Nikon 500mm f/5.6E Lens Officially Announced & We Have Hands-On Photos

Nikon has given the new AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens it's "official" release, with an RRP of £3699 / €4299. The lens will be available for sale from the 13th September. The lens is a new PF lens, which means it's compact, yet still designed to work on full-frame Nikon FX cameras. The Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF lens was previously announced as being under development. We have had a hands-on look at the lens, and it's impressive how small the lens is, compared to the normal full-size 500mm lens. You can view additional photos of the lens below.

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR Hands-On Photos of Equipment

From Nikon: Nikon releases the AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, a super-telephoto lens compatible with the Nikon FX format - Delivers exceptional agility that makes hand-held super-telephoto photography enjoyable, as well as offering superior optical performance and functionality

London, United Kingdom, 23 August 2018: Nikon is pleased to announce the release of the AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, a super-telephoto lens compatible with Nikon FX-format digital SLR cameras.

The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is a high-performance, FX format, super-telephoto lens that supports a 500mm focal length. Adoption of a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element has significantly reduced the size and weight of the lens, making hand-held super-telephoto photography easy and enjoyable.

The size of this lens has been greatly reduced, with a maximum diameter of 106mm and length of 237mm. Its weight at approximately 1460g is roughly the same weight as the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR – other 500mm lenses normally weigh more than 3000g. The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is designed with consideration to a dust and drip-resistant structure, which in addition to the fluorine coat applied to the front lens surface, allows great agility when shooting.

The use of one PF lens element and three ED glass elements enables extremely sharp and detailed rendering that is compatible with high pixel-count digital cameras. In addition, the materials used in the new PF lens element Nikon has developed, effectively reduce PF (diffraction) flare. Extremely clear images are achieved through the synergistic effects of Nikon's coating technologies, starting with the Nano Crystal Coat, which is very effective at controlling ghost and flare.

AF speed has been increased by making lens elements in the focusing group lighter. The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is also equipped with a VR mechanism that offers camera shake compensation equivalent to a 4.0-stop* increase in shutter speed. In addition, SPORT VR mode has been adopted. SPORT mode is especially effective when photographing fast-moving and unpredictable subjects such as wild birds, or in scenes such as sporting events, as well as when recording movies, due to the stabilisation of the image displayed in the viewfinder.

Use of the FTZ mount adapter will allow the lens to be used with the Z-mount mirrorless cameras also announced today. Users will be able to enjoy super-telephoto shooting at the 500mm focal length with a system that is more compact than ever before.

Adoption of a PF lens element has enabled the creation of a smaller and lighter lens that can be taken to places that were difficult with previous super-telephoto lenses. The smaller size and lighter weight also eliminate the need for a tripod, making hand-held super-telephoto photography easy. The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR greatly expands possibilities for super-telephoto photography by combining superior performance with a compact size and light weight.

Primary features

• Significantly smaller and lighter with the adoption of a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element
• Designed with consideration to a dust and drip-resistant structure, and adoption of Nikon's fluorine coat that effectively repels dust, water droplets, grease, and dirt
• Cutting-edge optics with which one PF lens element and three ED glass elements have been adopted for extremely sharp and detailed rendering that is compatible with high pixel-count digital cameras
• Optical performance that is in no way sacrificed when the TC-14E III AF-S teleconverter is used
• Materials used in the new PF lens element effectively control PF (diffraction) flare
• The effective ghost and flare suppression achieved through the use of Nano Crystal Coat enables clear images
• AF speed increased by making lens elements in the focusing group lighter
• Equipped with a VR mechanism that offers camera shake compensation equivalent to a 4.0-stop* increase in shutter speed
• VR mechanism equipped with two modes: NORMAL and SPORT
• Electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism adopted for extremely precise aperture control

DF-M1 dot sight

Nikon will also release the DF-M1 dot sight (sold separately), an accessory that is very effective with super-telephoto photography and fully compatible with the new COOLPIX P1000 superzoom camera. As only a very narrow field of view is visible in the viewfinder with super-telephoto shooting, it is easy to lose track of the subject. This accessory helps keep track of the intended subject, even if it moves suddenly.

Footnotes

*Measured in accordance with CIPA standards in NORMAL mode when a digital SLR camera equipped with a full-frame, 35mm film equivalent image sensor is used.