A Review of the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S Lens

400mm is a tremendously popular focal length for things like wildlife and landscape photography, and you can spend anywhere from under $1,000 to well over $10,000 for such a lens, depending on the image quality and your needs. In the middle of that range is the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S, and this excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice. 

Coming to you from Christopher Frost, this great video review takes a look at the Nikon NIKKOR Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S lens. Despite being the smallest and lightest 400mm the company has ever created, the 400mm f/4.5 still comes with a range of impressive features, including:

  • Specialized elements for lighter and more compact design (9.2 inches long, 2.7 lbs)
  • One ED (extra-low dispersion) glass element, two Super ED elements, and one SR (short-wavelength refractive) element for reduced chromatic aberrations and coma
  • High-dispersion design for more accurate color rendering
  • Nano Crystal Coat for reduced flares and ghosting and deeper contrast
  • Multiple stepping motors for quick and quiet autofocus suitable for both photos and videos
  • Full-time manual focus override
  • Vibration Reduction offering up to 5.5 stops of compensation
  • Removable tripod foot
  • Customizable control ring
  • Weather-sealed design

Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts on the lens. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

Another remarkable long lens by Nikon.

The lead they are creating over Sony and Canon for wildlife and sports is incredible. Frankly never in history had one company dominated this much.

This lens appears impressive. I wish he compared it to F 2.8 400 mm which is lot more expensive.