Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR: First Impressions

Superzooms have always been viewed with a certain amount of disdain by “serious” photographers. Fairly or unfairly, lots of photographers would immediately dismiss anything more extreme than a 24-120mm lens. But now, Nikon has released not a superzoom, but a straight hyperzoom, whose wide end starts at 28mm and ends at 400mm: the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR. How big is the optical compromise in a 14.3x zoom? Is this record-breaking lens just a marketing ploy to lure customers? To answer these questions, there was nothing to do but to take the Nikon Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR out and test it for myself.