Nikon is Making a Lightweight 500mm Super-Telephoto Lens

Nikon have just announced that they are developing a lightweight 500mm super-telephoto lens. The lens will be much more compact and portable than the current 500mm f/4 lens that Nikon offers.

The lens will make use of phase fresnel (PF) elements. The PF elements are able to combat chromatic aberration without the need for larger and heavier elements employed in an optical system.

The lens will be the Nikon 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR; whilst it will be slower than the 500mm f/4 lens, it will be much more compact and lightweight. This will make it an ideal choice for wildlife and sports photographers that need to remain mobile and not throw their backs out at the same time!

“Despite its 500mm focal length, the lens is small and light enough to use hand-held in a wide variety of situations where a photographer must capture unpredictable and fast-moving subjects,” says Nikon. “[Such as] sporting events and wildlife photography.”

Nikon already made a PF version of their 300mm lens, which Nature TTL reviewed recently.

Availability and pricing will be “announced later this year.”