Nikon today officially announced the 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S lens that had been previously teased with a Development Announcement. As expected, this is a post-Olympics ship product (late February), as most of the initial production run went towards filling the Nikon Professional Services stock for the Beijing Olympics.
The big news is two-fold: lighter and more expensive. The most recent F-mount 400mm f/2.8E is 134 ounces (3800g) and US$11,200 in price. The new Z version is 104 ounces (2950g) and US$14,000 in price. Of course, you get a built-in teleconverter with the Z version, and Nikon has thrown even more technology into it (a new lens coating, voice coil motors, and more, even a Kensington lock slot).
Nikon's soon going to end up with a bit of a log jam at 400mm that Z System users are going to have to figure out how they navigate:
- 400mm f/2.8 — with the bonus of 560mm f/4, but heavy and expensive
- 400mm f/4.5 PF? — light, reasonably expensive
- 400mm f/5.6 — with the bonus of 100-400mm flexibility at a more affordable price