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Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens

BH #NI40028EFL • MFR #2217
 30 reviews
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens
Key Features
  • F-Mount Lens/FX Format
  • Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
  • Two Fluorite and Two ED Elements
  • Nano Crystal & Super Integrated Coatings
Pairing impressive reach with impressive speed, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a super telephoto lens characterized by its bright f/2.8 maximum aperture and sophisticated optical, autofocus, and VR systems. Helping to achieve a high degree of clarity, sharpness, and color accuracy, the optical design uses two extra-low dispersion elements and two fluorite elements, which also contribute lessening the overall weight. Individual elements also feature both Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coatings, which control lens flare and ghosting for improved contrast when working in bright and backlit conditions. And for protection, a front fluorine-coated meniscus glass element that, when paired with the weather-resistant magnesium-alloy barrel, supports working in inclement conditions.
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Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Overview

Pairing impressive reach with impressive speed, the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR is a super telephoto lens characterized by its bright f/2.8 maximum aperture and sophisticated optical, autofocus, and VR systems. Helping to achieve a high degree of clarity, sharpness, and color accuracy, the optical design uses two extra-low dispersion elements and two fluorite elements, which also contribute lessening the overall weight. Individual elements also feature both Nano Crystal and Super Integrated Coatings, which control lens flare and ghosting for improved contrast when working in bright and backlit conditions. And for protection, a front fluorine-coated meniscus glass element that, when paired with the weather-resistant magnesium-alloy barrel, supports working in inclement conditions.

A Silent Wave Motor AF system produces fast, near-silent focusing performance that suits both stills shooting and movie recording, which can instantly be manually overridden by simply turning the manual focus ring. Further contributing to photographing in fast-paced situations and difficult lighting, VR (Vibration Reduction) image stabilization compensates for the effects of camera shake by up to four shutter speed steps. Additionally, an electromagnetic aperture mechanism is integrated into the lens design to provide greater exposure control stability that is especially beneficial when working with faster continuous shooting rates.

Super telephoto prime is designed for FX-format Nikon F-mount cameras, however can also be used with DX models where it will provide a 600mm equivalent focal length.
Impressively bright f/2.8 maximum aperture excels in difficult lighting conditions and also enables extensive control over depth of field for isolating subjects using selective focus techniques.
Two fluorite and two extra-low dispersion lens elements work to reduce chromatic aberrations; improve overall image sharpness, clarity, and color fidelity; and help to minimize the overall weight of the lens.
A Nano Crystal Coat, along with a Super Integrated Coating, has been applied to lens elements to minimize surface and internal reflections for a marked reduction in lens flare and ghosting.
Vibration Reduction image stabilization helps to reduce the appearance of camera shake by up to four shutter speed stops, benefiting this lens's use in low-light conditions. Additionally, a designated Sport Mode is well-suited to working in fast-paced conditions and a Tripod Mode helps to suppress subtle ground vibrations when working atop a support system.
Silent Wave Motor affords quick, quiet, and precise autofocus performance along with full-time manual focus override. An internal focusing design is also used, where only the internal lens groups are moved during focusing, to maintain the overall length of the lens during use and to promote faster focusing speeds.
Fluorine-coated front meniscus glass element affords protection to the optical system.
Dust- and moisture-resistant magnesium-alloy lens barrel benefits the lens' use in inclement conditions.
A removable tripod collar is included with the lens for well-balanced support when working from a monopod or tripod. The collar ring also incorporates ball bearings for smooth transitions between horizontal and vertical shooting orientations.
Specialized electromagnetic aperture mechanism provides greater exposure control stability that is especially beneficial when working with fast continuous shooting rates.

This mechanism limits the compatibility of this lens to the following cameras: D5, D4, D3 series, Df, D850, D810, D810A, D800/E, D750, D700, D610, D600, D500, D300/S, D7500, D7200, D7100, D7000, D5600, D5500, D5300, D5200, D5100, D5000, D3400, D3300, D3200, D3100, Z6/Z7 with FTZ Mount Adapter, Nikon 1 J1, J2, J3, J4 with FT-1, Nikon 1 V1, V2, V3 with FT-1, and Nikon 1 S1, S2 with FT-1.
Compatible with optional AF-S Teleconverter TC-14, TC-17, and TC-20 teleconverters.
UPC: 018208022175

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Specs

Focal Length
400mm
Maximum Aperture
f/2.8
Minimum Aperture
f/22
Lens Mount
Nikon F
Lens Format Coverage
Full-Frame
Angle of View
6° 10'
Minimum Focus Distance
8.53' / 2.6 m
Maximum Magnification
0.16x
Optical Design
16 Elements in 12 Groups
Diaphragm Blades
9, Rounded
Focus Type
Autofocus
Image Stabilization
Yes
Tripod Collar
Removable and Rotating
Filter Size
40.5 mm (Drop-In)
Dimensions (ø x L)
6.28 x 14.09" / 159.5 x 358 mm
Weight
8.36 lb / 3800 g
Packaging Info
Package Weight
25.5 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
26 x 16 x 13"

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Reviews

Wow love the accuracy of focus, incredible resolution, Bokeh

By Daniel
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2022-01-10

Since 1994, I have owned the 400mm F2.8 EDIF ais manual focus lens. It is still incredible and 4 pounds more heft. The 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR has brought me way more Keepers and spectacular auto focus. Lot of money, but my wife says this will probably be the last 400mm lens I will own.

Great Lens - Very light weight for a 400mm 2.8

By Kenneth
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-02-17

I'm a professional sports photographer, so having a long telephoto lens is essential. I like many people kept reading specs and reviews before parting with almost $12,000 with the sales tax. I received the lens this week and decided to adjust the Auto Fine Tune with my cameras. My D850's required +18 correction, and my D5 was at +15 to get the focus relatively sharp. Without the corrections, it was extremely soft, so make sure you take the time to check it with your cameras and make the adjustments to be happy with the sharpness. Today was my first time using the lens. I shot two college baseball games today, with pretty heavy overcast skies so didn't really get to see the best of color rendition, but it appears to have improved color over some of the other Nikon Prime's I own and use. It is an overall improvement in engineering from previous prime's and it performed as such today during the two baseball games. I have been editing the final images for the past couple hours and have been satisfied with the results for my first outing with the lens. I elected to shoot with the D850 today so that I would have the FX format at 400mm and also able to instantly switch to DX to get that 600mm 2.8 reach when needed. For me, at the college field, it worked out perfectly. I shot the two games with a monopod and VR Sport mode. In regards to final sharpness results, I can't say that it appears that much if any sharper than other Nikon telephotos like the 300mm 2.8 but it does seem to render a bit more detail in the image. Today I only shot at 2.8 all day, so can't comment on how it performs at F4 or F8, since I never shoot at those stops when shooting sports. In regards to auto focus speed, maybe a bit faster than the other Nikon Prime's, but not sure you will notice a big difference. I will say I never experienced an episode of the lens having to hunt for the subject to lock onto focus. The biggest improvement I seemed to have noticed over some of the other Nikon Prime's is how fast the background drops out when shooting sports, and the magical creamy appearance of the backgrounds. This is extremely helpful in sports photography since most of the backgrounds are full of distractions. I would recommend this lens to a friend, especially if you are a pro or serious sports photographer and can justify the cost. If you are not a an avid sports photographer, then you would most likely never notice a difference in speed or sharpness from it's previous brother the Nikon 400mm 2.8 which can be purchased at about half the price.

Worth the money.

By Aaron
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-01-27

There is simply no substitute for high quality products and this lens is like the Ferrari of DSLR lenses. I traded in the older model of this lens and the differences are substantial. The most notable difference is the weight. The new lens is amazingly light and for the right people it could easily be hand held. While it is definitely expensive, in my opinion it is worth the investment and it would be difficult for a serious sport or wildlife shooter to get by without it.

Great Sharpness

By David
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2019-12-16

I have had this lens for about 3 weeks now and am very happy with its performance. I have been using it with my D850 and my Z7 and get excellent results with both of the cameras. I would say that the focus is faster on the D850, but it is quite acceptable on the Z7. I do mostly wildlife and nature photography have have been getting consistently good results.

Extraordinary.

By Perry
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2019-08-01

I just received this lens and I’ve been testing it on my D500. It exceeds my expectations. The detail that it captures is incredible.  The focus is accurate and extremely fast. The VR is so good that I don’t need a tripod. The price is painful but definitely worth it. Highly recommend this lens.

The Standard for Quality Originates Here

By John A.
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2019-06-28

Aside from all the great things that have already been said about this fantastic lens, I'd like to add the fact that **it is sharpest wide-open** If you check the accredited MTF scores (Ephotozine, PhotographyLife), you will find this lens is at its über-most in performance @ f/2.8 to f/4. This fact is vital to understanding the value of the Nikkor 400 FL ED in comparison to others. Wide-open is what you pay for. The reason an f/2.8 lens costs more than an f/4 lens is LIGHT. However, if the f/2.8 doesn't sharpen-up till f/5.6, it is essentially worthless. The Nikkor 400mm f/2.8 FL ED is greater than all the others (Canon, Sony) because it performs at its uttermost, *wide-open*. It has virtually *zero* CA @ f/2.8 and it is razor-sharp at this aperture. Yes, it costs a lot. But its value lies in the fact you will never want to part with it, once you experience what it can do, wide-open, in comparison to the rest. It is, quite literally, in a class by itself.

Top class lens

By Sriram Sarava
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2021-11-02

It's been 2 years almost since I bought this lens from b&h .love everything about this lens. Sharp ,clean ,fast. Even at low light this lens delivers amazing pictures. You can check some of my pictures at sriram.udhayab at Instagram. I can't wait the combination of z9 and this lens ,it's going to rock my world for sure. It's not easy to hand held but doable . I prefer mostly tripod and sometimes I use handheld . The picture quality with tc 2.0 is not great even with z7ii and d850 but it's great with TC 1.4 . I mostly prefer without TC. I am still debating do I still really need 600 f4 ?

A superlative lens for superlative photos

By Matt
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2020-06-16

Within the first week of shooting with the 400 FL I had some great photos. The subject isolation, the dreamy and colorful bokeh, the sharpness and contrast - and the reach. The reaction of my family and friends to these photos was more than any reaction I've had previously - they didn't know what lens I was using but raved about the overall beauty of the photographs. The 400 FL is hand-holdable for awhile, but for longer more sustained shooting it's much better to have a monopod or even a tripod with a gimbal head. I've used the 400 FL with all 3 teleconverters. The TC14e-III produces images with only a very slight degradation in sharpness; I have to look at them 1:1 and even then it's not always obvious. The TC20e-III has slightly more degradation than the 1.4, but again, it's not always obvious. General focus and ISO/noise issues are bigger than whatever degradation the TCs introduce. The 400 FL takes all the TCs so well that one shouldn't hesitate to use them, even wide-open. The attached photo with the bison was taken with the TC20e-III wide-open with a monopod. I've used the 200-500mmm f/5.6. It's a fine lens and punches above its class. But you won't be able to take the kind of top-tier photos that you can take with the 400 FL. Which is why the 200-500 is $1200 and the 400 FL is 10x that. The price is the only negative about the 400 FL.

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How is handholding this if it’s only being held while shooting (i.e. it spends most of the time in a bag/on a shoulder strap)?
Asked by: Jacob
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Date published: 2021-01-29

Does this lens come with all original accessories ...

Does this lens come with all original accessories (hard case, lens hood etc)?
Asked by: James
The Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens includes the following original Nikon accessories: Nikon Front Lens Cover for 200mm, 300mm, 200-400mm Lenses Nikon LF-4 Rear Lens Cap Nikon HK-38 Lens Hood for AF-S NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR Lens Nikon Neutral Clear Filter (40.5mm) 40.5mm Drop-In Filter Holder Nikon LN-2 Lens Strap for NIKKOR 800mm f/5.6E FL ED VR CT-405 Trunk Case Monopod Collar Limited 1-Year Warranty
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question

I am a professional astronomer who will need to buy a bunch of these lenses to observer the entire sky (ASAS-SN project). We need to know what the image quality is, namely so-called FWHM, how do we find out? Our previous version of thsi lesn delivers 12 arcsec FEHM.
Asked by: Kris S.
In order that we may best assist you, please write us with the source of your information regarding your previous lens. [email protected].
Answered by: Dennis A L.
Date published: 2018-08-25

Where are these lens manufactured?

Where are these lens manufactured?
Asked by: Katie
They are manufactured in Japan
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Date published: 2021-02-19

Could you please explain exactly what Nikon ...

Could you please explain exactly what Nikon refurbished means?Can you give examples as to why a lens would be refurbished? Does a refurbished lens still have the same manufacturer’s warranty as a new lens? Is it a US model or gray market model?
Asked by: Joshua
Hi, Refurbished items are products that for many reasons did not meet early quality controls at the factory so were not shipped initially. After testing, a manufacturer may determine a product meets all the specifications but does not want it sold as new. A “Refurb” is such an item; which has never been sold, meets the advertised specifications and includes a warranty which may be shorter than the original one offered for a “new” item.
Answered by: Boyd
Date published: 2019-09-02

question

Hey i Will ask you if the Nikon 400mm f2.8 do well on the new Nikon d5 I just have bought. And I have also the Nikon 300mm f4 and it is pretty sharp is the 400mm f2.8 sharper ore do you think it is around the same?
Asked by: Anonymous
The Nikon f2.8 and D5 are an awesome team. The D5 by itself is incredible for low light and all other conditions. Recently used it at night in Disneyland to record the Water/Laser shows. Did a amazing job. I also like the D5 with my Nikon 80-400 lens for flexible shooting.
Answered by: Eric M.
Date published: 2018-08-25
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