Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Nikkor SLR Camera Lens film camera Reviews

Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6G AF Nikkor SLR Camera Lens

Good lens for the money 2008-07-13

Got this lens for pics I plan on taking of my kids and vacation.
PLEASE BE AWARE that you need a AF-S for automatic focus on a Nikon D40.
This lens does focus well,just not what I expected.

Muy bueno! 2008-04-07

Les recomiendo absolutamente este producto. A pesar de no ser autofoco, vale la pena ya que su precio es la mitad y enfocar es realmente fácil, requiere un poco de práctica y listo. El despacho funcionó muy bien y el servicio exlcente.

Nikon lens review 2008-01-14

Product was what it said it was and was delivered very fast and at a very good price.

Worth every penny 2008-01-12

I bought this lens to try on my New Nikon D200, even though it is not a fast lens for indoor photography. I solved the problems by using my SB 800 flash with diffuser and bounce to ceiling, far close up shot of people up to 20-30 ft away is tack sharp with barely no shadows. Outside is a different story it is very sharp between 100 to 400 ISO and quick to focus, the motor sound don't bother me. I shot a lot of macro and potrait with this lens. I will continue to use this until I can save for Nikon 70-200 F/2.8 VR ($1,800 plus tax plus add $450.00 for 2x converter. Taken to this lens pinted to 8 X 10 is excellent. By taking landscapes shot tripod mount and use a cord trigger will result in very sharp picture that can be enlarge poster size 20 X 30 inches. I printed some shot on my canon printer ($500.00) 13 X 19 inches the quality is Gallery quality. To make it short, I recommend this lens. you have to realized bokeh or blurring the background is how you select the lens opening (Apertures or F stop). Burst shot is not a problem on my D200 with this lens.For the price what are you waiting for? As long as you know its limitation. I luv the very light weight. I have tried the 70-200 F/2.8 VR mounted on my Nikon D200 with Battery Grip in our local camera shop, I don't know if you can bear the weight to walk around with it.

It's cheap at least 2007-12-27

Pros:
Cheap cheap cheap
Lightweight
Smooth in manual focus

Cons:
SLOW Autofocus (body driven, rather than internal)
High f/stops
Non-ED glass
Very soft...sharpness and contrast leave alot to be desired. The 18-70 kit lens from my D70S is sharper and has higher contrast (thanks to the ED glass)

Overall, you get what you pay for. If you're looking for a lens for wildlife photography where you need to get the shot the first time and have it be nice and sharp in all conditions, look elsewhere. For posed portraits under good/controlled lighting, this will be a low-cost alternative to a nicer lens.

You don't NEED an expensive DX or DX VR zoom lens to get great action shots. 2007-11-09

This SLR Zoom lens came with my Nikon D80 package. It's a lens that I actually had and was using on my N65 for years, but I sold that one when I sold my N65. Now that I'm using it again, but on my D80 I'm absolutely amazed by what it allows me to capture. I can shoot sports during the day or at well lit night venue from as far away as 40 yards and get results that are magazine worthy. It freezes action and focuses so fast that it makes shooting sports effortless. It's very light and quiet too. I'm sure the modern DX VR version is better, but it's also 7x the price. Unless you're a pro, just get this lens and call it a day. I guarantee you'll have some great shots of your kid's soccer games to frame and cherish forever.

Great lens for the price 2007-08-25

This lens far exceeded my expectations. I was a bit worried reading some less-than stellar comments online, especially about build quality, but decided to take a chance. I wouldn't call this lens pro-quality by any streach of the imagination but for the casual user or moderate use pro-sumer, I would highly recommend this bargain of a lens. It's ideal to get up and close to the action and fairly light to hold; this make it easier to hold and compose longer without your arms getting tired. I use this lens with a F100 and focus is much faster than expected. It has a tendency to "hunt" more as you zoom in, but not so much when it is zoomed out. It is D compatible to communicate distance information for matrix metering and flash use, there seems to be some confusion about this online... In short, great lens and a fantastic value. Enjoy.

Great Value for the Money 2007-07-26

I purchased this zoom lens for outdoor daytime sports, and it has done a very good job considering the low price. This is a very light lens, with no VR, so when zoomed in you'll notice quite a bit of camera shake. This is easily solved by either using a monopod, tripod or some other type of stabization if you want to get sharper pictures.

The lens does indeed get softer in the 200-300mm range, but a little sharpening in PS usually does the trick. Since the maximum aperture is f/4, don't expect your subjects to pop much from the lack of bokeh. Then again, I didn't expect much bokeh in a $140 lens, so this wasn't a surprise to me.

I know this review sounds more like a two star review, but keep in mind that you're getting a 300mm telephoto lens for less than $150. The "pro" lenses in this zoom category cost ten times as much, and that's way too much for amateur photography, IMO. For the price, this is a good value and a great way to get close to the action without emptying your wallet.

Nikon 70-300 2007-07-04

I bought a Nikon D-200 with an 18-70mm kit lens. I wanted to get closer to the action so picked up this lens after some reviews. It's really a great close up lens, but at the full 300mm it is REALLY hard to hold it steady without a tripod. And I have to say, that when I want a close up shot, the 70-300 is on my camera, and when I want to shoot a bird, the wide angle is on the camera. Now I keep thinking that the 18-200 VR lens would have been a pretty good choice afterall.

Good Value 2007-05-08

For the price you will not find a better lens. It takes great outdoor shots in bright sunny days. Not so great indoors, but still very good.

Excellent item and great price 2007-05-02

Well made Nikkor Lens - great value and it takes magnificent photos.

Can't beat the price 2007-04-05

I'm a beginner who still wanted the longer reach that this lens offered. The difference between this and a 70-200mm lens was amazing, especially when the effective zoom is equivalent to more than a 300mm -- more like 450mm, I'm told. By only complaint was the length of time it took Amazon to get this product to me. It arrived at my house while I was on vacation, getting by with a 70-200mm lens and cursing my bad fortune.

a good value 2007-04-01

Not a pro, but this was a really good value for me.

Great lense for the Price. 2007-03-30

As others have mentioned, the autofocus is a little slow and sometimes won't focus at all in really low light. But you should be manual focusing anyways. Other than that this is a great lense, especially for less than 200 dollars. I've used it for photographing motocross and surfing so far. The 300mm is good for getting close up with the surfers while standing on the beach. The colors are crisp and this lense seems to be a little sharper than the 28-80mm Nikkor that came with my D50.

Great Product, Poor service from Amazon 2007-03-20

The only reason I am giving this 1 start is becuase of Amazon's poor service, otherwise I would give 5 stars for the product. I placed this order more than 30 days ago. Amazon still has not shipped the item so I cancelled my order and placed it with J&R. If Amazon did not have the item in stock, they should have stated on their web site or at least communicated with me that there will be a delay in Shipping.

Nikon Nikkor 70 - 300 mm f/4-5.6G AF Lens 2007-02-16

The only two drawbacks to this lens are that it requires a huge amount of light to take quality photographs and it is relatively slow to autofocus, especially where there is not adequate light. Aside from this it is a good but not great lens. It is probably worth the money that it cost, however, I believe that a better lens would be the 70 - 300 MM VR which costs about 4X the price of this lens.

One of Nikon's greatest bargains 2007-02-12

This lens is one of Nikon's "best bang for your buck" products. It's a very good telephoto zoom, unbeatable for the price, and most amateur photographers will find it quite satisfactory for their needs. Would I like to have a $5000 telephoto? Would I like to have VR? Sure, but this is the best way there is to get a very nice piece of long Nikkor glass on a tight budget.
D40 owners, forget it, this is not an AF-S lens.

Nikon Lens 70-300 2007-01-28

I am very pleased with how quickly I received the order and with the product. I used this Lens while attending a Seminar a few days after receiving it and was very pleased with the quality of the pictures.

Nikon 70-300 zoom lens with Nikon D40 2007-01-25

I just recently got a Nikon D40 for christmas, and i wanted to get a nice zoom lens that would suit my needs, as well as be really inexpensive, and i think this lens fits that to a "t". contrary to popular belief, this af-g lens does work with the new nikon d40, the only thing is that it does not autofocus. which isnt a big deal really. I rated this lens as a 5 because it takes amazing pictures. I love it. you really cant beat this lens for the price.

Nikon 70-300mm SLR Camera Lens 2007-01-19

The lens was just what I wanted it was awesome, Shipping was extremely fast and this was ordered 1 week before Christmas I had the lens 3 days after I placed my order. Thanks.

Great Lens 2007-01-17

The lense does everything it was advertised to do and at a reasonable price.

Nikon name at Wal Mart Price 2007-01-05

Agree with fascination with this price point for a Nikon lense, and difficulties in marginal light situations. You do have to wonder at the optical quality when a teleconverter costs twice as much! Bought it to use with my D50 at my son's soccor games and for wildlife, and have been very pleased with advantage over 200mm on my other telephoto for this purpose. In daylight, it is plenty fast enough to hand hold, and inconspicuously compact at that. At this price, it is hard to pass up as long as you are clear about what you are getting. Family use--great. Pro--no way. A fine match for the D50.

Great Value - FYI 2006-10-01

This lens is worth the few bucks it costs - no question about it - but it's true that it performs poorly in low light situations but for what it is supposed to do - it is a great value for a Nikon telephoto - I give it two thumbs up. There are many good tech specific reviews of this lens already posted here from those of us who use this lens and most of what was said, I agreed with. So the main reason I wanted to post my review was to give other future buyers of this lens a FYI. This very same lens is included in the "Nikon Zoom 300 SLR Digital Camera Accessory Kit 9983" -- which is what I purchased through Amazon. AND, if you can believe it, it costs about the same and you get more for your money. [a good nikon camera bag, an extended warranty for your camera as well as for the lens..] Anyway, I wouldn't have found this had another Nikon enthusiast not told me about it. So I wanted to pass on this tip -- in case anybody was interested in a few extra accessories with this lens. Hope the info helps. Yes, good lens and also the kit I mentioned is a fantastic buy.

Very nice zoom lens, not for low light or dark indoor though 2006-09-05

First, I'm giving this 70-300mm lens a 5 stars rating partly because the price is inexpensive (which is good in my opinion). Usually you get what you paid for, however in this case you get much more than what you paid for.

If your primary objective is to take pictures in low light situation such as wedding and concert, then get the 80-200mm f/2.8 or the 70-200mm VR f/2.8 instead.

Get this lens by any means unless you already have those alternative and more expensive zoom lenses that I mentioned above.

Pros:
1. Inexpensive
2. You can get up close and personal (300mm which is equivalent to 450mm if you attach it to a DSLR)
3. Very sharp and fast in bright light situation (outdoor etc), though it gets a bit softer as you get closer to the 300mm
4. Very light
5. Bokeh is suprisingly good
6. Great for portrait

Cons:
1. Plasticy build and looks cheap (but I don't think you should care on this)
2. Very bad on low light situation especially if the object is moving/sports photography, but still works fine for long exposure with tripod like photographing fireworks or night light building/city/car lights.
3. Focus seems to be slower on low light situation (focus hunting a bit more)

Bottom line: this lens loves a lot of light.

If you give this lens a lot of light, it will take good care of you.

Last but not least, after you get this lens, go and buy the nikon 50mm f/1.8 AF-D prime lens for $100 or less (equivalent of 75mm if used with DSLR which is very good for portrait and semi-zoom). This is a very fast lens and works extremly well in low light situation even without using flash. This lens will complement your 70-300mm lens very very well.

Happy photographing!

you get what you pay for 2006-08-17

I was amazed to find this lens for such a low price. I bought it with only a rudimentary knowledge of aperture. I only hand-hold my camera in a range of light settings from wedding ceremonies to outdoor parades, and every time I have used this, the images turn out fuzzy. I blame myself partially (of course!) but just wanted to mention to those of you out there who might be thinking about this that it is really only ok for outdoor situations where the light is bright and you are stable, shooting with a very steady hand.

Great quality at a low price!!! 2006-08-15

I am very impressed with this lens!! I was hesitant about buying this "G" lens because of the low price so I read tons of reviews before deciding to take a chance. Even with the low price, after I ordered it I was hoping I hadn't made a mistake but I've taken about 1,000 photos with it so far and I couldn't be happier with it!

You can read other reviews here for technical details so I won't go into that, but if you're a casual photographer like me and don't have hundreds or over a thousand dollars to spend, plus you don't want to lug around a long, heavy lens, this is the lens for you!!

I'm using it on a D50 and have only used it outdoors so far and the photos are very sharp. Of course, as with any long zoom lens, you have to steady it well or use a tripod. I've taken photos of plants, hummingbirds, loons, sunsets, etc. and I'm in love with the long reach, too.

Bottom line - if you want an inexpensive, lightweight, long zoom lens that takes excellent photos, buy this one!!!

Can't beat the value 2006-08-13

Very light too. Perfect handheld. Beautiful pictures with my D50. Highly recommended.

Great lens, great price 2006-08-10

I love the zoom feature on this lens. It's great for taking pictures of my kids from some distance. I'm back in SLR photography after a 12 year absence. I'm looking forward to learning how to take pictures again. This is a very good lens at an unbelieveable price. It's not the fastest but should be fine for most photographers.

Great value for the amateur and semi-professional 2006-08-07

So you are looking for a good lens? You want something that will take great pictures, but you don't want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars? Well this is the lens for you! I have used several 70-200, 70-255 and 70-300 mm lenses in stores which considering them and the answer is simple: You can't beat a Nikkor lens.

This lens has excellent clarity and optics. I am the director of the Nicholas Copernicus Observatory at the University of Miami and I have extensive expierence in optics. I can tell you, without a doubt, that you wont find a better lens than this for twice the price. I have only bought Nikon cameras and lenses, but I get plenty of chances to use other ones at the observatory as different people bring their equipment to learn how to use it better. No matter how many cameras I use, I still recommend Nikon above all else.

I presently use this lens with a Nikon D70s camera.

There is a more expensive version available, the Nikon 70-300mm f/4-5.6D AF Nikkor SLR Camera Lens, which has superior optics. I highly recomend that lens if you are a professional who needs perfect clarity on sunny days for nature photography at the 300mm length. If you are an amateur or even a semi-professional, if you use this in lower light, or if you are using the shorter length most of the time, save the $200 price difference and save it toward another lens!

can't beat it for the money 2006-07-28

i simply can't imagine you could get more bang for your buck than with this lens. since purchasing it i've used it for everything from nature photography, portraits to candids from a distance. it's a solid lens all around (though i am still very much an amatuer--so there's my disclaimer). the complaints i've read on some sites about the lens having problems focusing in moderate to low light have not been an issue for me. attached to my D50, this lens is quick and quiet in its focusing ability, even in relatively low light. the fact that it throws the background out of focus so easily is WONDERFUL for portraits, so if that's the kind of photography you're into i'd highly recommend this lens. with the crop factor you get on a DSLR it really ends up being much more than just a 300mm lens, too. nice bonus. And i've found that if the light is sufficient you can get pretty sharp pictures even zoomed out well past 200mm. again, for the money i paid (about $100), i have a hard time imagining that this thing can be beat.

Great zoom lens for the average user 2006-07-09

Premium Nikkor optics in a budget priced lens make this one a winner. Having a polycarbonate body, the lens doesn't feel as solid as the old metal framed ones some of us had gotten used to, but for the price difference, it's fully acceptable. If you're used to lenses with a aperature ring then it might take some time to get used to the lack of one on this lens. The quality optics really show with this lens, with no real noticable distrtion or vignetting. What is noticable is the zoom tends to creep when when the camera is pointed nearly straight up or down. This is unacceptable if you want to use the lens for long exposures as the zoom creep will be noticable on the final image, and that's the only reason I'm knocking this lens' rating down to 4 stars for my review. Overall, this is a fine lens for the average photographer on a budget.

The bargain basement of telephoto! 2006-07-09

I've never quite understood what the obsession is with long range telephoto lenses; practically every camera seems to advertise "10X" or "12x" zoom, and that's before the digital "zoom" of 440X or some other insane figure. Wildlife photographers, sports enthusiasts, and secret agents may have a use for a 565X zoom, but I've realized most of my shooting is done under 100mm, and a lot of it near the wide end.

So when I went shopping for a zoom lens I wasn't wanting to spend a lot of money. This is a fairly slow lens, both in focusing and apeture. Many telephoto zooms cover 18-200mm, and it's just not possible to build a lens that covers the whole range without some distortion and other problems. By lopping off the 18-69mm range this lens takes care of that.

If you're wanting to do a handheld shot at 300MM of the spaceships at Area 51 you'll be disappointed, as will someone trying to capture fast moving sports. But if you shoot from a tripod or some other type of rest this lens can get very good results, and you can't complain about the price.

Great Lens for the Price 2006-06-26

I found mine on clearance at a local Wal-Mart for 84.00. Could not pass it up. The lens is light, seems well made, and gives an awesome range when used with my D50. I could not ask for more. Coupled with my 18-200 Tamron (27-300 on the D50) and this Nikon going 105-450, who needs more. Try it....you'll like it.

Definitely worth $150! 2006-06-15

I bought the D50 with the 2 kit lenses (18-55 and 55-200). At the beach shooting surfers I came up a bit short. Photographing birds I came up short. Even photographing sunsets was a bit wimpy. So I knew I needed just a bit more "firepower."

So I did some research, including Amazon, and thought I'd give the 70-300G a try. I bought it from a local dealer in case I needed to return it. The first day was rainy, so the lens was shooting at f/4-5.6 and I wasn't impressed. But the next day I headed out to a local bird santuary, and wow! The extra power of a 300 makes a bit difference.

The reviews here are right on. If you need a low light lens, this isn't it. But if you're willing to live with a setting of f11 for the 300mm setting, the quality is superb. To be honest Nikon probably shouldn't even call this an f4-5.6, but a f5.6-f8 lens, and the settings shouldn't allow any larger openings (I usually set my camera in aperature priroty at f11 when I put the lens on). It is also very slow to focus in low light situations, if at all (the worst I've found is fireworks); in those cases I usually focus manually.

For me, a 300mm lens is a drastic improvement over a 200mm. If you find yourself usually shooting in daylight, this lens will do it for you. You'll be impressed by the power. Like another reviewer said, everyone with a D50 or D70 should own one. In fact I would recommend it over the 55-200mm. If you need to shoot in low light situations and you need the whole 300mm, you'll need to spend a lot more.

UPDATE: I've been using the lens for a couple of years now, and am generally still happy with it. I am still sold on the extra power. However, the lens was never as crisp as I would like. I don't know if I got a lemon, or the lens is nust naturally a bit soft. Since that time I have upgraded to the 18-200 which I keep on the camera ALL the time (no dust). I have found the 18-200 to be crisp. And the VR on the 18-200 is very nice.

Excellent lens at affordable price 2006-05-16

The lens is made in China, but who cares if the pictures are excellent! I took it to my trip to Europe and used it exntensively. Never failed and very nice resolution. Is it noisy ? I do not know nor care.

I recommend it 100%

Every D50/D70 Owner Needs One 2006-05-14

This is an essential tool for every D-SLR owner, especially you newbies. You experienced shooters already know what I mean.

I sat here at my Powerbook and did a ton of research on a lot of lenses before choosing the Nikon 70-300 lens. I chose it because it gives great performance.

I've had it for a week, shot a ton of test shots under various light conditions, and I am thoroughly satisfied with this lens. It's everything a good 70-300 lens should be. Great for action shots, protraits with short depth of field, and sports.

It needs lots of light for the autofocus to work properly with a bottom f-stop of f/4 and f/5.6 at full zoom. It loves lots of light. It loves to work outside.

I have a 28-80 lens, and this 70-300. I'm set!!! Ready for anything that comes my way.

Great Nikkor Optics For the Price! 2006-03-23

This lens is a steal at this price. I have had mine for more than a week now and I can honestly say that it has exceeded my expectations.

For only $140 I have a decent zoom lens for my D50. I love this product.

Now, while the lens is great, it does have some problems. It is loud, heavy and slow to focus. This is not an ED (extra low dispersion) lens so some of your pictures may not be as sharp as they would be with your top-end kit lens. However, again, look at that price! Worth every penny in my humble opinion.

nikkor slr 70-300 lens 2006-02-25

I found this lens to be excellant for my use. It is esay to install and use on my nikon camera. I am very pleased with the lens. Plus it was an excellant price thru amazon.

300mm at an affordable price 2005-12-28

The 70-300 G is definitely one of the least expensive lenses to get you to 300 mm, but there are some tradeoffs with the low price tag. I've found my lens to be pretty soft throughout the zoom range (mine is soft even stopped down) and relatively slow to focus (D70). The lens performs best in well lit environments and is capable of taking high quality pictures, but may require more post processing and effort than faster lenses to achieve these results.

I bought the lens mainly to get the zoom range at an affordable price, but plan to replace it in the near future (probably will sell the lens). The build quality isn't the best, but it is still pretty durable. Recommended for beginning photographers or photographers on a budget (like myself), but others may be left wanting more. Still, it is sold at a great price.

High Quality & easy to use 2005-10-28

I have used this lens for one year now and it has performed flawlessly. I have probably used it for 4-5k shots of my over 13,000 shots in my Nikon D70. It is lightweight and easy to wear on the camera for hours and hours without fatigue. I would agree with other reviewers that low light scenarios require more time to focus. This lense is great for portraits of active children. You can sit back and wait for good shots and then get a fast closeup with this lens. I have also used it at football games and gotten some great action shots. Although it is not silent when focusing, I don't notice it nor do any subjects usually hear it. The sound can be useful as you mini-depress the shutter so you know if the lens is getting ready if you happen to be looking away from the viewfinder. For the money, it works fantastically.

I also use a polarizer filter on this lens and would recommend the same to you.

New Jan 06
Just added the SB-600 Nikon flash and it helps with this lens considerably. It really helps a lot and I would recommend it too.

great addition to the d70s kit 2005-10-24

This lens was the perfect add on for the d70s kit. I got this for my girlfriend for a birthday present, and she has loved her camera even more since receiving it. It has allowed her to take several shots that were impossible without a zoom (animals, etc) and allows her to take people photos without being distracting to the subject. It has a really low weight (slightly less than the dx non-telephoto lens that comes with the D70s) and is well designed for quick focus. One thing to note about this lens - it does not use the same size lens cap that the dx lens does - just thought that was odd. This is definitely not the best telephoto lens on the market, but its got to be the best for price to performance ratio. Do not buy a d70, d70s, or d50 without one!
Now if I could just find a good CHEAP wide angle for a nikon d-slr I'd be all set for Christmas.

GREAT lens for the novice user (I have D50, the digital SLR) 2005-08-08

For the money, this lens is a GREAT deal in my opinion. I have taken some unbelievable photos with this camera, ranging from animals to motocross. Many of the photos look like they are magazine quality. If you aren't used to a pro-quality lens (which I am not), you'll think this lens is the greatest thing since sliced bread. In my amateur opinon, it seems to focus quickly (of course that depends on whether the item is close-up, lighting etc; can range from instant to a couple of seconds ... if you are trying to capture a fast-moving object, I DO recommend that you already have the focus in the approximate focus range, and then the lens will focus in about a 1/10th of a second). So don't take a picture of a flower that is 5 feet away, and expect to instantly snap a picture of an Indy car flying by 50 feet away at 200MPH ... be ready for the Indy car, focus on the track before the car comes by, and you'll probably get an awesome shot!

I'm not saying that every single shot turns out great - when zoomed to the max (especially if the conditions are cloudy or dark), a good number of my action shots were somewhat blurry. Since I have the new Nikon D50 (digital SLR), if I snap 5 pictures and 3 of them are blurry I can instantly delete them (or delete them when I get home). But if I had a film camera, I might not be quite as happy if I had to pay for developing some blurry pictures.

The actual zoom level is very good - I don't know the exact magnification level, but it is as much as you could want if you don't have the camera mounted on a tripod. The construction seems very sturdy and "professional" looking - included is a nice "hood" that goes over the end of the lens, and makes you feel like a pro!

If you are professional wildlife photographer, and are seeking out the perfect photo of the extremely rare and endangered African-duckbilled-yellow-breasted-warbler, then pay $1,000 for a true pro-quality lens that can stabilize images, etc. But if you are a weekend-warrior photographer who wants to be able to capture some pro-quality shots (but your income doesn't depend on it) at a fraction of the price, then this is THE lens for your Nikon camera.

amazing lens 2005-04-19

at almost 1/2 mile from my house I shot a ski trail and the mogules are visible.

Great lens for the price, wish it was a little brighter tho 2005-04-06

I love this lens coupled with my Nikon D70. It provides TONS of zoom for you to take pictures of things from far away. The only issue I have with it is that it's f/4 minimum, which means if you're using it to take pictures at indoor sports arenas or anything like that, you have to push the iso up to 1600 to get any good action shots... which makes the pictures quite grany.

Good second D-70 lens 2005-02-07

First, the negatives:

1. It's not an ED Nikkor.
2. It's not terribly fast

The pluses:

1. It's the perfect compliment to the stock 18-70mm zoom
2. It's really cheap.

This lens will not resolve as many lines, or deliver as much contrast as a kilobuck Nikkor zoom. But it will deliver surprisingly good results in a 6 Mpixel D-70. Between this lens and the 18-70 supplied with the D-70, you'll be set until you decide you must have that exotic 12mm or 600m/2.8.

The best value for the money 2005-01-27

I have had this len for about six months now, and with my D70, it can produce fantastic portraits.

Good lens for this price 2005-01-06

Weighing in at about 15 oz., this Nikkor AF zoom lens is a lot of bang for the buck. The zoom range is 70-300mm; if you use a Nikon digital SLR like my D70, the effective range is 106-456mm due to the 1.5x crop factor. 300mm or 450mm, this is a very powerful zoom lens for relatively little money.

The maximum aperture of the lens is f4 at 70mm and one stop slower at f5.6 at 300mm. These are of course slower than more expensive Nikkor's which can go to f2.8, but for that you'd be shelling out many times more money. For most outdoor daylight photos as well as well-lit portraits, this lens does the job. At f5.6 and 300mm, you'll get a nice shallow depth of field that will give you that "professional" portrait you've been looking for. Just make sure you use a tripod.

This Nikkor sports excellent optics (despite not being an ED -- see below), and is a full auto-focus lens when mounted on Nikon SLRs that can do AF on G-type lenses. To switch into manual focus on one of these cameras, be sure to set the focus switch on the camera body to M (manual) first, before engaging the focus ring. Because this is *not* an AF-S (S for silence) lens, it does not have the "ultrasonic" built-in motor and is completely driven by the camera, that's why you want to set the focus mode switch on the camera to M before turning the focus ring.

Because this is not an AF-S lens, it's noisy when hunting for focus. Being an economics lens, it focuses pretty fast when there's plenty of light, but in low light situations, it can "hunt" for focus for a long time. In fact, where there's little light, you'll need to half-press the shutter button several times before the lens autofocuses properly; and don't be surprised if you have to switch to manual focus. (Just remember to set the camera's focus mode to M!)

Other features missing from this low-priced lens are a macro mode and low-dispersion (called ED by Nikon). Of course, it doesn't have vibration reduction, either.

Oh, if you have a digital SLR, you'll get an additional benefit of using a non-DX lens on a d-SLR: because only the central part of the image from the lens actually hits the sensor, you won't have to worry about aberrations that affect the edges, esp. when using low-cost lenses. From corner to corner, side to side, your picture will be sharp.

In short, for a little over $100 you are getting a genuine Nikon-designed (but made in China) lens with excellent optics, a long zoom range, fast autofocusing in bright light, and relative light weight but solid construction. On the other hand, the low, low price means you won't get macro, ED, ultrasonic focusing mechanism, or the very best optics that much more expensive Nikkor lenses have.

If you have enough money, I recommend getting a high-quality zoom lens that covers the wideangle to telephoto focal lengths. My favorite is the compact and lightweight Tamron 28-300mm Di XR LD lens sold here on Amazon (although you do give up aperture speed).

Good for everything but low light. 2004-12-01

I agree with the other reviews here, for the money it is a bargain. I just want to caution again anyone that expects to capture clear shots in a low-light setting with this lens. As you might expect, that would be difficult with a "slow" lens. The auto focus has trouble in low light and motion, such as at a football game in the evening, for example, will of course blur. A sports lens it is not but then that is where you need the really expensive fast lense.

In all other ways, I find the lens excellent. Nor do I have a problem with the manual focus as others here have mentioned. Maybe I have not been spoiled by a much better manual focus, I find it adequate. This is a fun lens. You can expect to see things with your camera that you won't be able to see with your naked eye.

Great optics for a low price 2004-09-06

First off, let me tell you that this lens only works fully with the latest Nikon SLRs because it has no aperture ring to set f/stops. You must do that electronically using a D100, D2H, D70, N80, N75, F5 or F100. However, Nikon does provide a nice compatibility chart telling you how to use this lens on older Nikon cameras. So you can use this lens on S and P modes with the N90s, N8008s, N 6000, and N4004. This backward compatibility of lenses and bodies is one of the strongest points of the Nikon system. Even a 24 year old lens can be used with a new Digital SLR, to some extent.

The lens is very light for it's zoom range. It has a reasonably substantial feel, unlike some of the Sigma lenses I've used. It's made of polycarbonate, which is the same stuff the F117 Stealth fighter is made from.

If you shoot lots of portraits, this is the lens to get. The telephoto allows you to throw the background out of focus with relative ease. The lens has a 9 bladed iris, so out of focus elements are rendered in very subtle and beautiful forms. The Japanese call this "Bokeh" and much has been written about it. It's very nice that the Nikon engineers took this aesthetic principal into account when designing this economy lens. Once again, Nikon proves to be a design driven company.

The zoom ring has a nice feel with good manual dampening. Zooming is precise with no "slop" or wobble. Manual focus is about average for a lens of this caliber. It's possible, but no great joy. Since I'm used to the silky feel of Nikon's old AIS lenses, I doubt anything could rate higher. Autofocus for this lens is much better, and seems to be quick and precise. About the only time it balked was when shooting delicate cloudscapes. This is common for AF lenses and simply requires you to quickly disengage the AF on your camera body and rack the lens to "Infinity" setting.

My D70 DSLR made this lens handy to grip and insanely light. The great thing about using this lens on a DSLR is that you end up with a 450mm zoom lens! great for bringing in distant objects. Watch out when shooting against strong backlight, however. This lens seemed to have more than a little "Purple fringing". Shots done in normal lighting conditions exhibit zero fringing, and superb sharpeness. So that's the good news.

Overall this lens is a great bargain and worthy of the Nikkor name. Don't let the low price fool you. Although it's not a Nikkor 80-200 f/2.8 by any means, this lens is highly capable and a great second lens for your D70 Digital SLR or N series 35mm SLR. Nikon USA offers a 5 year warranty FREE if you mail the registration postcard in within 10 days of purchase. So be sure to get that in the mailbox right after buying!

Nikon's 70-300mm G Zoom 2003-12-18

This lens is much better than the 28-80 standard zoom that nikon bundles in its kits. The image is very faithful and sharp, and aberrations are non-visible. Despite it being such a powerful zoom, it is surprisingly light, silent and fast. The zoom ring has a substantial grip while the improved focussing ring has a crisp feel about it. However, manual focus is not as smooth as the zoom. The quick and precise Autofocus more than makes up for it, however.
It would be unfair if nothing was said about the looks. The lens with its stylish grip, barrel and hood is 200% guaranteed to attract rave admirations and, of course, a lot of envy.
Overall, a good buy and great value for money!