Nikon announces development of AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens

According to a company press release:  The AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR will be a high-performance super-telephoto lens that is significantly smaller and lighter than comparable predecessors due to the adoption of the same type of Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element used in the AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4E PF ED VR, released in January 2015. This lens makes hand-held photography easy, despite it being a fixed focal length super-telephoto lens that supports 500 mm focal length. The portability of the lens allows it to be used in a wider variety of situations, and for capturing fast-moving and unpredictable subjects in scenes such as sporting events. The PF in the lens name indicates that the lens contains a Phase Fresnel lens element as one of the lens elements. Phase Fresnel (PF) technology uses a relatively flat Fresnel lens combined with a normal glass lens. Together they are able to correct chromatic aberration by cancelling differences between shorter and longer wavelengths that can produce coloured fringing. One downside of this type of lens is that it can produce colourful ring-shaped flare spots when strong light sources are inside or just outside the image frame. Nikon provides a PF Flare Control function in its Capture NX-D raw processing software to address this problem.

Currently, the only Nikon Phase Fresnel (PF) lens on sale is the AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4E  PF  ED VR.  Details of the new lens, including the release date and suggested retail price for this product, are yet to be released.