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Perfect with a singular exception. I luv this lens but am still healing from the shock of needing to buy a replacement collar/mount from Kirks. This lens is just a joy to use and produces impeccable images, beautiful bokeh, and is f4 fast. The AF-S design is snappy while focusing and the close focus distance is incredibly short (switchable to 3m if not close focusing to speed things up a bit). I highly recommend it with the caveat regarding the lens collar/mount. One look at the Nikon collar and it's not difficult to see the design flaw. The actual tripod mounting surface juts forward away from the load axis creating leverage resulting in the mounted lens having distinct 'shake' along the vertical axis. I can flex it between my thumb and forefinger when off the lens so there's no hope of it properly supporting the 300mm. (NOTE: This flex is due in large part to the material Nikon engineers selected for this mount. If I had to guess I'd say it's an aluminum alloy of some stripe and simply doesn't have the rigidity to support the lens with this design configuration (ie jutting forward)). The Kirk's replacement is a testimony to thorough engineering and distributes the lens weight across two support cradles (ie perfection). Just calculate the Kirk's Collar into the cost and get out to enjoy this otherwise phenomenal optical stunner from Nikon.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Altough on the pricier side this lens is a bargain, only one stop lower than the f2.8, weights about a third of the f2.8, more compact and gives greater sharpness and contrast than the f2.8. I've had them both, The 300mm/2.8 gives you the speed and unmatched bokeh, the f4 gives you everything else, fast focus and superb picture quality and you really can carry it around in your camera bag to somewhere where the pictures are to be taken, where the subjects for a 300mm lens live and breathe. And when you upload your pictures you can enjoy the astounding sharpness and overall picture quality which this lens delivers. Highly recommended!!
Incredibly sharp with autofocus fast enough for sports. Only a couple of design issues, first, the tripod collar does not rotate very smoothly so when it is on your mono pod turning your camera body from landscape to portrait orientation is not an easy task. Secondly, The aperture ring at the base must be kept at F 32 to allow autofocus on modern cameras and it moves very easily so I find my hand hitting it frequently while holding the lens and knocking it out of place. Otherwise, this is an exceptional lens at a great value!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great older lens, all metal, no cheap plastic, I bought the new one and it was like a cheap toy so I sold it and bought this one. I shoot rodeo and the focus on my D4S is as fast as it needs to be. Contrast and sharpness is excellent. No regrets, it is a light weight compliment to my 300 f2.8 that is just too heavy in some situations.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is the third version of this lens that I have owned. The two previous were the older and the newer f/2.8 vesions. To own one of these long lenses will be a compromise on your part. While they reach out to capture distant images, they are not without their limitations. It seems that, when you need to reach out there, you generally need more than 300mm. This necessitates your buying a teleconverter, making the lens even more awkward than it already is; and prone to even more vibration. The tripod collar is very flimsy, requiring you to spend an addtitional $155 on an aftermarket Kirk collar. That, plus a heavy ball head, a sturdy tripod, a cable release & shooting at 1/1000 sec. will produce passable, but not super sharp, images. And, don't beleve that the more expensive f/2.8 version is any better. It has the same issues. Add to this the extreemly high resolution of the new 24 and 36 mp sensors, and you may well be disapointed. In fact, you may be more satisfied if you are going to use this lens on a lesser mp DX sensor camera. I would advise renting one for a week before actually buying. See if you do not mind the "almost sharp" results and the extra money you will need to spend to acheive them.Read full review
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