I don't understand the "3.3" reference to the Nikkor VR 70-300mm?? I once had one of those anyway and it broke very easily (terribly located thin manual focus ring that you have to look at each time to locate) and I replaced with Tamron's SP 70-300mm f4-5.6 VC, which has similar and sometimes even better quality (certainly a more even performance). But, you seem to be steering towards a used 70-200mm f2.8 (or equivalent) - I don't have a Nikon or even a Tamron one of these but certainly do still enjoy my 5 year old Sigma EX 70-200mm f2.8 Apo 'macro' II - the best handling lens I've ever had and still turning in fine results, but without the OS of newer models it will be much cheaper, though Nikon's own will be more consistently sharper wide open - but at a much higher cost, of course. I think that all these lenses, especially those that focus close have this 'focus breathing' - meaning that the actual focal length decreases as the focus distance is shortened, something you have to live with but most wouldn't recognise this or worry too much if they did know.