It's optional and you should be grateful. Nikon makes some great products but lens collars aren't one of them. Now you can save a few bucks and buy a real collar from Kirk. Also, the 70-200 f/4 didn't come with one and it really isn't needed because the lens is so light. But if you insist on the Nikon, you could get multiple uses from it since both the new 300 and the 70-200 f/4 use the same collar, the RT-1.