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Nikon 300mm f/2.8 AI-s ED Review

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El Matadurr

El Matadurr

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When you need the speed, the depth of field control, and the sharpness only a leviathan can provide, this 20 year old legacy lens really does go above and beyond in every way. Optically, there are no real issues. It even has less purple fringing than my 180mm f/2.8 at f/2.8!

Oh, and the camera you put it on doesn't matter. My d300 feels just as small as the NEX-7 when mounted to this bad boy:

http://matthewdurrphotography.com/2012/08/03/lens-review-nikon-300mm-f2-8-ai-s-ed/
 
I absolutely love that lens. Probably one of the sharpest 300/2.8s you will find anywhere. I saw one the other day at my local camera shop for $1,800 (low price due to the ugly outside but the optics were spotless) and if I had the money I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat.
 
Great review of a classic Nikkor. I have one of the first AF versions. It is such a joy to use and when I get it just right, the images are superb. The AF version before had the "rabbit ears", which I think was a limited run.

My F-5 would drive it like it was an AF-S version. The D700 handles it just as well.

Some of the older forum members who read "Shutterbug" way back when, might remember a seller who specialized in Leica / Nikon named Jim Kuehl. He ran an ad every month.

I bought it from him back in 1992, absolutely mint, for $700. Back then that was serious cash to me (still is). Looking back on it, it was a steal.

The only thing not original is the little thumbscrew I had to add for the hood (HE-6) lock, which I broke and Nikon has no replacements for.

Anyway, here she is.........





The broken piece.......



 
How I love the Nikon 300mm f2.8. That's why I got two, DII and VR1



 
Now those are sweet. Lot's of ED glass there.................
 
That is just selfish. And cruel. :)
I want one too. stomp stomp stomp.
 
:) All for you!
 
I bought my 300mm used for a very reasonable price. It was clear from the very first moment that it was a keeper but since then I've come to like it more and more. The 70-200 + 300mm is an unbeatable combo for the zoo and I'm still discovering new uses for it. Running dogs, astronomy, portraits, (semi-) macro, aviation, landscapes - you name and the 300mm can do it. Is it any wonder that I can sometimes be seen huddled in a corner, cradling my 300mm f/2.8 whilst whispering: "My preciousssss...." ;)

Here's a picture I took this summer of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth with the 300mm + 1.4x TC:



And for those who wonder: no, I didn't blur the background in post-processing, the bokeh really is that smooth.

Jarno
--
Photos at http://jarno.smugmug.com
 
Wow...$1800? I must have really lucked up on mine. Found it on eBay for $500.

http://matthewdurrphotography.com
C.A.S. said:
I absolutely love that lens. Probably one of the sharpest 300/2.8s you will find anywhere. I saw one the other day at my local camera shop for $1,800 (low price due to the ugly outside but the optics were spotless) and if I had the money I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
 
overniteman said:
Great review of a classic Nikkor. I have one of the first AF versions. It is such a joy to use and when I get it just right, the images are superb. The AF version before had the "rabbit ears", which I think was a limited run.
Click to expand...
Thanks man, it really is magic when you nail focus at f/2.8.
overniteman said:
My F-5 would drive it like it was an AF-S version. The D700 handles it just as well.

Some of the older forum members who read "Shutterbug" way back when, might remember a seller who specialized in Leica / Nikon named Jim Kuehl. He ran an ad every month.

I bought it from him back in 1992, absolutely mint, for $700. Back then that was serious cash to me (still is). Looking back on it, it was a steal.
Click to expand...
For mint, that really is a great deal, though I'm not sure how much that would be in 2012 dollars with inflation and all. :)
overniteman said:
The only thing not original is the little thumbscrew I had to add for the hood (HE-6) lock, which I broke and Nikon has no replacements for.
Click to expand...
Nice fixer-upper. I must ask, does that secondary hood increase contrast and eliminate the veiling flare you can see in my review?

http://matthewdurrphotography.com
 
JC1306 said:
I bought my 300mm used for a very reasonable price. It was clear from the very first moment that it was a keeper but since then I've come to like it more and more. The 70-200 + 300mm is an unbeatable combo for the zoo and I'm still discovering new uses for it. Running dogs, astronomy, portraits, (semi-) macro, aviation, landscapes - you name and the 300mm can do it. Is it any wonder that I can sometimes be seen huddled in a corner, cradling my 300mm f/2.8 whilst whispering: "My preciousssss...." ;)
Click to expand...
I'm the same way, though I keep in a corner so it doesn't fall on anyone's foot. When I get the drive to take it out and shoot, it does work. Getting the drive is the hard part. :)
JC1306 said:
Here's a picture I took this summer of a Hummingbird Hawk-moth with the 300mm + 1.4x TC:



And for those who wonder: no, I didn't blur the background in post-processing, the bokeh really is that smooth.
Click to expand...
That is fantastic, and I've noticed the same about the blur when focused up-close too. There is NO background. haha

http://matthewdurrphotography.com
 
But...(there's always a but)...the focusing is geared weird, the depth-of-field tick mark ring is completely loose (and it spins!), there's a 1-inch long scratch on the protector plate on the front, and the whole front element assembly wiggles about a millimeter.

However, none of that affects the image quality at all.

So still. :P

http://matthewdurrphotography.com
C.A.S. said:
El Matadurr said:
C.A.S. said:
I absolutely love that lens. Probably one of the sharpest 300/2.8s you will find anywhere. I saw one the other day at my local camera shop for $1,800 (low price due to the ugly outside but the optics were spotless) and if I had the money I would have grabbed it in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
El Matadurr said:
overniteman said:
Great review of a classic Nikkor. I have one of the first AF versions. It is such a joy to use and when I get it just right, the images are superb. The AF version before had the "rabbit ears", which I think was a limited run.
Click to expand...
Thanks man, it really is magic when you nail focus at f/2.8.
El Matadurr said:
My F-5 would drive it like it was an AF-S version. The D700 handles it just as well.

Some of the older forum members who read "Shutterbug" way back when, might remember a seller who specialized in Leica / Nikon named Jim Kuehl. He ran an ad every month.

I bought it from him back in 1992, absolutely mint, for $700. Back then that was serious cash to me (still is). Looking back on it, it was a steal.
Click to expand...
For mint, that really is a great deal, though I'm not sure how much that would be in 2012 dollars with inflation and all. :)
El Matadurr said:
The only thing not original is the little thumbscrew I had to add for the hood (HE-6) lock, which I broke and Nikon has no replacements for.
Click to expand...
Nice fixer-upper. I must ask, does that secondary hood increase contrast and eliminate the veiling flare you can see in my review?

http://matthewdurrphotography.com
Click to expand...
I think the reason the price was so good at the time was that Nikon just released the AF-I version and people were all over it. IIRC there were alot of these on the market, but this one was MINT, so I jumped on it.

There is almost no flare at all. It's as if you have to really mess up to get it to flare.

And that little handscrew was a Home Depot special. I want to get one that has the flat sides and paint it black to match.

I think everyone should own a 300mm 2.8 at least once to see it perform. I've never shot it without the HE-6, so I guess it does the job. Knowing Nikon and the way they build and baby these 300's the hood must be a perfect match. The bigger hoods on the new 300's are pretty cool looking though

Here's one handheld (which is doable).



 
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