Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S vs Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ

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NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S compared with NIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ

	NikonNIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S	NikonNIKKOR Z 28-135mm f/4 PZ
Overview
Released
Released	December 2021	April 2025
Optics
Lens type
Lens type	Zoom	Zoom
Focal length
Focal length	100–400 mm	28–135 mm
Maximum aperture
Maximum aperture	f/4.5–5.6	f/4
Minimum aperture
Minimum aperture	f/32–40	f/22
Optical construction
Optical construction	Twenty-five elements in twenty groups	18 elements in 13 groups
Special elements
Special elements	Six ED and two Super ED elements	Three ED elements, one aspherical ED element and four aspherical elements
Coatings
Coatings	Nano Crystal Coat and ARNEO Coat; fluorine coating on the front element	Meso Amorphous Coat and fluorine coating on the front element
Diaphragm
Diaphragm	Nine rounded blades	Nine rounded blades
Angle of view
Angle of view	FX 24°20′–6°10′; DX 16°–4°	FX 75° to 18°10′; DX 53° to 12°
Mount and compatibility
Mounts
Mounts	Nikon Z mount	Nikon Z mount
Image circle
Image circle	Full frame	Full frame
Compatibility
Compatibility	Nikon Z full-frame and DX cameras. Nikon Japan says mounting this lens disables selection of the mechanical-shutter setting, leaving Auto or electronic front-curtain options; use the latest camera firmware	–
Teleconverter support
Teleconverter support	Z TELECONVERTER TC-1.4x and TC-2.0x supported; maximum focal length becomes 560 or 800 mm. Nikon warns focusing can take longer or become less reliable depending on subject, brightness and focus point	–
Focus and stabilisation
Autofocus
Autofocus	Yes	Yes
Minimum focus distance
Minimum focus distance	0.75 m	0.34 m
Maximum magnification
Maximum magnification	0.38×	0.25×
Optical stabilisation
Optical stabilisation	Yes	No
Autofocus detail
Autofocus detail	Multi-focusing system with two stepping motors	Stepping motor autofocus and internal focusing
Focus distance detail
Focus distance detail	Internal focusing; minimum distances from focal plane 0.75 m at 100 mm, 0.78 m at 135 mm, 0.8 m at 200 mm, 0.87 m at 300 mm and 0.98 m at 400 mm	Minimum focal-plane distances of 0.34 m at 28, 35 and 50 mm; 0.39 m at 70 mm; 0.43 m at 85 mm; 0.49 m at 105 mm; 0.57 m at 135 mm
Magnification detail
Magnification detail	Maximum reproduction ratio 0.38× at 400 mm; 0.16× at 100 mm, as Nikon Japan specifies	Maximum reproduction ratio 0.25× at 55–135 mm
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Lens-shift VR with voice-coil motors. Nikon rates 5.5 stops under CIPA conditions in NORMAL mode on a full-frame camera at maximum telephoto	No optical VR, confirmed by Digital Camera World; camera stabilisation depends on the body
Video features
Video features	Nikon describes reduced focus breathing, quiet autofocus and smooth aperture control	Focus-breathing suppression, linear manual-focus support and power zoom; Hi-Res Zoom synchronisation requires a supported camera and suitable firmware
Design
Dust and moisture resistant
Dust and moisture resistant	Yes	Yes
Filter diameter
Filter diameter	77 mm	95 mm
Maximum diameter
Maximum diameter	98 mm	105 mm
Length
Length	222 mm	177.5 mm
Weight
Weight	1,355 g	1,210 g (better)
Controls
Controls	Focus-mode and FULL/infinity–3 m limiter switches; zoom and focus rings, assignable control ring, L-Fn controls and display button. Photography Blog identifies aperture, focus-distance and focal-length display options	Zoom rocker, electronically coupled zoom and focus rings, customisable control ring, two L-Fn buttons and A–M switch; no mechanically driven manual zoom ring
Zoom design
Zoom design	Barrel extends towards 400 mm; Nikon's Inner Balance Technology minimises centre-of-gravity movement. Zoom ring turns through 80°	Internal power zoom with eleven selectable speeds on compatible cameras; adjustable zoom-ring direction and rotation angle, with firmware and camera compatibility requirements
Filter detail
Filter detail	77 mm screw-on filters, 0.75 mm pitch	95 mm screw-in filter thread; HB-116 rectangular hood has a filter adjustment window
Weather resistance
Weather resistance	Dust and drip protection; complete resistance is not guaranteed in all conditions	Maker dust and drip-resistant design; protection is not guaranteed in every condition
Dimensions detail
Dimensions detail	Approximately 98 × 222 mm; length from lens mount at 100 mm	Approximately 105 mm maximum diameter × 177.5 mm from the mount flange
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 1,355 g without tripod collar; 1,435 g with it	Approximately 1,210 g including tripod collar, used in the main specifications; approximately 1,120 g without it
Tripod mount
Tripod mount	Rotating collar with removable foot, as Photography Blog describes	Tripod collar with removable foot
Lens hood
Lens hood	HB-103 hood included	–
In the box
In the box	LC-77B front cap, LF-N1 rear cap, HB-103 hood and CL-C3 case	LC-95B front cap, LF-N1 rear cap, HB-116 hood and CL-C5 case
Release detail
Release detail	Nikon Korea explicitly gives 16 December 2021 as the release and promotion start date; Nikon USA announced availability within 2021. Nikon Japan's regional on-sale date was later, 4 February 2022	Nikon USA specified April 2025 retail availability; the February announcement date is not used as the on-sale date