Nikon’s Z-mount lens lineup is solid, but it could be better in some genres. You’ve got the big beasts like the Nikon Z 600mm f4 and 400mm f2.8. Then the a bit more portable 400mm f4.5 and the compact 600mm f6.3. Add the 70-200mm f2.8 to the mix, and things look pretty strong. But if you’ve shot a basketball game, a rugby scrum, or a horse race, you know there’s a gap right in the middle. That’s exactly where a 120-300mm f2.8 zoom would really shine.
Nikon Needs to Drop A 120-300mm f2.8 Z Lens Now
Every now and then, Nikonrumors posts a report that makes you sit up a little straighter. Recently, they floated the possibility of a 120-300mm f2.8 lens for the Z mount, and I’ll be honest, it gave me a solid throwback to the time I purchased a Sigma Sports line 120-300mm f2.8 lens. I spent a couple of years relying on this lens while covering the local horse racing scene, and it changed the way I worked. That zoom range was a revelation at the tracks and arenas I visited week after week. For once, I didn’t have to sling a second camera body across my shoulder; my back still holds a grudge from those days. I could capture the intensity at the finish line at 300mm, then quickly pivot to the winner’s circle and grab the celebrations at around 120 to 150mm.
Gone were the days of juggling a 300mm on one body and a 70-200mm or 24-120mm on the other, sprinting around while trying to look composed. With this one lens, I was covered from start to finish. And that constant f2.8 aperture was the cherry on top, opening doors in dimly lit indoor venues where ceiling lights usually forced me to crank ISO into noisy territory even on flagship DSLR bodies. I’ve been a sports photographer for almost twenty years.
Nikon glass has been at the center of my career, from the days when the F-mount 300mm f2.8 was the holy grail, to when the 400mm f2.8 VR was the badge of honor perched on your monopod. And trust me, I’ve used almost everything Nikon has thrown at professionals in both DSLR and mirrorless systems. Which is why I can tell you, the 120-300mm f2.8 fills a need that’s been there all along.
Why This Lens Will Be A Game Changer
Nikon has really nailed it by offering mirrorless sports photographers some fantastic options when it comes to telephoto lenses. But this 120-300mm f2.8 would be the crucial piece that fills the gap in between. While the 70-200 f2.8 is a solid choice, it often plays more of a supporting role in sports photography, capturing less of the main action and more of the happenings on the side. The 120-300 f2.8 would be a real MVP as it would be a pro zoom lens in an ideal focal range. What would really nail the deal for a lot of us Nikon sports photographers would be the inclusion of an inbuilt teleconverter in this lens as well.
Affordable? Not by a long shot, as NikonRumors expects this lens to cost upwards of $8000. Worth it? Coupled with something like the Nikon Z9 or Z8, totally yea. Courtside, trackside, pitchside – it would be the daily driver for so many of us.
I absolutely cannot state enough how versatile this zoom range would be for sports photography. The only reason I parted ways with the Sigma 120-300 f2.8. that I owned, was because of the AF speed slowness, even after tweaking it to its maximum output level using their proprietary USB lens dock. I purchased the Nikon 200-400mm f4 VR II instead, and while it still serves me well to this day, I do miss being able to open up to f2.8 at times.
Nikon, The Ball’s in Your Court
The report states that this could be a 100-300mm lens instead, which would give slightly more range at the wider end of the lens. This might also be a move to match what Canon did a couple of years ago when they launched their 100-300mm f2.8 RF mount lens. But Nikon isn’t a stranger to making slight adjustments to their lenses when renewing them, as they did when the Nikon 180-400 f4 lens (with an inbuilt teleconverter) replaced my 200-400mm f4 version.
Sporting moments don’t wait for anyone, and neither should Nikon with this lens, if they truly want a game-changer for their professional sports photographers. This lens could be the silent star in countless sporting photos over the next decade or so simply because of how versatile it can be. Wide crowd shots, podium trophy shots, tight finish line shots, remote camera shots – these are all photos that require multiple focal lengths. And when you’re jostling for the smallest of spaces with hundreds of other photographers at international sporting events, you certainly don’t have the freedom to move forward or backwards to frame your subject with a prime telephoto lens, especially in scenarios where milliseconds make the difference between getting or losing a winning shot. A 120-300mm focal range could help you shine in such scenarios, and I’d be willing to pay extra bucks for an included teleconverter.
The below selection of images were all taken on a 120-300mm f2.8 lens
