Sports. Wildlife. Nature. This fast-focusing super-telephoto lens achieves an ideal balance between size and performance. Experience freedom with its 500mm reach, compact construction, and incredible image quality.

Bridge the distance. Go where you want to go.

Land. Sea. Air. Reduce your load without limiting your range with this compact 500mm f/5.6 super-telephoto prime lens.

The use of a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element noticeably reduces the weight of the prime lens without compromising image quality. A minimum focusing distance of just 3m expands creative potential, whether you're shooting macro images of frosted flowers or portraits of athletes. If you need more flexibility, you can extend the reach with an optional 1.4x, 1.7x, or 2x Nikon teleconverter.

Rugged and adaptable

An aerial view of a rally track. Birds of prey in flight. Capture photos and videos in remote locations or challenging conditions without worrying about your lens.

The Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element helps keep the lens compact, while the fluorine coating repels water, dust, and grime. Every movable part of the lens barrel is hermetically sealed to protect against dust and water droplets. Ball bearings in the tripod collar ensure smooth transitions between horizontal and vertical shooting.

Crystal clarity

Wildlife at sunset. Subjects under bright streetlights. Enjoy edge-to-edge sharpness and minimal light fall-off and flare, even when shooting at maximum aperture or in backlit situations.

Three ED glass elements ensure vibrant colors and deep contrast in your images. Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat provides clear images with minimal flare and ghosting, even in backlit situations. Flare from the PF lens is effectively reduced, and the lens's high resolution ensures excellent reproduction of point light sources, even at the edges of the frame.

Clear and stable images

Keep up with the action and the light. Nikon's Vibration Reduction system and SPORT VR mode allow you to shoot without worrying about the effects of camera shake.

Designed to reduce blur caused by camera movement, Nikon's Vibration Reduction (VR) system allows you to shoot at shutter speeds up to 4 stops slower than without VR. VR activates the moment you half-press the camera's shutter button, and its operation is silent. SPORT VR mode is useful for shooting extremely fast-paced action or during panning. It provides a more stable image in the viewfinder even during continuous shooting, without degrading image quality.

High-speed autofocus

This lens responds quickly and accurately when subjects move. The electromagnetic diaphragm ensures precise exposures at high frame rates.

Nikon's Silent Wave Motor enables ultra-fast and ultra-quiet autofocus operation. Advanced AF tracking keeps up with fast-moving subjects, even if they move erratically, at random speeds, or approach the camera quickly. The electromagnetic diaphragm provides fast automatic exposure control and maximum accuracy. The two-position focus limit switch (FULL and ∞–8m) offers additional control over the speed of subject acquisition.

Smooth focus control

A fox den. A bend on a rally track. Adjust focus with ease according to the moment with incredible precision.

Focusing features borrowed from Nikon's professional lenses offer exceptional control. The A/M and M/A focus mode switches allow you to switch from automatic to manual focus simply by turning the focus ring, which has a corrugated rubber grip for a firm hold. And with the "Memory Recall" function, you can store a focus distance for repeated use. Ideal when you want to focus on a favorite branch for bird hunting.