I am surprised that nobody talks about the new Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens. Nikon made a mistake to announce this lens together with the mirrorless Z (another Nikon marketing fail). The price of the new lens is right at $3,596.95 and the MTF chart looks very good. Just take a look at the sample photos at the bottom of this post. Shipping will start on September 13th.
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens features, technical specifications and additional sample photos::
- Significantly smaller and lighter with the adoption of a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element, making 500 mm hand-held super-telephoto photography easier and more enjoyable
- Designed with consideration to dust- and drip-resistance; fluorine coat applied to front lens surface, effectively repelling water droplets, grease, and dirt
- Adoption of one PF lens element and three ED glass elements for extremely sharp and detailed rendering, compatible with high pixel-count digital cameras
- Optical performance that is not compromised with the use of the TC-14E III AF-S teleconverter
- Materials used in the new PF lens element effectively control PF (diffraction) flare
- Ghost and flare effectively suppressed with the adoption of the Nano Crystal Coat, enabling 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, in two modes: NORMAL and SPORT
- Electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism adopted for extremely precise aperture control
|
Focal length |
500 mm |
|---|---|
|
Maximum aperture |
f/5.6 |
|
Minimum aperture |
f/32 |
|
Lens construction |
19 elements in 11 groups (including 3 ED lens elements, 1 PF (phase Fresnel) lens element, lens elements with Nano-Crystal coatings, and a fluorine-coated front lens element) |
|
Angle of view |
Nikon FX-format D-SLR cameras: 5°, Nikon DX-format D-SLR cameras: 3° 10′ |
|
Minimum focus distance |
3.0 m (9.8 ft) from focal plane |
|
Vibration reduction |
Yes |
|
No. of diaphragm blades |
9 (rounded diaphragm opening) |
|
Filter attachment size |
95 mm (P = 1.0 mm) |
|
Diameter x length (extension from lens mount) |
Approx. 106 mm maximum diameter x 237 mm (distance from camera lens mount flange) |
|
Weight |
Approx. 1460 g (3 lb 3.5 oz) |
|
Supplied accessories |
LC-95 95 mm Snap-on Front Lens Cap, LF-4 Rear Lens Cap, HB-84 Bayonet Hood, CL-M5 Lens Case |
Some additional sample photos taken with the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens (click for larger view, full resolution available here):
Photos source: Nikon Corp. Previous coverage of the lens can be found here. Nikon 500mm f/5.6E pre-order links:
| Adorama B&H Amazon BuyDig |
WEX Park Camera Jessops |
