ARNEO Coat is an anti-reflective coating system that achieves ultra-low reflectance for incident light reaching the lens surface from a vertical direction. Thanks to Nikon's original thin-layer manufacturing technology with its optimized algorithm, this system enables the capture of clear and crisp images with minimal ghost and flare effects even when a light source is located within the frame.

This type of lens utilizes non-spherical surfaces on either one or both sides of the glass in order to eliminate certain types of lens aberration. These aspherical elements are particularly useful for correcting the distortion in wide-angle lenses. Such distortions are caused by variations in the magnification of the image, depending on its distance from the optical axis. Aspherical lens elements correct these distortions by continuously changing the refractive index from the center of the lens. Since the 1960s, Nikon engineers have established design theories and lens-processing techniques to refine the aspherical lens. In 1968, the OP Fisheye-Nikkor 10mm f/5.6 became the first interchangeable SLR lens incorporating aspherical lens elements. Since then, aspherical lenses have been an important part of the NIKKOR lens family, with every new addition to the lineup providing a new level of contrast, resolution and compact design. Hybrid aspherical lenses: made of a special plastic molded onto optical glass. Molded glass aspherical lenses: manufactured by directly pressing optical glass into a high-precision aspherical mold.

Nikon was the world's first camera maker to develop ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass that could minimize prism-caused color dispersion. This low-dispersion ED glass also offers anomalous dispersion characteristics like calcium fluoride crystals, which consequently minimize the secondary spectrum. For lenses using normal optical glass, the longer the focal length, the more difficult it is to correct the chromatic aberration that causes color fringing. Nikon's ED glass, which effectively compensates for this kind of chromatic aberration, is employed in a wide range of NIKKOR telephoto lenses for superior reproduction.

Photographers need gear that can withstand the elements. Nikon’s fluorine coat effectively repels dust, water droplets, grease or dirt, ensuring easy removal even when they adhere to the lens surface. Nikon’s fluorine coat endures a high frequency of lens surface wiping and its anti-reflective effect also contributes to the capture of clear images.

This is a system by which lens elements are divided into front, middle, and rear groups, and only the middle group moves with focusing. The total length of the lens does not change with focusing. AF speed can be increased for zoom lenses and telephoto lenses because the weight of the focusing group can be reduced.

With the internal zoom mechanism, the frontmost lens element does not move and the total length of the lens barrel is fixed. This keeps the lens’ centre of gravity almost constant even during zooming.

Meso Amorphous Coat suppresses ghost and flare caused by incident light from any direction, including those entering the lens diagonally and vertically, to the utmost limit, demonstrating the highest anti-reflection performance in NIKKOR history. With this coating system, amorphous particles are interconnected and overlapped randomly to create a large number of air gaps termed mesopores. The many gaps within the coating form an ultra-fine mesoporous structure, attaining an outstandingly low refractive index. Additionally, a higher-precision base coat is employed to further enhance the anti-refection effect.

In 1967, Nikon developed the world's first focusing system that effectively suppressed aberrations by moving multiple lens groups (Close-Range Correction System). The multi-focusing system is the evolution of that AF system with which the positions of multiple focusing groups are very precisely controlled, each by its own focusing unit, all of which work together. This system effectively suppresses various types of aberration, even with scenes captured at close distances where aberrations are generally more likely to occur. This enables superior image-formation performance from maximum aperture, regardless of the focal length or shooting distance. It also contributes to faster AF. The multi-focusing system is effective even with fast lenses.

When shooting with an ordinary diaphragm, blurry, polygon-shaped spots are likely to appear in images of scenes that include point light sources such as street lamps or holiday lighting at night. A rounded diaphragm is achieved by using specialised blades for a beautiful and naturally round shape for out-of-focus objects.

Silky Swift Voice Coil Motor (SSVCM) is a new AF drive actuator that combines a voice coil motor (VCM) and a new guide mechanism developed by Nikon. The guide mechanism incorporates guide parts between the lens chamber and where the guide bar touches to minimise gaps to the limit, effectively eliminating vibration within the AF drive. Utilising advantageous features such as this, the superb AF drive system simultaneously delivers higher-speed, higher-accuracy and quieter AF operation, realising unprecedented AF performance.