Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Pro Reviews

This lens performs well throughout the zoom range, especially at shorter focal lengths in the centre of the frame. At 300mm stopping down the lens a little will produce the best results. With a price tag of £440 this lens represents good value, due to its good sharpness, build quality and the useful Vibration Reduction feature.

The Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR delivers very good to excellent sharpness in the image center combined with good to very good resolution at the borders and corners. Vignetting is well controlled, but CAs are quite high (though easy to remove in post processing) and distortion is above average for this lens class. The quality of the bokeh can be rough in critical situations specifically regarding the highlight rendering. This may be somewhat unfortunate but the truth is that this aspect is generally a problem in this lens class. The build quality is good, without reaching professional grade quality.

For the sum of £400, and incorporating SWM and VR technologies, the 70-300mm is a good buy with many more pros than cons. Optical performance is good, but this slips as you head up the zoom. With the additional benefit of 35mm compatibility, the 70-300mm Nikkor lens is an excellent all-rounder – WDC recommends it.

This lens really surprised us. At a street price of ~$500 for a 70-300mm with VR built in, we figured Nikon would have had to cut corners someplace to hit the price point. Other than the slight softness and rather high CA from 200-300mm though, the performance of the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor (yeesh, that's a mouthful) was really excellent. And build quality, AF speed and accuracy and overall handling were excellent as well. Oh - I almost forgot a minor bonus for owners of Nikon's excellent 18-70mm kit zoom: This 70-300mm takes the same 67mm filter size as the 18-70mm, so you can use all the same front-element attachments on it. (Polarizers, ND filters, etc.) All in all, this is a really great tele zoom - In fact, I think one of these is going to be on my short list next Christmas!

The Nikkor 70-300mm VR is a great up-market telephoto zoom for Nikon owners. It may cost almost twice the price of the DX 55-200mm VR, but is superior in every respect to this budget lens. The optical and build quality are better, the range longer, the AF slightly quicker and the VR a little more effective. It is a superior product, and at the asking price, still represents very good value.