Construction and designed with precision. This lens is not only built like a tank, it sounds like a tank too. Has a very distinct mechanical sounding click to it when adjusting aperture or taking shots. As far as aesthetics go, it looks like a beautiful classic lens. Built in lens hood included. Even the lens cap seems perfect. I find the 72mm thread convenient since I own 2 other lenses that size so I can switch lens filters around. This is also great because faster lenses of this length or other super telephoto lenses require such big, expensive filters. The lens size and weight is manageable to carry around. Useful for a supertele prime. Tripod collar pretty convenient. Image quality is far more impressive than I expected (a tripod is a must tho or fast shutter speed hand held). Very contrasty. Sharpness good depending on shooting conditions (see below). Nice separation for 3d look. Large bokeh and out of focus areas are smooth and creamy. Little to no sign of CA. Cheap price. Sells on ebay for 100-200 bucks. I'll take 2 please! Bought mine in a used lens shop in Seoul, South Korea for about $175. Very affordable option.

It's not as quiet as AF-S lenses. Long and heavy = awkward to carry. Heaviest lens I own. Not afraid of damaging the lens as it could break a few things in the house. Even if I attempt to take a pic with this while handheld, I feel pain in my fingers under the weight. They start to buckle and give not long after. Almost always shoot on a tripod. Monopod may be okay but bc there's no VR, need to reduce movement as much as possible. Any camera shake is immediately noticeable. No AF. This lens absolutely requires patience. Long slow focus ring too. You will lose the opportunity to get good shots if tracking a moving subject. AF peaking in Sony mirrorless cameras is a big help. Not that fast. F/4.5 is nothing to brag about. Focal distance not that close. Doesn't matter much for 300mm, but keep in mind when a subject is near.

Construction and designed with precision. This lens is not only built like a tank, it sounds like a tank too. Has a very distinct mechanical sounding click to it when adjusting aperture or taking shots. As far as aesthetics go, it looks like a beautiful classic lens. Built in lens hood included. Even the lens cap seems perfect. I find the 72mm thread convenient since I own 2 other lenses that size so I can switch lens filters around. This is also great because faster lenses of this length or other super telephoto lenses require such big, expensive filters. The lens size and weight is manageable to carry around. Useful for a supertele prime. Tripod collar pretty convenient. Image quality is far more impressive than I expected (a tripod is a must tho or fast shutter speed hand held). Very contrasty. Sharpness good depending on shooting conditions (see below). Nice separation for 3d look. Large bokeh and out of focus areas are smooth and creamy. Little to no sign of CA. Cheap price. Sells on ebay for 100-200 bucks. I'll take 2 please! Bought mine in a used lens shop in Seoul, South Korea for about $175. Very affordable option.

It's not as quiet as AF-S lenses. Long and heavy = awkward to carry. Heaviest lens I own. Not afraid of damaging the lens as it could break a few things in the house. Even if I attempt to take a pic with this while handheld, I feel pain in my fingers under the weight. They start to buckle and give not long after. Almost always shoot on a tripod. Monopod may be okay but bc there's no VR, need to reduce movement as much as possible. Any camera shake is immediately noticeable. No AF. This lens absolutely requires patience. Long slow focus ring too. You will lose the opportunity to get good shots if tracking a moving subject. AF peaking in Sony mirrorless cameras is a big help. Not that fast. F/4.5 is nothing to brag about. Focal distance not that close. Doesn't matter much for 300mm, but keep in mind when a subject is near.

The same great lens formula of expensive VR and AF lenses but without the AF!
Gun metal finish. There ain't no lenses these days with that!

Heavy (what do you expect?)
Will only meter with high end cameras from D200, D300... etc.

The only thing missing from this wonderfully designed lens is the AUTOFOCUS function because it is manual focus. If you want to save 100's of dollars and can live with manual focus, this lens is DA WAN! It will only give exposure readings for D200, D300 and above.... It will be a useless paperweight to D90, D80, D70 and below as it will NOT meter!

Customer Service

Never needed

Similar Products Used:

50 1.4
35 F2
20 2.8

Light, Sharp, natural colour rendition, good bokeh, handy and well built.
very good wide open, outstanding at f5,6
I had it at a very good price (well used)

The diaphragm blades are built behind the lenses so are exposed to dust (always kep the rear cap on!)

Bought as a replacement for my nikkor 300mm f 4,5 AIS non ED, it clearly outperforms its predecessor in every respect. Lighter, better performer at large apertures, better bokeh and resolution, less contrast and better color rendition.
The internal focus makes focusing really faster and easier.
It's really a great lens, i used it on digital with a D40 and on film with my trusty fm2. The photos made with this lens really stand out for colors and sharpness.
I bought this gem well used but the lens is still working fine, only some scratches and dings. I use it mainly handheld because it's so light and handy, but the tripod muount seems very well built and tought.
If you can live without AF, this is THE NIKON 300mm to have.

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 300mm f4,5 AIS non-ED, non IF