Nikon Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G Lens

...its incredible. It can be a little soft, but if you're shooting DSLR, increase the sharpening on your RAW file. For the money, this is simply the best long zoom around (if you've GOT the money, get the ED glass). I use this lens for beating around, its the kind of lens that I carry when out bushwhacking in Bangkok. One of its main drawbacks is that it focuses very slowly and tends to want to hunt a lot, the way around that is to set it to closest subject and hope a cat doesn't run through the frame just as you press the shutter release (err, yep, that actually happened to me).

Overall, I think the G series has been unfairly maligned in professional circles. I have this and the 28-100 and they are both very good lenses, and at the prices they sell for, can be taken into places you don't want to take a $1,500 lens (dust, dirt, theft risk, the like).

First, I'm giving this 70-300mm lens a 5/5 rating partly because the price is inexpensive (which is good in my opinion). Usually you get what you paid for, however in this case you get much more than what you paid for.

If your primary objective is to take pictures in low light situation such as wedding and concert, then get the 80-200mm f/2.8 or the 70-200mm VR f/2.8 instead.

Get this lens by any means unless you already have those alternative and more expensive zoom lenses that I mentioned above.

Pros:
1. Inexpensive
2. You can get up close and personal (300mm which is equivalent to 450mm if you attach it to a DSLR)
3. Very sharp and fast in bright light situation (outdoor etc), though it gets a bit softer as you get closer to the 300mm
4. Very light
5. Bokeh is suprisingly good
6. Great for portrait

Cons:
1. Plasticy build and looks cheap (but I don't think you should care on this)
2. Very bad on low light situation especially if the object is moving/sports photography, but still works fine for long exposure with tripod like photographing fireworks or night light building/city/car lights.
3. Focus seems to be slower on low light situation (focus hunting a bit more)

Bottom line: this lens loves a lot of light.

If you give this lens a lot of light, it will take good care of you.

Last but not least, after you get this lens, go and buy the nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D prime lens for $100 or less (equivalent of 75mm if used with DSLR which is very good for portrait and semi-zoom). This is a very fast lens and works extremly well in low light situation even without using flash. This lens will complement your 70-300mm lens very very well.

Happy photographing!

All right whats up with the title right ? It is about the lens 70-300mm Nikkor. I think every lens producer (every brand) should really have a MINIMUM QUALITY. This lens is a disgrace for Nikon. Now don;t tell me that "oh its great for the price" or "wow how much zoom for that price" kind of comments. This lens does not take good pictures period. Whoever says it does doe snot know about photography.

Check the list please;
1- YOU WILL HAVE LIGHT PROBLEMS. It is a lot of glass . Use the common sense please ! A lot of glass will not let a lot of light in. Dark photos mostly.
2- NOT INTERNAL FOCUS. Very unconvenient zoom action. No internal zoom.
3- NO VINRATION REDUCTION . You zoom in and take a photo and then look at it at your LCD it looks ok till you open it on your computer. It is likely to be blurry almost on every zoomed in shot. You need a tripod to take zoomed shots with this lens all the time period.
4- A LOT OF NOISE. This is lens is the noisest lens I have ever tried (neverbought it just tried few days)
5- DO NOT EVEN COMPARE OR CARE ABOUT THE REVIEWS COMPARES THIS LENS WITH 70-200MM f/2.8 or equivalent. They are not even in the same line of business other than they both zoom in. 70-200mm f2.8 is the best lens nikkor ever built for mid range telephoto.
6- HERE IS THE BEST ADVICE FOR EVERYONE (not that you have to agree. I am just sharing my experience) ;
IF YOU REALLY NEED A TELEPHOTO (ZOOM) LENS PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY SAVE IT TILL YOU CAN BUY YOURSELF A 70-200mm f/2.8 NIKKOR.
if no one buys low quality lenses like 70-300mm Nikkor will have to come up with better quality lenses for all. They will have to adjust the prices also. The lenses will not be incredibly high priced also. Buyer awareness is extremely important issue. Retailers making %60 to %80 profit on Nikkor lenses (Guess which ones) not the prime lenses the cheap ones like 70-300mm off course. Thats why you are seeing alot of comments saying "ohhh great lens and zoom for that price" Are you kidding me. Who buys this lens?

This lens' performance is below average, huge light fall off, very soft focusing, ghosting contrast is not good, slow focusing speed, noisy AF. Price is attractive though, for such focal length and zoom. Performance similar to those 70-300mm consumer level aftermarket brand (sigma, tamron).

However this lens is good enough for your kids' high school sports activities, and to capture that special moment.

Very high quality lens with great zooming capabilities. The 300mm zoom provides 6x zoom - enough to make many things huge.

Also, the wide zoom range is a pro.

Having used this lens for several months now, I can only rave about things like color transmission, sharpness, ease of use, etc.. When you think of a zoom lens, most people immediately think of sports, reaching out and pulling in that wild animal, etc. In my case, I am a "people" photographer. I love photographing people but I don't like posed shots. I like working a room from the corner, getting those unexpected shots. This lens allows me to isolate the subjects head and shoulders and get that 'intimate' shot of people they will never pose for you and yet I'm not locked in with a 'portrait' lens.

I've gotten used to the "ooohs and aaaaaaaahs" when people see the pictures I shoot with the Nikon D50 and this lens. They are always amazed at the quality and the "sneaky" way I get their real personalities. I can not believe that it is possible to buy this kind of quality for such a low price. I liked it so well, a buddy of mine fell in love with my camera, went out and bought one, and just recently had me pick him up the same lens here on Ebay for him.

If I were doing an ad for this lens, the key words would be:
Excellent color transmission, unbelievable sharpness, Low price, Great isolation for color portraits, Easy to use, comfortable in the hands.

good price, but as always, you get what you pay for. having the same optics as the pricier ed or ed vr lens of the same size, i don't feel as bad, but it's not very sharp. it's nice to have for the $$$, but don't expect much from it.

I like the lens overall. It has good optics. It is good for slow work but would not recommend it for fast pace shots. I use it for long shots of animals like birds on water feeding. This is just an example. I have tried to use it for my basketball games but does not have the speed focus required nor the light required inside. It is deffently an outside lens. I would recommend this lens for anyones fill in lens.

I am very pleased with thislens. I purchased it fo ruse with my Nikon D70 and it is exactly what I needed to back up my "main" 35/70mm lens. I used it this weekend to photograph sportscars racing in Sebring, Florida. Despite a location somewhat removed - for obvious reasons - from the track I was able to get clear, "up close" shots of the action.

I am very pleased with the lens. I prefer Nikon/Nokkormat lenses to other brands for the precise fit , reliability, and durable construction.

Like the weight, to focal length to COST ratio for travelling.
More reasonable way for me to get 450mm without the cost (use tripod anyway)
VR version would be nice but at 5 x cost and additional weight and size -
I'll hold out for 80-400 VR if I find I use that focal length frequently.
Bob Thomson

Ive had this lens for about 1 month, well worth the cost, makes close ups of flowers, bugs and bears much easier. Light collection is modest but thats the problem you run into with telephotos lenses and weight. Overall I think it was a good purchase for me.

I love Nikon because it is a quality product and you won't have any problems with it. The quality is far superior to most other camera makes.

Bought it to go on a Nikon D-50 camera. The price was great and the lens has been preforming wonderfully.

The minute I received my Nikkor Lens I mounted it on my Nikon D80. It's movements were smooth and accurate. The optical quality is superb. I have allways used Nikon cameras and Nikkor Lenes but this was the first zoom lens that I purchased.I absolutely love it and it lives up to the highest quality standards that Nikkor has been known for. It will give me added flexiblity when I'm shooting my on-water photographs of sailboats underway without the hassle of changing lenes. I highly recommend it! Joseph A Imbesi

Cheap reliable long zoom lens. To get the best from this lens above 200mm you must use a Mono/TriPod, hand held will not give good results above 200mm zoom. Other than that its hard to fault.

Good seller and good product. The zoom lens I got for my nikon works perfect. I have been taking excellent pictures and I am very thankfull for that product.
Thank you.

I bought a lens like this last year and love it. I purchased this one as a Christmas gift for my son who recently bought a new Nikon digital. This lens came "new" in the original package. The service was prompt and the product was packaged beautifully. Very happy buying experience.

I'm very happy with the items that I buy on E-bay. I get a good price for them and I think the seller does too in a lot of cases. It fits my needs and I can usually find anything that I need on e-bay.The items are always marked as the condition that they are in at the time of the sale and that is very important to me and let me know what I'm getting. I need that truthfulness from the seller so I know what to look for. Dislike would be when someone does not tell you what all is wrong with the item that you are buying and it is a big surprise when you get it and they are half way around the qworld that you brought it from. Makes it really hard to get your money back or a settlement from them.
I won a camera on Yahoo auction about a month ago and the lady I brought it from can't get the camera now so I have to late for my $$$ money back now and she said she has to wait because she already paid some guy she was getting them from. That is not my problem I told her and wanted my money back from her. I'm still waiting for my money and will not buy anythng elase from yahoo auction again because of this bad situlation on my first time with them. Kinda leaves a bad taste in your mouth about this.
Thank you so much for listening to me.
Harold Watters Indianapolis, Indiana E-bay buyer and seller

The lens was a need not a want. I do wildlife photography in the Blueridge Mountains and I needed a lens for my Nikon D100 that would span the gap between closeup and distant. This lens is excellent for the job. Since purchase, I have taken more than 500 photos and 2 are being published in the VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) magazine for June.

This is a great lens for long distance shots WITH A TRIPOD. It has no VR so anyting without tripod comes out pretty blurry. I have gotten alot of use out of this though and really enjoy it. It was a great buy.

The price was great,shipment was quick. Great comunication with the seller.The lense was just what I was looking for and a great price at that.

Quality lens in this price range! Under $150.00 to get nice 8X10 or at 6.5 meg. Reasonable price for regular everyday candids!

I like the included lens hood. The 62mm skylight filter was USD 12. Very light lens. Slower lens than I am used to. Auto focusing is sluggish.

I bought this lens for one picture of a Great Blue Heron which feeds in a nearby lake. I ended up with a series of pictures, which are amazing but not high enough quality for large enlargements. Tripod and good light is required above 150mm.

I have had good results however using flash for shots indoors. Flash shots of my children receiving awards etc., where you normally can’t get up close. I will keep this lens until I replace it with a fast 135mm or so fixed focal length.

In general the pictures are fine for small prints but still look a bit flat in contrast and lack sharpness.

I compared this zoom at 100mm to my f1.4 50mm Nikkor with a 2x converter. The results bear out my suspicions about contrast and sharpness. I also gain an f stop! Not surprising really – you get what you pay for - 400 bucks beat 100 bucks!

So – did I waste 100 bucks? No – It was one of my cheaper lessons!