Nikon 100 500 f4 -5.6 VR

[NickoHG]

Hi all

Any truth in the rumor that Nikon are releasing a new lens, Nikon 100 500 f4 -5.6 VR to replace 80 - 400?

NickoHG

[chris_m]

Its a rumour at this stage, not much discussion in the last month or so. Last I heard it was due for release later this year.

[MarkW]

This rumour has been going the rounds since 2001. Wish somebody would put it to bed.

Personally I wouldn't want a 100-500 anyway as its likely to be kit lens quality.

[arthurking83]

This rumour has been going the rounds since 2001. Wish somebody would put it to bed.

.....


:th3:


Thom Hogan had an April fools day entry on his site about this rumoured lens!

Technical aspects make this lens at 500mm and f/5.6 lens too big, and therefore probably too expensive to be a replacement for the 80-400VR.

500mm and f/5.6 makes for a front element diameter of 90(odd)mm's (where 500mm / 5.6 = 89.28mm).

makes for a big and heavy alternative, that probably would sell in limited numbers(sounds like just about every one of Nikon's current Pro lens range! :p)

ie. as a replacement for the 80-400 this sized lens is 99.9% unlikely to happen.

If there's any change in focal length range, it's most likely to be at the shorter end(from 80mm down to 70mm(like Sony's version).

It'd actually be more of an advantage to IQ at the longer end if they reduced the zoom range to something more like 100 or 150mm at the shorter end.

[MarkW]

Arthur
If you consider that strangely mis-shapened 200 f2 Nikon, having maybe a shortish 100 to 150-500 f5.6 is not beyond the realms of possibility, especially is you consider a 2 stage zoom system. Mind you that makes for a cheap and nasty kit quality lens. It would have to be stuffed full of element groups which only make it a very expensive kit lens. So the answer is the whole project would be a WOFTAM.

The 80-400 would seriously benefit from Nano and maybe a few more ED lenses to improve the IQ, a serious rebuild to make AF-S viable - the reduction in lens zoom will aid the AF-S become almost good, and an upgrade to RVII but this is not essential.

[arthurking83]

To date, I'm yet to read of or hear about a xx - 500mm lens with a aperture rating of f/5.6 at the long end.

All the third party offerings are f/6.3 at the 500mm end, due to the requirement that the front element be very large.

Of course, Sigma has it's mega monstrous 300-500/2.8 with it's appropriately large front 'objectiv' and they also have other lenses with larger than 77mm front lens elements, such as the 100-300/4 and 24-70/2.8, which are obviously made so for their own technical reasons, and it hasn't impacted too much on the cost of the lens.. but most of these lenses with larger than 77mm front filter threads have 82mm filter threads, so any cost burden isn't going to be excessively excessive with an 82mm front lens diameter compared to the normal 77mm front that most folks prefer.
But a 500mm f/5.6 is going to need a front lens element that is a minimum 90mm which would inflate the price of the lens it would replace from $2.5K to (I suspect) $4-5K, which would alienate many would be purchasers of the lens it's supposed to replace.

The technical aspect of a 100-500mm lens and f/5.6 @ 500mm isn't the issue in itself, woudlnt; surprise me if Nikon released a lens like this as well as a replacement for the 80-400VR.. but as a replacement for the 80-400VR it seems very unlikely from a marketing standpoint.

Nikon have been introducing some very strange lenses recently, so a 100-500mm may well eventuate.. but I suspect Nikon has been listening to the groans of AF-D motors in the current 80-400VR an is probably close to finalising the lens as we type!

I can't remember where I read this now, but someone with a reliable source reckoned that Nikon are due to release two more new lenses by years end, and the most likely culprits are to be the AF-S 85/1.4 replacement and how knows what the other is(most likely an 80-400VR replacement).
(they predicted two new primes and two new zooms before years end, earlier in the year.... many months before the 16-35/4 and 24/1.4 were announced.. but the 'other' new prime could well be a 35/1.4!!??).

I reckon any new 80-400mm will most likely be more like a 70-400mm /4-5.6 VRII and definitely nano'd and a heap of ED elements. Seems like ED lenses must be a lot cheaper to manufacture than they were years gone by, as all their new consumer lenses have 'em.. and the new 70-200VRII has approximately 70-200 of them! :D

if Nikon were to make a 100-500mm 'consumer' (affordable) telezoom, it would have to be f/6.3 at the long end to give an 82mm front filter/element size, and Nikon don't do that!(make f/6.3 AF lenses).