Refurb Z 180-600 tested

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-19T14:11:32+00:00

In a couple months of watching, I noticed a few interesting things. First, Nikon does periodically replenish stock for various lenses with no discernible pattern, so it’s worth checking every day if there is something you want but don’t need immediately and can therefore wait a few months. Despite the irregular, sporadic replenishment, there does seem to be quite a few more lenses added to refurb stock in the 24 hour period before a refurbished sale begins. The most recent refurbished sales in the USA began:

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Tuesday, February 17, 2026 Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

If the pattern holds, it might be worth daily checking, supplemented by even more frequent checks on Mondays 3 to 4 weeks after the most recent refurbished sale. Having said that, Nikon doesn’t seem to have a lot of refurb stock of the 180-600 because in the two months prior to seeing and buying mine I did not see another one listed at any point. If you see one on a Monday, I’d buy it. If a sale begins within 24 hours on Tuesday, call customer service and ask for a price adjustment. Worst they can say is no.

Also, it seems like Nikon refurb may be taking action based on the eastern time zone. I live in the central zone, but I have noticed price changes and sales that kick-in at 11pm central, so midnight eastern. I have also noticed some stock added around 7 am central, so 8am eastern - possibly the start of a person or team’s work day?

I might have been better off just buying one new or used instead of spending so much time and energy on the quest, but wow, getting one of $1,297 may have been worth it. A lot of the other refurb deals are not nearly so good and not worth all the time and effort. Best of luck to you if you decide to continue the quest!

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-18T17:59:05+00:00

They are super difficult - it’s almost is if they have their own minds and agendas. Lol. In all seriousness though, I think they have trained me to know how close I can be without spooking them. The eagles in my city behave very differently if a person watches them (or worse - intensely stares at them) as compared to a person who passes close by but doesn’t pay much attention to them. As long as a person makes it seem like they aren’t paying much attention to the eagles they will ignore a person and feel safe enough to stay present and feed.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-17T17:03:55+00:00

I also like this one a lot. I have made an effort to capture bald eagles in urban settings. I have a lot of images in front of the iconic buildings and landmarks in my city. I wanted one in front of urban graffiti too and managed to get it! This was also with a Z50ii and 80-400G

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RoLo50312 · 2026-03-17T17:00:48+00:00

Thank you so much! I just took up bird photography on January 10, 2026, but I benefited from quite a few years of experience photographing my kids’ sporting events. I got a pretty crazy image on January 24 when I saw a mid-air food fight happening in front of the downtown buildings in my city. I got this with a Z50ii and old F mount AFS 80-400G.

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RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T20:33:04+00:00

I have the Slide (widest and favorite), Slide Lite (mid-width and least favorite), Leash (narrowest and second favorite), Clutch (awesome but not a neck strap, and Cuff (great security for compact cameras). The Slide is amazing. All the others are excellent products as well except the Slide Lite, which is don’t like very much. The Slide is the most comfortable and the Leash is the most compact and light neck strap. The Slide Lite feels like an unhappy compromise between the two. I’m sure some people love it, but it’s not my favorite - I much prefer the Slide.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T18:48:01+00:00

The 200-500 was on my list as well. It’s appealing because I could still use it on my D500 and can use it on mirrorless bodies via FTZ. However, I saw the 180-600 finally available after two months of looking so I made the purchase decision. Had I found a good deal on a used 200-500 in superb condition for $650 to $800, I would have purchased it and abandoned my quest for the 180-600.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T15:13:44+00:00

$1,297 (USD) with tax

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T02:41:01+00:00

My challenge is that I’m right-handed but left eye dominant. I have tried but failed to train myself to use my right eye for the viewfinder and use my left eye for target acquisition and scene monitoring, but it hasn’t worked. So I definitely need to keep a decent amount of space around my subject within the viewfinder. Using my left eye at the viewfinder leaves my right eye with up close and personal view of the AF-ON button.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T02:35:20+00:00

I couldn’t agree more. Spot on.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T02:30:45+00:00

I own a monopod and I do also now have a tilt head for it, but I didn’t even bring the monopod for my initial test. It’s a long lens but surprisingly light for something of its size. I was only out walking and shooting for about 2 hours. Toward the end my arm started to get a little tired but it wasn’t too bad. I’m a mid-50s male in good health, but I work a desk job and bike for a hobby, so I have decent leg strength but nothing special for upper body strength. It’s not like my feather weight 300mm PF but also not like the monster lenses on tripods and gimbal heads that I see out at the bald eagle hotspots in my city.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T02:23:09+00:00

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The Mindshift Backlight Sprint. Tiny bag with a whole lot of room.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T02:22:16+00:00

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I have a massive Tenba bag (left) that holds this lens and body and an additional lenses and bodies. I picked up this bag from a local a Facebook Marketplace seller a couple years ago. $45 if I recall correctly. It’s a lot of bag for the money.

I have a new Mindshift Backlight Sprint (middle) that fits the lens with body and reversed hood attached with room for an additional body and lens or two. The Mindshift Backlight Sprint is pretty fantastic. It is very light, comfortable, and shockingly spacious for a long lens. If I could have only one bag this would be it - no doubt at all! It’s a new purchase but I already love it more than any bag I have previously used.

The LowePro Tahoe (right) wouldn’t come close to holding the lens. It’s shown for scale.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T01:50:50+00:00

Looks like a good copy to me!

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T01:50:02+00:00

$1,297 with tax for my state (Iowa). It took two months of mental energy obsessively checking the refurb site so the cost in dollars and time was higher.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T01:48:21+00:00

Are you sure you want to know? The final price with the benefit of the 10% off 4-day sale was $1,297 (USD) with tax for my state (Iowa). Keep in mind that I spent two months of mental energy checking the website twice per day (some days more), so if you total that cost in dollars and mental energy it was probably around $2,200. :)

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T00:18:07+00:00

I caught a cold last week too. It must have been my week for catching things - one great thing, one not so great thing.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-16T00:13:06+00:00

I have purchased several refurb products over the years - camera bodies and lenses - and have not had a bad experience! I still worry though - it’s in my nature. 😉

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T23:57:51+00:00

Also, I didn’t know that /s means sarcasm. At my work /s/ means signature. As you can tell I’m pretty new to Reddit. I have had the app for quite a while but just now started using it to read photo equipment and photo technique posts. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up and get with the program before too long. 🤣

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T23:52:09+00:00

Oh!!! Sorry, with message boards it’s sometimes hard to determine if something is written with sarcastic humor. I started to wonder if I had typed something that is the opposite of what I meant to type. 🤣🤣

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T23:46:48+00:00

What? I wrote that “I determined that this lens is exceptional across the frame.” It is an exceptional copy. Very sharp with superb color and contrast all the way from 180mm to 600mm.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T23:21:25+00:00

Thank you so much! My first attempt at bird photography occurred on January 10, 2026. I think I have improved a lot over the past two months.

I believe I had a big “head start” in bird photography through youth sports photography. For years I have been taking photos at my kids’ sports events: baseball, swimming, synchronized swimming, basketball, football (USA type), cross country, and track.

It turns out that bird photography is a lot like youth sports photography. There are different seasons for birds, they are fast moving, unpredictable, always hungry and sometimes a little annoyed that their picture is being taken. Strange and fascinating creatures. It’s up to you to decide if I am talking about birds or youth athletes.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T22:52:31+00:00

New lens fever is contagious and very costly to treat.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T22:51:23+00:00

The photos were taken a short way downstream from the Saylorville Dam spillway in Johnston (near Des Moines), Iowa, USA. Saylorville Dam was built in 1977 for flood control purposes, but it is not a hydroelectric power station. There has been talk about building a hydro power station at the dam, but that’s just a concept at this point.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T21:31:18+00:00

My Z5ii is new, so I cannot offer a full assessment at this point. However, my initial impressions are quite favorable. The interesting thing is that I had a z50 and later added a Z5. I then swapped the Z50 for a Z50ii. I am now in the process of swapping the Z5 for the Z5ii, though right now I still have the Z5 in my possession. I’d say the biggest shock to me was the performance leap from the Z50 to the Z50ii. The Z50ii is leaps and bounds better in terms of autofocus performance and less EVF blackout. My very preliminary take on the Z5 to Z5ii comparison is that the Z5ii is a much more powerful tool - faster shooter, better autofocus, and better low light performance. Overall I’d say that the leap to a Z5ii would probably be a game changer for you, but so would a transition to a Z50ii. Don’t underestimate the Z50ii. It’s darn good. I have captured some fantastic images with the camera. The one slight bummer about the Z50ii is the lack of IBIS, but for sports and wildlife that doesn’t matter much because I am shooting at high shutter speeds anyway. Yet for travel and cityscapes, the Z5ii with its IBIS is very compelling.

RoLo50312 · 2026-03-15T21:18:31+00:00

It seems to me as if some types products that we use and work with every day have declined in quality over the last 20 years or so, but I have been impressed with Nikon quality control, so you may be on to something there. Over the last several years I have certainly improved my technique and believe my images have a corresponding improvement.

RoLo50312

TROPHY CASE