Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Chris.... epic move, the IBIS on the Z6 allows the 24-70F4S to be without VR thus driving the weight down to a respectable 500g... making it comparable to the vintage AF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5D's 450g... the 28-105mm is decidedly on my radar... likely the best of the best vintage mid-range and focuses closer than any of the mid-range zooms with a 1:2 ratio. Albeit finding one in pristine condition is a challenge.

Hope you enjoy the benefits of Nikon's newest Z6... I'll likely never make the leap into that format... have maybe a half dozen years at best before my vision fades away... My issue is the fact I still shoot soccer and there simply aren't Z series Nikkors in the 400mm range nor is Nikon planning on releasing them any time soon... albeit for events the Z cameras are reported to be outstanding... enjoy your new kit Chris!

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

nikonbrain I certainly did test the AF 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6D IF FX Nikkor on my D810 and it does perform well... That said I've found a much more elegant solution to a short mid-range zoom for my D810. The massive file size of the D810 make for slow post processing so I've opted to mount my Sigma AF 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens on the D810 with stellar results... It yields a civilized file size 15MP (nearly same as the Nikon D4) and using an option (A6) I can gray out the DX crop area in the viewfinder... love the wonderful results which are certainly good enough for 11x14 prints...

Note: This is an undocumented Nikon feature... On the D810 Set A6 to OFF. This will both turn off the AF Point Illumination AND grey the area outside of the current crop mode.

Unfortunately, on the D810, you can't have AF Point Illumination and the crop area greyed out. Both functions are tied together. Yes sadly the D810 actually isn't a real Pro Grade Camera, close but not with all the capabilities latent in the Pro Series i.e. D3, D4, D5 etc...

Hope this helps nikonbrain

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

camerapapi you are indeed correct... this vintage Nikkor was entirely designed for film... and since Kodachrome was omnipresent this lens has fabulous vignetting correction built into the optic design... The reason is obvious... Kodak's "chromes" were an industry standard... the concept of "lens profiles" didn't exist yet...

And yes I completely concur... this lens represents a stellar cost/value ratio... since I shot commercially in the seventies and eighties I love the solid feel of "real" metal lens barrows... guess I'm just way too old fashion but those plastic fantastic wonders leave something to be desired in my aging concept of "quality" Loving the massive migration to the Z systems... lots of stellar DSLR glass going for bargain prices...

Thanks for share William

nikonbrain Loc: Crystal River Florida

Ya I used it like I said on a d7100. It produced good images but I was not printing large at the time ...Idid do landscapes but with a 20mm 2.8...so with the purchase of the d810 I went with the pros recommended lens ...I will try it agin.

Bill P

I have the newest version, cause that's what was out there when I got it, and I'm pleased. I recall the the internet review that were so negative, and you have confirmed what I've often thought. Stuff on the net isn't always true. That photo is amazing.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

nikonbrain, might keep in mind that lens acuity ratings (sharpness) are typically based on the optics widest aperture. This is likely inappropriate for most practical usage... especially portraiture where even the slights head tilt will cause one eye to be out of focus. Also Vendors and Manufactures will invariably try to entice you to spend more than necessary since they are in fact mercenaries with hidden agendas.

Ok if you want the very "best" lens available for your D810 then by all means pony up $5,697 for the AF-S Nikkor 200mm f/2G ED VR II Nikkor. You will not be disappointed... that is until you actually try to shoot with this monster... at 6.4 lb / 2900 g you will be able to hand hold for maybe one or two minutes... This optic requires a monopod at minimum.

I've only know one gentleman who actually owned this and he used it to shoot his kids while playing in the snow... oh well...

Please remember that DxO mark bases their measurements on a lens wide open... thus primes always do well... but for shooting events few commercial shooters use primes... zooms are nearly always preferred... Only in a studio to primes rule the day... I have an AF f/2.8 300mm that I tried shooting soccer with but gave up and ponied up for a "previously owned" AF-S 200-400mm f/4G ED IF VR and it works exceptionally well in this scenario... In fact it is the most preferred soccer lens in Europe... and they take soccer seriously.

btw I still use the AF f/2.8 300mm for fashion and beauty genre... here the talent is rather stationary... and it is possible to lock the razor thin DOF on the eyes...

Take what you see/hear on the web with skepticism... typically there are hidden agendas involved... . "Trust but verify"

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Thank you so much for your very kind words Bill P They are deeply appreciated.
And yes experience has been a brutal teacher about the validity of Internet "wisdom"

I've learn so much from assisting commercial shooters in my market...
They are paying the bills with their gear so every piece of kit needs to do it's job will compelling finesse...

Bill P

I won't deny that I have made an occasional ill advised emotional purchase of gear, but all in all, I expected all my gear to make me money.

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

absolutely Bill P... tools of our trade... we all benefit from a fully functional easy to configure kit... Especially when there are clients in the mix... when shooting for a client everything changes... They are totally focused on results that meet and/or exceed their expectations and thus have little if any thoughts about our gear....

All the best on your journey Bill P...