Nikon has announced their latest super-telephoto Z-Mount lens, the Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S and while the 800mm appears massive, Nikon has managed to make it approximately 48% lighter and 16% shorter than it’s F-mount equivalent.
How, you may ask, did they do this?
Well, the short answer is by incorporating a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element which allowed Nikon to use fewer lens elements in total and reduce the weight and size of the lens.
View Nikon NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S Lens Pricing and Availability at Vistek
The PF element features a nano-crystal coasting and is just one of the 22 elements in the 14 groups of glass that make up the lens, others being three Extra-low Dispersion (ED) elements and one Short-wavelength (SR) element.
The front element also features a non-stick fluorine-coating that repels oil, moisture and smudges and is easily wiped clean.
Nikon says the lens has been carefully balanced with the centre of gravity moved closer to the photographers body to help reduce the fatigue normally experience holding a lens of this size at eye level for extended periods of time.
Nikon also says that this will make it easier to pan smoothly when tracking fast moving objects such as wildlife or aircraft.
As mentioned at the top, this lens is considerably lighter than it’s F-mount contemporary, weighing in at only 2,385 g (5.25 lbs) compared to the 4590 g (10.1lbs) of the f-mount lens.
And at only 385 mm (15.2 in) compared to 461 mm (18.2 in) in length, it’s also approximately 76mm (5.25 in) shorter than the f-mount version.
The lens also has an optical vibration reduction (VR) function providing compensation equivalent to shooting with with a shutter speed five stops faster. When paired with the Nikon Z9 camera with Synchro VR activated, it can produce up to 5.5-stops of vibration compensation.
A memory recall function can be assigned to on of the four L-FN2 or one L-FN buttons to recall pre-stored focus positions.
The buttons can also be assigned from the menu to control subject tracking, AF Lock and playback.
The programmable control ring can be assigned to adjust ISO, aperture and exposure compensation.
Lastly, the 800mm f/6.3 VR S is also compatible with Nikon’s TC-1.4x and TC-2.0x teleconverters, transforming the lens into the equivalent of a 1,120mm or 1,600mm lens.