As the first telephoto zoom in Nikon's mirrorless lineup, it completely makes sense that this is the focal range they chose. The equivalent in the F-mount system (the 80-400) has long been one of our most rented lenses for sports, wildlife, and safaris.

This version is surprisingly light, which makes for a great match to the smaller mirrorless camera bodies. As with all newer Nikon lenses, this one boasts all of the latest and greatest lens treatments and coatings to give you superior optical performance, with excellent color, sharpness across the frame, and effective control of ghosting, flare, and chromatic aberrations. A new autofocus design incorporates dual synchronized motors to help focus more quickly and accurately. On top of all of these features is an updated VR design that compensates for up to 5.5 stops of camera shake.

The handy control ring can be programmed to do your bidding (within reason, natch) and can control settings such as aperture, manual focus, or exposure compensation. The very crisp and readable OLED lens information panel allows you to quickly confirm settings such as aperture, focus distance, and depth of field both daylight and dark situations.

There are a couple of really innovative design features that we wish were on more lenses. One is an updated zoom design that prevents lens creep without having to change tension or lock settings, even when the lens is pointing straight up or down. Another is Nikon's Inner Balance technology, which helps maintain a consistent center of gravity when shifting the zoom position. This is awesome for use on gimbal heads, making it so that you don't have to change the balance point when adjustint the zoom. Speaking of adjusting the zoom, this lens has an incredibly short zoom throw, moving from 100mm to 400mm in just 80° of ring rotation. This is very handy for when you need to quickly change the framing of your subject.

Included with your rental:

• Nikon NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S Lens
• Factory Nikon LC-77B front lens cap
• Factory Nikon LF-N1 rear lens cap
• Nikon HB-103 lens hood
• 77mm UV protection filter