Telephoto lens for D3300: AF-S DX 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II or AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR

[mrbr]

From Thom Hogans information :

f/4.5 at 70mm (minimum is f/22)

f/4.8 at 100mm

f/4.8 at 135mm

f/5.3 at 200mm

f/6.3 at 300mm (minimum is f/32)

Greetings,
Marc

 

[braysghost]

Dear members,

I am planning to purchase a Nikon D3300 under the festive offer here in India, i.e., the D3300 camera bundled with the D-Zoom kit lens combination of the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, with either one of the following two lenses
AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II
or
AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR

http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/product/digital-slr-cameras/d3300

I am a beginner, and mostly intend to shoot people, portraits, school and family functions (like weddings, birthdays, etc.), nature (especially macros of flowers, birds perched on trees, etc.), architecture/monuments and landscapes.

Given the above, I request you to please let me decide which of the above two lenses would better suit my requirements - the AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II or AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR, to go with the D3300 and the other lens bundled with the kit (i.e., the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR).

Thanks.

Check this out: http://www.dslrbodies.com/lenses/ni...-lens-reviews/nikon-70-300mm-f45-63-af-p.html

Sounds like a good lens with way faster focus than the 55-200.

I just bought a 55-200 II and the IQ is good, but it really has (expected) slow focus. Grabbed it for hiking.

 

[swimswithtrout]

Or POS....



Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

 

[braysghost]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

I just tested a AF-P at MPEX tonight because of Thom's review. Holy smokes, it's focus speed near the speed of a 70-200 II.

Nothing like the old 55-200's crawl to focus. The old FX 70-300 is somewhere in in between the old 55-200 and new 70-300P & closer to the 55...

I put all three on a D7200 body.

They loaned a AF-P to me for the weekend, IQ testing to be done.

 

[indie4ever]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

Thanks. But, please let me know what is POS that you mentioned.

Secondly, you said 70-300VRII. But, I've serched the Nikon site for the entire range Nikkor lenses, and there has never ever been an iteration of the 70-300 that is a VRII !

Here are the only four models of the 70-300 that the site lists listed at: http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/products/categories/nikkor?

70-300mm f/4-5.6G Zoom-Nikkor

AF-P DX NIKKOR70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR

AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300MM F/4.5-6.3G ED

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

The Nikkor product archives also lists only one model here: http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/products/categories/archive/category_archive_nikkor_lenses?

70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor

So, there has never been a VRII iteration for the 70-300.

Please have a recheck.

Regards

 

[indie4ever]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

I just tested a AF-P at MPEX tonight because of Thom's review. Holy smokes, it's focus speed near the speed of a 70-200 II.

Nothing like the old 55-200's crawl to focus. The old FX 70-300 is somewhere in in between the old 55-200 and new 70-300P & closer to the 55...

I put all three on a D7200 body.

They loaned a AF-P to me for the weekend, IQ testing to be done.

Waiting for your opinion on the new AF-P 70-300 with bated breath, as must be countless others in a similar situation as I'm in right now - with the festive offer giving the option of either the AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II or AF-P DX 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR (i.e., to go with the D3300 and the other lens bundled with the kit, the AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR). Please see the offer here:

http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/product/digital-slr-cameras/d3300

Also, which of the following three versions is the "old" 55-200 that you had mentioned above:

AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II

AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED

AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6 G ED

Thanks.

 

[blue_cheese]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

Thanks. But, please let me know what is POS that you mentioned.

some people here are allergic to plastic, so they think that a little metal ring near the lens mount makes them better. POS is an abbreviation for Piece Of S..t

Secondly, you said 70-300VRII. But, I've serched the Nikon site for the entire range Nikkor lenses, and there has never ever been an iteration of the 70-300 that is a VRII !

AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED has VRII... basically it has a fancy switch that allows you to set active VR to deal with moving platform situations... and the letters are painted red.

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

Loading…

www.nikonusa.com

Its like the first sentence in bold on the overview page....

For what its worth... none of these lenses are some stellar sports action lenses. I haven't used the new AF-P lenses, and to be honest it looks like a whole ton of costs were cut.. less elements in optical forumla, less aperture blades, no AF or VR switches....

The MTF charts show a decent lens (probably better than the 70-300 and 55-300) in pure sharpness, but I am not sure what that means for rest of image quality. I have the 70-300 and had the 55-300, I also used the 55-200. The latter two I used on a D3100, and both lenses were woefully slow to focus, the 55-300 gets ragged on, but i had a good copy and other than brutally slow focus speed i was pretty happy with it. The new lenses promise to fix that with the motor,so while they may be built cheap they do fix the major problem for AF performance.

A f5.6 vs 6.3 difference is 1/3 stop... and even at f5.6 the lens is useless in indoor lighting unless you are shooting a static subject with a tripod. So in reality wherever you intend to use these lenses you will need ample light so that 1/3 stop is no big deal, and you will definitely not be hitting AF sensitivity constraints with f6.3. AF sensitivity for your camera is -1EV at f5.6 on center point... so unless you plan to shoot black bears in the shadow in the evening, the AF will keep up. Unfortunately if it does come to it, the D3xxx series cameras can't control exposure in 1/3 increments so you will need to take full stop of ISO to make up for shutter speed at the new lens... but it is likely sharper and faster to focus.

Personally, I would take the 55-300, if you were really serious about birding to need better AF performance, the D3300 wouldn't cut it... nor would any f5,6 lens

 

[braysghost]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

Thanks. But, please let me know what is POS that you mentioned.

Secondly, you said 70-300VRII. But, I've serched the Nikon site for the entire range Nikkor lenses, and there has never ever been an iteration of the 70-300 that is a VRII !

Here are the only four models of the 70-300 that the site lists listed at: http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/products/categories/nikkor?

70-300mm f/4-5.6G Zoom-Nikkor

AF-P DX NIKKOR70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR

AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300MM F/4.5-6.3G ED

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

The Nikkor product archives also lists only one model here: http://www.nikon.co.in/en_IN/products/categories/archive/category_archive_nikkor_lenses?

70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED AF Zoom-Nikkor

So, there has never been a VRII iteration for the 70-300.

Please have a recheck.

Regards

Hehe, POS = Piece of Sh-- (Dog doo)

 

[braysghost]

Also, which of the following three versions is the "old" 55-200 that you had mentioned above:

AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II

AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED

AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6 G ED

Thanks.

AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II is the current lens, the other two are from 2005ish.

 

[indie4ever]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

Thanks. But, please let me know what is POS that you mentioned.

some people here are allergic to plastic, so they think that a little metal ring near the lens mount makes them better. POS is an abbreviation for Piece Of S..t

Secondly, you said 70-300VRII. But, I've serched the Nikon site for the entire range Nikkor lenses, and there has never ever been an iteration of the 70-300 that is a VRII !

AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED has VRII... basically it has a fancy switch that allows you to set active VR to deal with moving platform situations... and the letters are painted red.

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

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...d.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

Its like the first sentence in bold on the overview page....

For what its worth... none of these lenses are some stellar sports action lenses. I haven't used the new AF-P lenses, and to be honest it looks like a whole ton of costs were cut.. less elements in optical forumla, less aperture blades, no AF or VR switches....

The MTF charts show a decent lens (probably better than the 70-300 and 55-300) in pure sharpness, but I am not sure what that means for rest of image quality. I have the 70-300 and had the 55-300, I also used the 55-200. The latter two I used on a D3100, and both lenses were woefully slow to focus, the 55-300 gets ragged on, but i had a good copy and other than brutally slow focus speed i was pretty happy with it. The new lenses promise to fix that with the motor,so while they may be built cheap they do fix the major problem for AF performance.

A f5.6 vs 6.3 difference is 1/3 stop... and even at f5.6 the lens is useless in indoor lighting unless you are shooting a static subject with a tripod. So in reality wherever you intend to use these lenses you will need ample light so that 1/3 stop is no big deal, and you will definitely not be hitting AF sensitivity constraints with f6.3. AF sensitivity for your camera is -1EV at f5.6 on center point... so unless you plan to shoot black bears in the shadow in the evening, the AF will keep up. Unfortunately if it does come to it, the D3xxx series cameras can't control exposure in 1/3 increments so you will need to take full stop of ISO to make up for shutter speed at the new lens... but it is likely sharper and faster to focus.

Personally, I would take the 55-300, if you were really serious about birding to need better AF performance, the D3300 wouldn't cut it... nor would any f5,6 lens

 

[indie4ever]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

My bad, swimswithtrout. Didn't know that the iteration VRII existed until blue_cheese pointed out that it's mentioned in bold print in the opening sentence of the Overview page for AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED has VRII:

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

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...d.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

"Its like the first sentence in bold on the overview page...."

Sincere apologies, swimswithtrout, for the mistake; and thanks to blue_cheese for bringing this my attention.

Regards.

 

[indie4ever]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

I just tested a AF-P at MPEX tonight because of Thom's review. Holy smokes, it's focus speed near the speed of a 70-200 II.

Nothing like the old 55-200's crawl to focus. The old FX 70-300 is somewhere in in between the old 55-200 and new 70-300P & closer to the 55...

I put all three on a D7200 body.

They loaned a AF-P to me for the weekend, IQ testing to be done.

braysghost, Have you started "testing the waters"yet, wrt the AF-P Dx 70-300 f/4.5-6.3G ED Vr Nikkor lens. Which camera would you be testing it on? The reults of testing it on any other camera than the D3300, would, in all probability, certain translate into the same result being obtainable with the D3300. Awaiting your comments on the AF-P.

Regards.

 

[swimswithtrout]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

My bad, swimswithtrout. Didn't know that the iteration VRII existed until blue_cheese pointed out that it's mentioned in bold print in the opening sentence of the Overview page for AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED has VRII:

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

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...d.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

"Its like the first sentence in bold on the overview page...."

Sincere apologies, swimswithtrout, for the mistake; and thanks to blue_cheese for bringing this my attention.

Regards.

Don't worry about it, the IQ of the 70-300 VRII is terrible and the AF is far too slow to capture anything in motion....

So don't even consider it a capable "birding" lens. It's results are less than "stellar"

I could blame the lens for the softness in this image, but it is pretty hefty crop and I was trying to shoot in 15-30mph winds. You decide.

It's a total shot in the dark, trying to use a 70-300VRII, most of it's shots are Bat $h!t poor !!

Whatever you do, don't buy a 70-300 VRII !!! Just a warning !

 

[indie4ever]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

My bad, swimswithtrout. Didn't know that the iteration VRII existed until blue_cheese pointed out that it's mentioned in bold print in the opening sentence of the Overview page for AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED has VRII:

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

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...d.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

"Its like the first sentence in bold on the overview page...."

Sincere apologies, swimswithtrout, for the mistake; and thanks to blue_cheese for bringing this my attention.

Regards.

Don't worry about it, the IQ of the 70-300 VRII is terrible and the AF is far too slow to capture anything in motion....

So don't even consider it a capable "birding" lens. It's results are less than "stellar"

I could blame the lens for the softness in this image, but it is pretty hefty crop and I was trying to shoot in 15-30mph winds. You decide.

It's a total shot in the dark, trying to use a 70-300VRII, most of it's shots are Bat $h!t poor !!

Whatever you do, don't buy a 70-300 VRII !!! Just a warning !

Dear swimswithtrout, you say the pics posted by you are "less than stellar"! To me, they are specctacular!! You're being modest about it! The pics of the dragon fly and birds in flight are superb! The astrophotography 'inter-stellar' photos are truly 'stellar', and no less spectacular - at least to my (photographic) novice eyes (I am wondering if these were taken with the Hubble space telescope!). The The bat photos are great too!

To sum up, your gear (D7100 plus the 70-300 VRII) is an ideal one across a reasonably good range of subjects, in different light settings. many thanks for taking the time to post such wonderful pictures. I really wonder (and suspect!) if the same results could be produced with the entry-level DSLRs like the D3300 (a poor man's DSLR)! But, see, I have severe budgetary constraints within which to choose my gear.

Really appreciate the inputs. Warm regards.

 

[mrbr]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

200mm is not enough reach for even close subjects and not long enough for far objects !

My bad, swimswithtrout. Didn't know that the iteration VRII existed until blue_cheese pointed out that it's mentioned in bold print in the opening sentence of the Overview page for AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED has VRII:

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

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...d.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

"Its like the first sentence in bold on the overview page...."

Sincere apologies, swimswithtrout, for the mistake; and thanks to blue_cheese for bringing this my attention.

Regards.

Don't worry about it, the IQ of the 70-300 VRII is terrible and the AF is far too slow to capture anything in motion....

So don't even consider it a capable "birding" lens. It's results are less than "stellar"

I could blame the lens for the softness in this image, but it is pretty hefty crop and I was trying to shoot in 15-30mph winds. You decide.

It's a total shot in the dark, trying to use a 70-300VRII, most of it's shots are Bat $h!t poor !!

Whatever you do, don't buy a 70-300 VRII !!! Just a warning !

Dear swimswithtrout, you say the pics posted by you are "less than stellar"! To me, they are specctacular!! You're being modest about it! The pics of the dragon fly and birds in flight are superb! The astrophotography 'inter-stellar' photos are truly 'stellar', and no less spectacular - at least to my (photographic) novice eyes (I am wondering if these were taken with the Hubble space telescope!). The The bat photos are great too!

To sum up, your gear (D7100 plus the 70-300 VRII) is an ideal one across a reasonably good range of subjects, in different light settings. many thanks for taking the time to post such wonderful pictures. I really wonder (and suspect!) if the same results could be produced with the entry-level DSLRs like the D3300 (a poor man's DSLR)! But, see, I have severe budgetary constraints within which to choose my gear.

Really appreciate the inputs. Warm regards.

Hi,

Indeed , wonderfull pictures !!

The fx 70-300 VR lens has a quicker focusing system compared to the dx 55-200 and dx 55-300 lenses. The new dx 70-300 lens should be as equal or better in IQ and focusspeed according to Thom Hogan ( he prefers the new dx 70-300 above the fx 70-300 lens ! ). As you ave a strict budget , the dx 70-300 is a good choice IMO.

The D7xxx camera's have a better autofocus system then the D3xxx camera's, and are better in tracking moving subjects. They also have focus fine tuning. And the new D500 is better then the D7xxx and so on ....

For static subjects however shooting the newer 24 mpix D3xxx have the same sensors and if you don't use extreme thin DOF ( no fine tuning on D3xxx) , the D3xxx's are capable to produce the same IQ as their bigger brothers !! There are examples on this forum who prove this.

Greetings,
Marc

 

[mikeswim]

I've had the 55-200 and the older 70-300 4.5-5.6 FX lens.

The 70-300 does get a bit softer after 240mm, but the best thing about it is that it focuses A LOT faster than the 55-200.

I was able to get a lot of birds in trees and birds in flight/motion with good keeper results, while the 55-200 is short and doesn't focus as fast.

If I were buying a D3300 now, I would get the kit lens (18-55) and look for a zoom refurbished on adorama or BH photo or Keh.

You can get a 55-200 for about $80USD. Maybe start there, save your money for now...? If you want more reach and faster focus, then sell it and get the 70-300 you want...?

 

[indie4ever]

I've had the 55-200 and the older 70-300 4.5-5.6 FX lens.

The 70-300 does get a bit softer after 240mm, but the best thing about it is that it focuses A LOT faster than the 55-200.

I was able to get a lot of birds in trees and birds in flight/motion with good keeper results, while the 55-200 is short and doesn't focus as fast.

If I were buying a D3300 now, I would get the kit lens (18-55) and look for a zoom refurbished on adorama or BH photo or Keh.

You can get a 55-200 for about $80USD. Maybe start there, save your money for now...? If you want more reach and faster focus, then sell it and get the 70-300 you want...?

--
"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." – Ansel Adams

Thanks for the advice, Michael.

 

[Helen]

I've had the 55-200 and the older 70-300 4.5-5.6 FX lens.

The 70-300 does get a bit softer after 240mm, but the best thing about it is that it focuses A LOT faster than the 55-200.

I was able to get a lot of birds in trees and birds in flight/motion with good keeper results, while the 55-200 is short and doesn't focus as fast.

If I were buying a D3300 now, I would get the kit lens (18-55) and look for a zoom refurbished on adorama or BH photo or Keh.

You can get a 55-200 for about $80USD. Maybe start there, save your money for now...? If you want more reach and faster focus, then sell it and get the 70-300 you want...?

--
"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." – Ansel Adams

Thanks for the advice, Michael.

I generally use mirrorless cameras, but have a D5500 which came with the AF-P 18-55 VR lens and added the AF-S 55-200 VR II. The 55-200 is a very compact little lens (it collapses like the current 18-55 lenses do) and seems very sharp, too. I find it generally focuses quite quickly, though the AF-S design makes for a different style of operation than the new AF-P lenses - the focus motor is slightly audible, slower and the focus ring spins during AF - it also cannot be used for touching up the focus manually in AF, By comparison the AF-P lens keeps the AF ring still during AF, is silent, and you can use the manual focus ring during AF if you need to fine-tune it.

One issue my D5500 has with the 55-200 is that its rather loud, abrupt shutter seems to vibrate something in the 55-200 during exposures, so that at around 1/125-1/200 I get a sharp, slightly displaced double image effect. Faster speeds are fine, but slower speeds than these are somewhat softer than I'd expect for my handholding ability with VR. I am hopeful that the new AF-P 70-300 VR might not be affected this way.

 

[indie4ever]

I've had the 55-200 and the older 70-300 4.5-5.6 FX lens.

The 70-300 does get a bit softer after 240mm, but the best thing about it is that it focuses A LOT faster than the 55-200.

I was able to get a lot of birds in trees and birds in flight/motion with good keeper results, while the 55-200 is short and doesn't focus as fast.

If I were buying a D3300 now, I would get the kit lens (18-55) and look for a zoom refurbished on adorama or BH photo or Keh.

You can get a 55-200 for about $80USD. Maybe start there, save your money for now...? If you want more reach and faster focus, then sell it and get the 70-300 you want...?

 

[braysghost]

Or POS....

Stick with the original 70-300 VRII !!

I just tested a AF-P at MPEX tonight because of Thom's review. Holy smokes, it's focus speed near the speed of a 70-200 II.

Nothing like the old 55-200's crawl to focus. The old FX 70-300 is somewhere in in between the old 55-200 and new 70-300P & closer to the 55...

I put all three on a D7200 body.

They loaned a AF-P to me for the weekend, IQ testing to be done.

braysghost, Have you started "testing the waters"yet, wrt the AF-P Dx 70-300 f/4.5-6.3G ED Vr Nikkor lens. Which camera would you be testing it on? The reults of testing it on any other camera than the D3300, would, in all probability, certain translate into the same result being obtainable with the D3300. Awaiting your comments on the AF-P.

Regards.

It rained here all weekend, not much testing got completed.

My DX body is a D7200.