Recently Glenn @gqtuazon said he wanted to sell his Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S lens. I was interested until I found out the rear end of the lens lacks any type of glass element. The aperture blades are further inside the lens but nothing protects them from dust. This is the way Nikon designed it. So I passed on it.
Looking at a camera store's web site that is somewhat near me, I saw they had both this lens as well as the older Nikon 300mm f/4 AF lens (it's a screw drive lens). Since I've really wanted a 300mm f/4 prime, I decided to AB them. Unfortunately for me, the rear of the screw drive lens is made the same as the AF-S (lacking a rear element). The sales rep said he's never heard of it being an issue and said other Nikon primes are made the same way. I know my Nikon 180mm f/2.8 lacks a rear element, too.
So I took test shots with both lenses. I couldn't even tell any difference in their sharpness--the AF speed was slower in the screw drive lens while the AF-S was very quick to respond. Their price of the screw drive lens was $399. Definitely a bargain considering the sharpness so I bought it. Both B&H and Keh sell this lens for more ($499 and $549 respectively). Excitedly I came home and ordered an 82mm UV filter from B&H for the front.
Well...have you ever experienced buyer's remorse? Although the screw drive lens takes gorgeous images, I felt remorse at giving up the AF speed. Plus my Nikon 1.4 teleconverter won't work with the screw drive lens which meant having to shell out more money for a Kenko teleconverter. Oh no! What did I do? :sorrow:
So the next day I returned to the store. The thing is this store doesn't accept returns on used items that are purchased in-store. They do when it is an internet order, but not only do they state that at the time of the sale, they also stamp it on the receipt. Their AF-S lens was priced far more than Glenn's and even more than comparable completed sales on ebay. But my only hope was to see if they would allow me to pay the difference and go with the AF-S instead. Knowing they had this lens on sale a couple of times, I asked if they would consider letting me have it at the sale price. They did. Unfortunately I still paid almost $100 more than what I would have paid if I had bought Glenn's lens. And of course B&H shipped out the 82mm UV filter so now I have to pay to return it.
The good news is the lens is stellar, and if anyone is interested, you should check with Glenn to see if he sold his.
https://nikonites.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=70534&catid=newimages#axzz4j4jWnZom
Looking at a camera store's web site that is somewhat near me, I saw they had both this lens as well as the older Nikon 300mm f/4 AF lens (it's a screw drive lens). Since I've really wanted a 300mm f/4 prime, I decided to AB them. Unfortunately for me, the rear of the screw drive lens is made the same as the AF-S (lacking a rear element). The sales rep said he's never heard of it being an issue and said other Nikon primes are made the same way. I know my Nikon 180mm f/2.8 lacks a rear element, too.
So I took test shots with both lenses. I couldn't even tell any difference in their sharpness--the AF speed was slower in the screw drive lens while the AF-S was very quick to respond. Their price of the screw drive lens was $399. Definitely a bargain considering the sharpness so I bought it. Both B&H and Keh sell this lens for more ($499 and $549 respectively). Excitedly I came home and ordered an 82mm UV filter from B&H for the front.
Well...have you ever experienced buyer's remorse? Although the screw drive lens takes gorgeous images, I felt remorse at giving up the AF speed. Plus my Nikon 1.4 teleconverter won't work with the screw drive lens which meant having to shell out more money for a Kenko teleconverter. Oh no! What did I do? :sorrow:
So the next day I returned to the store. The thing is this store doesn't accept returns on used items that are purchased in-store. They do when it is an internet order, but not only do they state that at the time of the sale, they also stamp it on the receipt. Their AF-S lens was priced far more than Glenn's and even more than comparable completed sales on ebay. But my only hope was to see if they would allow me to pay the difference and go with the AF-S instead. Knowing they had this lens on sale a couple of times, I asked if they would consider letting me have it at the sale price. They did. Unfortunately I still paid almost $100 more than what I would have paid if I had bought Glenn's lens. And of course B&H shipped out the 82mm UV filter so now I have to pay to return it.
The good news is the lens is stellar, and if anyone is interested, you should check with Glenn to see if he sold his.
https://nikonites.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=70534&catid=newimages#axzz4j4jWnZom
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