Nikon Announces New NIKKOR Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S

Top sports and wildlife photography shooters, this one is for you. Today, Nikon announced a new telephoto lens that focuses on getting you close to the action: the NIKKOR Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S.

There are cool tools, and then there are professional precision tools that don’t cut any corners in giving you the highest level of optical performance a brand can offer. The NIKKOR Z 120-300mm f/2.8 TC VR S promises to be this lens for professional sports and wildlife photographers.

A fast telephoto full frame pro-level zoom lens in the company’s S-Line, the lens covers a focal length range of 120mm to 300mm with a fast f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. But it has another trick up its sleeve. This is also the world’s first f/2.8 zoom to feature a built-in 1.4× teleconverter. So, quickly needing to adjust to cover athletes at greater distances is as simple as the flip of a switch. With the teleconverter activated, the lens's reach extends to a super-telephoto focal length of 420mm at the long end while still remaining relatively light at 6 lbs (2,735 g), making it about 1.1 lbs (515 g) lighter than the previous F-mount version from 2020.

The lens features:

• Meso Amorphous Coat
• 6.5 stops of vibration reduction (VR)
• Internal zoom mechanism that keeps the overall length of the lens constant during focusing or zooming
• Support for Arca-Swiss tripod heads
• Tripod collar
• Support for both front screw-on filters and rear slip-in filter holders

The lens is top of the line and priced accordingly. Nikon says that it will be available in mid-November 2026 for a suggested retail price of $13,999.95.

So, for my sports shooters out there, what do you think? Is this destined to be the newest addition to your kit?