Nikon Z 28-400mm vs Nikon Z 100-400mm for Landscape Photography
Introduction
How much image quality do you give up by choosing the lightweight Nikon Z 28-400mm instead of the Nikon Z 100-400mm?
To find out, I compared a series of real-world landscape images captured side by side using both lenses on the 45 megapixel Nikon Z7 II to evaluate sharpness, edge performance, and overall image quality across overlapping focal lengths. While the Nikon Z 100-400mm costs roughly twice as much and offers a faster aperture, the Nikon Z 28-400mm provides a dramatically more versatile focal range in a smaller, lighter package designed for hiking, travel, and convenience.
For this comparison, all images were captured in RAW format and imported into Lightroom using default settings with no post-processing applied. Images were shot at ISO 64 and f/8 using focal lengths where the lenses overlap, including approximately 100mm, 115mm, 180mm, 200mm, 300mm, and 400mm.
Watch the Full Comparison
Watch the full side-by-side comparison below, including landscape image comparisons, edge sharpness observations, and real-world image quality testing.
Key Takeaways
Overall Sharpness: Across every focal length tested, the Nikon Z 100-400mm consistently delivered noticeably sharper images with stronger fine detail and better edge-to-edge performance than the Nikon Z 28-400mm. The difference was especially visible when inspecting fine textures and distant detail at 100% magnification.
100mm to 200mm Performance: Near the shorter end of the overlapping range, the Nikon Z 100-400mm showed noticeably stronger sharpness in both center and edge areas, though the Nikon Z 28-400mm still delivered respectable image quality for a superzoom lens.
300mm to 400mm Performance: At longer focal lengths, the Nikon Z 100-400mm continued to maintain a clear image quality advantage with more detail, better clarity, and stronger edge sharpness. The Nikon Z 28-400mm remained usable, but softness became more apparent by comparison.
Color & Contrast: In real-world use, color and contrast appeared very similar between the two lenses, with sharpness and detail rendering being the main differentiators.
Portability vs Performance: While the Nikon Z 100-400mm clearly wins in image quality, the Nikon Z 28-400mm offers meaningful advantages in portability, price, wider focal length coverage, and convenience for hiking or travel.
Bottom Line: This comparison largely comes down to priorities. If maximum image quality and sharpness are your goals, the Nikon Z 100-400mm is clearly the stronger performer. If versatility, size, and weight matter more, the Nikon Z 28-400mm still produces strong results while offering a dramatically more convenient all-in-one solution.
RAW Files
Download the original RAW files from this comparison to inspect the images yourself, test your own editing workflow, and evaluate image quality in Lightroom, Photoshop, or your preferred RAW editor.
Check Current Pricing
Check current pricing and availability below:
Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 S
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
Nikon Z7 II
View at B&H Photo | View at Amazon
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