Nikon professional 500mm f/4 super-telephoto with AF-S motor and ED glass, proven workhorse for wildlife and sports.
The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/4D IF-ED II is the second generation of Nikon's professional 500mm super-telephoto prime, featuring the AF-S silent wave motor and ED glass in a large but well-balanced design for sports and wildlife photography. The fast f/4 aperture provides bright viewfinder image and effective subject isolation at 500mm.
The AF-S motor provides fast, quiet autofocus essential for tracking moving wildlife and sports subjects, with full-time manual override for fine-tuning critical focus. The ED glass controls chromatic aberration, and the internal focusing design maintains balance and constant barrel length during focus changes.
Build quality is Nikon professional standard with a robust magnesium alloy barrel, weather sealing, and a rotating tripod collar with detachable foot. The lens accepts Nikon teleconverters for extended reach to 700mm (1.4x) or 1000mm (2x), and the focus limiter speeds AF acquisition when the subject distance range is known.
The AF-S 500mm f/4D IF-ED II commands strong prices on the used market as a professional super-telephoto with proven performance. While superseded by the lighter PF version, the conventional optical design provides excellent image quality without the characteristic bokeh artifacts of Phase Fresnel technology.