Outdoor photographers tired of schlepping heavy lenses through the backwoods will want the new 3.1-pound 600mm F6.3 VR S for their kit.
There’s just no getting around it, if you’re interested in taking photos of far-off subjects, whether they be backyard critters or linebackers scrambling to make a tackle, a long telephoto lens is a must-have. But because of the the amount of glass required to get close up, the lenses tend to be pretty big, and correspondingly heavy to carry. Nikon is addressing that problem head-on with the latest addition to its mirrorless lens catalog. Its Nikkor Z 600mm F6.3 VR S weighs just 3.1-pounds, thanks in part to its Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element.Optics Inspired by Lighthouses
Phase Fresnel elements are a known-factor in lens design and share a lot in common with the lenses used in lighthouses. A Fresnel lighthouse lens puts prisms into the glass to concentrate light to make a brighter beacon. In camera lenses the PF element works similarly, if you examine one you’ll note concentric circles that concentrate light coming into the system, the aspect that makes such a light telephoto possible.
