Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4E PF ED VR

[Thedesertratz]

I've had this lens for about a week and taken quite a few shots with the D810 and the new D500. It is very sharp and works exceptionally well on the D500 at all shutter speeds using VR. I did do quite a few test shots using the D810 and can say that this combination does still have an issue with "VR blur" between 1/80- 1/160 sec. This was varied and did not replicate the same for each shot at the same shutter speed and that could be due to hand holding but it did work surprisingly well at 1/15 to 1/60 sec and of course anything above 1/160. It's not that the images were necessarily blurry, pixel peeping showed the slight edge blur and normal viewing most looked relatively sharp. its a little disappointing that it still seems to have an issue with D8XX bodies but certainly not a deal breaker me as I really bought it to use on the D500.

The Lens also pairs well with my older 1.4x II and focus seemed fast and precise, Overall this combination is very light and portable and just as sharp if not sharper than the older 300 f4.

If you are looking for a compact, light system to walk around or hike with this would be a great addition to your kit, just keep in mind the D8XX VR issue before you buy.

 

[Rajeshb]

Thank you very much for the review.


I know about the VR issue, but have not followed it in detail as I am primarily a landscape photographer. But nowadays I do shoot some birds with my Tamron 70-300 VC. I will go for a long Himalayan trek next year (do not know which one yet) and birds are very abundant and easy to shoot in Himalayas.


Basically for mountain treks this lens has no parallel. 200-500 or 150-600s are too heavy to carry and my 70-300 is poor in low light and for anything further than 15 feet. A f/4 lens that could be used wide open and weighs 800 grams is a god send in this situation. It is way over my budget, but I guess I can sell it for a small loss when I come back.


So what exactly is the issue? I understand there is a VR induced blur in the 1/80-1/160 shutter speed range, but what happens if I shoot at say 1/60 or 1/250? does the blur go away completely? Could I just use shutter priority, auto ISO and 1/250 sec and get rid of the issue? I am asking because unfortunately I do plan to buy D810. It is off course great for landscapes and has high pixel density for cropping.


It would be great if you have any example of the blur.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rajesh_b/

 

[Thedesertratz]

Thank you very much for the review.

I know about the VR issue, but have not followed it in detail as I am primarily a landscape photographer. But nowadays I do shoot some birds with my Tamron 70-300 VC. I will go for a long Himalayan trek next year (do not know which one yet) and birds are very abundant and easy to shoot in Himalayas.

Basically for mountain treks this lens has no parallel. 200-500 or 150-600s are too heavy to carry and my 70-300 is poor in low light and for anything further than 15 feet. A f/4 lens that could be used wide open and weighs 800 grams is a god send in this situation. It is way over my budget, but I guess I can sell it for a small loss when I come back.

So what exactly is the issue? I understand there is a VR induced blur in the 1/80-1/160 shutter speed range, but what happens if I shoot at say 1/60 or 1/250? does the blur go away completely? Could I just use shutter priority, auto ISO and 1/250 sec and get rid of the issue? I am asking because unfortunately I do plan to buy D810. It is off course great for landscapes and has high pixel density for cropping.

It would be great if you have any example of the blur.

 

[labalaba]

Thank you very much for the review.

I know about the VR issue, but have not followed it in detail as I am primarily a landscape photographer. But nowadays I do shoot some birds with my Tamron 70-300 VC. I will go for a long Himalayan trek next year (do not know which one yet) and birds are very abundant and easy to shoot in Himalayas.

Basically for mountain treks this lens has no parallel. 200-500 or 150-600s are too heavy to carry and my 70-300 is poor in low light and for anything further than 15 feet. A f/4 lens that could be used wide open and weighs 800 grams is a god send in this situation. It is way over my budget, but I guess I can sell it for a small loss when I come back.

So what exactly is the issue? I understand there is a VR induced blur in the 1/80-1/160 shutter speed range, but what happens if I shoot at say 1/60 or 1/250? does the blur go away completely? Could I just use shutter priority, auto ISO and 1/250 sec and get rid of the issue? I am asking because unfortunately I do plan to buy D810. It is off course great for landscapes and has high pixel density for cropping.

It would be great if you have any example of the blur.

 

[petebuster]

I've had this lens for about a week and taken quite a few shots with the D810 and the new D500. It is very sharp and works exceptionally well on the D500 at all shutter speeds using VR. I did do quite a few test shots using the D810 and can say that this combination does still have an issue with "VR blur" between 1/80- 1/160 sec. This was varied and did not replicate the same for each shot at the same shutter speed and that could be due to hand holding but it did work surprisingly well at 1/15 to 1/60 sec and of course anything above 1/160. It's not that the images were necessarily blurry, pixel peeping showed the slight edge blur and normal viewing most looked relatively sharp. its a little disappointing that it still seems to have an issue with D8XX bodies but certainly not a deal breaker me as I really bought it to use on the D500.

The Lens also pairs well with my older 1.4x II and focus seemed fast and precise, Overall this combination is very light and portable and just as sharp if not sharper than the older 300 f4.

If you are looking for a compact, light system to walk around or hike with this would be a great addition to your kit, just keep in mind the D8XX VR issue before you buy.

I have the older one which is a superb lens ,I do wish it had vr but it's not worth another £700 , tested both IQ wise no difference that I could see ,the older one still fairly light . For me new version is a little overpriced

 

[Jay A]

This has been discussed very much since the lens first appeared last year. Yes, while the firmware upgrade and subsequent newer lenses did address this issue, it is not totally resolved. Many have reported that the problem can be helped by using the grip on the D810 and others say it is not nearly as big a problem on the D750 body. It apparently has a lot to do with the mass of the camera and how its held at those shutter speeds.

I myself rarely depend on VR as I find that it is very iffy with many camera/lens combinations. I feel it may be best to treat this lens as a VR lens for the real low shutter speeds and treat it as a non VR lens for the medium (1/60, 1/125) and higher ones.

I have also found that while the lens is very sharp, it does lack some contrast, and it does fuzz out the whites at times, but otherwise it is pretty good.

 

[wildlifr]

I've had this lens for about a week and taken quite a few shots with the D810 and the new D500. It is very sharp and works exceptionally well on the D500 at all shutter speeds using VR. I did do quite a few test shots using the D810 and can say that this combination does still have an issue with "VR blur" between 1/80- 1/160 sec. This was varied and did not replicate the same for each shot at the same shutter speed and that could be due to hand holding but it did work surprisingly well at 1/15 to 1/60 sec and of course anything above 1/160. It's not that the images were necessarily blurry, pixel peeping showed the slight edge blur and normal viewing most looked relatively sharp. its a little disappointing that it still seems to have an issue with D8XX bodies but certainly not a deal breaker me as I really bought it to use on the D500.

The Lens also pairs well with my older 1.4x II and focus seemed fast and precise, Overall this combination is very light and portable and just as sharp if not sharper than the older 300 f4.

If you are looking for a compact, light system to walk around or hike with this would be a great addition to your kit, just keep in mind the D8XX VR issue before you buy.

It's got the same VR problem with the D500 unfortunately, as well as the D7100. Still an awesome lens, in fact I think the best 300mm f/4 made by any camera manufacturer.

 

[PhoenixImagine]

I bought both the D810 and the 300mm f4 PF within the past week from Amazon. Both items were new in the box.

I also see the VR issue. Hand holding at 1/50 sec and the image is clear and sharp. Using exact same technique at 1/125 sec and the image is blurred.

I ended up sending the 300mm back to Amazon for a refund. Nikon USA support said my lens and camera were not affected as the serial number indicated the fix was already applied. Since the VR issue is still there, I no longer trust Nikon to give us correct information.

Currently I just have the 24-120mm lens, but am looking to get the 80-400mm. I would prefer the 300mm since I am using my camera for hiking and shooting wildlife. Hopefully the 80-400mm won't be too heavy for my typical 6 to 8 hour loop hikes.

 

[jcgamble]

My D7200 works flawlessly and my D600 has issues in that 80-160 range. I think it is the vibration of the larger mirror, shutter or combination. Great lens for hiking. Excellent replacement of my 300 F4D AFS. Great for BIF, butterflies and dragonflies as well. http://johncgamblephotography.blogspot.com/

 

[petebuster]

I bought both the D810 and the 300mm f4 PF within the past week from Amazon. Both items were new in the box.

I also see the VR issue. Hand holding at 1/50 sec and the image is clear and sharp. Using exact same technique at 1/125 sec and the image is blurred.

I ended up sending the 300mm back to Amazon for a refund. Nikon USA support said my lens and camera were not affected as the serial number indicated the fix was already applied. Since the VR issue is still there, I no longer trust Nikon to give us correct information.

Currently I just have the 24-120mm lens, but am looking to get the 80-400mm. I would prefer the 300mm since I am using my camera for hiking and shooting wildlife. Hopefully the 80-400mm won't be too heavy for my typical 6 to 8 hour loop hikes.

You could always get the older version, it's just as good. I absolutely love it.

 

[Reilly Diefenbach]

I just don't seem to have any problem with the 300PF on either my D800e or D7200. The VR is outstanding, just as good as any of the big teles.

Handheld, of course :^)




1/125th






1/20th

 

[Capt Vijay]

I have used the 300mm f4 pf lens on my d750 and never faced any issues with VR. But a friend of mine who uses it on d810 (without battery grip) did face this problem. Using alongwith battery grip, totally solved the VR issue. Has anyone noticed this?

 

[evan47]

I am a former user of the earlier version of this lens (I sold it due to wanting to upgrade 2 bodies and one lens).

I do miss the close focus performance of the earlier version with the tc14ii attached and, if the newer version did not have the ongoing vr issue would purchase one.

My current bodies are the d500 and d7200 (both gripped).

What I may do sometime this year is purchase from a nikon dealer via ebay and take my time trying it out as I believe that if I use pay pal and I am unhappy with its performance i may have 45 days to return for a full refund/replacement if I am unhappy although I may have to open a dispute case to do this (hopefully I wont have to).

Can any one chip in about this lens performance on a gripped d7200 or d500?

 

[Mikspin]

As an eBay seller, statements like yours, makes me want to change my auction return policy to "ALL SALES FINAL, NO EXCEPTIONS". Mikard

 

[evan47]

As an eBay seller, statements like yours, makes me want to change my auction return policy to "ALL SALES FINAL, NO EXCEPTIONS". Mikard

As an ebay buyer ( rarely ), if you stated "ALL SALES FINAL,NO EXCEPTIONS" I would never buy from you.

For the record, I bought 2 copies of the earlier nikon 300f4 af-s, the first being from ebay and, as the weather is so poor in the uk did not have the opportunity to put it through its paces properly for quite some time after purchase.

The lens worked ok for a short while until after a couple of sessions I heard a loud click/crack from within it when focussing after which it would not even focus manually at 20ft distance and often just locked up.

This happened outside a normal 14 day return policy which would have put the onus on me to get it fixed.

As the lens had a new tripod collar fitted and had a receipt for recent nikon service I suspect that the seller most likely dropped it, breaking the tripod collar then had it checked over and got rid.

I have no doubt that you are an honest seller but there are one or two out there that arent, plus there are honest sellers that sometimes try to offload a dodgy item hoping they could get away with it.

Also, I would never return anything simply because I had changed my mind or any other reason apart from it being faulty/fake.

 

[Rolleix]

I have used the 300mm f4 pf lens on my d750 and never faced any issues with VR. But a friend of mine who uses it on d810 (without battery grip) did face this problem. Using alongwith battery grip, totally solved the VR issue. Has anyone noticed this?

We all have friends who have those kind of cameras.

 

[Rolleix]

I am a former user of the earlier version of this lens (I sold it due to wanting to upgrade 2 bodies and one lens).

I do miss the close focus performance of the earlier version with the tc14ii attached and, if the newer version did not have the ongoing vr issue would purchase one.

My current bodies are the d500 and d7200 (both gripped).

What I may do sometime this year is purchase from a nikon dealer via ebay and take my time trying it out as I believe that if I use pay pal and I am unhappy with its performance i may have 45 days to return for a full refund/replacement if I am unhappy although I may have to open a dispute case to do this (hopefully I wont have to).

Can any one chip in about this lens performance on a gripped d7200 or d500?

Dunno but I bet you will get better IQ out it with the D7200.

Ouch!!!!

 

[evan47]

I am a former user of the earlier version of this lens (I sold it due to wanting to upgrade 2 bodies and one lens).

I do miss the close focus performance of the earlier version with the tc14ii attached and, if the newer version did not have the ongoing vr issue would purchase one.

My current bodies are the d500 and d7200 (both gripped).

What I may do sometime this year is purchase from a nikon dealer via ebay and take my time trying it out as I believe that if I use pay pal and I am unhappy with its performance i may have 45 days to return for a full refund/replacement if I am unhappy although I may have to open a dispute case to do this (hopefully I wont have to).

Can any one chip in about this lens performance on a gripped d7200 or d500?

Dunno but I bet you will get better IQ out it with the D7200.

Ouch!!!!

The difference in IQ between the two is not that much. I should know as I have both.

In fact due to its slightly lower pixel density the d500 can be just a little more forgiving re technique esp when hand holding.

 

[Rolleix]

As an eBay seller, statements like yours, makes me want to change my auction return policy to "ALL SALES FINAL, NO EXCEPTIONS". Mikard

You just can start doing it and go hungry living in a box somewhere.

 

[Rolleix]

I am a former user of the earlier version of this lens (I sold it due to wanting to upgrade 2 bodies and one lens).

I do miss the close focus performance of the earlier version with the tc14ii attached and, if the newer version did not have the ongoing vr issue would purchase one.

My current bodies are the d500 and d7200 (both gripped).

What I may do sometime this year is purchase from a nikon dealer via ebay and take my time trying it out as I believe that if I use pay pal and I am unhappy with its performance i may have 45 days to return for a full refund/replacement if I am unhappy although I may have to open a dispute case to do this (hopefully I wont have to).

Can any one chip in about this lens performance on a gripped d7200 or d500?

Dunno but I bet you will get better IQ out it with the D7200.

Ouch!!!!

The difference in IQ between the two is not that much. I should know as I have both.

In fact due to its slightly lower pixel density the d500 can be just a little more forgiving re technique esp when hand holding.

Yes the D7200 is that good.