70-300g vr 4.5-5.6 fx or new 70-300 4.5-6.3 dx

egosbar

Senior Member
getting a d500 in a few weeks with a 16-80

looking at a 70-300 , birding and general use , given the fx is pretty old model now is the new dx a better option

the fx is the top of my price range and the savings if i go dx i can get a 35mm 1.8

i read a lot of people are turned off buy the 6.3 long end but imo its only a third of a stop so shouldnt make much difference

i want quick focus and obviously sharp pics

at the moment im leaning towards the dx and 35mm 1.8 , anyone have any experience and thoughts on the dx version?
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
Probably not as much of a problem on the D7100, but when the autofocus wants at least f/8 and your lens is only capable of providing f/6.3 ... low light focusing is going to suffer. Its one of the things I like about Nikon's 200-500 super zoom, it's f/5.6 all the way and doesn't creep up to 6.3. For birding and general use, it really depends on how much low light work you do.

On DX vs FX, I think it all comes down to whether you see yourself picking up an FX camera in the future or not. The spacing and weight savings of going the DX route are nice, but for a little bit more money up front you can get into FX if that's even a consideration.

I don't think you can go wrong with the DX lens and adding the 35/1.8. And if over-thinking your gear purchases wears you down, the new DX 70-300 should hold value pretty good.
 

Zeke_M

Senior Member
When I got my D7100, I found out quickly that two of my four DX lenses were not worthy of the D7100.
I'm guessing the D500 will expose any flaw in cheap DX glass.

Stick with the 70-300 mm FX lens. It's been around a long time for a reason.
It's an excellent lens. Check the siglines here. A lot of members have them.

FWIW old glass doesn't mean bad glass. One of my favorite lenses dates form the mid 1980's.
It can compete with anything in it's class made today.
 
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hark

Administrator
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I have the 70-300 VR FX version, and it is quite good. Give this a look as it is worth repeating:

 

egosbar

Senior Member
im going with the dx version , i got 90 dollars off as a kit , price 339 australian , cheap enough to try , im sure it will be better then the slow focusing 55-300

$2558 australian gets me a d500 and 70-300 , ordering tomorrow , im sure the d500 will be a nice fit for my 105mm nikon macro and 11-16 tokina

just need a nice mid range zoom , dont like the price of the 16-80 , maybe a 24-85 but would prefer wider
 

Ironwood

Senior Member
Thats a pretty good price on the D500, is it grey market ?

Have you thought about the Nikon 16-85, not quite as fast as the newer one, but a good lens all the same.
I had a 24-85 when I first bought my D7100, I didn't like the lack of wide end, so sold it and bought the 16-85, much better for DX.
 

egosbar

Senior Member
yeah might have a look at the 16-85 , its from a company called ozonline , they are based in sydney but source through hong kong , apparently any warranty issues will be fixed in sydney , and im expecting it to country nsw on tuesday or wednesday if i order tomorrow

yeah pretty good price i think , ive researched for a while now , be interested to see how the 70-300 performs

im not worried about grey market i bought my 7100 ,55-300,18-55 for 1150 when they were 1400 and sold it for 950 last week i had it for about 3 years
 

Ironwood

Senior Member
That new 70-300 looks like it should be good. I have the 70-300 VR FX, very good lens for the price, but I am thinking about selling off some lenses and it will go. I find I am only using my 11-16 Tokina, 16-85 Nikon and 150-600 Tamron, and the 55 macro Nikon, all the rest just seem to be in the dry box not getting used.
 

egosbar

Senior Member
for an extra 200 ive changed my mind again , i know the fx 70-300g has been around a while and is apparently a great lens , there isnt enough info on the new dx lens so im spending the extra and getting the fx version , and if i ever upgrade to ff i still have it
 

hark

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The mount on the FX lens is metal...not sure which mount the DX has. The FX is a great lens, and as you mentioned, if you ever decide to try an FX body, this lens will be the better choice.
 

Nero

Senior Member
I bought the FX 70-300mm VR used, just a few weeks ago and I really like it so far. The autofocus is crazy fast, and IQ seems really good at every focal length. It's definitely a bit bigger and heavier than you might be used to but not absurdly so. This is a lens that hasn't gotten worse with age and is absolutely worth the low price you'll pay if you get it used.
 
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Blacktop

Senior Member
i bought it new with a d500 , got 100 dollars discount , should arrive by next wednesday

Good luck with it. It was great lens on my D7100 and later on my D750 as well. The only reason I sold it , is that I wanted a 2.8 telephoto zoom for some of the stuff that I'm shooting.
 

Osantacruz

Senior Member
I'll be getting the new DX version as soon as Adorama ships it. Got it used for $309. I accidentally bought the non-VR version on eBay but sent it back. I did snap a few shots and it seemed very quick and the lens was surprisingly light. It wasn't a real test since it was already starting to get dark out and no VR handheld at 300 was difficult to use but I think I'll be happy with the VR version. Plastic mount but I'm not really concerned about that since I have a couple of 10 year old kit lenses that are plastic mount and still functioning as well as the day I got them. I also bought the 18-55 AF-P VR on eBay for about $85 and for a quick, light carry around lens it works really well. Very quick and completely silent focus. I thought it was broken at first because it made no sound while focusing but it just is that quiet. The 70-300 was also very quiet and quick. It's such a pain that there's damn near no info on the lens, I had to buy it just to find out how it is. I'll definitely do a review for others considering the lens in the future.
 

egosbar

Senior Member
i bought the fx version but still interested in thoughts on the dx version , really looking for a nice mid zoom for my d500 probably settle on 24-85
buying one new for 360 dollars australian
 
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