Sports and wildlife shooters looking for great reach without the aching back can rejoice. Nikon today has announced the new lightweight NIKKOR Z 600MM f/6.3 VR S supertelephoto prime lens.

Nikon has made a lot of smart moves in recent years with regards to their mirrorless product lineup. But I think one of the best moves they made was to focus their attention on building up their lens lineup right out of the gate. In a short number of years, they have rolled out a stunningly well-rounded lineup of glass ranging from super wide to super long with virtually every new piece of glass receiving the highest marks for sharpness and performance.

At the longer end of the spectrum, they’ve now got telephoto and super-telephoto options for all phases of the sports and wildlife market. The high-end lenses that cost as much as your car but come with flawless image quality. The more budget friendly alternatives that still produce a world-class image but for a more reachable price point. And now, they’ve decided to take aim at one of the simple truisms of sports and wildlife photography. The cost of performance is not only counted in dollars but also in weight.

Well, the new NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S should solve that issue while, once again, continuing to provide top-grade optics for a demanding market segment. With a total length of only 11 inches and a weight of roughly 3 lbs (1,390 g), the lens is the lightest in its class. With a center of gravity intentionally positioned closer to the body side of the lens barrel, it promises to provide optimal balance when panning with fast moving subjects like sports cars or birds in flight.

The use of the Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element helps the lens maintain its smaller size while also significantly reducing chromatic aberration. The lens is compatible with both the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters, which would expand the lens’ range to 840mm and 1200mm respectively, providing even more reach in a travel-friendly package. The lens is dust- and drip-resistant and comes equipped with both a Normal VR mode as well as a Sport VR mode depending on what is called for in the situation. The lens takes video shooters into account as well, with the lens designed to minimize focus sound and focus breathing when in operation.

The lens should hit shelves in late October and is expected to retail for $4,799.95.

So, what do you think? Is this the lens you’ve been waiting for?