography.
Masai Mara in Kenya is my second home and all-time favourite for wildlife photography. The gear that I usually carry along are two Nikon D5s, a Nikkor 600mm f/4, or a 400mm f/2.8; a 70- 200mm f/2.8 and a wide-angle lens.
Although I was happy with the 200- 400mm lens, some reviews I had seen of the 180-400mm were quite tempting. However you can never be sure until you test it. Finally, on my last three trips to Masai Mara I got the 180-400mm for testing.
First glance
This black beauty is definitely small and slender compared to other Nikon gear, and fits perfectly in my bag. Weight wise, it’s still 3.5 kg, which is a bit on the heavier side. Along with the D5 it’s pretty balanced and not that tough to be handheld for short durations. In fact, if you use this lens alongside a D850 or a D500, it’s easier for handheld use. The highlight was the 1.4x teleconverter which practically reduces your bag weight to half by avoiding carrying an additional 600mm. You can carry just this one lens, and still make the best out of a wildlife photography expedition, especially in places like Masai Mara.
Focus tracking, low light performance & sharpness
Like most photographers, I enjoy my moments in the wild either in the early mornings or late evenings. There are great possibilities during this time for shooting backlit photos, the play of light and the anticipation of action-packed sequences.
A great body like the Nikon D5 definitely keeps you out of worry in terms of ISO performance, noise issues, frame rate and colour depth. I have always loved the colour outputs from Nikon.
Let’s begin the journey with The King on a sunrise. He was walking gracefully through the grass, with the morning sun sprinkled across the golden dust on the field. It was absolutely easy to get the focus on the magical rim light around him. The 180-400’s high focus tracking performance leaves absolutely no chance for back and forth games, and I found it much smoother than the 400mm f/2.8 lens when it comes to focus tracking.
Another day it was a chance for playing with Malaika’s boys. Once again playing with the light, a bit earlier in the day that usual; this new beauty was fast and accurate in all lighting conditions.
One of the most amazing experiences was a late evening cheetah hunt around 6:50 pm with hardly any visibility. She was with her cub, desperately looking for an early and safe dinner option. Eventually spotting a gazelle and her obedient cub well hidden in the bush, she targeted the prey. I wish I knew their language; it’s so amazing to watch the way these beauties communicate. Even a glance can pass the message. In short, all I could see initially was the gazelle’s horns and far away a slow moving shadow. Because I had trust in my guide, I knew that the moving shadow was a cheetah.
Eventually as Malaika approached closer the visibility got better. I was using 12,000 ISO, so there is noise, but the focus tracking was absolutely brilliant from the shadow till the last leap she did right in front of our vehicle. I hardly missed any moments on this journey.
The highlight in my journey so far with the 180-400mm were the moments we had along with a Serval Cat for nearly three hours. This was my first time seeing her hunting, that too many times over. Also, this brilliant predator was successful most of the time; hunting left, right and centre. In this occasion the zoom facility and the built-in extender was a true blessing, with no difference in quality. I must say the focus tracking in this gear is just fabulous. Even when the cat was moving through the tall yellow grass, the tracking worked amazingly. Covering the range of 180 to 400 and with the extender on a full frame body taking it to 560mm, this is a perfect option for wildlife photography in locations like Kenya & Tanzania. When the subject approaches closer, with this lens you don’t need to switch the lens. The f/4, further gives great bokeh effect too.
Whether you focus through the tall grass, through pouring rain, fog, golden hour or blue hour, this gear gives you the best output. Let me conclude this with a super moon rise, once again from Masai Mara, with few waterbucks posing for us.
Downside:
I am extremely satisfied with the gear, but it’s hightime for Nikon to come up with light weight lenses. 3.5 kg is still on the heavy side, especially for handheld shoots for longer durations.
Conclusion :
This is my most favorite lens from the Nikon collection. In fact if I get an opportunity to swap between 400mm f/2.8 with 180-400mm, I would blindly go for the 180-400mm.
