please help - nikon lense advice

michael 007 · Mar 27, 2011

hi im looking for a quality telephoto lense around 70-300 and i dont know which one to choose. im currently looking at an old nikon lense 75-300 AF. this is a well built lense but has no VR so i dont know whether to choose the 70-300 VR. does anyone know which is the best quality of these two lenses or could anyone give me any information on any other lenses? thank you

michael 007 · Mar 27, 2011

Vinny · Mar 27, 2011

The 70-300 VR is a nice lens, I find it sharp. There are better Nikon lenses out there but for much more money. The VR version goes for ~$500 new and I think Sigma and Tamaron have similar lenses maybe even a little faster then the Nikon. For about $1000 Sigma has a 150-500mm lens, I've seen some good reviews on it.

djacobox372 · Mar 27, 2011

The older nikon 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 ed af-d is a real bargain. $75-100 used on ebay.

You can't really go wrong with that sort of price. I'm not sure if the newer AF-S VR version is any better optically; has anybody compared them?

KmH · Mar 28, 2011

The VR version is way better optically than the $170 (new) - AF 70-300 mm f/4-5,6G.

The AF 70-300 G version is legendary for it's poor optical performance and low price.

Derrel · Mar 28, 2011

The 70-300 G-series model (which I happen to own a copy of) is a pretty average lens from 70 to 200mm in focal length, and then above 200mm, has a lot of CA issues. The G-model was always an economy lens.

The 70-300 ED model is better,optically. Please not that this lens has ED glass and is often called simply the "70-300 ED". This was a relatively expensive lens in its day.

The 70-300 VR-G model is, according to Nikon lens experts, absolutely, without any doubts, the best of its type that Nikon has produced. Thom Hogan's web site would be a good place to check for reviews of the various 70-300 models of the past decade.

djacobox372 · Mar 28, 2011

KmH said:
The VR version is way better optically than the $170 (new) - AF 70-300 mm f/4-5,6G.

The AF 70-300 G version is legendary for it's poor optical performance and low price.

I wasn't talking about the "G" version, but the older "ED" version. It performs better, and only cost $75-100 used on ebay:

antiquerookie · Mar 28, 2011

I've had the VR version for about a year now and I'm reasonably satified with it. Of course, what you want to use the lens for is THE main factor in deciding what to get. My experience is that for stationary or slow moving relatively good size things (people, animals) dead sharp hand held pix at 450mm equivalent are no sweat with my D90. However, what I got the lens for is taking pictures of radio control airplanes with 3-8 ft wing spans going 20-70 mph 50 to 500 yards away. For this, the lens has some issues, or maybe it's my lens / camera pair. Thank heaven for 4.5 shots/second. The closer you get to full zoom, the more chance you have of losing focus. When it locks, the pix are great but probably 20%-30% of the time, I miss the shot I wanted because it lost focus. I have recently found out from another RC airplane photographer that, for our kind of shooting, I should turn the VR off as it will / does blur the pictures. This raises the question of why have VR in the first place. I guess my advice is that if you're going to use the lens for fast panning shots, don't spend the extra bucks for the VR.

KmH · Mar 29, 2011

djacobox372 said:
KmH said:

The VR version is way better optically than the $170 (new) - AF 70-300 mm f/4-5,6G.

The AF 70-300 G version is legendary for it's poor optical performance and low price.

Click to expand...

I wasn't talking about the "G" version, but the older "ED" version. It performs better, and only cost $75-100 used on ebay:

Yes, I knew that. Which is why I noted the one I was referring to was the G version.

michael 007 · Mar 29, 2011

Thanks for everyones help

mick

molested_cow · Mar 29, 2011

You can find the VR version used on KEH.com for less than $400.

I have the non-VR ED version for a long time, since 2003 actually. It's a great lens for the price. Fast action is going to be a problem especially when you extend it to beyond 200mm. However, if your camera body works well in high ISO, it should be a very nice lens to have. Of course, get the VR if you have the money.