| Brand: | Nikon | ||
| Average Rating |
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High-power 4.3x Telephoto Zoom-Nikkor lens (Approximates the picture angle performance of a 105-450mm lens on 35mm SLR) / Uses 67mm Filters Non-Rotating front element provides for convenient use of circular polarizing filters and the Nikon Wireless Close-Up Speedlight System A Silent Wave Motor (SWM) enables fast and quiet autofocusing, along with quick switching between autofocus and manual operation (M/A and M) A nine-blade rounded diaphragm opening, out-of-focus elements appear more natural Accepts 67mm filter attachment size Focal length – 70-300mm (Approximates the picture angle performance of a 105-450mm 35mm SLR) Maximum aperture – f/4.5-5.6 Lens construction – 17 elements in 12 groups (with 2 ED glass elements) Picture angle – 34 degrees 20 feet- 8 degrees 10 feet (22 degrees 50 feet – 5 degrees 20 feet with Nikon DX format digital SLR cameras) Focal length – scale 70, 100, 135, 200, 300mm Unit Dimensions – (approx.) 3.1 x 5.6 in. (80 x 143.5mm); Weight – (approx.) 26.3 oz (745g) Included accessories – LC-67 67mm snap-on front lens cap, LF-1 rear lens cap, HB-36 bayonet hood, CL-1022 flexible lens pouch more info
Popularity: 1% [?]
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Great lens; Great price.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Some of the reviews I’ve read about this lens say it doesn’t autofocus well, but I have not found that is a problem at all. This lens has worked great for me so far. The vibration reduction is definitely worth it. On my 18-105mm I couldn’t see the difference, but on this lens the difference is very obvious. It is definitely worth the extra money.
Great Value But You Need to Understand It
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
IMO this is a great value for the money. Of course, its not as capable as an 8-10 thousand dollar lens, but its also not as heavy. If you take a bit of time to understand it, its a very capable piece of hardware despite opinions in some other reviews. I use a D90.
This lens can be extremely sharp all the way to 300 mm. I have images at 300 mm where you can see all the small veins in bird feathers. Sharpness tends to be better when the aperture is closed down just a bit from wide-open which means you need a fair amount of light for the best results. I have seen sharp images at full aperture / 300 mm — its just tougher to get them with the smaller depth of field.
For action, one needs to shoot faster than 1/500 sec and I understand that Nikon users should set auto focusing to continuous and allow the camera to select focal points for best results.
VR is very effective!
AF is generally good. Great/fast when light is bright and contrast is sufficient.
I’m very pleased with the value this lens provides and its captured some wonderful images for me.
Love this lens!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For the price you cannot beat this lens. Sure it isn’t pro quality glass, but I cannot afford pro quality glass. I don’t really need it either. I have taken some REALLY nice photos with this lens. If you are on the fence about it, just get it. You won’t be sorry!
Pro quality for bargain price…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens is tack sharp on my D90 all the way out to the corners at all aperature settings and focal lengths. On the D700 it’s a little soft zoomed all the way out to 300mm and @ f/5.6 but stop it down one stop and sharp all the way out to the corners. This lens isn’t meant to be a low light lens anyway so stopping it down shouldn’t be a problem. For the price this is one incredible lens. If you want pro performance and sharpness in low light situations pay the big bucks and get either the (now old) 70-200 f/2.8 or wait a couple months and get the brand new 70-200 f/2.8 with VRII. I will tell you in decent light or tripod situations this lens is just as sharp as the 70-200 f/2.8 (stopped down one stop from wide open) on my D700 and just as sharp at all aperatures on my D90. Pro quality for a bargain price for sure!
LOVE THIS LENS!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My favorite by far! The stabilization can’t be beat. Even on a rocking boat (most) pictures are clear and sharp.
No complaints, no wants. PERFECT PRODUCT!! What else can you expect from Nikon/Nikkor? #1 in my book!!
Nikon 70-300mm VR
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I haven’t had this long so this is just from one shoot with it, dont take it as my final opinion.
Went out to a rosegarden with this lense in my bag. Not much there where it was really useful, so I started to take pictures of peoples houses from the end of there driveway just to see how well it worked….I don’t advise that, im told it could be illegal.
The shots were alot better then i thought they would be, 300mm is actually a good range and got me closer then I thought it would. A nice improvement over my old 250mm and the vrII is a nice sounding addition though I didn’t get to try it out on houses…..did score a great shot of a white cat through some guys gate that was abit off. Then I got talked to about trespassing by some drunk guy at 2pm…who drinks that early?
Essential for the Price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens gets 5 stars for its performance vs price. Many pro photographers are using this lens in place of the 70-200mm VR for fraction of the cost. It it very sharp and has accurate and fairly quick focus. Zooming the lens does not provide the silky feeling you get with the pro lenses as the barrel is plastic, but it’s hardly a concern.
slow lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great lens, probably over priced because of the Nikon name.
I think one could buy a faster off brand of equal or greater quality for less money
Everything I hoped for at a great price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I own and have used the lens for over 3 months now. I have experienced some softness out beyond 200mm while using it on auto-focus, but I am learning to work within the limits of the lens. Given what has been said in some reviews about softness out past 200mm (and my own initial experience) I decided to run some tests for how sharp the pictures could really be. The one caveat I had is that for the tests I ran I used manual focus – I wanted to test the optics not the AF or VR functions since they are not a requirement for using the lens. Also, I am starting to get very interested in Equestrian photography. I need the long zoom and have found that pre-focusing on a point, rather than depending on Auto-focus is much more effective for obtaining the results I am looking for.
For my test I used this lens mounted on a D300 to take some pictures of a bell tower. Because I was specifically testing the lens for sharpness past 200mm (I shot several at 300mm) I focused the lens manually, and used a tripod. As it turned out there was chain link fencing over the opening to the bell which I could not see, from where I was standing in a parking lot across the street. That made my test even better.
I then took several shots of the bell and the tower, being careful to focus the lens on specific characteristics of the bell. The shots were all sharp. I then downloaded and examined the photos at high magnification on my PC. I did not lose any significant resolution of the chain link (which I could only make out after I downloaded the pictures) or the objects I was focused upon until I viewing the shots at 200% or greater magnification. At that point you could actually begin to see the individual pixels. So I have to say that I do not agree with the reviews about how the lens gives poor results out past 200mm. I have obtained excellent results through the entire zoom range.
I will say that the AF-S system for the lens seems to hunt a lot when there are a lot of objects in the field of view (i.e., the leaves on a tree while trying to photograph a bird), so it does sometimes focus on something other that what I want – that could have been what the others were complaining about. But if I assure myself that it is focused on my target and use the AF lock built into the camera that problem goes away. Also if I use the lens on manual focus the problem goes away.
I am very happy with the lens and highly recommend it. I believe it is an outstanding value for the price.
Fantastic with Nikon D40
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After owning a Nikon D40 with a 55-200mm lens, a larger lens was the next step.
This lens is much larger and heavier than the 55-200mm Nikkor. I had read the
reviews on the lens and was aware of the near 300mm difficulties. By compensating
for these issues the lens can be a remarkable instrument. Once in focus,
photos taken at 300mm can show excellent resolution and color. I’ve found best
results with the autofocus when the focus is close to the optimum setting before using
autofocus. The magnification is astounding, as much as I would want. The vibration
reduction is very effective. A tripod hasn’t been needed for daylight photos. When carrying
the pair, I cradle the lens instead of holding by the camera. The lens was a demo from
Cameta Camera for $379 with free shipping. It was indistinguishable from new and has
given no problems. A great bargain for its capability. Always get a UV filter!
It’s cheap insurance.
The pictures are worth the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I really like this lens, it is sharp, has good contrast, and produces good color. The autofocus is quick and accurate and the vibration reduction is effective. The bokeh is very good. Could it be sharper at 300mm? Yes. Are the images it produces at 300mm usable? Yes, even at 100%. This is not a fast lens, so when shooting in low light this lens will not perform as well. For me, the bottom line is, I have taken some great pictures with this lens that I would not have gotten otherwise. I am very happy with it and I consider this money well spent.
Extremely Pleased with the Purchase
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a Nikon 55-200mm VR lens which not only works well, but it is light and easy to carry around. Although there are times that I wanted more reach, I hesitated on buying this lens because of the larger size. I finally decided to proceed with the purchase after seeing all the excellent reviews it had received. Now I can say that I concur with the other reviews. The lens focuses quickly and the images seems quite sharp at all zoom settings. I will just have to get used to the larger size.
The purchase was made through Cameta and the package arrived at the specified date. I found the other items that came with the kit were also useful.
Very Nice Lense
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Super lens- good focal distance and VR a real plus. Very capable lens and not so heavy it can’t be handheld. Ordered thru Amazon via Cameta Camera (super response thru both).
Good compromise between performances, weight and costs
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I had to do a long travel and I didn’t want to bring my Nikkor 80-200 AF-s 2.8 because of too heavy and too big size.
From Italy I ordered the 70-300 AF-s VR, asking the delivery to the hotel where I stayed in San Francisco. Perfect delivery and delivery time, so I have been able to enjoy the object.
Light tool, with good performances, above all if compared to his big brother 80-200 AF-s 2.8
The stabilizer, combined to the high Iso of my Nikon D700, helped me in a lot of critical situations so I have been able to catch good pictures.
Glad I went for the 300
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is for my new D700. I will spare the technical jargon. Was thinking of the 70-200 f/2.8 but that thing is very huge and heavy. This seems like the perfect lens for the beach. Went there for a couple of hours with the dog and snapped about 200 pictures. Even though this is the first day using it, the 300mm really came in handy. I took many shots at 300mm and they came out great! It’s plastic but still feels substantial in your hand. Quality feels better that I expected. Focus is almost instant. I was concerned about the max 4.5 aperture but had no problems, had to turn down the ISO down to 400 as I had the aperture wide open most of the shots. I made full use of the 70-300 range as the dogs come and go very quickly. Took some pics of a friends dogs as well and they are tiny dogs. At 300mm I was able to get some good distance from the small dog, get an interesting perspective and background, shallow depth of field and sharp focus and filling the frame. Also got some good pics at 70mm for close ups. Point is that the 70-300 seems the perfect range when your going for casual wildlife photos.
This lens fits perfect in the Tamrac MX5378 lens case as long as you don’t have the hood on the lens. I shot many pictures into the sun had no flare at all. I guess the coatings really work so I don’t think I will carry the lens hood as I like to travel light. On the other hand…I just tried putting the lens in the case with the lens hood attached (reversed) and it still fits but is tight. Tamrac recommends the Pro100 lens case for this lens and that will be better if you like a loose fit. Problem is those cases are a lot larger and if you are using the Tamrac modular belt, then smaller is better I think.
My opinion, if you have an FX format camera you can’t go wrong with this lens. My three lenses I will most often use are:
70-300 (this lens) Hiking, beach, etc.
24-70 f/2.8 Walk around, candid, indoors without flash.
50 f/1.4G Indoors low light with no flash.