400mm prime lenses have long been staples of any good lens system. Most manufacturers have a top-tier 400mm f/2.8 in their lineup that usually goes for well into 5 figure cost territory and deliver incredible image quality. Few manufacturers, though, have bothered to make 400mm primes that are a little slower. Canon made the EF 400mm f/5.6L beginning in 1993, and it was beloved for its light weight and very good image quality. Canon later had two 400mm f/4 DO lenses, which were remarkably compact for the still relatively fast f/4 aperture on a 400mm lens.
In 2022, though, Nikon released the lens that we review today: the Nikkor Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S. The f/4.5 maximum aperture is just 1/3 stop slower than those diffractive optics lenses from Canon, but rather than price the lens similarly to the 400mm f/4 DO II’s $6,900 asking price, the Nikon 400mm f/4.5S costs just $3,250. The biggest surprise, though, comes from the remarkably compact size and weight. The Nikon 400mm f/4.5 S is just 1160g (2.6lbs), just over half the weight of the already incredibly compact Canon 400mm f/4 DO II, and even lighter than that old Canon EF 400mm f/5.6. Did Nikon sacrifice any quality to hit this incredible weight target? Let’s find out.
Construction and Handling
When you first look at the Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S, you may mistake it for a 70-200mm f/2.8 or a 100-400mm zoom. It’s surprisingly small for a lens of its length and aperture, at just over 9 inches, with only the large 95mm front element hinting at its true nature. The second thing you notice is how remarkably light it is. At just 1160g and with a construction that puts most of the weight towards the lens mount, the Z 400mm f/4.5 is incredibly easy to carry and shoot. The lens is lighter than most 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses, and feels even lighter than its weight would suggest, yet it still manages that 400mm focal length at a fairly bright f/4.5 aperture.
While Nikon clearly prioritized low weight in the building of this lens, they didn’t sacrifice build quality to do so. The Z 400mm f/4.5 S is constructed with a mostly plastic exterior, but the materials and the build feel extremely high-end. There is no flex, creaking, or play in any part of the lens, with smooth, well damped controls, a very smooth acting tripod collar, and a fully weather-sealed construction.
The lens handles incredibly well on any Nikon camera with a grip (so, anything save the Zf and Zfc, if you don’t have an accessory grip installed). It’s light enough that there’s no issue even carrying the lens just by the camera between shots. Likewise, the light weight and outstanding stabilization make this is a lens that is very easy to hand hold for long periods of shooting.
Like Nikon’s other Z mount lenses, but unlike most other supertelephoto lenses, the 400mm f/4.5 S has fairly spartan controls. The large manual focus ring turns smoothly, and in front of that sits the knurled customizable control ring. As I’ve mentioned many times on this site, the lack of clicks on the control ring make it a bit useless in my opinion, and I tend to disable them on my Nikon cameras. Beyond the two rings, there is a manual focus / autofocus switch and a focus limiter switch.
There are a few buttons, here, though, that allow for some additional functionality. First, like a lot of Nikon’s S-Line lenses, there is a programmable L-Fn button at the rear of the lens. However, the 400mm f/4.5 also has an L-Fn 2 button: four of them actually, spaced around the end of the lens. While this can be set to a variety of functions, I think most people will use it in conjunction with the final button: the focus Memory Set button. The Memory Set button is located on the right side of the lens and is easily activated by the middle finger on your right hand while shooting. Holding this button down will tell the lens to remember its current focus position. You can then set one of the camera or lens buttons to recall that focus position, and it’s natural to use the L-Fn2 button for this purpose.
With a lens like this, you might be shooting smaller birds that are fairly close to you, but then you see another bird in flight in the distance. With this function you can shoot that distant subject, then press the focus recall button and it will instantly return focus to your previously set position, increasing your chances of getting that key shot.
The lens includes an integral tripod collar, which as I mentioned earlier turns very smoothly when you release the tension on the locking knob. The collar is not removable, but the tripod foot is removable with a quick twist of the locking knob. Nikon’s foot on this lens is a standard lens foot with 1/4″ screw mounts to attach tripod plates, but there are several manufacturers that make alternate feet for this collar, which can add a built-in Arca-Swiss dovetail and a QD socket for easy attachment to a sling or other QD accessories.
The lens comes with a deep plastic lens hood that locks securely in place. The hood is lined in rubber at the end to prevent scuffs if you tend to stand the lens up by the hood. I tend to keep the hood permanently mounted, as my long lens case easily fits the 400mm f/4.5 S with the hood in shooting position. If you reverse the hood, the lens is small enough that it can even fit in some larger shoulder bags.
The lens is fully compatible with Nikon’s Z teleconverters. Using the 1.4x TC will turn the lens into a 560mm f/6.3, while the 2x makes it an 800mm f/9. I have used both 1.4x and 2x teleconverters with this lens, and will discuss their use further in the Image Quality section.
Autofocus
The Nikkor Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S utilizes a stepping motor for autofocus, but unlike some of the cheaper stepping motors used in some other lenses, Nikon’s STM lenses are quite quick. The 400mm f/4.5 is a very fast focuser, and can quickly acquire and track focus on your subject, even at high rates of speed. I found focus accuracy to be excellent, and it really sings on the Z8, especially with the latest 2.0 firmware on that body.
Vibration Reduction (Image Stabilization)
The Z 400mm f/4.5 S features Nikon’s Vibration Reduction optical image stabilization, and the VR unit in the 400mm f/4.5 is excellent. Nikon rates the VR for 5.5 stops on a lens without in-body stabilization and 6 stops for bodies with it. In real-world use, I found the VR on the 400mm f/4.5 to be outstanding. I was able to fairly consistently get sharp shots as slow as 1/10 to 1/15s handheld, which is around 5 stops of real-world stabilization. However, in real-world use you’re not generally going to be shooting that slow, as most subjects that you’d capture with a 400mm prime will generally require higher shutter speeds, or will be landscapes where you might be on a tripod. Still, if you need the VR, it works very well. The shot below was taken handheld at 1/30s.
However, in practice the benefits of optical stabilization of this caliber extend beyond slower shutter speeds. Lenses like the 400mm f/4.5 are often used for wildlife shooting, where you’re shooting at higher shutter speeds. However, the VR has massive benefit here too due to the exceptionally stable viewfinder. I’ve used optically stabilized telephoto lenses for years, but the VR in the 400mm f/4.5 is among the very best I’ve used at maintaining a stable viewfinder. When handholding this lens, I feel like I’m almost using the lens on a tripod with a gimbal. It’s provides an extremely stable view that makes composition and acquiring your subject significantly easier.
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