300mm Zoom Question

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whistlingpete

New member
I'm on the fence for something in the 300mm range, but I'm hedging towards a zoom rather than a telephoto.

DoXMark seems to suggest the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR isn't a stellar lens, but after reviewing a number of galleries here on the forum I'm thinking it seems OK.

Edit:
What about the 80-400 or the 70-200 f2.8 w/ a teleconverter?
 
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pedroj

Senior Member
What is it you want to shoot....I have the 300mm AF ED F4 that does a great job and the 80-200mm AF ED F2.8....

An image from the 300mm F4....

saltwater_24_sep_021.jpg
 
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whistlingpete

New member
Nice image. It's ones like that push me towards the 70-300mm.

Primary reason is a graduation in the spring for stills and video. Poor seating and can't move around during the event but will be able to use a tripod.

Beyond that I'd really like to get into wildlife and landscapes, and maybe some family portraiture.

I have a 35mm and will eventually get an 85mm and a 24-70mm
 
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dramtastic

Senior Member
For wildlife your going to need at least a 400mm. Sure you can get by with 300 but it won't be long before your hankering for the extra reach especially for birds.
So pedroj's suggestion of the 300 F4 but the AF-S with a 1.4 converter.
80-400 Nikkor
120-400 Sigma
Or of you can find a good one on ebay like I did, the Sigma AF 100-300mm F4 EX IF HSM APO with a 1.4 tele
Of course if you've got a spare 3k to drop and happy to use a tripod most of the time, you could be looking at the Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sport. Id take this over the 80-400 Nikkor for the about the same money.
Personally I wouldn't get the 70-200 for wildlife. Even with a 1.4 converter you will only get a max of 280mm and if you have a DX body and think the crop factor is going to help it won't. Anyway, my 2 cents.
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
I own this lens and find it is a tad soft when zoomed out to 300mm. Other than that, it is terrific!
 
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Ironwood

Senior Member
I have the Nikon 70-300VR, for what it costs I think it is a great lens. A lot of people say it is soft at 300mm, I havent found mine to be too bad, in fact I think it is almost just as sharp at 300 as anywhere else in the zoom range.
Check out these photos of the RC planes, they were taken with this lens, even heavily cropped the photos are still useable. there are plenty of other photos taken with the 70-300VR throughout my plod if you have the time to check through it. The earlier ones are with the D3100, later ones with D7100.
​http://nikonites.com/project-365-daily-photos/10350-ironwoods-plod-2013-a-11.html#axzz2harOSdX2



 
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whistlingpete

New member
Ironwood said:
I have the Nikon 70-300VR, for what it costs I think it is a great lens. A lot of people say it is soft at 300mm, I havent found mine to be too bad, in fact I think it is almost just as sharp at 300 as anywhere else in the zoom range.
Check out these photos of the RC planes, they were taken with this lens, even heavily cropped the photos are still useable. there are plenty of other photos taken with the 70-300VR throughout my plod if you have the time to check through it. The earlier ones are with the D3100, later ones with D7100.
​http://nikonites.com/project-365-daily-photos/10350-ironwoods-plod-2013-a-11.html#axzz2harOSdX2
Click to expand...

Nice shots. The images seem nice and clear even on the outer edges.

Is yours 70-300mm the AF or the AF-S?

Did you buy new or used?
 
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Ironwood

Senior Member
whistlingpete said:
Nice shots. The images seem nice and clear even on the outer edges.

Is yours 70-300mm the AF or the AF-S?

Did you buy new or used?
Click to expand...

Yes it produces pretty good images.
Mine is the newer AF-S with VR, I had the AF-D before this one and was disappointed with it, so I sold it and bought this one new.
 
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