Big microcorrugated cardboard box.

I must admit, I was a bit sceptical about this lens when I first heard about it, thinking there must have been one compromise too many to keep the lens at a competitive price point, but have to say I’ve been very pleasantly surprised.

The AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED lens is an FX format powerful telephoto zoom, ideally aimed at sports and wildlife photographers. It has a constant but modest f/5.6 maximum aperture, which enables a fairly compact design for its focal length.

The tested Nikkor 200-500 mm is so good and its list of pros so long that for a moment I even toyed with an idea to award it our ‘Editor’s Choice’ badge. I dropped that thought because there are too many small flaws, too negligible to be listed in the cons section but significant enough to influence...

excellent image quality in the frame centre,; good image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor,; sensible image quality on the edge of full frame in the 200–350 mm range,; slight lateral chromatic aberration,; moderate distortion,; perfect coma correction,; negligible astigmatism,; slight...

problems with performance against bright light.

It's a powerful package; light, compact, efficient and very high quality. It is probably one of the easiest 500mm lenses to use as a consequence of the reduced weight and size, as they are specialised lenses that challenge us photographically to get the best out of them.

High sharpness; Low distortion; Low CA; Modest vignetting; Light and compact; Effective VR; Memory recall feature; Moisture and Dust resistant

High price tag; Some flare possible; but correctable; Some AF hunting in low light

Using the Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF with the Nikon D5, focus tracking was right on, whether the subjects was a fleeting bird or a slower moving train. Overall quality was what I have come to expect from Nikon: top-notch.

Unless you really, really need the faster f/4 aperture offered by the AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4E FL ED VR, then the new f/5.6 version is a more enticing proposition for most people - it offers the same feature-set and similarly high image quality in a much lighter, smaller, more portable package, at a...

You won't find a lens like the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR elsewhere—it's a lightweight super telephoto prime with excellent optics, an attractive price, and a narrow angle of view that's ideal for capturing distant subjects.

Lightweight build; Long reach; Excellent optical stabilization; Sharp optics with no distortion and minimal vignette.

Relatively narrow maximum f-stop; Not compatible with some older cameras.

If you're interested in a photographic discipline that requires big, long lenses—wildlife and sports are the two obvious examples—you're used to the prospect of carrying a big, heavy lens to bridge the distance between your camera and distant subject matter. The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR ($3,599.95) is another answer: It weighs about three pounds, unheard of for a lens this long, and offers very strong image quality. It's also one of the lowest priced 500mm primes on the market. Put it all together and you have a lens that's easy to recommend as our Editors' Choice. The Lightweight Super Telephoto Telephoto lenses are big. And they're heavy. That's the rule. A typical 500mm, like the Sigma 500mm F4 DG OS HSM Sports, weighs around seven pounds. Zooms that cover the extreme telephoto range are lighter—the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR can approach five pounds—but sacrifice light gathering and make compromises on image quality compared with prime lenses. The...

You won't find a lens like the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR elsewhere—it's a lightweight super telephoto prime with excellent optics, an attractive price, and a narrow angle of view that's ideal for capturing distant subjects.

Lightweight build; Long reach; Excellent optical stabilization; Sharp optics with no distortion and minimal vignette

Relatively narrow maximum f-stop; Not compatible with some older cameras

H ow time flies. By the time you read this a year will have passed since Nikon unveiled its Z-series cameras to the world. Such was the excitement surrounding Nikon’s entry into the full-frame mirrorless market, the release of the AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR that was announced at the same time...