Professional photographers make Nikkor lenses their lenses of choice. Nikon is committed to every aspect of lens manufacturing, maintaining clarity, sharpness, focusing accuracy, range and reliability.PRODUCT FEATURES:High-powered 4.3X telephoto zoom lens;Rotating zoom ring;ED glass for high resolution and high contrast even at maximum apertures.
I''ve had this lens for about a year and I really like it. I shot sunsets at two locations last summer and got great results. The color reproduction is beautiful, and it is quite sharp stopped down, even at 300mm. You also can''t beat the 300mm focal length. You can''t get this range in any other Nikon zoom, regardless of price.
This is an outdoor lens, because it is so slow that you can rarely shoot with available light indoors. A tripod doesn''t help you either, if the subject is moving. For that reason, I can''t effectively use this lens to photograph my son''s sports (baseball, basketball, and football). I just can''t get shutter speeds fast enough (even outdoors in the evening), to stop action - especially at f5.6 for the long end. For that reason, I am either going to get the 80-200 f2.8, or the 180 f2.8 to supplement this lens. I will keep this lens, however, for its flexible use while traveling, and when weight/size is an issue.
Strength
Nice color rendition. Light, solid enough construction, nice handling. Size is just right for traveling. Can''t beat 300mm focal length for pulling power in a sub $1,000 lens. Sharp enough stopped down to f8.
Weakness
Not as sharp as a pro lens wide open, but acceptable to me, as I give more weight to composition and color than to sharpness. Way too slow for sports. Focuses a little slow.
Visitors rate this review
2.50 out of 5
after 2 votes
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Written By
Fisho(Unregistered User)
From
Singapore
Date Created
01/22/2002
Summary
I was initially skeptical about the performance of this lens after using mostly Nikkor Primes and the excellent Voigtlander Rangefinder system but after shooting with it and seeing the results I can easily recommend it to anyone who needs a long zoom on a budget. Sharpness and contrast on print film was exceptional. If you are happy with the Nikkor 28-105 then this lens is the perfect compliment. At the 300mm end, your sharpness will be determined by how steady you can hold this lens. If you put it o a tripod and stop down to f8 or 11, I dare you tell the difference between pics taken with this lens and a pro f2.8 lens.
Strength
Weight. Value for money.
Weakness
Build quality.
Visitors rate this review
4.00 out of 5
after 1 votes
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Written By
Anand Raghavan(Unregistered User)
From
Columbus, OH, USA
Date Created
01/15/2002
Summary
I bought this lens after I bought my 28-105mm Nikkor. It is a good lens but I am having problems with it.
Everytime it takes 3-4 tries to mount the lens onto my Nikon N80. I keep getting an
F-EE error on my viewfinder ( I do lock it at the highest f-stop number).
Strength
None, Nikon''s legendary quality is going down (in my opinion). They are charging top dollar for their products but are not delivering.
Weakness
Very light, flimsy build, seems cheap to hold. Nikon is going down the tubes by selling this lens to people.
Visitors rate this review
1.69 out of 5
after 13 votes
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Written By
Gary (Unregistered User)
From
Denver, CO
Date Created
12/18/2001
Summary
I originally purchased this lens to use on backcountry mountaineering trips where weight is an issue. The sharpness is quite good, in my opinion, when using color slide film, especially in the 70-135 range. I have also gotten good results in the 200-300 range when used stopped-down on a tripod.
Deciding to do some subjective testing on my own, I directly compared this zoom at 200 and 300 mm to my old Nikkor 200 f/4 and 300 f/4.5 lenses (non-ED) outdoors on a tripod. Shooting identical scenes stopped-down to f8-11, I couldn''t detect any appreciable difference in the sharpness of slides at 200 mm, while at 300 mm the zoom was slightly softer than the fixed lens. Color saturation, however, was noticeably better with the zoom at both focal lengths. As a result, I prefer the images made with the zoom.
I have been very happy with the performance of this lens, especially when you factor in the size, weight, and price.
Strength
Sharp
Price, size, and weight
Weakness
Somewhat slow
Build quality less than manual focus lenses
Visitors rate this review
4.40 out of 5
after 5 votes
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Written By
solidair(Unregistered User)
From
Athens, Greece
Date Created
11/26/2001
Summary
Good starter lense....but loses it''s charm when trying to take low light shots even with a faster film. Nice range 70-300 but the cost is the speed and sharpness over 200mm. Nice price but that becomes less important when the camera shake spoils those candid shots in low light.
Strength
Great travel companion in bright conditions. Light and good range.
Weakness
SLOW - I missed too many late afternoon candid shots due to camera shake. Not too sharp over 200mm
Visitors rate this review
2.86 out of 5
after 7 votes
4.15 of 5
