As a part of last night’s mirrorless system announcement by Nikon, the company also announced a new F-mount lens — the AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6 PF ED VR, a fixed focal length super-telephoto lens for Nikon’s DSLRs.

Geared towards wildlife and sports shooters, the 500mm f/5.6 has a Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element that results in a significantly reduced size and weight of the lens, making handheld photography much easier.

With a maximum diameter of 106mm and length of 237mm, the lens weighs 1460 grams, roughly the same size as Nikon’s 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. The 500mm lens is designed with consideration to dust and drip resistance, which in addition to the fluorine coat applied to the front lens surface, allows for greater agility when shooting.

The use of one PF lens element and three ED glass elements enables sharp and detailed rendering that is compatible with high pixel-count cameras. In addition, the materials used in the new PF lens element have been developed effectively to reduce PF (diffraction) flare, allowing light sources to be reproduced in near-original colors. In combination with Nikon’s coating technologies, such as the Nano Crystal Coat, effective in controlling ghost and flare, extremely clear images are achieved.

The lens is equipped with a vibration reduction (VR) mechanism that offers camera shake compensation equivalent to a 4.0 stop increase in shutter speed. The Sport VR mode that has been adopted is especially effective when photographing fast-moving and unpredictable subjects.

The AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF ED VR will be available Sept. 13 for $3596.95 and is currently available for pre-order.

The Dot Sight DF-M1

In addition to the 500mm f/5.6 lens, Nikon announced the Dot Sight DF-M1, an accessory that is highly effective with super-telephoto photography. With this type of photography, a narrow field of view in the viewfinder tends to be made visible, making it easy to lose track of the subject. The Dot Sight DF-M1 makes it easy to keep track of the intended subject within the frame, even if the subject exhibits sudden movement.

The Dot Sight DF-M1 will be available for $175. Release and pre-order information is not yet available.