Lens review

Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

11. Summary

Pros:

• solid barrel,
• very good image sharpness in the frame centre,
• good image quality at the frame edge,
• low distortion,
• slight coma,
• well-corrected astigmatism,
• low vignetting,
• efficient stabilization,
• excellent autofocus.

Cons:

• high or very high chromatic aberration at all focal lengths,
• at 300 mm image resolution could have been better.

To put it in a nutshell Nikon took up to the challenge of the Canon 70-300 IS in a stylish and efficient way. Both lenses have similar properties with the similar pros and cons list and one serious slip-up – in the case of the Canon it was the autofocus, which, for an USM mechanism works badly; in the case of the Nikon it was the chromatic aberration, which level was too high.

What’s more important, in the case of both instruments the 70-300 mm class lenses users can be encouraged to change their devices into the stabilized ones with confidence. Paying those additional 250 $ you get not only the stabilization but also better optical properties and a more efficient autofocus. Of course encouraging is one thing but following our advice is quite another – after all the sum of 250 $ is not a trifle so everybody must consider such a move individually.

Sample shots:

Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 220 mm, f/5.3, exp. 1/800 sec., ISO 250 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 3.8 MB	Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 125 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 250 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 3.9 MB	Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 70 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/30 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 3.7 MB
Camera:Nikon D200 Parameters: 70 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/350 sec., ISO 250 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 6.0 MB	Camera: Nikon D40x Parameters: 250 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/3200 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 2.1 MB	Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 300 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/400 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 6.6 MB
Camera:Nikon D40x Parameters: 300 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 4.6 MB	Camera: Nikon D40x Parameters: 300 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/320 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 1.0 MB	Camera: Nikon D200 Parameters: 98 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 125 File: JPG, 3872x2592 pix, 3.9 MB