Nikon AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm F4E TC1.4 FL ED VR lens review: Nikon’s best tele-zoom

The Nikon AF-S Nikkor 180-400mm F4E TC1.4 FL ED VR is an updated version of the AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm F4G ED VR - one of the first lenses Nikon added stabilisation (VR) to (the other being the AF-S Nikkor 200mm F2.0, effectively a 300mm on the DX only bodies back then) and the favourite of animal safari photographers everywhere. Not surprisingly, it’s also a popular choice with those who cover sports. This new model, though, is much more than just an update - it’s a redesigned lens complete with a built-in 1.4x teleconverter that’s meant to counter the Canon EF 200-400mm F4L IS USM Extender 1.4x, itself a showcase model to rival the earlier AF-S Nikkor 200-400mm F4G ED VR introduced in 2003. This lens, incidentally, was the first Nikon super telephoto lens to feature VR and was the first new AF model to replace the manual focus-only Nikon 200-400mm F4 IFED AI-S Nikkor.  This little-known lens was originally not available to the general public and was only available for order