Read The Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review And Discover A Hidden Gem Of A Lens

by Ben on June 27, 2010

Reviewed by Ben Lee, http://dslrlensesonline.com editor.

Read the Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review at Amazon now and see what others are saying about this fantastic Nikon lens!

Image quality – Rating: ★★★½☆
Build quality – Rating: ★★★½☆
Ease of use – Rating: ★★★½☆
Lens features – Rating: ★★★½☆
Value for money – Rating: ★★★★☆

So you are looking for a Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review to help you decide if this lens is right for you? I’m happy to tell you that you’ve come to the right place.

The 70-300mm VR offering from Nikon has arguably the best compromise between size, image quality and weight among all Nikon zoom lenses.

Throw vibration reduction (VR) and instant manual focus override into the mix and you have a lens that is well on the way to being a winner.

The second generation VR system simply put allows you to hand hold shots at slower shutter speeds and still get the tack sharp image we are all accustomed to from Nikon gear.

In fact, Nikon claims that with VR enabled you can get a sharp image under a further 4 stops.

At a glance…

  • 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens with f/4.5-5.6 maximum aperture for Nikon digital SLR cameras
  • Vibration Reduction (VRII) minimizes effects of camera shake to produce sharper images
  • 2 Extra-Low Dispersion (ED) glass elements delivers super contrast and resolution performance
  • Internal Focus (IF) system provides fast and quiet autofocusing; 4.9-feet close focus range
  • Measures 3.1 inches in diameter and 5.6 inches long; weighs 26.3 ounces; 5-year warranty

So, who is the lens really suited to?

  1. those who love a light weight but good quality lens
  2. anyone with a range of old bodies lying around the place – this lens is perfect for FX, DX and 35mm film bodies
  3. those who have owned heavy, bulky or expensive dedicated zoom lenses in the past that have taken the fun out of photography (me included!)
The Good
  • performs admirably in all major categories
  • lightweight, so easy to carry around and use effectively
  • vibration reduction (VR) enabled
  • very sharp from 70mm to 20mm
  • fast and accurate autofocus
The Bad
  • mostly plastic construction, but you have to sacrifice construction for the light weight that a lot of people love
  • sticky zoom operation
  • VR can be noisy at times, but you won’t hear it if there is the slightest amount of ambient noise – not an issue for most people

Something else I should mention in this Nikon 70 300 VR Lens Review is that the auto focus, while not as fast as perhaps a Canon lens, still gets the job done each and every time with perfectly focused images – this was something that a lot of people loved about this lens.

Overall this Nikon 70-300mm lens is great for what it is. For a mid priced lens it can hold its own in some aspects against more premium lenses and surprisingly, it is a great general purpose lens in combination with a wide angle lens.

It offers a wide reach and you can be confident that the 70-30o VR will give you impressive results 99% of the time with only slight performance fall off being seen above 200mm, however most telephoto zoom lenses fall off in quality the further you zoom in.

Overall Rating: ★★★½☆

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