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    Nikon announces the Z 28-400mm F4-8 VR

    By 58 Comments Industry News 3 Mins Read

    MELVILLE, NY (March 27, 2024) Today Nikon Inc. announced the release of the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR, a supremely versatile high-power super-zoom lens for Nikon Z series full-frame/FX-format mirrorless cameras. This latest addition to the expanding line of NIKKOR Z lenses offers the highest zoom ratio in its class*1, making it a must-have for travel, sports, backyard wildlife and more.

    “So many photographers and creatives will love the versatility of the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm, which gives you clarity, range and fantastic backgrounds,” said Naoki Onozato, President and CEO, Nikon Inc. “Wherever your travels lead, this is definitely a lens to consider packing.”

    The NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR is a high-magnification zoom lens that covers a broad range of focal lengths — from 28mm to 400mm. Whether up close or far away, from landscapes to distant vistas, users will appreciate the extreme versatility and powerful capabilities of the 14.2× zoom. Although it is a super-telephoto zoom lens with a range up to 400mm, it’s also the lightest in its class*1, weighing only approximately 1.6 lbs (725 g), making it easy to carry when traveling.

    This new lens also has a remarkably close minimum focus distance*2 of only 7.8 in. (0.2 m) at the maximum wide-angle position and 3.9 ft. (1.2 m) at the maximum telephoto position. The maximum reproduction ratio of 0.35x lets users capture close-ups at short distances for food, flowers and animals. When shooting far away, users can fill the frame with their subject and still have a pleasing blurred background.

    The NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR uses a stepping motor (STM), which enables fast and quiet autofocusing, allowing rapid focus on moving subjects. The lens also features a vibration-reduction (VR) function with performance equivalent to 5.0 stops, which helps achieve sharp photos and stable video with ease, even when handheld.*3

    Primary features of the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR

    • Covers a broad range of focal lengths— from 28mm to 400mm, with a 14.2× zoom which is a first among NIKKOR Z lenses.
    • A minimum focus distance of 0.2 m at the maximum wide-angle position and a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.35× allow users to get closer to their subjects for dynamic expression.
    • A total length of approx. 5.57 in. (141.5 mm) and a weight of approx. 1.6lbs (725g)– the lightest lens in its class– make this an easy lens to carry and shoot hand-held.
    • Stable VR performance equivalent to a 5.0-stop increase in shutter speed effectively reduces blurring in dimly lit surroundings and with hand-held shooting. When paired with a compatible camera, Synchro VR can be activated to achieve up to 5.5-stop stabilization*4 by combining in-camera VR and lens VR.
    • Stepping motor (STM) enables high-speed AF drive.
    • Support for linear MF drive enables smooth focusing, which is especially useful for video shooting.
    • Comes with a compact, square lens hood that combines superior performance and usability.
    • Designed to be dust- and drip-resistant with thorough sealing on various portions including movable parts of the lens barrel to keep dust and water droplets from entering the lens.*5

    Price and Availability

    The new NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens will be available in mid-April for a suggested retail price of $1299.95*. For more information about the latest Nikon products, including the vast collection of NIKKOR Z lenses and the entire line of Z series cameras, please visit Nikonusa.com.

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    58 comments

    2. So, STM and f/8. Looks like it's not just Canon that thinks that there is a market for such lenses :)
      Oh my, I hope it doesn’t require/force distortion correction at the wide end, or else it might as well be one of those horrible Canon RF lenses!
    5. That’s been happening for several years.
      Oh yeah forgot... funny how I only remembered comments about leaving Canon for Sony. Maybe I have early onset Sonyle de-Minolta?
    6. Oh yeah forgot... funny how I only remembered comments about leaving Canon for Sony. Maybe I have early onset Sonyle de-Minolta?
      Yes, I recommend you visit your doctor asap. The next phase of this syndrome is becoming a Sony fanboy ;)
    8. Nikon's MTF sound very optimistic...
      I wonder which Pink Colored Glasses program they've been using to "calculate" them.
      These are theoretical, but unlike Sigma who actually measures them as well, or Canon, they don't include diffraction effects in their calculations. You can knock 5-10% or more off them for narrower apertures.
    9. Oh my, I hope it doesn’t require/force distortion correction at the wide end, or else it might as well be one of those horrible Canon RF lenses!
      Such "rubber" zoom lenses never come w/o strong distortion, either on short or long focal lengths (most probably at the wide angle end). I think all manufacturers of such extreme wide angle to tele zooms rely on a heavy-sided in-camera correction of all sorts of distortion, vignetting, and aberrations to keep weight, size, and price within tolerable limits. Personally, I therefore prefer dedicated tele or wide angle zooms (if not primes anyway) with much more properly designed optics. Even Canon's new long RF 200-800 mm zoom was surely much easier to design with quite well-corrected optical aberrations - vignetting seems to be a bit pronounced but that's not a real issue.

      Btw I still wait for my RF 200-800... :( Germany and/or Europe seems to be much less attractive for Japanese camera makers than it still was a decade ago, so we are the last ones to get new lenses - okay, people living in Tierra del Fuego may have to be even more patient, I guess.
    11. Such "rubber" zoom lenses never come w/o strong distortion, either on short or long focal lengths (most probably at the wide angle end). I think all manufacturers of such extreme wide angle to tele zooms rely on a heavy-sided in-camera correction of all sorts of distortion, vignetting, and aberrations to keep weight, size, and price within tolerable limits.
      Yet again I forgot the [sarcasm] tags on my post.
    12. Such "rubber" zoom lenses never come w/o strong distortion, either on short or long focal lengths (most probably at the wide angle end). I think all manufacturers of such extreme wide angle to tele zooms rely on a heavy-sided in-camera correction of all sorts of distortion, vignetting, and aberrations to keep weight, size, and price within tolerable limits. Personally, I therefore prefer dedicated tele or wide angle zooms (if not primes anyway) with much more properly designed optics. Even Canon's new long RF 200-800 mm zoom was surely much easier to design with quite well-corrected optical aberrations - vignetting seems to be a bit pronounced but that's not a real issue.

      Btw I still wait for my RF 200-800... :( Germany and/or Europe seems to be much less attractive for Japanese camera makers than it still was a decade ago, so we are the last ones to get new lenses - okay, people living in Tierra del Fuego may have to be even more patient, I guess.
      Isn't the idea to make one lens so you never need to change it? I can understand people who might want this option, but lately, I'm thinking about The Three-Body Problem, one of those harnesses to hold two and one holster on the hip...
    14. Nikon's MTF sound very optimistic...
      I wonder which Pink Colored Glasses program they've been using to "calculate" them.
      Given Nikon's quality issues harsh reality will make such MTF data very theoretical anyway:

      www.lensrentals.com

      The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Test: Or Why I Don’t Test Just One Copy

      As most of you know, we generally test multiple copies of a lens when we evaluate it, simply because we are so aware of copy-to-copy variation. But I got caught between a rock and a hard place this week. We received exactly one copy of the new Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens and [...]
      www.lensrentals.com

      This was not a downward outlier at the beginning of the production of that particular 300 mm lens. More than ten years ago, a thorough and rare lab test of superteles in a German photozine showed that Nikon teles from 300 to 500 mm suffered from decentered lenses. Consequently my wife, a Nikonian, decided to buy a Sigma 500 mm f/4.5 because that lens outperformed optically Nikon's actual 500 mm f/4 back then.
    15. Isn't the idea to make one lens so you never need to change it? I can understand people who might want this option, but lately, I'm thinking about The Three-Body Problem, one of those harnesses to hold two and one holster on the hip...
      Well, many users of ILC cameras just have only one zoom lens attached, that was typical back in the days of film SLRs. That's very okay, but in fact a fixed lens (bridge) camera would do the same job then. I sometimes use my EF 24-105mm STM when I want a lighter but versatile gear or no disturbing AF motor noise when I shoot video with an external mike. But then it's clear that the wide angle images need some in-camera correction or post-processing - at least when straight lines are part of the composition.
    16. Given Nikon's quality issues harsh reality will make such MTF data very theoretical anyway:

      www.lensrentals.com

      The Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR Test: Or Why I Don’t Test Just One Copy

      As most of you know, we generally test multiple copies of a lens when we evaluate it, simply because we are so aware of copy-to-copy variation. But I got caught between a rock and a hard place this week. We received exactly one copy of the new Nikon 300mm f/4E PF ED VR lens and [...]
      www.lensrentals.com

      This was not a downward outlier at the beginning of the production of that particular 300 mm lens. More than ten years ago, a thorough and rare lab test of superteles in a German photozine showed that Nikon teles from 300 to 500 mm suffered from decentered lenses. Consequently my wife, a Nikonian, decided to buy a Sigma 500 mm f/4.5 because that lens outperformed optically Nikon's actual 500 mm f/4 back then.
      While I can't dispute your point and it's source can't be ignored, it is so long ago. Let's hope they've improved by now....
    18. While I can't dispute your point and it's source can't be ignored, it is so long ago. Let's hope they've improved by now....
      We had so many issues with our Nikon gear, with several digital cameras, lenses from different years, that I can only comment on Nikon's products in a sarcastic way, in particular as an ex-Nikon user. Really, my Canon gear proved to be so much more reliable in particular tough and raw environments, when shooting wildlife, that this can't be just lucky incidence. I would wish Nikon that they get their quality issues better controlled, but I am skeptical. There is a solid reason why Canon products are often more expensive that Nikon's comparable products since about 10-15 years, before it was the opposite. Canon still makes at least all prosumer and pro cameras and lenses in Japan, not in Thailand.
    19. Well, many users of ILC cameras just have only one zoom lens attached, that was typical back in the days of film SLRs. That's very okay, but in fact a fixed lens (bridge) camera would do the same job then. I sometimes use my EF 24-105mm STM when I want a lighter but versatile gear or no disturbing AF motor noise when I shoot video with an external mike. But then it's clear that the wide angle images need some in-camera correction or post-processing - at least when straight lines are part of the composition.
      Getting a bit off topic: On my pc, the distortion correction is much faster than denoising for photos (I almost never make a video). Is it the same in your experience for both photos and videos?

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