Based upon personal experience with both lenses, please stay with the pro 70-200 f2.8 VR II. It is a far superior lens than is the consumer grade 70-300 af-p fx. No contest. It is like comparing a pro to an amateur. And you may have need for the faster lens in the future.
Sorry, but you're clearly trying to substitute wallet size with photo knowledge. It isn't working.
How is it 'far' superior? Weight? Reach?
Quality. The 70-200 is very well made. It feels solid. It is durable. It focuses fast and accurately. Its resolution, contrast and color is excellent. If you are most interested in weight and reach, purchase a wrestler.
"It feels solid." Just stop with this kind of garbage. It is completely subjective and more to it, entirely misses the point and is an inhibitor to the actual conversation.
Of course the 70-200 is better, both physically and optically. That's why it is the size and price that it is.
But that misses the entire point! He isn't asking "how do I get the best possible IQ?" He's asking, "How does this lens' focus compared to the other lens? Because I wouldn't mind if I could get away using something smaller, lighter, and with a little more focal length flexibility."
And this is how I know you don't have any experience with the AF-P, because it focuses so fast it is outright bewildering.
To the OP: It actually focuses so fast that it is a problem, because sometimes it will skip right over something you want it to hit on and instead lock onto something else (in front or behind), where as with the AF-S system you can get it to pause/catch.
There's the additional issue of that it is focus-by-wire. Very well done, but, it doesn't engage instantly, so touching up focus by hand is trickier--you have to turn it enough to engage it, but then slow down your rate of turning as it will rapidly turn right past your target point. (The throw on it is rather short.)
But as far as speed, it is incredibly quick. If you're thinking "consumer zoom = 2nd tier AF-S (or even back to the screwdriver)," this lens is most certainly not that. Optically it is incredible
for it's size, weight, and cost. One of nikon's better consumer zooms. But it is also a slightly different experience to use. Don't be afraid to rent one first.
