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Nikon AF-S VR Zoom 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-EDThis is not a pro level lens but it is a fun lens. It's fantastic for sports and wildlife. It's even fun to use for outdoor portraits. It's a much better quality than the 70-300mm with out the VR. In my opinion the VR on this lens is not that useful. The VR only comes in handy when shoot a still subject in low light while hand holding the camera. This lens does not contain fast glass so don't expect to take it to a late evening or night time sporting event and get good results.
If you want to shoot action in low light you will need to invest in the Nikon 70-200mm VR lens. The 70-200mm 2.8 VR is a fantastic pro level lens that will set you back almost 2 grand.
Read my Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 Review here
You can pick this lens for under $600 and it will work on all recent Nikon digital SLR cameras include the D40, D40x, D60 and D5000.
I have used this lens a lot for softball, baseball and football. It's a fun lens for shooting sports. Just remember to put it up when the sun starts to set.
The auto focus is pretty fast due to the AF-S motor being built into the lens. I love to recommend this lens to people just getting started shooting sports. I've used it on the D40x the D50 and the D300 and it works like a champ.
It's also light weight for a lens with this much zoom and quality.
Get it from the most reputable dealer on the web. The people at bhphoto.com are great people and they also have good prices. Stay away from any dealer on the web that offers a price to good to be true. There are a lot of fly by night camera companies out there so be smart when you make your purchase
This lens gets 4.5 stars from 225 reviews at bhphoto.com (May 2009)
Here it is a B&H photo:
Nikon AF-S VR Zoom 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 IF-ED
Try it out by renting it at borrowlenses.com.
Nikon 70-300 VR Review
Here are couple of shots I've taken with the 70-300mm VR lens. The cowboy photo was taken with the Nikon SB-600 attached.
I have a 70-300VR that I use with a D300. I just added a Kenko Pro 1.4 teleplus to my camera bag.
ReplyDeleteIt works with the 70-300VR and retains full auto focus and metering. Not the perfect solution for extra reach but you will get good shots that would impossible without it. Needs a lot of light but for someone who only occasionally wants to capture a distant shot without spending my next two pay checks, it's a good option. Cost $199. Makes a 300mm lens 420mms----but with a loss of speed.