So I'm thinking that as much as I like my 18-300mm Nikkor, I'd love a super sharp 300 for bird/wildlife/sports. There are used AF 300mm f/4 lenses in pretty good shape out there in the $600 range. (The newer AF-S version is hard to find used, and nearly as expensive as a new one when/if you can find it. )
Downsides: No VR, maybe a little slower AF, crazy drop in filter system.
If there are some of you out there who are using or have used this old lens, I'd appreciate any input you might have.
I could just suck it up and buy the new AF-S version for over twice as much cash. I might get faster AF and would have a front mount filter option instead of the silly drop in gizmo.
I've also thought about the new Tamron 150-600 when it becomes available for more reach and the convenience of zoom. I wonder if the Nikon 300 wouldn't be sharper, though, even when cropped to match the 600 end of the Tamron.
Downsides: No VR, maybe a little slower AF, crazy drop in filter system.
If there are some of you out there who are using or have used this old lens, I'd appreciate any input you might have.
I could just suck it up and buy the new AF-S version for over twice as much cash. I might get faster AF and would have a front mount filter option instead of the silly drop in gizmo.
I've also thought about the new Tamron 150-600 when it becomes available for more reach and the convenience of zoom. I wonder if the Nikon 300 wouldn't be sharper, though, even when cropped to match the 600 end of the Tamron.