Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED Lens : Stellar Lens!

January 30, 2020

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED Lens : Stellar Lens!

I can only agree with the above reviewsi had been searching around for a telephoto lens for a while, after getting into wildlife photography. I already have a few lenses, such as an 18-200mm vr and a 70-200mm f/2. 8 vr, but i needed a bit more reach + i also wanted to get a teleconverter to go with it. I looked long and hard at the bigma sigmas, the 150-500 and the 50-500mm’s. I also read reviews on the nikon 80-400mm. The nikons’ 200-400mm and 300mm f/2. 8 being well out of my price range. On consulting a flickr contact who uses the 300mm f/4 to shoot wildlife, i decided to go for this. I am very pleased i did get this lens because it has enabled me to take some of my best ever photos. The autofocus is very fast and does not seem to slow up, even with a nikon tc-1.

Easily handheld down to 1/250. Af is generally fast and always very accurate even at minimum focus distance. This lens is also suitable for facial crops and macro style photos because it combines all the above features with a short minimum focus distance of 1. 45mthe nikon 300/f4 lens is light and compact (for a 300mm lens). This is important if you are a landscapist and wish to carry more lenses and accessories inside a photo backpack. This lens uses 77mm filters. Once again, that is in my opinion very important for landscapists who often use nd filters, varind filters and polarizers.

This is the first prime telephoto lens by nikon that i have owned. I can only say i had no idea how good a lens could be until i tried this one. The image quality in terms of sharpness and contrast is quite outstanding. I have used it with a kenko pro300 dgx 1. 4tc with little degradation in iq and a nikon tc20 iii which also produced much better iq than i would have expected. It is quite a chunk to carry around but having said that i used it while hiking for several hours hooked up to a d700 with no problems. I recommend this lens with no reservations.

Bought 300mm f4 prime after a sad experience with a tamron 150-600. V few keepers v soft at 600mm. That cannot be said of the nikon,this lens is very sharp at all apertures. Autofocus is very quick and accurate and tracks birds in flight no problem. Lens easy to handhold lack of vr never a problem just keep shutter speed up to compensate. 7 teleconverters with v little loss of iq giving full autofocus with both although does slow down a bit with the 1. Quality lens lens joy to use.

I own a nikon d200 and all my lenses are nikkor apart from my super-telephoto which is a sigma 135-400mm f/4. I have primarily used the sigma for wildlife and at cricket matches but never really liked the results. So i decided to replace it with nikon 300mm f4 d af-s if ed lens (as the f/2. 8 is a little out of my price range). I must say that the resultant image quality is stunning. All images are pin sharp and it focuses very quickly, ideal for sports action. Some other reviews do say that the lens tri-pod mount is not up to much. I use the lens on a mono pod at the cricket and if you employ the correct grip technique on the lens then it is rock solid in my view.

I debated about getting this lens as it didn’t have vr and i already had a 28-300mm lens for my fx camera. I needn’t have worried as it is a top quality lens. Being a prime it produces great sharp images and although it is no lightweight, it is not as heavy as i expected. I found it fairly difficult to hold steady handheld, so i was concerned that without vr the images would be blurred, but they are pin sharp. The good news is that i can use a 1. 4 teleconverter when required.

Just got a copy and am bowled over by it. It’s very well presented in a nice box and lens pouch, and very well made too. It’s not too long nor too heavy. But crucially, it is very sharp wide open. Stopping down just increases the dof. I’m using it in a d7100 and together they sing. I used to use the renowned sigma 100-300 ex f4 but this is on another level – likely because it is a prime and not a zoom. Shop around for the best price.

Fantastic quality at a reasonable price
One of those Items you wish you had bought years ago
Pin sharp

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED Lens

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Compact super-telephoto lens for travel, sports, wildlife, and stock photography
Super-fast, super-quiet lens using Silent Wave motor technology

I have been using this lens for almost 2 years now and it has been wonderful. The sharpness and contrast produced by this glass is simply sublime and its noticably sharper than my 70-200 vr ii which is hardly a slouch. This and the d800 make a pretty deadly combo in terms of iq.Very solid indeed, focus ring feels lovely and the built in extendable hood is very sturdy. My main use for this lens is wildlife photography for which it is excellent, especially considering its price compared to the other 300mm plus options. It could probably benefit from vr and i expect whenever nikon gives it an update, this will happen. However, nearly all of my wildlife shots are at fast shutter speeds anyway so it has not been a hinderance at all, in fact i haven’t really noticed. As silly as it sounds considering that it is still over a grand, it represents a bit of a bargain. I do believe the sharpness is only slightly behind its big 2.

I am merely a hobby photographer and i will not attempt to make any more detailed review of this lens’ performance. I leave it to those more qualified. There are several professional reviews available on the internet and i find that they are in good agreement that the lens is very good, except possibly for a somewhat weak tripod support (i use it freehand or on a monopod so i have no problem with that). My main use of the lens is nature photography, preferably animals and birds. After using it some time on my d5000 i have noticed that the success rate for my photos (i. The photos i like to save and display) is noticeably higher compared with most other lenses i have. I have learned to appreciate the lens also for portraits of my family members, especially the kids (i. The lens is tack sharp also on f4 (no need to say), but it also makes a very nice and even exposure over the whole object. There is a nice “light” in the whole photo. I don’t know why, but with my other lenses there is a stronger difference between bright and dark areas. They look like if subject to harder jpg compression.

In common with lenses like the 180mm f2. 4 the 300mm f4 is a superb example of the exceptional optical quality of nikon’s prime lenses. Sharpness, saturation and contrast are simply stunning and well above the standard of pretty much any zoom lens available. Now that it has been updated to af-s, focusing (internal) is fast and accurate, able to cope with most fast-moving sports and action subjects. The tripod foot, which caused some issues with earlier versions of this lens, seems fine to me and has caused no problems either on a tripod or a monopod. Although a large lens, it is comfortable to use and excellent results can be obtained with the lens handheld. Perhaps the best way to illustrate the quality of this lens is to compare it with the other routes to 300mm in the nikon arsenal. Nikon consumer zoom lenses which go to 300mmrelatively cheap, flexible in use due to zooming ability and small to carry around. In optical quality though they will disappoint severely compared to the classic nikon design of the 300mm f4.

I got my nikon af-s 300/4d from hdewcameras. Uk, of wallington, surrey, for 715 pounds, brand new. It is a 14 years old ‘golden ring’ design, beautifully made; my only complaint is the plastic, slightly wobbling, lens shade. Notwithstanding many opinions to the contrary, the tripod collar is sturdy enough for my purposes (and kirk’s nc-300 replacement lens collar is a fine alternative).

I actually sold my sigma 50-500mm os and bought the nikon 300mm f. 4 and i have never looked back. The sigma is a good versatile lens but is totally outclassed by the nikon in terms of colour, contrast and sharpness. Probably the sigma’s worst failing is its bokeh (main reason for selling it) which at the long focal lengths is awful. The nikon on the other hand produces beautiful smooth bokeh. I have a friend who has the nikon 300 f2. 8 which is faster focusing and vr, if you have the dosh (rich b’s) buy it. This f4 though is smaller, lighter and a fraction of the price and as the other reviewer has said, you probably get 90% or dare i say 95% of the image quality.

I’d been dithering for sometime about buying this but eventually i bought the af 300 f4 instead. I picked mine up used (but essentially new, optics perfect etc) for £300. If you’re sure you’re going to use it all the time then go for it but if you’re like me, this comes out once a fortnight maximum so save over 50% on identical optics.

Fast focussing on my d7000 and really super sharp even at f4. Initially i experienced a lower than expected success rate due to what i now realise was slight camera shake even at quite high shutter speeds. I have now started using a mono-pod which has improved things immeasurably. I use a manfrotto with tilting head which has a large thumb screw to attach to the tripod bush on the lens. I find this is quicker and safer to use than a quick release plate (right hand hold camera, left handle tightens the attachment screw). I have also noticed that unlike telephoto zooms this lens both focusses close and maintains its 300mm focal length at close distances. Telephoto zooms tend to ‘lose’ focal length at close distances (i believe this is called focus breathing). Due to its close focussing ability and nice bokeh it also takes really nice semi macro shots of flowers and insects.

Just what i needed for birdwatching on the move. Not too heavy and gives good results on my d700 with mono-pod.