AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
This high-power, high-performance 4.3x telephoto zoom with VR image stabilization lens allows better hand-held telephoto shooting ED glass.
$589.95*SRPSRP (Suggested Retail Price) listed only as a suggestion. Actual prices are set by dealers and are subject to change at any time.
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Supplied Accessories
- LC-67 67mm snap-on front lens cap
- LF-1 rear lens cap
- HB-36 bayonet hood
- CL-1022 flexible lens pouch
*Supplied accessories may differ depending on country or area.
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
194
194
worth the cost
got this lens with my d90. don't know much about the upper end lenses, but i do know this lens isn't half bad. the 200-300 range is hard to get a really sharp focus and as you've already read by others it does have mild issues with light capture. it is an f4.5/5.6 and that's what you'll get. it has smooth opperation and somewhat fast autofocus.not the right lens for far off shots like i hoped (focus issue above), but if you want a full frame shot of a subject that's maybe 50-100 ft away that's where this lens works the best for me. for the price the quality falls about right so if your looking in this price range you will only get so much just be sure you consider your purpose for this lens.
lens is ok for 300ft shots. good for 150ft shots. great for 75ft shots.
July 30, 2010
good overall lens but not so sharp at 300mm
Great lens, good overall lens but not so sharp at 300mm unless at f/f8 ,generally if want sharp pictures shoot at 200mm max, unfortunately for sharp quality lens I restrict to 70-200mm range
July 30, 2010
Great long range walk around lens
I purchased this lens to compliment my 18mm-200mm Nikor lens. It is everything I was looking for. I am a beginner at this SLR thing and take primarily pictures of the grand kids at the games and swimming and a few wildlife shots. The 18-200 was not bringing everything quite as close as I wanted but couldn't afford the big bucks for the high end lenses. This worked out great. Not too heavy, the pictures that I want turn out just fine, much better than my old point and shoot. It is quick, clear and easy to use. I even liked the price. The only problem I have now is knowing which lens to put on when I leave the house. They are both great lenses.
July 30, 2010
My bird photos are improving
I bought this lens in my quest to photograph birds. Since I am in the field walking around with binoculars, bird book, etc. I cannot carry a big heavy lens and tripod. Because of the VR feature I have been able to photograph birds at quite a distance and crop them to a fairly clear image. I do not get the quality I would get with a huge lens but it is a good compromise for my purpose, And it is definitely better than using a point-and-shoot camera!
July 30, 2010
Great Value!
I purchased this lens to replace an older 75-300 Nikkor lens. It has proven to be a great lens for the price. I have handheld the lens on my D80 body in dusk shadow conditions with good results. It is a bargain for the price for those of us that can not justify the cost of the larger lenses. The VR function is more than adequate for many situations, but a tripod is still needed in low light situations and to ensure the sharpest photo possible. I am very satisfied with the sharpness and functionalitly of this lens.
July 30, 2010
Good value for money
I have had good results with this lens. Recently, I was able to take some excellent shots at an airshow of WWII planes flying in formation and a simulated dogfight between a Harvard and an ME9 at 1/1000 sec ISO 1000 with a D300.
July 30, 2010
Well balanced lens
This lens represents an outstanding balance of focal length range, image quality, size/weight and cost.
I'm using it on a D700, primarily for landscapes. From 70mm to 250mm it is reliably sharp if I stick to f9-13. Under optimum conditions it produces absolutely usable pictures out to 300mm.
As a rule I keep VR turned off, but it is useful and effective as an alternative to cranking up ISO.
I have used this for a marathon and it did an excellent job in tracking subjects and sharp images.
In the past (with a D200 and D300) I've used the 70-200VR, another brand 70-200 and a 300mm f4. This 70-300 meets my requirements for optical quality and convenience since I shoot with a three-lens kit: 70-300mm, 14-24mm, AF-S 24-85mm f3.5-4.5G.
July 30, 2010
Really a Winner
I got this lens a few years ago as a retirement gift. At that time, my main body was a D80. I did not get as sharp of results as I thought I should.
Then a few months ago, I got a D700. It appears this lens was made for the full size FX format. The lens works great with the D700.
July 30, 2010
Small and light weight for a person on the go
I lead safaris primarily to Africa but also South America and Australia. I have to travel light because of weight limitations on bush planes and space limitations on Landrovers. I have taken thousands of pictures with this lense and have had little to no problems with it. Many were taken from a vehicle plodding across open ground. The VR functioned surprisingly well. I use a larger lense when traveling alone and having time to set up for that perfect picture but I found the AF-S 70-300 to be the perfect lense for traveling light and where you often have to whip it out quickly to get that special shot of animals in a great setting. Would highly recommend for the person on the go that does not want to fool with a larger or more complicated lense.
July 30, 2010
Sharp, light-weight, versatile
I gave this lens a test this spring when we discovered a huge rookery in Florida and could get very close to several species of birds. The lens worked extremely well and the continuous focus mode worked as advertised. The images on my large screen computer were stunning under all lighting conditions. The only downside: The VR function doesn't seem to provide the benefits I had hoped given the relative slowness of the lens.
July 30, 2010
Good zoom lens
I bought this lens to replace my older 70-200 zoom lens. I wanted a longer focal length AND image stabilization on my D70 DSLR. The 70-300 VR lens meets those requirements. Even though it is not a fast lens, images taken at sunset (with ISO 800-1000) of wildlife are surprisingly good, so the VR works well. I also use the lens for piggyback astrophotography using exposures up to 15 minutes (VR off). Results have been very nice.
July 30, 2010
Best Value
The 70-300 VR is one of Nikon's best values. This lens really works for you: VRII makes 300mm shots rock solid hand-held, clarity is wonderful, and the weight is just right for a lens this size.
Sharpness is best from 70-200mm but very good to 300mm. This lens is not quite as sharp as the 70-200 VR (at twice the price) but is very close.
I have owned the 70-300 VR for 3 years and it is always in my kit and on my camera. If you'r e a casual nature photographer this lens is most fun you can find anywhere.
July 30, 2010
Held Up Great
I purchased this lens to use at a road course race, mostly due to the expanse of the track and what I could cover from where I was. I was thrilled with the results I had. Good companion to my 55-200. Hope someday to be able to afford the top shelf lenses.
July 30, 2010
Good lens from moving vehicle
For it's size and weight a very good all around lens.
The stabilization from a moving vehicle was excellent while shooting moving animals. Zoom excellent through most of range, except at top.
July 30, 2010
Compact, lightweight telephoto zoom but poor bokeh
For a long telephoto it's amazingly small and works well. I got some really nice handheld images so the VR is effective. The bokeh is really disappointing with very small circles.
July 30, 2010
VG, not perfect
I bought this as a long lens compliment to my 16-85 VR and was immediately disappointed. The 16-85 was so good I expected the same overall performance. As I've used it more, it's grown on me and it is an excellent lens, but you need to understand it's limitations. It needs a lot of light and isn't at it's best at 300mm. On the other hand it's amazingly compact and can deliver wonderful results without a pack mule. It won't replace the super telephotos for birds, but then it's a fraction of the cost and size too.
July 22, 2010
Very good carry-around lens
I often shoot with this lens on my D3S and find it works extremely well. The trade-off is a little slower f/stop than the f/2.8 version, but the lighter weight and VRII more than makes up for most shooting conditions. The auto focus is relatively fast. At the short end of 70mm, I would like the minimum focus distance to be a little shorter, but for close up work, I use a mid-range zoom.
July 20, 2010
Great outdoor lens for this price range.
This lens has a great range and good for outdoor sports and general photography. It lacks the speed of a F2.8 and therefore not recommended in low light or indoor. It makes up in overall weight and size.
The VR works great and I have actually made several tests ...It works !
Recommend: Tripod or Monopod for greatest sharpness between 200-300mm on action shots.
Alternative: 70-200 -2.8 at x5 the cost....
Nikon body: D80, D5000.
Next body: 700.
July 14, 2010
Battlefield sharpsburg MD
traded the 70-300 for the 80-400. the 70-300 can get good shots 8 of 10 times and the 80-400 one excellent one out of 10.
I can't really tell the 70-300 pics from the 18-200 pics so i believe these two have similar quality, sharpness but for the convenience of the 18-200. You get what you pay for.
I recommend the 18-200 because you can do so much more, with it than the 70-300 and the quality is not enough to worry about. The 80-400 will dust the both of them 1 times out of 10, so the new lenses do focus and VR much better.
the 18 to 200 seems a little more solid than the 70-300 too. the 80-400 is a metal beast, but costs 3 times as much with a 77 mm filter...
January 18, 2012
Not sharp above 250mm or so...
Not sharp above 250mm or so
If you need to use the range of about 250mm to 300mm, and you need it to be sharp at 100 percent magnification, you'll be disappointed. I tried both manual and auto focus but couldn't get sharp shots at the full 300mm. I called a large rental & camera store and they said their rental 70-300 VR is the same way.
September 27, 2011
Heavy Lens
This lens is too heavy than my camera's body. Its not good for a walk around lens. The zoom is great for further reach though. The pics I took were not as sharp as I am expecting it to be. This one is a bit pricey. Auto focus is really slow.
August 9, 2011
disapointing
I wanted this lens for shooting high school soccer. most matches are at dusk or at night .the lens is great in bright sunlight however
at night across 100m it is totally inadaquate and not what I had expected even on a well lite feild ..
I would recomend for daylight but not at night ..Im still looking for a way to shoot at dusk and night with a d5000
April 15, 2011
Nikon needs to get on the bandwagon
I have purchased Nikkor lens, and also third party lens.
I feels Nikon needs to lower there price because they are not that much better, who are you kidding.
Other companies develop new products, and Nikon comes along with something similar a couple years later.
So get of your duff, and get out front to develop things that others do not have, then you can have an excuse to charge those big prices for stuff that others do not have.
April 14, 2011
For what the lenses does in the daytime, not too bad for the $$$. Dusk, you need a tripod. Build is quality plastic, lightweight and sturdy. I would only recommend this lense for personal use.
April 14, 2011
Not Sure What to Think
Some reviews say this lens is great and other complain about slow autofocus and pictures coming out fuzzy not sharp at all.
I wonder if some lens were built differently then others, seems like many people experience same bad issues.
Why pay $590.00 to be frustrated, pay $250 for 55-200mmVR and be happy or at least frustrated for much less.
April 8, 2011
Not up to the Nikkor quality
This was the 2nd Nikkor lens I purchased just after its release.
I gave it an average score because at the 300mm end this lens is not sharp enough.
The weight is a bit too much.
Over all the 70-200mm range is very good.
August 16, 2010
Light & powerful
Great lens up to 200mm. VR enhances its usage tremendously. Less than tack sharp at 300mm.
August 5, 2010
Forget Dusk or Dawn Shooting
This is sold as a 300mm but I found anything beyond 230mm in AF in a low lite situation to be unacceptable. Any shot in that +200mm area that has a subject in shadowed or shaded area will not be clear let alone trying to capture a bird in flight. I was sent it to Nikon for inspection; no info was returned as to what was done or found wrong....just the lens in a new box. One would be better to buy 200mm zoom than have this 300mm. Others specs are above average when used on a D40 and D200.
August 5, 2010
Reasonable lens for the price
I bought this lens mainly for use shooting large wildlife (bears are not the safest to get close with!!!) and occasional sports. For the price, it is a reasonable performer, but it does require good lighting conditions. It's very lightweight and easy to carry as a second lens, but at maximum zoom it tends to lack sharp focus. It's low price becomes evident when used alongside any faster zoom. I prefer my 220mm f3.5 Soligor whenever sharpness is paramount. The VR function is overrated in my opinion and I recommend using a tripod.
July 30, 2010
Good zoom lens, for the price
I've enjoyed using this lens. It's got a beautiful DOF and the 300mm zoom is wonderful. But it refuses to have a clear image if I put a filter on it. I've tried UV filters, polarizers, ND filters, even just a lens protection filter, and it would refuse to show a clear photo. What happens is that it shows doubles of everything, as if you were slightly cross-eyed.
Kind of a weird fluke. Wonder if I just received a flawed lens, or if this is the case with everyone's version of this lens.
July 30, 2010
44 Questions | 65 Answers
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AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
6 Answers
Would the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED work with a D80?
1 year, 3 months ago
by
Anonymous
Age: 35-44
Favorite Subject: Sports
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Role: Occasional user, memory keeper
6 Answers
Answers
Answer:
AbsolutelyAnswer:
Yes!Apr 15, 2011 by
by
Ubrales
Chicago, IL
Location :
Chicago, IL
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 21+ years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
Yes the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED will work with a D80 .Apr 15, 2011 by
by
Lee
Age: 35-44
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 2-5 years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
Yes.Apr 14, 2011 by
by
Robin E
Jackson Hole, WY
Location :
Jackson Hole, WY
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 21+ years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Professional photographer
Answer:
Yes. The s in af-s means that the lens itself has a servo built in to control the lens.Answer:
Yes it will.Has staff answer
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
3 Answers
Would the AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED work with a D50?
1 year, 3 months ago
by
Anonymous
3 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yes, I have used it with a D50, D80 and D3100. It will work with any of the Nikon DSLR's.Answer:
Yes. The af-s means that there is a servo built in to the lens that will power the autofocusAnswer:
Yes, you can use this lens with the D50.Has staff answer
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
3 Answers
Does Nikon make a teleconverter that will work with this lens.
1 year, 3 months ago
by
Sam
WV
Location :
WV
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 21+ years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Professional photographer
3 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yes!Apr 15, 2011 by
by
Ubrales
Chicago, IL
Location :
Chicago, IL
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 21+ years
Experience: 6-12 months
Role: Semi-professional photographer
Answer:
Not that I am aware of. If you find one that will, I don't think it will be very sharp.Apr 14, 2011 by
by
Robin E
Jackson Hole, WY
Location :
Jackson Hole, WY
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 21+ years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Professional photographer
Answer:
This lens it's not compatible with any of our teleconverters.Has staff answer
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
2 Answers
can AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED use with D90
1 year, 2 months ago
by
Melan
Malaysia
Location :
Malaysia
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 3-6 months
Role: Just getting started with photography
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yes it can.Answer:
Yes, this lens is compatible with the D90.Has staff answer
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
2 Answers
What the best lenses can i used for my D90 (for all aspect for photography)
Apr 24, 2011 by
Has staff answer
1 year, 2 months ago
by
melan
Lahad Datu, Malaysia
Location :
Lahad Datu, Malaysia
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 3-6 months
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
The best lenses are the ones you can afford and the ones that suit your needs. No point in buying a 600mm if you want to do portraits, likewise no point in buying a macro if you want to do landscape. It would if you pointed out what you want to do and what your budget is.Answer:
Please visit our website and use the lens finder tool in order for you to make your selection base on your needs.http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Produ...?
Has staff answer
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
2 Answers
What format of lanses can i used with D90, only DX or FX or both?
Apr 24, 2011 by
Has staff answer
1 year, 2 months ago
by
melan
Lahad Datu Malaysia
Location :
Lahad Datu Malaysia
Age: 25-34
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 3-6 months
Role: Just getting started with photography
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Either, it makes no difference being DX or Fx.Answer:
Please click on the link below for more information:Answer Title: What lenses can I use on the Nikon D90 ?
Answer Link: http://support.nikonusa.com/app/ans...
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
2 Answers
Does this lense have both an automatic and manual focus?
1 year ago
by
GB
Clintn Township, MI
Location :
Clintn Township, MI
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Sports
Nikon Family: 0-1 years
Experience: 1-3 months
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yes, it does. It has Manual and M/A, i.e. auto, yet you can still focus manually.Jul 15, 2011 by
by
Krzysiek
Lubcza Królewska, Poland
Location :
Lubcza Królewska, Poland
Age: 18-24
Favorite Subject: Travel
Nikon Family: 2-5 years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
Answer:
yip, all AF-S lenses except 18-55 variospeed and 55-200 have built-in autofocus with full manual override; or you can just switch off the AF altogether.10 months ago
by
Anonymous
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
All lenses marked AFS have a silent wave motor and will work on every Nikon DSLRAnswer:
Yes.Has staff answer
AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED
2 Answers
will this lens work with D300
9 months ago
by
Anonymous
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yse it will.Sep 27, 2011 by
by
Nikon_D80
Carmel, Maine, U.S.A.
Location :
Carmel, Maine, U.S.A.
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
Answer:
Yes, this lens is compatible with the D300.9 months ago
by
Katie
Indiana
Location :
Indiana
Age: 45-54
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 6-10 years
Experience: More than 10 years
Role: Occasional user, memory keeper
2 Answers
Answers
Answer:
Yes it will Katie.Sep 27, 2011 by
by
Nikon_D80
Carmel, Maine, U.S.A.
Location :
Carmel, Maine, U.S.A.
Age: 55-65
Favorite Subject: Nature
Nikon Family: 11-20 years
Experience: More than a year
Role: Serious passion, hobbyist
Answer:
Yes.


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