Nikon unleashes upgraded 80-400mm super telephoto lens

Nikon unleashes upgraded 80-400mm super telephoto lens
The Nikkor 80-400mm has a Nano Crystal coating - sounds impressive

An upgrade to the 80-400mm lens already in the Nikkor lineup, Nikon's new super telephoto optic has been designed with newer, high resolution DSLRs in mind.

Nikon's Vibration Reduction system is included to enable up to 40-stop compensation throughout the zoom range, even at the full 400mm telephoto end of the optic.

The newly designed construction of the lens boasts 20 elements in 12 groups and is equipped with Nikon's own Nano Crystal Coating. The Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens also has four ED (extra low dispersion) glass elements and one Super ED glass element.

Designed to combat ghosting and flare, Nano Crystal Coating combines with the ED glass to help correct for problems such as chromatic aberration and colour defects.

When shooting within a specific distance range, a focus limit switch is available to speed up focusing time. The AF also works even when a 1.4x teleconverter is attached to an f/8 compatible camera. An integrated barrel lock prevents the lens extending under its own weight when not in use.

High quality build

The construction features a metal mount and rubber sealing for protection against the elements. It comes complete with a lens hood and case, along with a detachable tripod foot for improving balance when the camera is mounted to a tripod.

The Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens price will be around £2,449.99 (around US$3,689 / AU$3,635), with an anticipated sales start date of March 19.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.