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The following chart shows very clearly the fact mentioned in the introduction – the Nikkor is a lens smaller and lighter than the Sony model. At the same time it weights less than both Sigma lenses. The official length of the Sigmas is shorter but these instruments change their dimensions during the increase of the focal length so it's rather difficult to compare them to the tested Nikkor. The Sigmas also boast of the shortest minimum focus distances.

In the photo below the Nikkor Z 180-600 mm f/5.6-6.3 VR is positioned between the Sony FE 200-600 mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS, and the Nikkor Z 24-70 mm f/4.0 S.

The tested lens starts with a metal mount that surrounds the contacts and an inner tube with a 32x23 mm frame set over 2 cm deep inside. The tube and the area around the frame are very nicely blackened and matted. Under the frame there is a movable rear element of the lens, about 25 mm in diameter. At the 180 mm focal length it is hidden about 4 cm inside, and when you pass to 600 mm it hides even 3 cm deeper. This movement reveals another part of the inner tube that is properly blackened, without any shiny parts.

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An immobile, black ring made of plastics with a diameter of 29 mm is the first part of the proper Nikkor's body. On it you can find a white dot, making an alignment with a camera easier, an AF/MF switch used for the control of the focusing mechanism, another switch that allows you to choose the range of the autofocus (FULL and from 6 meters to infinity). Then you see an inscripton with the focusing mechanism range (∞–1.3m/4.27ft), the serial number and information that the lens was produced in China.

On the slightly enlargened part of this ring there is a place for attaching a dedicated metal tripod adapter with the help of a special clamp. The adapter can be completely removed and that move allows you to deduct 185 grams – the lens without the adapter and caps weighs 1960 grams.

Then the body of the lens increases its diameter once again and in this place you can find an inscription with the name and parameters of the lens, the logo of the producer, and four white dots that allow you to position the rotary tripod adapter in the right way.

Further on you see a manual focus ring 17 mm wide, completely covered by rubber ribs. It is a focus-by-wire mechanism without any distance or DOF scale. It moves smoothly and its focus throw amounts to an angle of about 270 degrees, providing you turn it quite vigorously. When your movements are slower the range increases to near 600 deg. Such values allow you very precise settings.

Behind another immobile part of the barrel you find a zoom ring. It is quite big, 65 mm wide, consisting of rubber ribbings under which there are focal lengths markings at 180, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 mm. The ring moves smoothly and is properly damped. It's worth mentioning the fact that the change of focal length doesn't make the tested Nikkor change its physical dimensions – everything is performed inside the construction.

Then you see an immobile part of the casing with an L-Fn2 function button and three others buttons without any inscription that are used to lock the autofocus in place.

A big, immobile part of the barrel covered by rubber ribbing is the next part of the lens – it is supposed to make your grip more secure during taking photos. It ends with a narrow band with the name and parameters of the lens along with information that the filter diameters amounts to as much as 95 mm.

The front element is relatively flat, 93 mm in diameter, and it doesn't move. It is surrounded by a non-rotating filter thread, 95 mm in diameter, and a hood mount for a hood that is added to the accessory kit.

When it comes to the optical constriction you deal here with as many as 25 elements positioned in 17 groups. Among them there is one aspherical element and six elements made of low dispersion ED glass. Inside there is also a round aperture with nine diaphragm blades that can be closed down to values ranging from f/32 at the minimum focal length to f/36 at the maximum focal range.

Producers boast of the fact that the lens is completely weather-sealed – rubber gaskets protect all movable elements against dust, dirt, and humidity. Nikon's protective fluorine coating is supposed to make cleaning of the front element easier.

Buyers get in the box: both caps, a tripod adapter, a hood and a soft pouch. I admit at this price point we would expect a solid, hard case – the pouch is rather like a piece of cloth and I don't think it can protect the lens against anything at all.

Image stabilization

The producers declare that the stabilization of the Nikkor 180-600 mm is as efficient as even 5.5 EV. We decided to check that claim and, in order to do so we took several dozen photos at 600 mm with exposure times ranging from 1/800 to 1/5 of a second and the stabilization switched on and off. For every set of photos we determined a percentage of out-of-focus shots; then we presented it in a form of a graph of exposure time which was expressed in EV (with 0 EV being an equivalent of 1/640 of a second).

The maximum distance between both curves indeed reaches 4.3 EV and such is, in our view, the real efficiency of the stabilization mechanism of the tested lens. It is an excellent result that allows you to use the lens even in weak lighting conditions but it's short of these declared 5.5 EV.