Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR
Last updated (21 January’13):
- Review by Bythom
The Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR features 70-300mm at focal length with maximum aperture of f/4.5-5.6. The lens construction has 17 elements in 12 groups and has diagonal angle of view at 34°20′. Closest focusing distance at 4.9ft.(1.5m) and has a filter size of 67mm. The Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR lens weighs 26.3 oz. (745g) and it measures 3.1 inches in diameter and 5.6 inches long.
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| Latest Price Info: sold start from $325.00
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Reviews
Bythom reviews the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR and writes;
“Flare: surprisingly, this lens is remarkably flare resistant. Generally lots of elements mean that flare is tough to keep from appearing. But this lens acts like the Nano-coated lenses: it just seems to not produce ghosts in backlit situations. Note that contrast does go down a bit with bright light sources in the frame, but that’s normal for all lenses. What you don’t get with this lens is the repeated ghost bursts with aperture opening shapes.”
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Photozone reviews the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR and writes;
“At 70mm the results are nothing short of stellar and still easily on a very good level at 200mm. At 300mm there´s a performance penalty specifically at the image borders @ f/5.6. Stopping down to f/8 helps to overcome most of the problems but unfortunately there´s also a quite pronounced but still correctable degree of yellow/blue (lateral) CA. Distortions and vignetting are basically non-issues throughout the range.”
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Cameralabs reviews the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR and writes;
“The sets of crops below reveal the 70-300mm VR delivering higher contrast and sharpness to the budget DX 55-200mm VR lens, although as discussed in our review of that model, there doesn’t appear to be much – if any – difference in the actual amount of detail captured.. In our vignetting tests for example, we measured very little light fall-off in the corners when used with a DX format DSLR. The AF is also quick and quiet, and there’s a manual focusing ring with full-time over-ride and a window with distance indicators for those who want to make fine adjustments.”
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Kenrockwell reviews the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR and writes;
“Bokeh is neutral and much better than my 18-200mm VR. Distortion on DX is quite good, much better than the 18-200mm VR. Autofocus is as fast as my super-fast 80-200 AFS.”
rating: N/A
SLRGear reviews the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR and writes;
“From 70 to about 135mm, this lens is sharp, sharp, sharp, even when shot wide open. It softens a bit at 200mm, and becomes progressively more so as you proceed to 300mm. It’s never awful though, and it’s a good deal more than passable at 300mm and f/8. As indicated by its AF-S designation, this lens uses an internal ultrasonic motor for focusing, which means that AF operation is quick and quiet.”
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Momentcorp reviews the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR and writes;
“The 70-300mm VR is without a doubt a great upgrade over the Nikon AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED The new VR version outperforms the older one without a problem. It’s sharper, has better contrast, has VR, and the rubber seal around the mount of the lens. As far as CA is concerned the lens controls this very well. You might see some on the long end of the zoom in high contrast situations.”
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Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Reviews
Review Video By Chino1127
Review Video By Cameralabs
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR User Reviews
Good medium telephoto | Rating:
“The mount is metal, but otherwise most other parts of this lens are plasticky. Makes it light to carry. VR is impressive. Focus speed was OK at most occasions with moderate lags beyond 200mm. Unlike some other AF-S lenses, you can override the auto focus without toggling the switch to manual mode This is helpful, when you find the lens searching for focus.” – by Sudheesh Joseph
Best Lens Ever! Highly Recommend | Rating:
“Now this is just IMHO but the 70-300 is way sharper than my 55-200 was. Even at the far end of this lens at 300 its still very sharp. While it may not be the fastest lens out there its IMO the best Bang for your Buck. I actually get some great bird photos with this lens at 300mm..” – by Jarrod Brewer
A great lens with a few drawbacks | Rating:
“I’m using it on a D80 and shoot at ISO 100, aperture priority at F/8.0. All my images came out sharp as long as there was a good amount of light, flaring was non existent, chromatic aberration was minimal, bokah is very nice, the zoom is smooth with no creep, manual focus is a snap, and the weight is actually really nice and balanced.” – by Ray Pringle
Lotta Lens | Rating:
“I am using this lens with a Nikon D5000 DSLR. It does a good job in still photography, but even at the 70mm setting you have to be fairly well back from your subject. There is a manual focus ring up close to the camera body, and I found myself inadvertantly moving it when shooting video. The autofocus feature of the camera worked well with this lens.” – by G. P. Hanner
Good all around tele-zoom lens with awesome VR. | Rating:
“I used it for some close up shots and I was happy with the lens. The construction is quite solid, some might complaint it has plastic barrel. It is not a problem for me at all. The weight is not overly heavy, I have it with me all the time. “ – by F. Szeto
I love it | Rating:
“The Nikon 70-300mm VR ED IF is easy to use, very quiet, and sturdy. I love it. I was suprised, but not disappointed, to find that the lens is slightly heavier and longer than expected. It is much better than the 70-300mm G Kit Lens that it replaced. The Vibration Reduction feature does improve photo quality on the higher zoom end when handheld. There is also a micro suede like storage pouch included. My only wish is that I had purchased it sooner. “ – by Mission Control
Excellent lens | Rating:
“This lens has given me some outstanding shots on my D90. They come out quite sharp and I’ve been very impressed. Can’t rate half stars but I would give it 4.5. It’s rated ‘slow’, although to be honest I haven’t yet noticed any problems relating to the speed.” – by Lens Artwork
Does what it is supposed | Rating:
“The photos came out splendid. Please also note the lens takes a few moments to focus when you go from one extreme range to the next; 70 – 300. Additionally, the lens can be used in doors, but you must have plenty of light and minimal action to have shots worth admiring. If you are shooting outdoors and it is well lit, this lens will do you fine. The VR is well worth the hassle if not having VR is a consideration..” – by E. Browne
Took the lens on vacation | Rating:
“The autofocus work perfectly even at the highest setting 300mm. Also the VR is a must. When holding the camera and lens I was not as steady as I would have liked so with the VR the lens took care of that. I also took pictures from a moving train. They also came out good. I would recommend this lens.” – by George E. Person
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Cameralabs.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Dpchallenge.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Pixel-thingy.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Pixel-peeper.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Mylensdb.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Pbase.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Photographyreview.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Flickr.com
- Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Sample Photos @ Amazon.com
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR User Manual
- Download Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR User Manual (PDF – 1.4Mb)
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Specifications
The Nikon 4.3x, 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor lens is ideal for telephoto shooting opportunities. It incorporates many of Nikon’s most advanced lens design attributes such as Extra Low Dispersion (ED) glass, Silent Wave Motor technology (SWM) and Enhanced Vibration Reduction (VR II), in a design engineered for use with both Nikon DX format digital and 35mm film SLR cameras. With a high-powered 70-300mm focal length range, the lens is ideal for sports, action, wildlife, travel and portrait photography, among other telephoto applications. When used on a Nikon DX format digital SLR, this lens approximates the picture angle performance of a 105-450mm lens on a 35mm SLR camera.
Beyond the lens’ incredible optical versatility is the benefit of Enhanced VR II Vibration Reduction–an innovation that makes it possible to take substantially sharper handheld pictures at slower shutter speeds than would otherwise be possible. This provides the distinct advantage of being able to shoot more effectively in a much broader variety of challenging conditions. With the new Nikon VR II advantage, users can take pictures at shutter speeds as many as 4 stops slower than they ordinarily could shoot without the image degrading blur associated with camera shake at slow shutter speeds. Nikon’s advanced VR technology further enhances picture taking potential with a choice of two modes to match most shooting conditions. VR Normal Mode primarily compensates for camera shake, and includes automatic panning detection, as well as automatic tripod detection. VR Active Mode effectively compensates for vibration in situations where it is more pronounced and more frequent, such as when shooting from a moving vehicle.
To further ensure outstanding optical performance, the 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor features two Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements and three complex aspherical lens elements that provide for higher resolution, high-contrast images while minimizing chromatic aberration, astigmatism and other forms of distortion. The lens also features Nikon’s compact Silent Wave Motor technology (SWM), which combines fast and precise autofocusing with super-quiet operation, as well as Internal Focusing (IF) construction that allows the lens to focus without changing its external size, improving balance and handling characteristics.
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See also: Lens Reviews | Nikon Lenses
Great Lens
Use this lens on my D90 a lot. It has never let me down. Near “macro” quality in close-up shots. Super sharp all around. Great walk around lens.