Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S Released

Lens News

by Jeff LochJanuary 26^th, 2022

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Nikon has released a new telephoto prime lens for Nikon Z cameras: the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S. This high-end prime lens features a built-in 1.4x teleconverter, a robust Silky Swift VCM autofocus system, and a built-in filter slot. Let’s take a closer look at this unique $14.000 lens.

After the recent release of the Nikon Z 9, the Japanese company continues to expand its Z line of lenses for mirrorless cameras.

In the past couple of months, Nikon already launched the NIKKOR Z MC 105mm F/2.8 VR S and NIKKOR Z MC 50mm F/2.8 macro lenses, as well as the NIKKOR Z 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VR S.

We already heard that Nikon was working on the NIKKOR Z 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S, but we had very little information about this lens. Finally, the wait is over for wildlife and sports photographer, as Nikon officially released this beast of a prime lens.

Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S features

Let’s start by telling you a bit about how gigantic this prime telephoto lens is: it has a diameter of 15.6cm, a length of 38cm, and a weight of 2.95kg/6.6lbs. The Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S is far from being a compact or lightweight lens, but this is not what you want from such a particular piece of glass.

This 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S is part of Nikon’s S-Line of high-quality lenses. A maximum aperture of F/2.8 will give wildlife and sports photographer state-of-the-art image quality.

On the lens itself, you’ll find a built-in 1.4x teleconverter (TC) that extends your reach to 560mm in a matter of seconds.

In terms of autofocus performances, Nikon put a Silky Swift VCM autofocus system inside the 400mm T/2.8 TC VR S. Some optical ABS encoders deliver fast and reliable focusing, which is essential with such a long lens.

The lens comes with a removable tripod foot, and it also features Vibration Reduction image stabilization.

Lens design

The lens design of the NIKKOR 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S consists of a whopping 25 elements in 19 groups. But, take a deep breath; there are seven elements in 4 groups in the built-in teleconverter, two ED elements, two fluorite elements, one super-ED element, and one DR element.

In terms of coatings, you’ll find a fluorine-coated front element to reduce fingerprints and repel dust/oil/water droplets. Also, some elements feature an ARNEO coating and a meso-amorphous coating on some glass elements to minimize ghosting and lens flares.

The aperture diaphragm consists of nine round aperture blades. The minimum focusing distance is 2.5m/8.2ft. Last but not least, sealing around all moving parts keeps dust and moisture from entering the lens.

Price and availability

The Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm F/2.8 TC VR S is available for pre-order now and will start shipping next month for $13,996. Fun fact: A spare Nikon HK-42 Lens Hood (one of these comes with the lens) costs you $1,070.

As you can tell, this is an expensive lens, but so are the Canon RF 400mm F/2.8L IS USM and Sony FE 400mm F/2.8 GM OSS, both retail for $11,999.

For more information, please visit Nikon’s website here.

What do you think about this new Nikon telephoto prime lens? Did you already shoot with such a long fixed lens? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!