Nikon AF-S 300 f/4

HarveyMushman

Anybody have experience with this lens? It looks to be a good deal compared to the 2.8. I like the relatively compact size and reasonable weight--it's barely more substantial than my 70-200.

I know there's talk about the crappy tripod mount but a) it will never be mounted to a tripod while in my hands and b) there are fixes for that problem.

Mitchell

HarveyMushman wrote:

Anybody have experience with this lens? It looks to be a good deal compared to the 2.8. I like the relatively compact size and reasonable weight--it's barely more substantial than my 70-200.

I know there's talk about the crappy tripod mount but a) it will never be mounted to a tripod while in my hands and b) there are fixes for that problem.

Tim,
I own all three lenses you are talking about here.

The 300mm, f4 is a great lens for the money. The image quality is very good even wide open. The AF-S is very fast. It has a nice, built in hood which retracts conveniently. I never did very well with this lens handheld. Perhaps my technique is poor. My keeper rate went way up once I started using a monopod or tripod. I did replace the Nikon foot with a Kirk foot which is rock solid. Too bad Nikon did not recently announce the addition of VR to this lens.

The 70-200mmVR as you know, is a Nikon legendary zoom. It is very comparable in size and weight to the 300mm, f4.

The 300mm, f2.8VR is in another class compared with the 300mm, f4. This lens is big and heavy (6lbs), but the speed and image quality is second to none.

What kind of shooting are you looking to do with your 300mm?

Harryb

I own both the 300 f/4 and the 70-200 2.8. The 70-200 is the superior glass and its well suited to general shooting. Its one of the few zooms I shot with that works well with a TC.

The 300 f/4 is another fine piece of glass. Its IQ is excellent, it focuses well and works very well with the 1.4 TC. Here's a review of the lens. Its an excellent lens for wildlife shooting and one of the best lens bargains out there.

HarveyMushman

Thanks, Mitch and Harry.

It would be used for motorsports primarily, motorcycle racing in particular. I like to take panning shots, hence my interest in the size/weight of the lens. But I also foresee using it on a monopod with 1.4 TC so I'm happy to read it works well in that configuration too.