Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens

Let me start by saying that the delivery was fast, so kudos to that. Now to the Lens, I wanted something light for my travels instead of taking my work camera Nikon D700 which is a pain to carry around the neck all day with all the other lenses I have when you want to relax, for travels instead I have a Nikon D90 with 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G and now this 55-300mm (it's very light) which is more than enough. After recieving this lens, I did some tests and got to say this big plasticky piece of glass is not to be underestimated and is a terrific performer. Despite it's build quality, it provides pretty good images at mostly all apertures and focal lengths. wide open in the center it is sharp, contrasty and soft in the corners with some vignetting and a slight loss of contrast; After f/11 it starts to get a bit soft in the center with some slight decay in contrast and in the corners vignetting is more controlled, it's a slightly softer and the loss of contrast is more noticeable. The sharpest aperture of this lens is f/8. In terms of focal lenghts this lens is a star performer from 55-200mm with almost no chromatic aberration, very sharp and good image quality overall (contrasty images), after 200mm to 300mm image quality decays a bit in terms of sharpness and contrast but it's still good and usable, chromatic aberration is slightly more noticeable at 300mm, viewing the image at 100%. Also tested the responsiveness of this lens and I'm impressed, Autofocus it's pretty fast in good light conditions and some dim light circumstances, although it has tendency to hunt for the subject when there is little light, when it finds it, snaps right into focus. Went on a casual Sunday to a football game to try further it's responsiveness in action photography and I'm amazed with the results, in good light conditions it snaps the subjects right into focus with AF-C (Continous Focusing) mode it almost no chance of hunting for the subject. Only things that makes me sad about this lens is two things: - VR Mode, I feel the absence of Normal Mode and Active Mode, it only has the switch to turn it off and on, the VR system itself is good though. - No manual focus override system (M/A - M Switch) only M - A (Manual - Automatic) Switch. Overall it comes down to this: Pros: - Sharp images from f/4.5|5.6 to f/11, being f/8 it's peak. - Crispy Images from 55-200mm with pretty good and usable images at 300mm. - Overall good optic quality for the price. - Almost no presence of Chromactic aberration from focal lenght 55-200mm. - Low chromatic aberration at 300mm that doesn't become intrusive in the image quality, only noticeable if you go pixel peeping. - VR Mode is functional and good despite not having the Normal/Active function. - Light which makes it good for travels. - Zoom/Focus ring feel sturdy despite being plastic. - Autofocus is excellent and responsive in good light conditions, it snaps right into focus on your subject. Cons: - Build quality, despite the metal mount which is ok, the plastic body may not please those who shoot under harsh conditions and look for something affordable, but then again something had to be sacrificed to be light. - Clunky Manual/Auto Focus Switch, it is annoying especially for those who have the Manual/AF switch in the camera like me, Manual Focus Override (M/A - M Switch) would be a better addition. - Lens Hood is so badly constructed with a thin layer of plastic that it feels it's going to get torn apart at any moment if something comes at it, it's still useful though. - Autofocus has tendency to go hunting for the subject in dim light conditions, it can become an annoyance for some, specially if they shoot action photography, but what to expect from a f/4.5-5.6 lens, it's still usable but don't expect it to snap right into focus in dim lights. Despite the not so good things about this lens it's still a good purchase for those who are looking for an excellent lens in terms of Price/Quality, you will not be disappointed as this lens, sure is a star performer. Sure, the Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 VR may offer a slight more image quality, Manual Focus Override, VR Mode with Normal/Active and slightly better AF than this lens, but unless you're planning of moving for Full-Frame later and can't afford the best performer Telezooms right away, there is no a reason for buying the more expensive 70-300mm, if you can't deal with the Cons you can spend the extra money, but if you're willing to live with the cons like I am, it's still a perfect choice for a Telephoto Lens and you won't regret it!

Like a few other reviewers I have the 18-55mm kit lens but find its zoom capabilities rather limited. I also have the Nikkor 50mm and while it is a top class lens for portraiture it again (not surprisingly) has no zoom capabilities. So I was a little bit handicapped when it came to sports or wildlife photography. This lens plugs the gap very nicely. So like me you are probably an amateur photographer with delusions of grandeur and have been trying to work out how much more zoom do you get for your money and compared to the 18-55mm kit lens. Well you can directly compare it to a bridge/super zoom compact camera with 18x zoom. Although the quality of the image far out classes that sector. In real life terms this means you can zoom in on a rugby scrum if you're on the touch line. You can easily get that bird at the end of your garden in full frame and you can take pictures of your child at the nativity play from the back of the hall* *That's after you've asked permission from the headmaster, been CRB checked, had a DNA sample taken, probed, interviewed, micro chipped and then sought written permission from 300 other parents to be allowed to take photos of your son dressed as a donkey! Like all Nikkor lenses the VR switch works well and you are going to need it if you're taking photos hand held. The lens weighs quite a bit more than the 18-55mm kit lens but not so much that it will weigh your camera bag down. Being made of plastic certainly helps to keep the weight problem under check. Yes it's mostly plastic but its of a good quality and will take the odd knock and bump well. Quality of the image/ picture quality is excellent. If you want geeky in-depth reviews about it there are lots of nerdy charts and graphs on drop off, Dof etc on line. Lets just put it in amateur terms......its good! It takes nice photos with little to no distortion. A couple of reviews state that it is poor in bad light. I haven't found this to be true. If your camera is set to the right light conditions it copes as well in poor light as any of the others I have. Don't forget to order a UV filter cover for it. Better to scratch a cheap UV filter than this expensive lens!

ottimo rapporto qualità/prezzo (qui su amazon... nei negozi a 400 euro è un pò caruccia...) ovviamente è valida solo per il formato dx.. non è particolarmente luminosa (da non usare di notte) ma fa il suo sporco lavoro e con la luce lo fa anche bene... stabilizzatore molto buono (ho fatto foto sportive in uno stadio di calcio e, limitando un pò le vibrazioni della mano, ho fatto foto molto ferme anche con tempi non eccezionalmente corti a 300mm... se vi trema la mano però il vr non può più di tanto...) è un'ottica pesantuccia e ingombrante, non è da portare in giro per fare le foto della domenica o di un viaggetto spensierato fastidioso è che quando lo spegnete rimane la lente del focus un pò aperta (per chiuderla dovete mettere in manuale e richiuderla... ad oggi non credo ci siano altre soluzioni)... capita praticamente sempre per queste piccole scomodità, oltre al 35mm 1.8 che ho già, penso che le affiancherò il tamron 18-200 per fare le foto "spensierate" di situazioni normali, utilizzando questo 55-300 per le foto più ragionate (e nelle quali mi porterei appresso tutta l'attrezzatura, treppiedi compreso)

Great lens exactly as described!

Buen tele zoom para aficionados con magnifica relación calidad-precio. Opticamente cumple bien dentro de su gama. Precio muy bueno. El estabilizador funciona perfectamente y te permite disparar a pulso con velocidades bajas. No es un objetivo para profesionales pero resulta ideal para aficionados. Opino que es una buena compra por su precio.

素早く配送してくださいました。今回は中古品を購入しました。傷やくもりに関しては説明書きと齟齬がなく、全く問題ありませんでした。

I was on the fence about buying this lens or saving up a little more for the 70-300 Nikon lens for my D5100. I decided to go with this one as it was about $125 cheaper at the time (comparing refurbished models of both), and read that the main difference between the two was the faster AF mechanism in the 70-300, the fx compatibility, and the Manual/Auto switch of the 70-300 which allows manual focus without having to switch the autofocus off. The image quality of both seemed to be relatively equal according to many reviews, so I took the plunge. I was mostly concerned about the focus speed, but it was much better than I anticipated. The only time the focus took a long time was if it tried to focus in the 'wrong' direction and then had to move all the way back the other direction. This often happened in low light or if the lens was zoomed in all the way while trying to focus. This is easily fixable if you zoom out first, focus quickly, and then zoom in and focus again. Other than that, I didn't notice much difference in focusing speed than the 18-55 kit lens. I'm sure the 70-300 is faster, but for my needs this was acceptable. Don't expect fast AF-C focusing on fast moving subjects, though. The VR on this lens is fantastic. I'm glad I didn't go for one of the cheaper Tamron or Sigma zoom lenses that did not have any kind of vibration reduction. I never noticed how it worked with the kit lens, but when you are zoomed in at 300, it is clearly evident. If you are fully zoomed in without VR, you can try to keep the camera steady as possible, but it will still be shaky. With VR kicked in, pushing the shutter button halfway will magically steady your image in the viewfinder. It's similar to those FPS games that let you hold your breath when looking through a sniper rifle. I don't know how it works, but it's amazing, and lets you take sharp handheld shots zoomed all the way in. This lens is mainly for outdoor shooting with lots of light. Low light is difficult, but nothing a flash can't solve. However, using a flash will limit your max shutter speed to 1/200's of a second, and if you are zoomed all the way in handheld it is best to try to keep a shutter speed of 1/400 or faster. As a result, you'll have to be extra steady when using the flash if you are zoomed all the way in. All in all, I'm extremely satisfied with this lens. Pictures are extremely sharp at all zoom levels, Bokeh is great, and it's very easy to isolate your subject from the background. If faster AF is important to you and you don't mind the extra cost, go for the 70-300. If you are on a budget and want a good quality zoom lens, this is the perfect option.